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WILLIAM SHATNER:
Masters of manipulation,
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mind control...
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and deadly practices
committed by...
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...ordinary people.
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The Manson Family,
Heaven's Gate,
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Jonestown.
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All are examples
of deadly cults.
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But what makes a gathering
of people a cult?
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And why do many cult leaders
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possess the power
to control minds
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and make people do
unspeakable acts?
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Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.
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♪
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Former United States Marine
Omar Rosales is at a crossroads.
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Three years after graduating
from law school,
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he is struggling to get
his career off the ground.
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After a series of dead ends,
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Omar decides to enroll in a
professional development course
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run by a company known as NXIVM,
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in the hope that it will help
bring him greater success.
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I think at the time,
I was a little bit lost.
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I was looking for guidance.
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I had been out of
the Marine Corps for six years,
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finished law school
and I still felt a bit empty.
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I was told about NXIVM
and I was recruited by a friend
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who told me
that these were good courses
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to become more successful.
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And the group had a lot
of accomplished members.
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So I thought it was
a-a good way to improve myself
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and get to know more people.
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SHATNER:
NXIVM claimed that its Executive
Success Programs were designed
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to put members on a path toward
experiencing more fulfillment
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in their lives and achieving
self-actualization.
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But Omar soon found that
the company's training methods
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were a bit unusual.
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ROSALES: It was decided
that Keith Raniere
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would be called Vanguard.
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He was the leader
of this new movement,
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and so you were not
supposed to say "Keith,"
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you're supposed
to talk to him as Vanguard.
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That's how you would
address him.
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"Yes, Vanguard. No, Vanguard."
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The lessons were very long
during the courses.
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We would sometimes go
12 or 14 hours straight.
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It was almost hypnotic.
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What I also noticed was,
playing volleyball with Keith,
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when women would
enter or leave the room,
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they had to kiss Keith
on the mouth.
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Every single woman
had to do this.
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And I just thought,
"That's kind of unusual."
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That's not a normal
social custom,
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to make a woman kiss you
on the mouth before they left.
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It's almost like the women
were subservient to Keith
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or servants controlled, and it
was done without thinking.
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And that kind of
struck me as-as off.
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As something that's going wrong.
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SHATNER:
Fortunately, Omar was able
to get out of NXIVM
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before it brought him
any more harm.
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But sadly, many others,
especially women,
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were unable to break free.
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The suspected head of an alleged
cult that reportedly
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branded female members now faces
charges in the United States
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after he was arrested
and extradited from Mexico.
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JIM MORET:
It became a cult
primarily for him,
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of women who were
his sex slaves.
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And it's fascinating,
because you're talking about
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young, attractive, smart,
successful women
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often coming from money, and you
think, "How is it possible?"
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How could you lure these people
who are intelligent and educated
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and have them become sex slaves?
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The women would be
brought into a room
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and they would
be told, "Disrobe."
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They would be told
to be blindfolded.
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They would lie down on a table,
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and then,
for ten, 20, 30 minutes,
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another member of that cult
would literally brand them
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just above the pelvic area
with Keith Raniere's initials.
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I think my reaction to NXIVM was
what most people's reaction was:
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"Uh, how is this possible?
That can't possibly happen."
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But it didn't start like that.
It developed very slowly.
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Keith Raniere, like many
cult leaders, had allure,
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had an attraction,
had a charisma.
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And that charisma
was intoxicating.
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And you think to yourself,
"This is impossible."
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But imagine now that
you've gone through with this.
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The only way to rationalize this
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is you must tell yourself
this is okay, this is important,
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because otherwise
you'd say that's crazy.
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Actors are the perfect advert
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to attract cult members.
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Society values actors
and their opinions.
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Catherine Oxenberg, the actress
who was initially part
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of this group,
her daughter became involved,
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and she came to us at Inside
Editionand began pleading.
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"Please, help me.
Please, get the word out.
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"I haven't seen my daughter.
She won't talk to me.
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I don't know where she is.
I'm worried for her safety."
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She admitted to me
that she had been branded,
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and she didn't think
that it was problematic.
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When you heard
that she had been branded
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and she was okay with it,
what was your reaction?
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Really sad.
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Really, it's like,
"What have they done?
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"What have they, um, how have
they spun this to make it
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a good thing for woman to be
doing to themselves and others?"
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So that's, that was really,
really hard to figure out.
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How do you make sense of that?
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MORET:
When the alarm bells
start to ring,
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and then investigative
journalists get involved
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and you think to yourself,
"This can't get any stranger,"
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and then it does.
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And then, fortunately,
in this case,
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you find people are eventually
brought to justice.
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Keith Raniere was convicted
of racketeering
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and sex trafficking.
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He'll be sentenced in January,
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and faces a possible sentence
of life in prison.
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Keith wanted to get
as many people as possible,
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so his message was
always a message of love.
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It says, "I love you
just the way you are."
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There was no overt agenda.
It was just an acceptance.
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MORET:
It's all designed
to lure people in.
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A kind of a multilevel
pyramid scheme.
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But the, at the pyramid, there's
only one person on the top,
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and that person is the guy
who gets all of the money.
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And in NXIVM, got all of the
women to be subservient to him.
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It's just fascinating to see
how people are so willing
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to put themselves
beneath somebody else
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who's going to tell them
all the answers.
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SHATNER:
While the power of cults
to draw in the unwitting
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and convert them
into true believers
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has long been
a subject of intense
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and terrifying fascination,
one has to wonder,
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what makes cults so powerful?
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And how does a person
keep themselves
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from falling into
their deceptive clutches?
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JANJA LALICH: People generally
are looking for something
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to belong to, to be a part of,
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to find purpose
in their life, or meaning.
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And today, that's
a very common phenomena.
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In ancient belief systems,
"cult" was not a negative.
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Uh, cult is related
to cultivate,
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to tend or, uh, take care of.
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You had the Mithraic cult
in ancient Rome
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or the Eleusinian Mysteries
in Greece
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or the Cult of Dionysus
that bridged both of them.
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There were cults in India,
the Thuggee.
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These were religious bodies
with practices that promise
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various possibilities
of enlightenment,
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and all seen as a constructive
part of the community.
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DAVID WHITEHEAD:
There's a virtue to seeking out
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a spiritual expression
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or a religious expression
towards orientating yourself
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to the truth, to answering
the big questions of life,
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which are, "Who am I? Why am
I here? Where am I going?"
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That's a natural human endeavor.
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LALICH:
Cults are led by and founded by
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a charismatic
or someone who's considered
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to be a charismatic leader.
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Often narcissistic
and authoritarian,
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and they always demand total
devotion from their followers.
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There also needs to be some type
of indoctrination program
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that is meant to change
or transform the person
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into who the cult leader wants
you to be as a cult member.
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WHITEHEAD:
If we look back at figures
such as Charles Manson,
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he ended up indoctrinating
his followers to the point
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where they were willing
to do things that they otherwise
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would never have been
capable of doing.
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SHATNER:
Humans are hardwired
to form social relationships.
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Bonds that identify our tribe
and keep us together.
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Friend groups, sports teams,
community organizations.
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[cheering, applause]
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All of them speak
to our instinctual urge
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to be part of the group.
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Could the basic human need
to belong
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explain how a cult could make
an otherwise normal person
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lie, enslave or even kill?
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LALICH:
We always say,
"In Rome, do as the Romans do."
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So that kind of peer pressure,
that's why cults are groups.
