Most people practice a religion, and most of us think we know our own faith inside out. Yet when it comes to religions beyond our own, we often carry a suitcase full of misconceptions. In this roundup of 10 nonsense 8220 myths, we’ll separate fact from fiction, one surprising belief at a time.

10 Catholic Priests Are More Likely To Be Pedophiles Than “Normal” People

The Catholic Church sex‑abuse scandal is widely known and inflicted serious damage on the Church’s standing. Many folks, at least for a time, lost faith in the institution and were unsettled not just by the number of children harmed, but by the way the abuse was handled. Jokes about Catholic priests being pedophiles have become commonplace, fostering the belief that—even if most priests are innocent—they’re statistically more likely to be predators than, say, your neighbor Doug the accountant.

However, as the saying goes, it’s not the crime but the cover‑up that matters. The real issue was how the scandal was concealed and how priests were shuffled to keep the abuse going. This does not excuse the abuse or absolve the Church of responsibility, but the statistics do not lie. Evidence shows Catholic priests are no more likely to be pedophiles than anyone else who holds a position of power over a child.

9 Many Believe Hindus Worship Many Gods But It Is More Complicated

Most people have heard of Hinduism, the majority religion of India, and therefore have a snapshot of it. The common belief is that Hinduism is a polytheistic faith boasting countless deities—more than anyone outside a dedicated follower could ever keep track of. Because it isn’t as dominant in the Western world, people have limited exposure to it in English‑speaking nations and thus cling to this notion.

In reality, this is a misconception rooted in a lack of understanding of how Hinduism functions. Hinduism isn’t polytheistic, but henotheistic. That subtle distinction is barely known in the West; spell‑checkers may even prompt you to replace “henotheistic” with “monotheistic”. Monotheism means belief in a single God, polytheism in many gods, while henotheism acknowledges one supreme divine being while still permitting worship of other deities. It’s a nuanced system, given Hinduism’s ancient roots and myriad branches, yet the singular divine presence permeates all beings, including other gods. Hindus also maintain that many paths can lead to oneness with the divine.

8 There Is Still A Lot Of Confusion About Papal Infallibility

It used to be that many thought Catholics were a bunch of sillies, allowing the Pope to say anything whenever he liked, with those statements deemed infallible. Mocking papal infallibility was a favorite jab at Catholics until the internet started busting myths. Yet the misconception isn’t entirely cleared up.

Most now know the Pope is considered infallible only when making very specific statements on matters of faith and morals. However, these statements are rare; most popes never issue such proclamations in their careers. Moreover, the process isn’t a solitary prayer and decision. Instead, the proposed doctrine is presented before the entire College of Cardinals in the Vatican, where it undergoes rigorous debate and voting before being officially declared.

7 Aztecs May Have Been Way More Cannibalistic Than You Imagined

The Aztecs are among the most fascinating and terrifying ancient cultures. We know they performed countless human sacrifices to appease gods like Quetzalcoatl, doing so in public, deliberately bloody spectacles that would shock even today’s fiercest societies. Many assume that beyond a bit of ritual heart‑eating, they didn’t consume the bodies.

Yet history shows a different picture. Evidence suggests the Aztecs practiced more extensive ritual cannibalism, cooking body parts in pots, with nobles likely receiving the prime portions. Why? Some historians argue it was a way to commune with their deities, noting cannibalism occurred even outside famine periods. Others contend it provided protein when food was scarce. Either way, the practice was more than a symbolic gesture.

6 Puritans Were Not As Puritanical As You May Think

Puritans are now synonymous with stiff‑laced, morally rigid behavior—the very origin of the word “puritanical”. The term usually describes someone obsessively prudish about sex, viewing any pleasure beyond procreation as sinful.

Surprisingly, Puritans weren’t as prudish as the stereotype suggests. They believed marital sex was more than a reproductive act; it was a means to deepen the bond between husband and wife. They held that everything God created was inherently good, including sex, provided it occurred under the right circumstances. Historical records even indicate a substantial amount of premarital sex, with roughly a third of Puritan women already pregnant when they married, highlighting a freer attitude toward sexuality than commonly portrayed.

5 Islamic Women Are Forced To Wear A Hijab By Their Cruel Husbands

Islam is one of the world’s largest religions, and paradoxically, also one of the most misunderstood among non‑practitioners. A prevalent belief is that Muslim women are compelled to cover themselves—especially their heads—with a hijab, often framed as a symbol of female oppression. Some nations have even debated banning it, citing it as a tool of subjugation.

