The 4 Most Terrifying Cult Leaders in History

2. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

Maybe he was born in India, but this is the man who took over the United States in the 1980s. He is one of the cult leaders who experienced a religious awakening and decided that they should share this with the world.

In the beginning, he preached his beliefs in India, where he became a guru. His ideologies became more and more popular among the woke tourists from the West who visited India, and this is how he decided that taking money from them could be a good start for his business.

Rajneesh based his whole cult on the idea that people can get liberation and enlightenment through various sexual practices. Since many people were finding peace in these ideas, Bhagwan built an entire community where his followers had designated roles and everything was working as a business.

When Indian authorities became concerned about the growing cult, Rajneesh decided that it was time to find a better place for his community, and the whole cult moved to Oregon, where they built a whole town for themselves.

While many of his followers worked for months on end without compensation, Rajneesh enjoyed the money that he accumulated from donations and presents from cult members.

After a conflict with the local community in an attempt to decrease the local voter turnout so they could win the election, the cult poisoned the salads from more restaurants that were nearby their commune with salmonella.