Throughout history religion has influenced the way people lived and how they interacted. Not only has it been a source of peace and prosperity, it has also been the cause of many wars, murders and destruction. We begin with Joshua's wars in 1500 BC when he led the Hebrews to their Promised Land, leaving a trail of carnage behind them. We continue our journey through time to the Zealot riots in Jerusalem, the Crusaders and the Inquisition, finally reaching the stories of cult murders and suicides in the last century.
Throughout our journey we will attempt to find answers to the many questions that surround such incidents. How can an ordinary person or group of people be manipulated to such an extent that they willingly murder another life or take their own? What drives the leaders of such movements to turn their followers into war machines or killers? Is religion in itself to blame or are the culprits the interpreters of religious doctrines? Will society ever reach a point where religion is a personal belief or will it always remain a tool that is used to gain wealth and power? And lastly, when will it end?
The author, who was abused as a child by the notorious sex cult, The Children of God aka The Family International reveals all in Cults: The Bloodstained History of Organised Religion.