In truth, this is a misreading of Islamic doctrine and cultural practice. While certain Islamic‑majority countries mandate head coverings, the majority do not. Surveys reveal that while many people in Muslim‑majority nations think women should cover their heads, they also believe the decision should rest with the woman herself. Moreover, there is scant evidence that men force women to wear hijabs; rather, women themselves protest when governments attempt to ban the practice, arguing it infringes on their religious freedom.

4 Only Catholic Texts Blame The Jews For The Death Of Jesus

One enduring myth about Judaism is that Jewish people today bear responsibility for Jesus Christ’s death. This brand of Christian anti‑Semitism has persisted since early Christianity, fueling tension between Jews and Christians. Most Jews have heard this accusation at least once, often from uninformed critics.

Interestingly, it isn’t only Catholic sources that point to Jewish authorities as responsible. While a single Catholic account records the Sanhedrin saying, “Let his blood be on us and on our children,” the Talmud also attributes responsibility to a Jewish council, suggesting they executed Jesus for alleged sorcery and sedition without Roman involvement. The Catholic Church, seeking reconciliation, now declares that no Jewish people—past or present—apart from those directly involved, can be held accountable for Jesus’s death.

3 Wicca Is Not As Ancient As Many Believe

Many modern practitioners, once you assure them you won’t freak out, claim they follow the ancient religion of Wicca, presenting it as a revival of an old pagan faith dating back to humanity’s earliest days. This notion lends a sense of legitimacy, as older traditions often command more respect.

While we’re not here to judge any belief system, facts remain facts: Wicca isn’t ancient. Though it draws from numerous ancient pagan traditions, it isn’t a direct revival of any single one. Instead, it’s an amalgam crafted over a few decades by Gerald Gardner during the early 20th century. Its origins can be clearly traced to modern sources, not a resurrected ancient religion.

2 You Can Be A Scientologist Without Being Part of The Church

Scientology is notorious for being one of the world’s most controversial religions, a reputation unlikely to fade soon. In some places, like France, it’s even labeled a cult and convicted of fraud. One of its most debated practices, “Fair Game,” allowed the organization to target suppressive individuals—though the Church now officially disavows this tactic, former members claim it persists under legal pretense.

Nevertheless, if you’re curious about Scientology but wary of the official Church, alternatives exist. Like many religions, Scientology has splinter groups. One such faction consists of individuals who still identify as Scientologists yet have left the formal Church, working to provide access to the religion’s tools without the institutional requirements.

1 The Kentucky Snake Church Is Not About Snake Worship Or Even Snake Taming

Many have probably heard of the pseudo‑legal congregation in Appalachian Kentucky that showcases its pastor and a handful of members dancing wildly while clutching live, venomous snakes. Some assume the group worships snakes or attempts to tame them for dominion.

The reality is far stranger. They believe that because serpents are portrayed as evil in the Bible, daring these poisonous creatures to bite them demonstrates divine favor. The congregation jumps around, essentially pleading with the snakes to bite. If a snake refuses or delivers a dry bite, they interpret it as a sign of God’s approval. When the original pastor died from a snake bite, his family claimed it was simply his time, not a sin according to their own rules. Nonetheless, his son suffered a severe bite that nearly killed him, underscoring the perilous nature of their practice.

10 Nonsense 8220 Overview

These ten myths illustrate how easily misinformation can spread across religions, reminding us to question assumptions and seek reliable sources.

Freedom of religion tends to be taken for granted in the West, despite being illusory in practice. Every government in the world intrudes on religion and, contrary to what you might expect, it’s at least as bad today as it has been in the past. It’s just more bureaucratic. This roundup of the 10 forbidden religions highlights how many faiths remain illegal worldwide.

Why These 10 Forbidden Religions Matter

10 Obeah and Myal

Sometimes religions are only banned on paper. In Jamaica, although officially illegal, Obeah and Myal (forms of Afro‑Creole witchcraft) are legally tolerated. The ban originated in the British colonial period for one pathetic reason: the practice frightened the whites, probably because it gave their slaves hope. From 1760, the year of the Tacky Rebellion (a slave uprising), Obeah and Myal were punishable by death. The law was further formalized under the Obeah Act in 1854 and for the next century Jamaicans (many hostile to Obeah) were routinely prosecuted for “rituals”.

