The Believers

In February 2018, a small church in Pennsylvania gained international attention when they held a blessing ceremony with AR-15's just two week after the Parkland School shooting triggered mass gun reform debates across the US. But where did this small fringe sect of Christianity come from and why are they now taking up arms for God? In this episode of Believers, host Charlet Duboc meets Pastor Sean Moon and the believers of the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary, a church that has origins in Korea, is based in the US, and has been accused of being a cult to understand why they believe they need guns to build God's Kingdom on Earth.

When Steven Hassan was 19 years old, he was recruited by the Unification Church, an infamous cult know for its mass marriage ceremonies. He spent two and a half years with the group, working to bring in new members, raise money, and preach the teachings of its controversial founder, Sun Myung Moon—until a near-fatal car accident helped him realize he’d been brainwashed, and led him to flee the cult. After the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary—an offshoot of the Unification Church—nabbed international headlines for holding a blessing ceremony complete with AR-15s and bullet crowns earlier this year, we met up with Hassan to hear more about his time as a “Moonie,” find out how he escaped, and learn why he’s since dedicated his life to becoming an expert on cults.

The Satanic Temple is a group of liberal advocates who oppose the influence of religious rights in American politics. One of their latest protests was an attempt to install a statue of Baphomet—a mystical winged goat creature—in front of Arkansas’ Capitol building, an act they believe is a fight for First Amendment rights.

Bentinho Massaro has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, supporters the spiritual guru gained through his teachings about “self-realization,” “enlightenment,” and the idea of “upgrading civilization.” While some of his ideas are pretty standard, like the importance of silent meditation, others are controversial: he’s said that 9/11 was an inside job, that he can change the weather, and that humans might one day join forces with aliens. To his devout followers, he’s an inspiration—but his critics have accused him of “cult-like” practices and peddling conspiracy theories during his retreats, which run up to $2,000 a pop. For an inside look at Massaro’s teachings, we went to one of his retreats in the Netherlands, speaking with his colleagues, his followers, and Massaro himself to try to understand exactly what the appeal is—and what he makes of the accusations against him

Unicult is not your typical cult. Founded in 2012 by self proclaimed pop-spiritual leader Unicole Unicron, this mostly online group and its millennial following studies everything from crystals to aliens and seeks to empower each other to seek joy on earth.