The Cult Files: History's most mysterious sects and societies revealed

by Leo Moynihan, Sam Pilger

Cults have been around for as long as organised religion has existed, offering the vulnerable a solution to life's great unanswerable questions. From charismatic leaders with nefarious intent, to misguided devotees to an alternative theory of the universe, The Cult Files compendium of compelling cults includes:
*The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
*Rech Theriaultand and his brood of twenty-six children
*The tragic mass suicide by the followers of the People's Temple
*The deadly siege at Waco, Texas
The Cult Files examines how leaders such as Jim Jones manage to exert total control over their followers and how charisma can convince people to separate from their families, donate their worldly goods, and even end their lives in brutal circumstances. Contemporary photos help set the scene and introduce you to the key figures from the world of cults.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Haley Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It covered quite a number of cults in a short yet informative way.

There were a number of themes I noticed that seem to be apparent in the majority of these cults:

1) Generally, the leader will begin with a fascination with God, Jesus, or some other religious figure. They will begin by preaching that their views are better and will help people become closer to God, when in actuality there is no proof that their views are any better than anyone else's. More often than not, they also believe that they are some type of prophet or messiah who is in direct contact with God.

2) There is an overwhelming amount of abuse! This includes abuse to men, women, and children, and all types of abuse as well. Generally, women were seen as subservient and used for breeding to add members to the cult.

3) Parents seem to have little to no care for their children. By no means do I mean every parent in every cult, but the majority seem more than happy to hand over their children to leaders who are known abusers and/or paedophiles.

4) Money seems to be no issue! I can not understand why people who have worked their entire lives willingly hand over their life's savings to someone preaching religion or anything for that matter.

5) Sacrifices and rituals seem to be common practice. This could be anything from the use of drugs and alcohol to the blood sacrifices of animals or humans.

6) Punishments are routine and most often extreme. The followers are subjected to extreme punishments for 'disobeying', but they believe they have disobeyed God, when in actuality its the leader on a power trip.

My final thoughts were mainly bewilderment. I found myself asking how these people could live their lives for years and then suddenly change everything, giving up jobs, homes, and family to be able to join these cults. How does this keep happening when we know so much about the various cults and abuse over the years?

[Susan Blissett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a quick snapshot of a range of cults around the world. The information is presented well, with pictures to add interest. Some cults I found to be more interesting to read about than others because, with some, there wasn’t as much information or enough about the cult that felt different to the others. Overall, an interesting read, but I felt it would have been even more engaging if there were less cults to read about, that were different from one another, with more information presented on each.

[Shanda Kersten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect book if you’re just starting on your journey into cults, or if you’re just curious. There are only a few in each section, covering the very obscure to some of the more well known, many of which are still operating today. It is curious that there is only an offhand reference to Scientology in regard to another leader having met L. Ron Hubbard once and borrowing some of his ideas. The Cult Files leaves plenty groundwork for one to continue research if interested, and gives just enough information if someone were just wondering what cults are about.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great scope of many different kinds of cults. I do wish there was some more information on some of the cults, but I like how varied they were and how the book didn’t focus on one specific kind of cult. There were also some cults that I never heard of, so that was interesting to me.

[Tugba Altun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well presented but the info around each cult is pretty limited

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very basic look at several different cults, both historic and current.

[ABBEY FEEHAN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very boring and long