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ROSALES:
There's something in our psyche
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that draws us to the dark,
the other.
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We're intrigued by it,
because we want
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to maybe experience it vicariously.
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But there are people that will
take advantage of that
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and manipulate you because
they want your money, your life
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and your soul.
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SHATNER:
Is it possible that cult leaders
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are drawing on powers that
are even stranger and stronger
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than we think?
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Perhaps the answer can be found
by taking a closer look
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at what many believe
to be the cult leader's
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most powerful weapon: charisma.
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SHATNER:
Port Kaituma, Guyana.
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November 18, 1978.
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News cameras broadcast
shocking images from a commune
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that lies deep within
the Guyanese jungle.
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Hundreds of men, women
and children,
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most of them families, lie dead,
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00:10:21,344 --> 00:10:25,758
victims of a mass cult suicide.
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It was an event so horrific
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that it would eventually come
to be known around the world
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as the Jonestown Massacre.
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Jonestown is the quintessential
example after World War II
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of what a cult is.
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It started off as
an idealized church vision,
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based in Christianity,
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advocating racial
integration and harmony.
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It gradually devolved, however,
into a commune in Guyana,
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based around the pathologies
of Jim Jones.
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LALICH:
He took his followers to Guyana
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because there was
going to be an exposé
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in one of
the San Francisco magazines
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about his phony faith healing.
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They were really
in a bounded reality.
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00:11:16,241 --> 00:11:19,000
And Jones' voice was on
loudspeakers all the time.
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He was in total control.
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And he also got more
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and more demented and more
and more drug-addled.
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SHATNER:
When reports of abuse surfaced,
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00:11:29,689 --> 00:11:32,517
Congressman Leo Ryan of
California flew to Jonestown
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00:11:32,620 --> 00:11:35,896
with a delegation
to investigate.
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Fearing that the congressman
would blow the whistle
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00:11:38,793 --> 00:11:41,034
on the strange
and abusive behavior
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happening at the compound,
Jones ordered
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00:11:43,931 --> 00:11:45,793
his armed guards to attack
Ryan and his companions
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00:11:45,896 --> 00:11:49,482
before they could
leave the country.
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00:11:49,586 --> 00:11:54,000
Congressman Ryan
and four others were killed.
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00:11:54,103 --> 00:11:57,482
Jones then summoned
his followers, one by one,
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00:11:57,586 --> 00:12:00,551
to swallow a cup
of powdered fruit drink
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00:12:00,655 --> 00:12:02,310
mixed with cyanide,
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00:12:02,413 --> 00:12:04,344
before taking his own life.
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00:12:04,448 --> 00:12:06,482
All told,
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00:12:06,586 --> 00:12:09,827
909 people died
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00:12:09,931 --> 00:12:14,620
in what Jones called
"a revolutionary suicide."
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00:12:19,068 --> 00:12:21,758
Jim Jones wielded a level
of control over his followers
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00:12:21,862 --> 00:12:25,241
that to this day,
remains hard to comprehend.
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00:12:25,344 --> 00:12:29,482
But what makes these leaders so
different from the rest of us
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00:12:29,586 --> 00:12:32,931
that they are capable
of making people do
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00:12:33,034 --> 00:12:34,793
almost anything?
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00:12:34,896 --> 00:12:38,344
Perhaps the answer can be found
by examining one such person
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whose influence extended,
not just within a community...
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00:12:42,862 --> 00:12:46,275
but across
the entire United States.
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00:12:53,862 --> 00:12:57,482
Self-help guru and author,
James Arthur Ray,
244
00:12:57,586 --> 00:13:00,517
takes the stage to speak
to a packed audience
245
00:13:00,620 --> 00:13:04,482
at his "Harmonic Wealth Weekend"
seminar.
246
00:13:04,586 --> 00:13:07,655
It isn't long
before he has the crowd
247
00:13:07,758 --> 00:13:11,310
hanging on his every word.
248
00:13:11,413 --> 00:13:13,379
He was very compelling,
249
00:13:13,482 --> 00:13:16,413
very, um, masterful
250
00:13:16,517 --> 00:13:18,517
from the stage.
251
00:13:18,620 --> 00:13:23,448
And knew how
to move an audience.
252
00:13:23,551 --> 00:13:26,448
GINNY BROWN:
James Ray was famous
from The Secret
253
00:13:26,551 --> 00:13:30,068
and from being on Oprah
and all the morning TV shows.
254
00:13:30,172 --> 00:13:33,275
He was a very charismatic,
powerful speaker.
255
00:13:33,379 --> 00:13:36,827
He had an amazing ability
to rally the audience
256
00:13:36,931 --> 00:13:40,241
and to synthesize
Eastern and Western
257
00:13:40,344 --> 00:13:44,517
religious concepts
and modern science.
258
00:13:44,620 --> 00:13:46,206
We all have
a special purpose and a,
259
00:13:46,310 --> 00:13:48,103
and a mission to fulfill
in this lifetime...
260
00:13:48,206 --> 00:13:50,206
SHATNER:
On the strength of his seminars,
261
00:13:50,310 --> 00:13:51,655
media appearances,
262
00:13:51,758 --> 00:13:53,137
and best-selling book,
263
00:13:53,241 --> 00:13:56,413
James Arthur Ray
became a household name
264
00:13:56,517 --> 00:13:59,241
in the field
of personal development.
265
00:13:59,344 --> 00:14:02,448
In October of 2009,
266
00:14:02,551 --> 00:14:05,482
he held an event at
the Angel Valley Retreat Center
267
00:14:05,586 --> 00:14:07,068
near Sedona, Arizona,
268
00:14:07,172 --> 00:14:08,827
that was designed
to be the apex
269
00:14:08,931 --> 00:14:11,344
of his personal
development curriculum.
270
00:14:11,448 --> 00:14:14,551
The Spiritual Warrior Retreat.
271
00:14:14,655 --> 00:14:16,551
TUCKER:
Spiritual Warrior was
272
00:14:16,655 --> 00:14:18,931
described
as the highest pinnacle.
273
00:14:19,034 --> 00:14:21,896
It was appealing to me
because it was a smaller group.
274
00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:25,137
I had done all
of the successive workshops.
275
00:14:25,241 --> 00:14:27,586
It was an 18-month
journey for me.
276
00:14:27,689 --> 00:14:31,137
And so, I saw it
as a bit of a finish line.
277
00:14:31,241 --> 00:14:34,586
BROWN:
My daughter Kirby was
a very physical person.
278
00:14:34,689 --> 00:14:37,000
She loved adventure--
279
00:14:37,103 --> 00:14:39,206
she mountain biked, she hiked.
280
00:14:39,310 --> 00:14:43,551
And she went there to grow
and expand her life.
281
00:14:43,655 --> 00:14:45,827
SHATNER:
After four days
282
00:14:45,931 --> 00:14:47,862
spent meditating
in the desert heat,
283
00:14:47,965 --> 00:14:51,965
and having already undergone
36 hours of fasting,
284
00:14:52,068 --> 00:14:55,034
the retreat members took part in
the culmination of the program:
285
00:14:55,137 --> 00:14:59,310
a vision quest
inside a sweat lodge.
286
00:14:59,413 --> 00:15:00,793
TUCKER:
The sweat lodge
287
00:15:00,896 --> 00:15:04,103
was explained as a ceremony
with the intent
288
00:15:04,206 --> 00:15:07,413
to celebrate transformation
and rebirth.
