Cults

Spotify Studios

4.5 (13K)
TRUE CRIME
UPDATED WEEKLY

Doomsday predictions. Religious doctrines. Extraterrestrial orders. What really goes on inside a cult? Step into the minds of those who led and joined the most controversial organizations in history. Cults is a Spotify Original from Parcast.

11/15/2022

Waco Siege & Branch Davidians Pt. 2

Nearly two decades after the Waco Siege, people are still wondering what transpired at the Branch Davidian compound. Though the government officially investigated and exonerated the FBI, some have found evidence of a massive cover-up. Did the government actually fire the first shot that led to 81 deaths? This episode is a crossover with Conspiracy Theories and originally aired October 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

35 min
11/08/2022

Waco Siege & Branch Davidians Pt. 1

On February 28th, 1993, ATF agents raided a compound in Waco, Texas, belonging to a religious group known as the Branch Davidians. A 51-day standoff ensued, ending in a violent siege. Eighty-one people lost their lives, many of them children — but to this day, no one knows which side fired first. This episode is a crossover with Conspiracy Theories and originally aired October 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

34 min
11/01/2022

Jonestown Pt. 2

With more than 900 people dead, the Jonestown Massacre has sparked many theories over the past 40 years. Did the government have a hand in these deaths? Could the cult have been connected to the mysterious MK-Ultra program? And was Jim Jones murdered, or did he fake his own death? This episode originally aired on Conspiracy Theories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

59 min
10/25/2022

Jonestown Pt. 1

At the command of Jim Jones, more than 900 followers of The Peoples Temple drank a beverage laced with cyanide in an act that Jones labeled “revolutionary suicide.” But was this truly a mass suicide, or was it a mass murder? And why do some people think Jim Jones faked his own death? This episode originally aired on Conspiracy Theories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1h 2m
10/18/2022

The Chicago Tylenol Murders Pt. 3

This is the finale of our Serial Killers and Conspiracy Theories crossover: By 2011, the FBI was ready to reexamine the evidence. A theory emerged: What if the Mad Poisoner was actually the Unabomber? Ted Kaczynski had proven he was a revenge-seeking terrorist, and he had connections to Chicago. Perhaps he traded homemade bombs for poisoned pills. Or maybe the deadly concoctions came straight from the Johnson & Johnson facility itself. In the absence of clear answers, only theories remain… and rumors that someone is still out there, replacing Halloween treats with fatal tricks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

43 min
10/11/2022

The Chicago Tylenol Murders Pt. 2

If you enjoyed part 1 last week, we’re back with part 2: If Roger Arnold wasn’t behind the murders, who was? Police turn their focus to a new suspect: a disgruntled accountant named James Lewis. But the more police dig into Lewis’s life, the more questions they have. The road ahead is paved with extortion, false identities, and revenge. This is a crossover special between Serial Killers and Conspiracy Theories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

40 min
10/04/2022

The Chicago Tylenol Murders Pt. 1

Listeners, we’re popping back into your feed this week to share a special crossover episode from Serial Killers and Conspiracy Theories. Forty years ago, cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules led to the deaths of seven people all around the Chicago area. America was gripped by paranoia and fear. Why was this happening? Who would be next? Police grasped for suspects who might be the so-called “Mad Poisoner.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

41 min
09/27/2022

The Moonies Pt. 4: Next Generation

When Sun Myung Moon decides to step down as the public face of the Unification Church, the ensuing succession drama embroils his family in multiple scandals. Frozen out by his mother, Sean Moon decides to start a new organization — Rod of Iron Ministries. The mass wedding ceremonies continue, but new rituals have cropped up, too. This time centered on guns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

44 min

See All (320)

TRAILER

Welcome Trailer!

Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside a cult? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of people who join cults and leaders who start them. Every Tuesday we take a psychological approach to analyzing a cult and its founder. Cults premieres Tuesday September 26th. Here is a sneak peak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

09/16/2017

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1 min

4.5

out of 5

12,604 Ratings

Cults

May 21

Shpuppylove

Another great podcast by Vanessa and Greg thank you! 😁
Review

May 1

Ghosts60

I like true crime and the study of colts this podcast is great love it !!!!!
Fantastic Podcast!! Disregard these uninformed 1 star extremists!!

Mar 22

🏄🏼‍♂️

I’m very selective in my choices for what I choose to listen to, and follow only 2 podcasts. Cults is so sound in their content, delivery, and research. Easy to understand layout, well-constructed, and what sounds like professionally produced. Podcasts accompany me while I am engaged in other things therefore I enjoy an intriguing or entertaining podcast that I can reliably learn from (they cite their sources). Most importantly, a podcast that can enhance what I’m doing as I feebly attempt multitasking. A great show covering some of the most eccentric and zealous leaders and their cults.
Okay so..

Apr 6

aemckean

Carter? You are most likely never gonna anchor Dateline. Dial it down, Keith Morrison. 🙄

Doomsday predictions. Religious doctrines. Extraterrestrial orders. What really goes on inside a cult? Step into the minds of those who led and joined the most controversial organizations in history. Cults is a Spotify Original from Parcast.