Cults have existed for ages, and some have had lethal effects. Many cults have brought destruction, death, and conflict throughout history. Find out below some of the most deadly cults

 Jonestown

The People's Temple Agricultural Project, also known as Jonestown, was a colony built by Jim Jones' Peoples Temple. More than 900 individuals, including children, committed mass suicide in November 1978 by swallowing cyanide-laced Flavor Aid. It was one of the most lethal artificial tragedies in American history. Jones, the massacre's principal organizer, was discovered dead with a bullet wound to the head. He is thought to have ordered the execution of his followers. 

PHOTO | COURTESY cult leaders

Aum Shinrikyo

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Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese cult founded in 1984 by Shoko Asahara. The group claimed to work for world dominance by combining parts of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity. The group carried out a nerve gas assault in the Tokyo subway in 1995, killing 13 individuals and injuring over 5,000 others. The cult has carried out other violent attacks in Japan, notably the Matsumoto Sarin attack, which murdered seven people.

 Heaven's Gate

Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles created the American UFO cult Heaven's Gate in the 1970s. The organization felt that the Earth needed to be "recycled" and that the only way to live was to leave. Thirty-nine cult members committed themselves in 1997 by ingesting a lethal cocktail of barbiturates and vodka. The cult's belief in extraterrestrial life and the apocalypse led to their tragic demise.  

PHOTO | COURTESY cult baptism

Order of the Solar Temple

Luc Jouret and Joseph Di Mambro formed the Order of the Solar Temple in the 1980s. Christianity, New Age ideals, and the Knights Templar influenced the group. Between 1994 and 1997, the cult conducted more than 70 mass suicides and murders.

The majority of the fatalities were caused by gunshots or suffocation in the fire. Organization for the Restoration of God's Ten Commandments: Joseph Kibwetere created the Ugandan sect Movement for the Restoration of God's 10 Commandments in the 1980s.

The gang believed that the apocalypse was approaching and needed to be cleaned to be rescued. In March 2000, the group's leaders, including Kibwetere, issued a proclamation ordering their followers to gather at the church for a final sermon. After that, the church was set on fire, and more than 500 people died.