289
00:15:07,517 --> 00:15:12,068
They pulled out razors
with the expectation that
290
00:15:12,172 --> 00:15:15,068
if someone was serious,
you would shave your head.
291
00:15:15,172 --> 00:15:18,275
And I did.
292
00:15:20,206 --> 00:15:22,896
I remember that we went in
in a line,
293
00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:25,517
and circled around
on the inside.
294
00:15:25,620 --> 00:15:29,103
When the sweat lodge began,
295
00:15:29,206 --> 00:15:33,137
one thing that surprised me
was when the flap
296
00:15:33,241 --> 00:15:36,344
was closed, how dark it was.
297
00:15:38,689 --> 00:15:39,896
SHATNER:
With the only source of light
298
00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:42,724
and oxygen cut off,
299
00:15:42,827 --> 00:15:47,241
and hot rocks brought in to
raise the temperature even more,
300
00:15:47,344 --> 00:15:49,931
Ray asked the participants
to push themselves
301
00:15:50,034 --> 00:15:51,724
past their discomfort,
302
00:15:51,827 --> 00:15:54,379
in hopes of being
spiritually transformed.
303
00:15:54,482 --> 00:15:56,896
But as they spent many hours
304
00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,551
baking in the temperatures
of the sweat lodge,
305
00:15:59,655 --> 00:16:04,413
many people began slipping
in and out of consciousness.
306
00:16:04,517 --> 00:16:08,310
By this point, the heat's
radiating from our bodies.
307
00:16:08,413 --> 00:16:10,551
It was very chaotic.
308
00:16:10,655 --> 00:16:12,620
It was discombobulating.
309
00:16:12,724 --> 00:16:14,482
The sweat lodge
was extremely hot,
310
00:16:14,586 --> 00:16:16,827
possibly up to, uh, 200 degrees.
311
00:16:16,931 --> 00:16:21,482
He pushed people
beyond physical limits.
312
00:16:21,586 --> 00:16:23,379
He told people,
313
00:16:23,482 --> 00:16:26,034
"You may think you are going
to die in this, but you won't."
314
00:16:26,137 --> 00:16:28,517
SHATNER:
Despite what Ray believed,
315
00:16:28,620 --> 00:16:30,689
several people were,
in fact, teetering on the edge
316
00:16:30,793 --> 00:16:35,724
of losing their lives in the
suffocating, oppressive heat.
317
00:16:35,827 --> 00:16:41,413
Until the inevitable finally,
and tragically, happened.
318
00:16:55,655 --> 00:16:59,620
SHATNER:
As officers flooded the compound
in response to a 911 call,
319
00:16:59,724 --> 00:17:02,551
it became apparent that
the Spiritual Warrior Retreat
320
00:17:02,655 --> 00:17:04,724
had gone wrong.
321
00:17:04,827 --> 00:17:06,896
Very wrong.
322
00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:08,793
Two people were dead,
323
00:17:08,896 --> 00:17:11,724
including 38-year-old
Kirby Brown.
324
00:17:11,827 --> 00:17:14,103
And a third would die
a week later.
325
00:17:14,206 --> 00:17:18,275
All killed by the excruciating
heat in the sweat lodge.
326
00:17:18,379 --> 00:17:21,068
When the police
arrived on the scene,
327
00:17:21,172 --> 00:17:23,896
they couldn't find James Ray,
328
00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:26,551
because in the midst
of all of this chaos,
329
00:17:26,655 --> 00:17:29,655
in the midst of people standing
over my daughter's body,
330
00:17:29,758 --> 00:17:32,068
trying to revive her,
331
00:17:32,172 --> 00:17:36,172
he was up in his... room
332
00:17:36,275 --> 00:17:41,931
having dinner
and taking a shower.
333
00:17:42,034 --> 00:17:45,000
SHATNER:
For people like
James Arthur Ray,
334
00:17:45,103 --> 00:17:49,172
the ability to exert
absolute power over others
335
00:17:49,275 --> 00:17:52,137
was as natural as breathing.
336
00:17:52,241 --> 00:17:56,655
But why do so many
who have this power
337
00:17:56,758 --> 00:17:58,931
use it for harm?
338
00:17:59,034 --> 00:18:00,965
KENT:
Ray had been a bodybuilder.
339
00:18:01,068 --> 00:18:03,482
He was very concerned
about his hair, his clothes,
340
00:18:03,586 --> 00:18:06,655
his presentation,
and so some people think
341
00:18:06,758 --> 00:18:11,344
Ray as an adult was reacting
against, uh, his childhood.
342
00:18:11,448 --> 00:18:14,448
He, in fact, talked about
himself being a geek.
343
00:18:14,551 --> 00:18:16,448
He made comments about
the size of his glasses,
344
00:18:16,551 --> 00:18:19,620
his teeth and so on,
and so, later on in life,
345
00:18:19,724 --> 00:18:22,689
Ray became very concerned
about his appearance.
346
00:18:22,793 --> 00:18:28,310
Cult leaders are often sick,
troubled individuals.
347
00:18:28,413 --> 00:18:30,448
So, in the case
of James Arthur Ray,
348
00:18:30,551 --> 00:18:34,000
it's exactly what we see
with so many of these leaders.
349
00:18:34,103 --> 00:18:36,758
It's like they can't deal
with who they really are,
350
00:18:36,862 --> 00:18:38,862
so they're living
their fantasy.
351
00:18:38,965 --> 00:18:42,034
They're living out
their perverted hopes.
352
00:18:42,137 --> 00:18:44,206
Most people think that charisma
353
00:18:44,310 --> 00:18:47,482
is-is a characteristic inherent
in an individual.
354
00:18:47,586 --> 00:18:51,586
But, in fact, charisma
is a social relationship.
355
00:18:51,689 --> 00:18:53,862
Everyone sitting there
and they're oohing and awing,
356
00:18:53,965 --> 00:18:55,793
and you don't want
to be the odd one out.
357
00:18:55,896 --> 00:18:59,965
Which gives them the ability
to then demand things of you.
358
00:19:00,068 --> 00:19:03,827
And you are obligated
to carry out the wishes
359
00:19:03,931 --> 00:19:07,275
of your so-called
charismatic leader.
360
00:19:08,931 --> 00:19:12,172
What was it that compelled
James Arthur Ray's followers
361
00:19:12,275 --> 00:19:15,517
to stay in that sweat lodge,
362
00:19:15,620 --> 00:19:17,620
three of them
to the point of death?
363
00:19:17,724 --> 00:19:21,000
Was it peer pressure...
or something else?
364
00:19:21,103 --> 00:19:24,206
Perhaps that question will be
answered after we investigate
365
00:19:24,310 --> 00:19:28,620
a cult that was responsible
for an even deadlier event...
366
00:19:28,724 --> 00:19:31,586
Heaven's Gate.
367
00:19:39,931 --> 00:19:43,793
15 members
of the apocalyptic UFO cult
368
00:19:43,896 --> 00:19:45,517
known as Heaven's Gate,
369
00:19:45,620 --> 00:19:47,137
gather for the sighting
370
00:19:47,241 --> 00:19:50,517
of the much-anticipated
Hale-Bopp comet.
371
00:19:50,620 --> 00:19:53,310
They believe
the arrival of the comet
372
00:19:53,413 --> 00:19:55,379
is a signal that the time
373
00:19:55,482 --> 00:19:58,931
for final salvation is at hand.
