History gives us ample evidence of sects straying from human decency in the name of a higher power. And sometimes those sects are egged on by a fearful populace - people like you and me.
I could mention Jim Jones or the Crusades or Salem, but I'm sure we're all familiar with those. Here are some of the lesser known atrocities committed (plus one that we're all too familiar with) .
1. Hundreds to Cut Off Their Testies to "be Closer to God"
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Most people know about "The Love Guru" starring Mike Myers. But not to many Westerners know about "The Castration Guru" starring Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
He's the self-styled Indian godman who recently came under allegations about suggesting to his (40-50 million) followers that they'd be closer to god if they cut off their testicles.
His lawyer didn't even deny it: "They were told that only those who get castrated will be able to meet god."
In 2000, 400 men allegedly said goodbye to their nuts to seek divinity in the eyes of god. Maybe it's my American chauvinism talking, but there doesn't seem to be anything divine about being a eunuch.
2. The Church of Euthanasia's "I Like to Watch"
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In 2002, a small religious organization called
The Church of Euthanasia released a video combining hardcore pornography and footage of the 9/11 attacks. The website said the video attempted to "capture the author's personal experience of watching the attacks on TV, including childish glee, vindictiveness, perverse fascination, and sexual arousal."
It received more than a million views within two weeks.
The author? The founder of The Church of Euthanasia Chris Korda (pictured above).
The Church of Euthanasia's goal is to restore "balance between humans and the remaining species on earth" by promoting suicide, abortion, cannibalism, and sodomy. One woman in 2003 actually used their website's instructions to kill herself in St. Louis County, Missouri. But that's besides the point.
The point is - and I'm just thinking aloud here - shouldn't the leader of a suicide cult live by example?
3. Heaven's Gate 1997 Mass Suicide
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It's one thing to pull a Jim Jonesy stunt and convince your followers of a murderous government conspiracy; it's another thing to tell your followers to eat apple sauce laced with phenobarbital so that a spaceship will come and take them away.
One hot San Diego day in 1997, 39 members of the religious group Heaven's Gate were found in their Rancho Santa Fe mansion decomposing. Each carried a $5 bill and three quarters - the interplanetary toll - as even aliens use the American dollar.
In
his batshit crazy video, leader Marshall White explains the only way for humans to survive an impending apocalypse is to "leave with us." Only one man survived the apple eating contest.
(It should be noted that White and
seven members castrated themselves in Mexico, which would make Gurmeet Rahim proud.)
4. Eating Poop with the Aghoris
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The Aghoris are an ancient religious faction in India that worships Lord Shiva. They believe that everything is sacred, even human feces. A large swath of them allegedly
consumed butt butter to "kill the ego" and derail the superficial concept of beauty.
I'd have to agree. My ego would be shattered if I willingly ate brown trout on a daily basis.
5. It's Hard Out Here for an Albino
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On March 8, a gang burst in the home of 6-year-old Tanzanian albino Baraka Cosmas. They beat his mother and chopped off his hand with a machete. It's just one in a
long string of brutal attacks against East African albinos.
It is estimated between 70 and 200 albinos have been hunted down and slaughtered for their body parts since 2000. A leg or a foot can routinely net $600 on the black market (a corpse, $75,000). Witchdoctors wield tremendous power in certain Tanzanian villages (93 percent of Tanzanians
believe in witchcraft), and they've inspired a pervasive idea that albino appendages and bodies can bring good luck.
Only recently has the United Nations stepped in to address it. But the plight is real.
6. The Worst Crime of All
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In January, a Nigerian man of the Redeemed Christian Church of God took his religious fasting to a new level. In an attempt to weed out distractions, he took a
rusty machete to his manhood.
Reportedly he said: "The penis has a mind of its own and it is capable of doing things which are totally out of my control." You ain't lying. "Even Jesus Christ said that we should cut off anything which will make us sin." Is this in the Old Testament or the New?
But things are looking up. The unnamed man said he was sure his willy would grow back after his 21-day fast ended. Let us know how that works out. If it does, I'll be the first to join the RCCD.
7. Mother Stabs Daughters so They Can Meet Jesus
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Mother of three Pamela Christensen, 47, received a phone call from her estranged pastor husband explaining that the world was going to end. She dressed her daughters aged 12, 16, and 19 in white dresses and asked them if they accepted Jesus as their savior.
The police in Montgomery, Illinois received a couple 9-1-1 hangups, so they went to the residence. They found Christensen covered in blood, confessing she'd stabbed two daughters. She also stabbed herself in the chest and abdomen.
Fortunately, all three daughters survived. And the lovely Mrs. Christensen
went to jail on $1 million bail.
8. Businessman Abuses Daughter for Nine Years Under Advice of Holy Man
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In 2009, a 21-year-old woman went to the police and claimed her father had raped her for nine years, continuously. The courage to tell the authorities arose because her younger sister had recently faced the same fate.
A 'tantrik' - AKA holy man -
advised the father to have sex with his daughter to make him wealthy. Years later, when faced with other business problems, the same tantrik told him to go for the youngest.
The holy man, the father, and the mother (who abetted the acts) went to prison for a long time. Good.
9. Aztec Human Sacrifice, Often Children
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They'd take a prisoner. They'd lay him on a slab of stone. They'd slice him from abdomen to diaphragm with a serrated blade and toss their beating heart downs the steps of temples.
"Life is because of the gods; with their sacrifice they gave us life ... They produce our sustenance ... which nourishes life."
Estimates vary, but numerous sources say during the reconsecration of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City)
they sacrificed 80,400 prisoners over the course of four days in 1,487 A.D. And while modest estimates suggest it was only 2,000 sacrifices, that's still one every three minutes.
10. 9/11
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There is no way September 11, 2001 couldn't be on this list. Even though the motives varied, it's impossible to ignore the impact religion had on it all. We all remember exactly where we were when we heard. We'll never forget that day. I remember I was in the backseat of my mother's car driving to 7th grade. I was being a typical energetic kid making jokes when she told me to shut up when something came on the radio. The rest goes down in history as one of the most terrifyingly horrible acts of terrorism in history.
