Hi, some family members are very involved in Santo Daime church and I have worried about long term effects on their brains or physically. I haven't noticed anything dramatic but I do worry about them. Anyone have experience with this?

Do I have to attend the last day of the land mark forum?

It's three hours long, but do I "have" to attend? Would I get credit if I don't? I'm attending because my job sent me.

Sorry if this is against the general purpose of this subreddit, but i need writing help. im writing up some details on a fictional cult for a sci-fi/eldritch horror setting, and part of this setting is a cult dedicated to expanding your own intelligence in an attempt to bring yourself closer to divinity. they do this through body augmentations intended to expand the brain's capacity, among other practices.

what i need is help figuring out two things: one, how do cults end up with the names that the general public refers to them as, and two how do cults end up referring to themselves internally? Im not exactly the most well versed in cults, so help from a community dedicated to them could be of use. thanks!

I recently watched Reckless Ben's investigation into Ideal Living and its alleged connections to Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), a Hindu religious/charitable organization with a presence in India.

The most important part of this story is that Prakashanand Saraswati, a religious figure associated with the organization, was convicted in Texas in 2011 on 20 counts of indecency with a child.

The videos also investigate Peter Spiegel, CEO of Ideal Living, and his alleged financial and personal connections with Saraswati and the organization. Some former employees make further allegations about company resources being used to support the organization.

Those broader claims are allegations, not established facts, so I think they deserve independent scrutiny.

I'm sharing this particularly because JKP continues to operate in India and publicly presents itself as a charitable organization.

This isn't an attack on Hinduism, JKP's ordinary devotees, or the charitable work it may have done. It's simply a call for people to know the documented history and examine the allegations critically.

Videos:
https://youtu.be/ES82FWeOnU4
https://youtu.be/CHID7-wdowU

written with AI

Thoughts on Freedom Church Hereford? I am concerned about this Church and I am wondering if anyone else has red flags about it. I specifically wonder about the children and what the experience is like for them there as well as the culture of only being in contact with other Church members and not outsiders, and arranged marriage allegations?

In 2004, American Nicole Daedone founded the company OneTaste and began teaching about female orgasm and spirituality, using a method she called "orgasmic meditation." While OneTaste was a real and legally established company, its employees and clients lived in a network of physical centers and residential communities where they explored their sexuality and practically worshipped Nicole.

Little by little, the situation became extremely murky. The company's employees began to be indoctrinated to be very seductive in order to attract new course buyers. Furthermore, a significant variation of the supposed meditation was offered: sexual massages for men. Nicole also frequently verbally and physically humiliated her employees, followers, and clients. Completely submissive, they accepted everything she told them under the pretext that it would help shape their personalities.

In 2018, a media outlet exposed OneTaste. They gathered information from former employees and accused the organization of cult-like practices and a pyramid scheme. The employees, who at that time numbered approximately 150 and still lived communally, were forced to work on commission seven days a week and to engage in sexual encounters with each other to resolve work-related issues. These same workers were also forced to take courses, leaving them heavily indebted and essentially working for Deadone for free.

In June 2023, Nicole Deadone was charged with forced labor. She posted $1 million bail and was released, but on June 9, 2025, after a five-week federal trial, a jury found her guilty and she was sentenced to nine years in federal prison.

Video about the brutal story of One Taste: The terrible female orgasm cult: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hDDvi9Zm8U

A man in Canada was recently charged with being associated with 764 and has claimed that the group is connected to numerous 764 members. I have been inside the group for quite some time, and I can say with certainty that not everything appears to be as it initially seems.

The owner of the server is still a teenager, yet 984 does appear to have connections to individuals associated with 764. Additionally, some 984 members have connections to NLM, SR1, and ST, which are groups associated with extremely dangerous and, in some cases, extremist or terrorist activity.

However, this particular server appears to operate somewhat differently. It provides members with a public chat room where they can communicate, share ideas, and post edited videos and other content with the broader community.

The more I investigate, the more I am beginning to realize that this is part of a much larger network, with many additional groups and connections that I intend to document and expose in the near future. I will continue sharing information as I am able to verify it.

Have you listened to the podcast or watched the film yet? I highly recommend both.

I have to make a public confession. I was disturbed to see a course being run by Richard Grannon and Mark Vicente on the subject of cult recovery. I spoke out about, what I thought about at the time, was the inappropriateness of this. I was wrong.

In the past week, I have done a 180° turn on this. I think Grannon, Vicente and Traquair are to be applauded. Grannon has every right to speak on this subject. I hope to hear more from him on this in the future.

Watching the film and listening to the podcast has shaken me from the cognitive dissonance I was under; I considered Vaknin an expert.

Traquair will change your mind on that!

South Korea court gives Unification Church leader 2 years prison

Seoul (AFP) – A South Korean court sentenced the leader of the secretive and powerful Unification Church on Monday to two years in prison on charges of bribing officials, including the then president's wife.