374
00:19:59,034 --> 00:20:02,344
After observing the comet,
one by one,
375
00:20:02,448 --> 00:20:04,068
the members of Heaven's Gate
376
00:20:04,172 --> 00:20:07,344
ingest a lethal concoction
of phenobarbital--
377
00:20:07,448 --> 00:20:08,724
a powerful sedative
378
00:20:08,827 --> 00:20:10,448
mixed with pudding...
379
00:20:12,379 --> 00:20:16,034
...and chased down
with a shot of vodka.
380
00:20:16,137 --> 00:20:18,310
Over the next few days,
two more groups
381
00:20:18,413 --> 00:20:21,965
follow their brethren
into what Shakespeare called
382
00:20:22,068 --> 00:20:26,344
"the undiscovered country from
which no traveler returns."
383
00:20:26,448 --> 00:20:30,482
We don't care to cling
to the life of this body
384
00:20:30,586 --> 00:20:36,344
until it naturally gives up.
385
00:20:36,448 --> 00:20:38,689
We don't care to be aborted
386
00:20:38,793 --> 00:20:41,344
by the body that we're wearing.
387
00:20:41,448 --> 00:20:44,448
We care more to abort it
388
00:20:44,551 --> 00:20:47,655
in proof to our Heavenly Father
389
00:20:47,758 --> 00:20:51,034
that we're ready
to leave this place.
390
00:20:51,137 --> 00:20:52,724
[siren wailing]
391
00:20:52,827 --> 00:20:55,689
SHATNER:
In all, 39 bodies,
392
00:20:55,793 --> 00:20:59,034
including that of cult leader
Marshall Applewhite,
393
00:20:59,137 --> 00:21:02,206
are found dead
in their bunk beds.
394
00:21:02,310 --> 00:21:06,758
All of them wear identical
black shirts and sweatpants,
395
00:21:06,862 --> 00:21:08,689
Nike tennis shoes
396
00:21:08,793 --> 00:21:12,103
and purple cloths
covering their faces.
397
00:21:12,206 --> 00:21:15,413
BILL KOLENDER: Based on
the conditions at the scene,
398
00:21:15,517 --> 00:21:19,827
all indications are that
this was a mass suicide.
399
00:21:19,931 --> 00:21:22,896
SHATNER:
It was, and still is,
400
00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:27,103
the worst mass suicide
ever committed on U.S. soil.
401
00:21:29,310 --> 00:21:32,172
WHITEHEAD:
Marshall Applewhite
was a failed cult leader.
402
00:21:32,275 --> 00:21:34,862
He had tried starting up
many other cults before.
403
00:21:34,965 --> 00:21:38,034
Welcome to Beyond Human.
404
00:21:38,137 --> 00:21:40,758
WHITEHEAD:
He was in a psychiatric institution.
405
00:21:40,862 --> 00:21:42,896
I mean, all the warning signs
were there.
406
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:47,758
Yet he blended new age UFO-logy
and Christianity
407
00:21:47,862 --> 00:21:50,034
and was able
to swindle these people
408
00:21:50,137 --> 00:21:52,103
and start a very
successful cult.
409
00:21:56,965 --> 00:21:59,931
SHATNER:
The notion of committing suicide
410
00:22:00,034 --> 00:22:03,068
so a spaceship can beam
your soul up to Heaven
411
00:22:03,172 --> 00:22:07,689
is certainly misguided,
but how could
412
00:22:07,793 --> 00:22:09,931
a group of highly
intelligent people,
413
00:22:10,034 --> 00:22:12,689
most of whom were
skilled computer experts
414
00:22:12,793 --> 00:22:17,206
and web designers, come to
believe something so irrational?
415
00:22:17,310 --> 00:22:19,172
LALICH:
This is a perfect example of
416
00:22:19,275 --> 00:22:21,413
what we call
cognitive dissonance,
417
00:22:21,517 --> 00:22:23,896
when reality doesn't match
what you believe.
418
00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:26,931
So if you actually believed,
419
00:22:27,034 --> 00:22:29,620
"I'm an alien and I'm gonna
go out into this world
420
00:22:29,724 --> 00:22:31,344
"of human beings,
421
00:22:31,448 --> 00:22:34,241
nobody's gonna believe me. How
am I gonna fit in out there?"
422
00:22:34,344 --> 00:22:38,655
If people would just know that
we're not forced into this
423
00:22:38,758 --> 00:22:41,827
in any way; it's, you know,
our own choosing to do it.
424
00:22:41,931 --> 00:22:43,344
LALICH:
At the end,
425
00:22:43,448 --> 00:22:46,655
most of the people who died,
had been with them
426
00:22:46,758 --> 00:22:50,413
for 20-some years, I mean,
a-a huge part of their life.
427
00:22:57,517 --> 00:23:01,034
SHATNER:
Investigative journalist
and radio host, David Whitehead,
428
00:23:01,137 --> 00:23:04,379
travels to the Museum of Death,
429
00:23:04,482 --> 00:23:07,931
which houses authentic artifacts
from notorious deaths,
430
00:23:08,034 --> 00:23:11,827
including the
Heaven's Gate suicides.
431
00:23:11,931 --> 00:23:15,758
Meeting David is museum curator,
Erek Obrist.
432
00:23:15,862 --> 00:23:17,482
And here it is.
433
00:23:17,586 --> 00:23:21,206
OBRIST:
Yes, indeed.
You are looking at a recreation
434
00:23:21,310 --> 00:23:23,103
of the crime scene
of the Heaven's Gate
435
00:23:23,206 --> 00:23:25,137
suicide cult
from Rancho Santa Fe.
436
00:23:25,241 --> 00:23:28,310
WHITEHEAD:
So everything in here
is authentic?
437
00:23:28,413 --> 00:23:32,103
Everything that you are viewing
right now is 100% authentic.
438
00:23:33,655 --> 00:23:35,137
[shudders]
That is chilling.
439
00:23:35,241 --> 00:23:37,413
This is how it went down.
440
00:23:37,517 --> 00:23:41,379
This is all the real clothing,
the purple scarves,
441
00:23:41,482 --> 00:23:43,482
the Nike shoes.
442
00:23:43,586 --> 00:23:45,413
Everything that wasn't evidence
or religious material
443
00:23:45,517 --> 00:23:47,241
was auctioned off
to the highest bidder.
444
00:23:47,344 --> 00:23:51,241
They've actually got
the comet on there.
445
00:23:51,344 --> 00:23:53,965
This one says,
"Earth Exit: Monasteries."
446
00:23:54,068 --> 00:23:55,448
OBRIST:
I believe they referred to
447
00:23:55,551 --> 00:23:57,655
the mansion they were living in
as the Monastery.
448
00:23:57,758 --> 00:23:59,931
The initial responding officers
449
00:24:00,034 --> 00:24:02,448
originally thought
that it was all men.
450
00:24:02,551 --> 00:24:04,862
Turns out that half, easily,
were women,
451
00:24:04,965 --> 00:24:07,724
but they couldn't tell because
of the short hair, the dress,
452
00:24:07,827 --> 00:24:09,586
the loose style of clothing.
453
00:24:09,689 --> 00:24:12,275
The cult was very asexual.
454
00:24:12,379 --> 00:24:14,310
They saw themselves as aliens.
455
00:24:14,413 --> 00:24:15,862
Eight of the male members
had actually
456
00:24:15,965 --> 00:24:17,620
undergone castration.
457
00:24:17,724 --> 00:24:20,206
- No way.
- Yes. Willingly.
