Cult of Personality - Season 1

An examination of the cult "The Teens for Church", established by the late David Berg in Southern California back in 1968

The first hand experience of ex-Moonies K. Gordon Neufeld, Yolande Brener, Lisa Kohn and Mary Jo Downey, with the analysis of cult specialist Rick Ross reveal the other side of Reverend Sun Myung Moon and his Unification Church, serving as a warning for many susceptible people to the dangers of joining deceitful movements.

At the border of Utah and Arizona, a remote theocratic community has been thriving for decades. They live in full obedience to a spiritual leader, whom they believe to be ordained by God. His name is Warren Jeffs, the Prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ and the latter day Saints. On a quiet summer night, Flora Jessup is on a dangerous mission: to rescue two teenage girls who are trying to flee the same religious community that she escaped years before - the FLDS. Having its stronghold in the twin towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona, the Fundamentalists are a splinter group from the Mormon Church, who strive to preserve the polygamist practices abandoned by the original movement in the early 20th century. Its members live under strict religious rules, dictated by polygamist Prophet Warren Jeffs, a manipulative and tyrannical leader who rules over every aspect of the members of the congregation lifes, including their properties, their work and who they can marry, including teenage and child brides that he takes even for himself. Disobeying the will of the prophet, is like disobeying a direct commandment of God, and punishment is harsh. Jeffs would be arrested and sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years for the sexual abuse of minors. What Kind of man can have this absolute power over 10.000 people? In this episode, we bring you the story of Warren Jeffs, told by cult experts, researchers, award winning journalists, and former FLDS members Flora Jessop and Brielle Dekker, who was Jeff's 65th wife. Even from behind bars, Warren Jeffs keeps sending edits to those who keep loyal to the FLDS and blindly believe that it is God's will to obey him.

The story is told behind the small but deadly cult of Charles Manson, as told by former members Dianne "Snake" Lake and Catherine "Gipsy" Share, as well as AESOP, a musician and filmmaker who followed the Manson family in its final years, complemented by the expertise of cult Specialist Rick Ross and author Deborah Herman. Charles Manson remains as one of the most iconic villains from the last century, drawing as much repulsion as admiration until today.

The testimonials are shown of Jonestown survivors Yulanda Williams; Vernon Gosney; and Leslie Wilson, complemented with the extensive research of award-winning author and journalist Julia Scheeres.  The story is told of the life and death of Jim Jones and the deadly legacy of Jonestown that still haunts people until today.

He promises he will lead the faithful until the End Times. But the end, for his followers, comes sooner than expected. He is David Koresh, the so-called Sinful Messiah Of Waco, Texas. He will prepare his followers for a battle with the federal government, but also sleep with whoever he chooses, including pre-teen girls. It is the early 90s, when this man with rock star good looks and charisma rises to the top of a religious sect, one that is already preparing for the end of the world. By the time the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms show up to investigate claims of illegal arms sales, his followers are fully prepared to make a last stand. Whether that means fighting a gun battle, holding out in a siege or starting a blazing inferno, Koresh's followers will stay true to the last. But what kind of person inspires this kind of fanatical devotion? In this episode, we trace the rise and fall of David Koresh, speaking to law enforcement professionals who were there at the time, an expert on cults and deprogramming, and one of the few survivors, Australian Graeme Craddock. Over a quarter century later, the tragic events that took place on a ranch a few miles out of Waco, spawned endless conspiracy theories, and even motivated the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh. One thing for certain, is that David Koresh, the Sinful Messiah, casts a long shadow until this very day.