Issued on: 31/08/2026 - 09:53

2 min Reading time

Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja (in wheelchair) arrives for the sentencing at the Seoul Central District Court © JEON HEON-KYUN / POOL/AFP

Han Hak-ja, 83, was accused of providing luxury items, including a designer handbag, to former first lady Kim Keon Hee while her husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, was president, in an attempt to secure policy favours.

She arrived Monday for sentencing -- at which prosecutors had sought a 13-year term -- in a wheelchair, wearing hospital pyjamas and a surgical mask, surrounded by aides.

The Unification Church has a range of significant business interests, including media, education and food distribution, and has long drawn scrutiny over its political ties in South Korea.

In a statement to AFP, the church vowed to appeal, saying it disagreed with the court's ruling.

"We cannot accept the court's finding today that Han instructed the acts in question or was aware of and approved their unlawful purpose," it said Monday.

Other allegations against Han include providing illegal funds to a once prominent ex-lawmaker Kweon Seon-dong, who is now in prison for receiving bribes.

"We have confirmed that she has been sentenced to two years" by the Seoul Central District Court, a spokesman for the Unification Church told AFP.

"Given that she stands at the apex of the Unification Church, and considering her position and role... a prison sentence is unavoidable," the court said in its ruling, Yonhap news agency reported.

Suspension

Founded in 1954 by Han's late husband, Moon Sun-myung, the Unification Church has long drawn controversy over teachings that regard Moon as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Han, revered by church members as the "True Mother", took the helm of the church after Moon's death in 2012. She was arrested in September 2025 in connection with a bribery case involving the former first lady.

The Unification Church is best known for its mass wedding ceremonies, in which couples of different nationalities are matched, held at its headquarters in South Korea.

Han's arrest rocked the church, which claims to have 10 million followers worldwide.

Since her arrest, Han has repeatedly been transferred between a detention centre and hospital for medical treatment.

After the verdict, the church leader returned to hospital, where as court has ruled said she can remain until Wednesday due to medical issues including a heart condition, pain from a fall, and glaucoma treatment.

"Whether she will seek a further suspension remains a matter for discussion among her attorneys in consideration of her health conditions," the church spokesman told AFP.

The church came under renewed scrutiny in Japan after the 2022 assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, with the suspected gunman blaming the organisation for his family's financial ruin.

© 2026 AFP

The leader of the controversial Unification Church has been sentenced to two years in prison for bribing South Korea's former first lady and other political funding offences.

A court found that Han Hak-ja's church gave Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol, two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace, together worth 80 million won ($57,900; £42,500).

Earlier this year, Kim was sentenced to 20 months in jail for accepting bribes from the church.

Han, the 83-year-old widow of the Unification Church's founder Sun Myung Moon, had repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them "false".

A special counsel team appointed to the case said Kim received the luxury products from the church between April and July 2022, in exchange for business and political favours.

The prosecutors said the probe was the first time the authorities have confirmed the church's attempt at buying influence in politics, and released photos of $19m (£14m) worth of cash found in Han's personal safe.

South Korea's former first lady admitted to receiving Chanel bags, but said she later returned them without using them.

Kim made a public apology when she appeared for questioning last August: "I am truly sorry that a nobody like me has caused concern to the people."

The Unification Church, known formally as The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, was founded in South Korea in the 1950s by Sun Myung Moon, who proclaimed himself the messiah.

Read the full piece >>>

More news coverage >>>

EDIT: Korean TV News has been covering this extensively today, including joint reports on the joint investigation into the Unification Church and Shincheonji Church of Jesus (SCJ) Cult and its leader Lee Man-hee.

I wish i was joking but this topic is not talked about in the mainstream media and is only relavent to arabic speaking audience.

In the past few months a new dieting system was created by an egyptain ex-doctor named dia alwadi, he lost his medical liscene and started a new dieting system called (نظام الطيبات) which translates roughly to "The goods system" in which eating eggs and chicken meat is unhealthy because chickens take hormones and make you sick.

What made this dieting system blow up is the fact this doctor died recently and people started a cult around him and made theories that he was killed because he was right about something so people are treating his words and diet as the gospel now.

This diet doesn't just stop you from eating chicken and eggs this "doctor" advices people to stop taking their pills including people suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, and he also advices young men to smoke because smoking makes you more manly or something, and also he made a list of allowed and disallowed foods the list is random and doesn't follow any logic like cheese and mayo are allowed but eggs and milk are disallowed when cheese is made from milk and mayo is made from eggs and he also said that drinking water is bad for you.

Hundereds of deaths are now linked to this system because older people are stopping their medications and starting smoking and not drinking any water i wish i was making this up but it is real.

People are generating ai videos of him in heaven and following his advice while he died from his poor health choices that other people are following this movement is really really big hundereds of thousands are following this diet system now and we need to talk about it and stop it.