458
00:24:20,310 --> 00:24:22,551
WHITEHEAD:
What are those notes
on the wall?
459
00:24:22,655 --> 00:24:24,448
That is a very important piece
within the exhibit.
460
00:24:24,551 --> 00:24:27,206
A four-page handwritten note
left behind
461
00:24:27,310 --> 00:24:31,068
by one of the members trying
to explain why they're doing it.
462
00:24:31,172 --> 00:24:33,310
The note was left behind
in a set of clothing
463
00:24:33,413 --> 00:24:35,689
that was purchased
at the auction, and naturally,
464
00:24:35,793 --> 00:24:37,482
just like when you do
your laundry, you go through
465
00:24:37,586 --> 00:24:39,379
the pockets to see if anything
had been overlooked.
466
00:24:39,482 --> 00:24:42,206
The note itself is really
amazing to read because
467
00:24:42,310 --> 00:24:44,344
you can see how some things
are crossed out.
468
00:24:44,448 --> 00:24:46,103
Maybe they changed their mind
a little bit.
469
00:24:46,206 --> 00:24:49,034
Maybe they just wanted
to express themselves properly.
470
00:24:49,137 --> 00:24:51,931
They were excited
about leaving this planet
471
00:24:52,034 --> 00:24:54,103
and going to what they thought
would be "home,"
472
00:24:54,206 --> 00:24:55,241
to a better place.
473
00:24:55,344 --> 00:24:57,655
It ends with the chilling line,
474
00:24:57,758 --> 00:25:01,862
"I hope you may all experience
someday what we've had."
475
00:25:01,965 --> 00:25:05,827
Yeah, I'm-I'm just feeling
an overwhelming sense of...
476
00:25:05,931 --> 00:25:08,448
just this heavy feeling.
Reading about it
477
00:25:08,551 --> 00:25:11,448
is one thing, but coming in
and-and seeing it...
478
00:25:11,551 --> 00:25:14,344
OBRIST:
I don't think people
are aware there are
479
00:25:14,448 --> 00:25:17,034
surviving members still to this
day that maintain the website.
480
00:25:17,137 --> 00:25:18,379
It's still active.
481
00:25:18,482 --> 00:25:20,586
You can write them,
they'll reply.
482
00:25:20,689 --> 00:25:21,724
Really?
483
00:25:21,827 --> 00:25:23,103
Yeah.
484
00:25:23,206 --> 00:25:25,586
SHATNER:
Will the remaining members
485
00:25:25,689 --> 00:25:30,724
of Heaven's Gate repeat
the horrific events of 1997?
486
00:25:30,827 --> 00:25:34,551
The fact that they're still
committed to their mission
487
00:25:34,655 --> 00:25:38,137
suggests that such a frightening
notion is possible.
488
00:25:38,241 --> 00:25:41,344
It is also a testament
to the insidious power
489
00:25:41,448 --> 00:25:43,517
of cult leaders and their ideas.
490
00:25:43,620 --> 00:25:47,068
But not all cults
use the promise of Heaven
491
00:25:47,172 --> 00:25:49,620
to control their followers.
492
00:25:49,724 --> 00:25:53,517
Some are even able to turn
the simple art of dancing
493
00:25:53,620 --> 00:25:56,275
into something deadly.
494
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,103
Not all deadly cults
involve the indoctrination
495
00:26:05,206 --> 00:26:07,896
of hundreds or even thousands
of followers.
496
00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:11,068
Some cults only involve one.
497
00:26:11,172 --> 00:26:13,620
An unlucky person under
the spell of a cult leader
498
00:26:13,724 --> 00:26:16,379
who uses something
as benign as dancing
499
00:26:16,482 --> 00:26:18,000
to lure their follower.
500
00:26:18,103 --> 00:26:19,793
That's all very well and good,
of course,
501
00:26:19,896 --> 00:26:23,689
until the dance turns deadly.
502
00:26:29,620 --> 00:26:32,620
29-year-old performer and
yoga instructor, Sharon Stern,
503
00:26:32,724 --> 00:26:34,724
enrolls at Naropa University
504
00:26:34,827 --> 00:26:37,241
to earn her master's degree
in Dance.
505
00:26:37,344 --> 00:26:40,413
TIBOR:
Sharoni was unbelievably happy.
506
00:26:40,517 --> 00:26:45,241
She played piano,
guitar, singing,
507
00:26:45,344 --> 00:26:47,137
dancing.
508
00:26:47,241 --> 00:26:48,931
MIZRAHI:
She just had this way of taking
509
00:26:49,034 --> 00:26:51,379
anything monotonous
or anything repetitive
510
00:26:51,482 --> 00:26:54,862
or anything routine and just,
like, flipping it upside down.
511
00:26:54,965 --> 00:26:58,413
She had a way of making
any moment special.
512
00:26:58,517 --> 00:27:01,241
TIBOR:
She told me one day in 2007,
513
00:27:01,344 --> 00:27:03,517
"Dad, I would like to go back
to finish my master degree."
514
00:27:03,620 --> 00:27:06,620
And she told me
that she got Naropa,
515
00:27:06,724 --> 00:27:09,068
which is a Buddhist university.
516
00:27:09,172 --> 00:27:12,620
And I told her, "Sharoni,
that sounds so good to me."
517
00:27:12,724 --> 00:27:14,965
I was wrong. I was very wrong.
518
00:27:18,517 --> 00:27:20,482
SHATNER:
Soon after arriving
at university,
519
00:27:20,586 --> 00:27:23,034
Sharon enrolls
in a class on Butoh,
520
00:27:23,137 --> 00:27:26,482
a Japanese form
of dance theater.
521
00:27:26,586 --> 00:27:30,862
Translated
as "Dance of Darkness,"
522
00:27:30,965 --> 00:27:33,896
Butoh is known for
its grotesque imagery,
523
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,793
controlled movements
and taboo themes.
524
00:27:37,896 --> 00:27:42,206
Performers wear corpse-like
white body makeup
525
00:27:42,310 --> 00:27:47,517
and use unnatural movements in
order to appear that much more
526
00:27:47,620 --> 00:27:50,344
inhuman.
527
00:27:50,448 --> 00:27:53,206
MIZRAHI: Having been a dancer
for most of my life,
528
00:27:53,310 --> 00:27:55,172
it's like nothing
I've ever seen before.
529
00:27:55,275 --> 00:27:58,724
The facial movement
530
00:27:58,827 --> 00:28:00,344
is completely expressionless.
531
00:28:00,448 --> 00:28:04,689
There's no smiling,
there's very little eye contact.
532
00:28:04,793 --> 00:28:07,517
The movements
are sort of robotic.
533
00:28:07,620 --> 00:28:09,655
It's a little chilling.
534
00:28:09,758 --> 00:28:13,482
SHATNER:
Mesmerized by Butoh's
strange motions and imagery,
535
00:28:13,586 --> 00:28:17,517
Sharon immediately felt drawn
to the unique dance
536
00:28:17,620 --> 00:28:19,551
and to her instructor,
537
00:28:19,655 --> 00:28:23,241
a world-renowned Butoh
practitioner from Kyoto, Japan,
538
00:28:23,344 --> 00:28:27,413
who operated under the name
of Katsura Kan.
539
00:28:27,517 --> 00:28:31,172
MIZRAHI:
Sharoni seemed very excited
to introduce me to him,
540
00:28:31,275 --> 00:28:34,034
and he turned around
and made very little eye contact
541
00:28:34,137 --> 00:28:36,344
and sort of said "hi,"
and turned--
542
00:28:36,448 --> 00:28:38,758
gave his back to me
and barked some orders
543
00:28:38,862 --> 00:28:42,379
at her and-and left.
544
00:28:42,482 --> 00:28:44,620
There was definitely a very
545
00:28:44,724 --> 00:28:49,827
powerful influence coming from
this teacher figure in her life,
546
00:28:49,931 --> 00:28:52,793
this mentor figure in her life.
547
00:28:52,896 --> 00:28:55,482
He was intriguing to her.
548
00:28:59,206 --> 00:29:01,448
SHATNER:
Under Kan's tutelage,
549
00:29:01,551 --> 00:29:04,965
Sharon devoted herself
to the study of Butoh,
550
00:29:05,068 --> 00:29:09,758
sacrificing everything
in an effort to immerse herself
551
00:29:09,862 --> 00:29:11,655
in this macabre ritual.
552
00:29:11,758 --> 00:29:15,241
The Sharon before Butoh
and the Sharon after Butoh
553
00:29:15,344 --> 00:29:17,931
are two totally
different people.
554
00:29:18,034 --> 00:29:22,793
The Sharon after Butoh
was malnourished in every way.
555
00:29:22,896 --> 00:29:26,517
She looked skinnier
than she had ever looked.
556
00:29:26,620 --> 00:29:28,482
That energy
557
00:29:28,586 --> 00:29:33,482
that was so, so characteristic
of Sharon wasn't there.
558
00:29:33,586 --> 00:29:36,689
It wasn't the same person.
559
00:29:36,793 --> 00:29:38,724
TIBOR:
Sharoni called Kan "God,"
560
00:29:38,827 --> 00:29:43,034
and anybody who tried to change
her mind and bring her back
561
00:29:43,137 --> 00:29:45,482
to normal life was enemy.
562
00:29:45,586 --> 00:29:48,862
She became a zombie, and, uh,
563
00:29:48,965 --> 00:29:52,310
she hardly remembered things.
564
00:29:52,413 --> 00:29:54,862
At that point,
two things had happened:
565
00:29:54,965 --> 00:29:56,827
she lost her critical thinking.
566
00:29:56,931 --> 00:29:59,620
She felt useless, worthless.
567
00:29:59,724 --> 00:30:01,655
She couldn't cope
with life anymore.
568
00:30:03,586 --> 00:30:05,413
SHATNER:
Over the course
of the next four years,
569
00:30:05,517 --> 00:30:08,034
Sharon's friends and family
became more and more concerned
570
00:30:08,137 --> 00:30:10,620
about what they believed
was her obsession
571
00:30:10,724 --> 00:30:13,896
with the world of Butoh
and the disturbing nature
572
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:16,517
of her relationship
with her teacher,
573
00:30:16,620 --> 00:30:18,448
Katsura Kan.
574
00:30:18,551 --> 00:30:20,965
LALICH:
Kan developed a relationship
with Sharon
575
00:30:21,068 --> 00:30:23,206
that became sexual.
576
00:30:23,310 --> 00:30:25,758
She became completely
dependent on him.
577
00:30:25,862 --> 00:30:27,931
We all know
that that's verboten,
578
00:30:28,034 --> 00:30:29,620
that's something you don't do,
you know.
579
00:30:29,724 --> 00:30:31,758
If it's a-a teacher and a pupil,
580
00:30:31,862 --> 00:30:34,034
if it's a pastor and a,
and a parishioner,
581
00:30:34,137 --> 00:30:36,827
if it's a psychologist
and his patient.
582
00:30:36,931 --> 00:30:39,137
You don't take advantage
of your students.
583
00:30:39,241 --> 00:30:42,000
It's already
a power relationship.
584
00:30:45,793 --> 00:30:48,172
SHATNER:
On April 25, 2012,
585
00:30:48,275 --> 00:30:52,034
after years of psychological,
emotional and physical decline,
586
00:30:52,137 --> 00:30:55,206
Sharon Stern
was finally overwhelmed
587
00:30:55,310 --> 00:31:00,172
by this dance of darkness
and ended her own life.
588
00:31:01,862 --> 00:31:06,000
In 2019, in a civil case for the
wrongful death of Sharon Stern,
589
00:31:06,103 --> 00:31:10,206
a judge in Florida
found Terugoshi Kotoura,
590
00:31:10,310 --> 00:31:12,379
the real name of Katsura Kan,
591
00:31:12,482 --> 00:31:15,103
liable for the
young dancer's death,
592
00:31:15,206 --> 00:31:20,379
a judgment that Mr. Kotoura
is attempting to overturn.
593
00:31:20,482 --> 00:31:23,517
But how could
a bright young woman,
594
00:31:23,620 --> 00:31:25,896
who had her entire life
ahead of her,
595
00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:29,965
become so consumed
by thoughts of death,
596
00:31:30,068 --> 00:31:34,275
that she eventually
took her own life?
597
00:31:34,379 --> 00:31:38,586
When you align physical states,
like movements,
598
00:31:38,689 --> 00:31:43,206
you align neural states, and
you align psychological states.
599
00:31:44,793 --> 00:31:47,655
In a sense, their brain states
and their psychology
600
00:31:47,758 --> 00:31:51,379
is also moving together at once.
601
00:31:51,482 --> 00:31:54,793
I would liken it
to the experience of hypnosis.
602
00:31:54,896 --> 00:31:57,827
Some people
are easily hypnotized,
603
00:31:57,931 --> 00:31:59,758
some people aren't,
and that feature,
604
00:31:59,862 --> 00:32:01,758
that defining
personality feature,
605
00:32:01,862 --> 00:32:03,310
is usually called suggestibility.
606
00:32:03,413 --> 00:32:05,689
Some people are
highly suggestible,
607
00:32:05,793 --> 00:32:07,655
especially if that is coming
608
00:32:07,758 --> 00:32:11,586
from this highly charismatic
authority leader or figure.
609
00:32:11,689 --> 00:32:14,586
And it's because
of that personality trait
610
00:32:14,689 --> 00:32:16,896
that they're having
those experiences.
611
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:21,413
TIBOR:
He was teaching to lose your
identity, authenticity.
612
00:32:21,517 --> 00:32:23,103
And darkness
613
00:32:23,206 --> 00:32:26,068
and death and suffer
was the message.
614
00:32:26,172 --> 00:32:29,827
SHATNER:
Was it the psychosomatic
power of dance
615
00:32:29,931 --> 00:32:31,862
that led Sharon Stern
616
00:32:31,965 --> 00:32:36,310
down such a dark, deadly path?
617
00:32:36,413 --> 00:32:39,310
Sadly, that seems
to have been the case.
618
00:32:39,413 --> 00:32:43,206
Sharon's story is a testament
to the destructive power
619
00:32:43,310 --> 00:32:47,379
untethered belief can have
on a single person.
620
00:32:48,586 --> 00:32:51,620
But what happens
when those same beliefs
621
00:32:51,724 --> 00:32:54,413
infiltrate... an entire city?
622
00:33:04,137 --> 00:33:06,103
SHATNER:
In this coastal town
623
00:33:06,206 --> 00:33:09,517
located 300 miles southwest
of Sao Paolo...
624
00:33:09,620 --> 00:33:13,620
19 children have mysteriously...
625
00:33:13,724 --> 00:33:15,551
gone missing.
626
00:33:15,655 --> 00:33:19,068
Vanished without a trace.