I left a cult called Golden Drum based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It was started about 15 years ago by Manuel Rufino, who is called "Maestro" by his students. He serves ayahuasca, peyote, mushrooms, cacao, and other plant medicines, and the students who stay loyal to him long enough "get passed the medicine," where he authorizes them to serve these medicines to other people across the US and abroad. This is how Manuel recruits people - through his students. This is how I was recruited.

For the record, Manuel does not have the proper authority to pass these medicines to anyone. He is pretending to be a shaman, and his students do not have proper training. Attending ceremonies with Manuel or his students is dangerous.

I used to live with Manuel and his inner circle of students in Ellenville, NY. They just opened up a new community center in Ellenville called Juniper where they host yoga classes, cacao ceremonies, and other events. Do not go there unless you want to be recruited into Manuel's cult.

When you attend a cacao ceremony or an ayahuasca ceremony led by Manuel or one of his followers, you are not told the details and insane truth claims about the larger cult that they follow. It is called the Universal Great Brotherhood (Gran Fraternidad Universal), started by Serge Reynaud de la Ferriere. Serge claimed to be the "Avatar of the New Age", and his followers claimed he was the spirit of Christ.

UGB is your typical patriarchal, yoga, vegetarian, sexist, new age, guru-worshipping cult. And Manuel added plant medicine to his "lineage" of the cult, which brought the brainwashing to a whole new level.

The UGB had inner conflict between founding members and split-off groups formed. It was started in Venezuela and is still active in South America. Their mission is to usher in the Age of Aquarius by creating "Initiatic Schools" to re-educate humanity into occult wisdom practices, yoga, and a vegetarian lifestyle.

Manuel has been accused of sexual abuse and rape by former members. He has married and divorced several female students and paints them all as liars, cheaters, and problematic. Even some of Manuel's students have been accused of abusing their students as well.

Manuel announces ceremonies at any moment, and students are expected to drop their responsibilites to be at his beck and call. Families, children, businesses, relationships, and personal interests are all labeled as "attachments" and something to transcend so you can be more devoted to Manuel and the "Initiatic Path."

Loyal students who make it up the ranks are awarded "degrees of initiation," and receive special necklaces that signify their status in the cult to other members.

If you join an ayahuasca ceremony led by his students, you won't be told all the details about the UGB, the abuse allegations, the truth claims, or that all students actually belong to Manuel's teacher, Domingo Dias Porta, in the UGB. There is no informed consent about what you are getting yourself into.

This cult is extremely deceptive, providing transformative experiences through ayahuasca and plant medicine ceremonies where people are brainwashed at their most vulnerable state. They claim to promote peace and acceptance of all paths of humanity, but behind closed doors, Manuel is shaming and bad mouthing other elders, traditions, former students, and anyone who threatens his power. He publicly humiliates inner circle members regularly to keep them from stepping out of line. They believe this treatment makes them special and important and is part of the "initiatic path."

Members of his inner circle often struggle financially because of the pressure to donate to Manuel and support his projects for the community. If you stop attending events and ceremonies regularly, you will be publicly shamed and used as an example for the other students. So the message is to stay close to the teacher, and put his priorities and needs above your own.

Inner circle members consult Manuel on small and major life decisions, including whether their children can attend public school. He is using ayahuasca and his perceived status as "an enlightened teacher" to control the inner circle and their children.

Avoid events and ceremonies related to Golden Drum, Juniper, Universal Great Brotherhood, Manuel Rufino, and his disciples.

There were many allegedly AI-generated images in the past used by the Watchtower society. However, since I'm not good at spotting AI images, to be safe, I didn't comment about it. Having said that, this Watchtower study article (which if you don't know, JWs read in each Church Kingdom Hall meeting) was the last straw. It is clearly AI art, though it isn't that bad considering the usual is literally gore art made by unpaid and mistreated talented artists. I hope at least one PIMI JW who is against AI notices and wakes up. What are your thoughts on this?

Lying, crying and denying, Lloyd Grimshaw is dragged before the Federal Government of Australia under threat of subpoena. What a spectacle! What a sensation! Watch as the oily PBCC spin doctor veers from perjury to comedy, in a desperate attempt to avoid admitting the plain, obvious and inevitable facts of the PBCC’s 2025 Election Interference campaign.

Finally cornered, the grim-faced Grimshaw has to admit that his public statements denying Plymouth Brethren Christian Church involvement were not referring to the church at all, but only to a tiny “secretariat entity” of the same name – an entity that has no members at all.

As this unfolded, the phones at the Get-A Life HQ were running hot with calls from incredulous insiders, ex-members and journalists whose reactions spanned the spectrum from fury to hysteria. Here we bring you the first of a series of podcasts where we unleash some of those emotions and commentary from a whole series of guests, starting with Jill Aebi-Mytton, Gilli and Damian Hastie in the UK and the Get A Life team, Lane, Richard and Cheryl and last but not least, a very famous rodent with large black ears.