627
00:33:23,172 --> 00:33:24,896
KENT:
What happened in Brazil
628
00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:26,793
in the late 1980s
and early 1990s
629
00:33:26,896 --> 00:33:28,758
was a shock
to Brazilian society.
630
00:33:28,862 --> 00:33:31,034
People were afraid.
631
00:33:31,137 --> 00:33:34,241
They did not know why these
disappearances were going on.
632
00:33:34,344 --> 00:33:37,068
SHATNER:
Todd Lewan,
a foreign correspondent
633
00:33:37,172 --> 00:33:40,103
for the Associated Press
news agency,
634
00:33:40,206 --> 00:33:43,172
is assigned to cover
the developing situation.
635
00:33:44,517 --> 00:33:45,793
LEWAN:
This was a major story
636
00:33:45,896 --> 00:33:47,724
going on in the country
at the time.
637
00:33:47,827 --> 00:33:50,103
It was being covered
by the major news weeklies.
638
00:33:50,206 --> 00:33:52,551
It was in the newspapers
every day.
639
00:33:52,655 --> 00:33:56,103
I immediately drove
to Guaratuba,
640
00:33:56,206 --> 00:33:58,413
and went straight
to the police station
641
00:33:58,517 --> 00:34:00,068
for my interview.
642
00:34:00,172 --> 00:34:02,103
And I walk into
the investigator's office,
643
00:34:02,206 --> 00:34:05,000
and he looked at me and said,
644
00:34:05,103 --> 00:34:06,793
"There's no need
to tell me who you are.
645
00:34:06,896 --> 00:34:08,482
I know why you're here."
646
00:34:10,413 --> 00:34:12,793
SHATNER:
As the number
of missing children
647
00:34:12,896 --> 00:34:16,172
continues to climb,
the authorities are unable
648
00:34:16,275 --> 00:34:19,793
to identify who, or why,
the children of Guaratuba
649
00:34:19,896 --> 00:34:22,413
are being targeted.
650
00:34:24,137 --> 00:34:27,655
But then they receive
a significant clue
651
00:34:27,758 --> 00:34:29,793
when the body
of one of the missing children
652
00:34:29,896 --> 00:34:33,137
is found in the field
near the local sawmill.
653
00:34:33,241 --> 00:34:36,068
When these young children
were executed,
654
00:34:36,172 --> 00:34:39,137
when they were slain,
it was done with a skilled hand,
655
00:34:39,241 --> 00:34:41,620
indicating that this was
a medical person
656
00:34:41,724 --> 00:34:44,068
and that they did not act alone.
657
00:34:44,172 --> 00:34:47,965
The state in which they found
the remains of this young boy
658
00:34:48,068 --> 00:34:53,000
indicated to the police
there was a madness behind this.
659
00:34:54,379 --> 00:34:56,103
The precise incisions,
660
00:34:56,206 --> 00:34:58,413
the places of the incisions...
661
00:35:01,655 --> 00:35:05,275
...this led police
to believe that
662
00:35:05,379 --> 00:35:07,344
there was a...
663
00:35:07,448 --> 00:35:09,068
darker purpose here,
664
00:35:09,172 --> 00:35:11,344
that perhaps a cult
had been involved.
665
00:35:15,344 --> 00:35:17,586
SHATNER:
Police suspect
the owner of the sawmill,
666
00:35:17,689 --> 00:35:19,517
a man named Aldo Abagge,
667
00:35:19,620 --> 00:35:23,034
who, shockingly,
happens to be the town's mayor.
668
00:35:23,137 --> 00:35:26,689
Abbage is soon arrested
in connection with the killing
669
00:35:26,793 --> 00:35:29,241
and accused of being
a cult member,
670
00:35:29,344 --> 00:35:31,172
along with seven other
well-regarded members
671
00:35:31,275 --> 00:35:33,034
of the community.
672
00:35:33,137 --> 00:35:35,000
LEWAN:
It was a bit of a shock.
673
00:35:35,103 --> 00:35:38,137
But the most chilling thing
about this was
674
00:35:38,241 --> 00:35:41,827
he'd actually been played
by the leader of a satanic cult,
675
00:35:41,931 --> 00:35:43,896
a Brazilian woman
676
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:45,551
whose name was
Valentina Andrade.
677
00:35:47,310 --> 00:35:49,206
MORET:
Valentina de Andrade was
678
00:35:49,310 --> 00:35:52,034
this almost mystical
occult leader
679
00:35:52,137 --> 00:35:55,310
who merged religion and UFOs
680
00:35:55,413 --> 00:35:59,344
and espoused the belief
that Jesus Christ was an alien.
681
00:36:00,827 --> 00:36:02,482
LEWAN:
On the surface,
682
00:36:02,586 --> 00:36:05,206
Valentina Andrade cut the figure
683
00:36:05,310 --> 00:36:09,482
of a sweet,
genteel kindergarten teacher,
684
00:36:09,586 --> 00:36:11,551
complete with a pretty smile.
685
00:36:13,241 --> 00:36:15,724
It turned out that she
was actually
686
00:36:15,827 --> 00:36:19,034
the ringleader behind a cult...
687
00:36:19,137 --> 00:36:22,517
called
the Superior Universal Light.
688
00:36:24,172 --> 00:36:26,413
LALICH: Another part
of her belief system
689
00:36:26,517 --> 00:36:29,862
was convincing her followers
that all boys
690
00:36:29,965 --> 00:36:33,000
who were born
after the year of 1981,
691
00:36:33,103 --> 00:36:35,551
uh, were evil
and were to be murdered.
692
00:36:37,793 --> 00:36:39,655
LEWAN:
You have to wonder,
693
00:36:39,758 --> 00:36:43,034
how could
experienced politicians
694
00:36:43,137 --> 00:36:46,689
be taken in
by a Valentina Andrade.
695
00:36:46,793 --> 00:36:51,655
Was it because she had done such
a good job presenting herself
696
00:36:51,758 --> 00:36:55,586
as a...
woman of love and family?
697
00:36:55,689 --> 00:36:59,310
MORET:
She would lure people
into her religion
698
00:36:59,413 --> 00:37:03,827
and convince them that they
had to sacrifice young children
699
00:37:03,931 --> 00:37:06,931
in order to gain
and maintain their power
700
00:37:07,034 --> 00:37:09,724
and their level
within the religion.
701
00:37:11,310 --> 00:37:13,310
Federal investigators
were stunned
702
00:37:13,413 --> 00:37:16,551
when they realized that
this cult had 2,000 members
703
00:37:16,655 --> 00:37:19,896
not just from within Brazil
but from around the world.
704
00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:22,275
SHATNER:
Of the 19 children
705
00:37:22,379 --> 00:37:24,724
that the members of the cult
were accused of abducting,
706
00:37:24,827 --> 00:37:27,172
six were found dead,
707
00:37:27,275 --> 00:37:30,862
their remains badly mutilated.
708
00:37:30,965 --> 00:37:33,551
The rest were never found.
709
00:37:33,655 --> 00:37:38,034
Valentina was ultimately
arrested and accused
710
00:37:38,137 --> 00:37:42,206
of coercing her followers
by promising them good fortune
711
00:37:42,310 --> 00:37:45,172
if they agreed
to commit the murders.
712
00:37:45,275 --> 00:37:48,344
When the case went to trial,
the mayor and his accomplices
713
00:37:48,448 --> 00:37:50,344
were found guilty,
714
00:37:50,448 --> 00:37:53,137
but not Valentina.
715
00:37:53,241 --> 00:37:56,206
Unlike Charles Manson,
she was able to convince a jury
716
00:37:56,310 --> 00:37:57,896
that she shouldn't be
held responsible,
717
00:37:58,000 --> 00:37:59,620
because she wasn't even there.
718
00:37:59,724 --> 00:38:02,068
LEWAN:
Her alibi was that
719
00:38:02,172 --> 00:38:05,206
she was not at the scene
of the crime for these killings.
720
00:38:05,310 --> 00:38:08,000
It was almost too horrific
to consider that a woman
721
00:38:08,103 --> 00:38:10,586
with this matronly appearance
722
00:38:10,689 --> 00:38:15,068
could be leading
such a vicious, barbaric group.
723
00:38:16,551 --> 00:38:19,448
And I think that's
why she was not convicted,
724
00:38:19,551 --> 00:38:22,413
and then she was able
to slip away from justice.
725
00:38:22,517 --> 00:38:26,620
That, to me,
is deeply, deeply unsettling.
726
00:38:26,724 --> 00:38:29,758
SHATNER:
It may be one thing
to convince cult followers
727
00:38:29,862 --> 00:38:32,586
to do harm to themselves,
728
00:38:32,689 --> 00:38:35,965
but it's quite another
to harm others,
729
00:38:36,068 --> 00:38:38,896
especially innocent children.
730
00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:42,310
So when does
the strange ideology of a cult
731
00:38:42,413 --> 00:38:47,000
pose a deadly threat
not only to its members
732
00:38:47,103 --> 00:38:48,827
but to us all?
733
00:38:48,931 --> 00:38:51,000
The answer...
734
00:38:51,103 --> 00:38:54,689
may be more disturbing
than you think.
735
00:39:04,379 --> 00:39:06,896
SHATNER: After interviewing
former cult members,
736
00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:10,448
researchers from the Addictology
and Psychiatry Department
737
00:39:10,551 --> 00:39:15,310
at Nantes University publish
the results of their study.
738
00:39:15,413 --> 00:39:19,862
Their conclusion: What makes
someone want to join a cult
739
00:39:19,965 --> 00:39:23,551
is a feeling of deep
dissatisfaction with life
740
00:39:23,655 --> 00:39:26,793
and a need
for personal development.
741
00:39:26,896 --> 00:39:29,413
Although this may sound obvious,
742
00:39:29,517 --> 00:39:31,517
it is also a bit frightening,
743
00:39:31,620 --> 00:39:33,413
especially
since those same traits
744
00:39:33,517 --> 00:39:36,172
apply to millions of people--
745
00:39:36,275 --> 00:39:39,310
perhaps even you.
746
00:39:39,413 --> 00:39:42,827
You can have political cults,
you can have therapy cults,
747
00:39:42,931 --> 00:39:45,413
you have new age cults,
you have channeling cults,
748
00:39:45,517 --> 00:39:48,068
you have karate cults--
probably you could find
749
00:39:48,172 --> 00:39:50,758
[laughs]: a chocolate chip
cookie cult if you wanted to.
750
00:39:50,862 --> 00:39:54,137
So cults can be built around
any type of belief system,
751
00:39:54,241 --> 00:39:56,275
and we see that
not only in our country
752
00:39:56,379 --> 00:39:58,517
but around the world today
753
00:39:58,620 --> 00:40:01,620
with the rise of this sort of
push for hatred and violence.
754
00:40:01,724 --> 00:40:04,344
So it's something that, uh,
755
00:40:04,448 --> 00:40:06,068
is very prevalent.
756
00:40:06,172 --> 00:40:07,827
Unfortunately,
this will not stop.
757
00:40:07,931 --> 00:40:09,862
I don't want to be naive.
758
00:40:09,965 --> 00:40:12,620
In our organization,
we receive
759
00:40:12,724 --> 00:40:16,275
about five to ten
cult-related complaints a day
760
00:40:16,379 --> 00:40:17,965
from families of the victims,
761
00:40:18,068 --> 00:40:20,310
and they all surround
the same place.
762
00:40:20,413 --> 00:40:22,517
And we find out
763
00:40:22,620 --> 00:40:24,448
that seven percent
of our society
764
00:40:24,551 --> 00:40:27,413
are psychopaths and sociopaths.
765
00:40:27,517 --> 00:40:30,172
And worse than that, 25 to 30%
766
00:40:30,275 --> 00:40:31,965
of our society, families,
767
00:40:32,068 --> 00:40:35,689
somehow, directly or indirectly,
are suffering
768
00:40:35,793 --> 00:40:38,344
from cult abuses.
769
00:40:38,448 --> 00:40:41,172
WHITEHEAD: Each one of us
could be susceptible
770
00:40:41,275 --> 00:40:44,172
to falling prey to many
of these cult-like groups,
771
00:40:44,275 --> 00:40:46,310
because every single one of us
is seeking meaning.
772
00:40:46,413 --> 00:40:48,655
We want to understand
the big questions of life.
773
00:40:48,758 --> 00:40:50,482
We want to know why we're here.
774
00:40:50,586 --> 00:40:52,137
We want to have
a sense of direction.
775
00:40:52,241 --> 00:40:53,793
We want to have a sense
of community.
776
00:40:53,896 --> 00:40:55,551
We want to be a part
of something.
777
00:40:55,655 --> 00:40:57,758
And that's what a cult
offers you.
778
00:40:57,862 --> 00:41:00,103
It offers you all of the things
that you're looking for,
779
00:41:00,206 --> 00:41:02,448
except it's...
780
00:41:02,551 --> 00:41:04,206
a wolf in sheep's clothing.
781
00:41:07,172 --> 00:41:08,862
One of the difficulties
is pulling yourself out.
782
00:41:08,965 --> 00:41:10,827
Because if you
look in long enough
783
00:41:10,931 --> 00:41:13,896
and you're in deep enough,
you don't have a way out.
784
00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:15,862
And so I-I encourage people
to be supportive
785
00:41:15,965 --> 00:41:17,689
of former members,
try to be sympathetic.
786
00:41:17,793 --> 00:41:19,310
Don't be judgmental.
787
00:41:19,413 --> 00:41:22,931
People join cults because they
wanted to improve themselves.
788
00:41:23,034 --> 00:41:26,137
They had no idea they
were falling into these traps
789
00:41:26,241 --> 00:41:29,241
or vortexes of-of pain and...
and torture.
790
00:41:32,724 --> 00:41:36,482
So could you be a member
of a cult right now,
791
00:41:36,586 --> 00:41:38,413
even as we speak?
792
00:41:38,517 --> 00:41:40,827
No, not you?
[chuckles]
793
00:41:40,931 --> 00:41:43,000
Don't kid yourself.
794
00:41:43,103 --> 00:41:45,206
Anyone who joins others
in the collective demonstration
795
00:41:45,310 --> 00:41:49,344
of shared needs
could find themselves in a cult.
796
00:41:49,448 --> 00:41:53,241
But whether that cult
is benign or deadly
797
00:41:53,344 --> 00:41:55,068
is the bigger question.
798
00:41:55,172 --> 00:41:59,413
Hopefully, you or someone else
won't have to die
799
00:41:59,517 --> 00:42:01,448
before you learn the answer.
800
00:42:01,551 --> 00:42:04,655
Till then, you'll just have
to let the matter remain...
801
00:42:04,758 --> 00:42:06,896
UnXplained.
64192
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