Other colonies followed suit with laws of their own, but most have since repealed them. Only in Jamaica, where blacks have tragically internalized colonial racism, does the Obeah Act remain in place. In June 2019, when Jamaica’s Minister of Justice suggested repeal, the public were outraged. Insisting Obeah was “evil”, they forced the government to keep the racist — and purely nominal — law in place.

9 The Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is seen as such a threat in Ukraine that it’s subject to evictions and raids. The reason is the church’s historical ties to Moscow, which Zelenskiy’s government thinks could weaken Ukraine from within — despite only 4% of Ukrainians being members.

A spokesperson for the church disputes the government’s right to suppress them, pointing out the church’s historical adherence to Ukrainian law. Even the Pope has criticized the crackdown, and the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church has also urged the government to back off. “We were once banned as well,” he said, “and we survived underground.” As he put it, “banning a church doesn’t mean ending its existence.” It just creates hostility.

8 Falun Gong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7Nz2rDKoZ8

Falun Gong (“law wheel practice”) is a qigong‑inspired meditation‑based religion emphasizing “the virtues of truth, benevolence, and forbearance.” Founded by a trumpet player in 1992, it had by the end of the decade attracted more than 70 million followers, becoming the second largest faith in the country after Buddhism. It also far exceeded the Chinese Communist Party’s membership of 63 million; hence it was banned as an “evil cult.”

There’s nothing unusual about this; all but five religions in China (Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism) are officially labeled “evil cults” or “superstitions.” But Falun Gong also became one of the “five poisons” — alongside Tibetans, Uighurs, democracy activists, and pro‑independence Taiwan. It wasn’t just its numbers that threatened the CCP; its pacifist principles also go against the government’s emphasis on “materialism, political struggle, and nationalism.” The movement had even gained traction among officials themselves, undermining the regime from within.

Nowadays, practitioners of Falun Gong are routinely “disappeared” by the state, tortured, and executed. According to reports, the corpses of Falun Gong practitioners supply many of the vital organs used by China’s medical establishment.

7 The Shouters

Christianity has a long history in China, with its earliest introduction dated to 635 CE. A little over two centuries later, its almost‑as‑long history of suppression in China began. Today, some Christian groups are grudgingly tolerated — but only if they adhere to the Three‑Self Patriotic Movement (TPSM). This propagandist affiliation, which tends to politicize sermons, was founded in the 1950s to suppress pastors and priests critical of the CCP.

The so‑called “Shouters Sect” is one that definitely does not comply. In 1983, it became the first group to be designated “counter‑revolutionary.” Then in 1995, it became the first group to be labeled an “evil cult.” In practice, however, “Shouters” is a catch‑all for undesirable Christians in general. The original “Shouters,” or “Callers” as they called themselves, earned the pejorative nickname for loudly “calling on the name of Lord Jesus” during sermons. It was only after the 1982 demonstration against the TPSM that the CCP‑compliant Christian community scapegoated them.

Raids and arrests are now common, and “Shouters” have received harsh sentences including life imprisonment and death.

6 Ahmadiyya

Originating in British‑occupied India during the 19th century, Ahmadiyya is a heretical Muslim sect — at least according to orthodoxy. Unlike most Muslims, they don’t believe Muhammad was the last of the prophets. In fact, Ahmadiyya is named for the much more recent, Punjab‑born prophet Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835‑1908). Outlandishly he stated the obvious: Muslim society and religion had deteriorated and were now in need of reform.

Followers have since become “one of the most relentlessly persecuted communities”, with Pakistan’s first prime minister bowing to pressure from clerics and declaring Ahmadis non‑Muslims. Even today, their non‑Muslim status excludes them from the most basic of citizens’ rights, such as voting and obtaining a passport. And of course without a passport they’re unable to travel to Mecca. Pakistan has arrested and charged numerous Ahmadis with “blasphemy”. Malaysian authorities also call Ahmadis non‑Muslim — “apostates”, in fact. Algeria, meanwhile, has been persecuting Ahmadiyya since 2016, when police raided and destroyed a newly built mosque and imprisoned the national leader.

Ironically, Ahmadiyya — like so many other religions on this list — stresses non‑violence and tolerance above all.

5 Witchcraft

Although more of a catch‑all for different traditions, witchcraft is often treated as religion. For example, in Cameroon, Tanzania, and the Central African Republic, it’s banned alongside other “folk or indigenous religions”. In the Gambia between 2008 and 2009, President Yahya Jammeh had up to 1,000 elderly citizens arrested and tortured on spurious witchcraft charges. In 2019, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) cited its own (or rather its white colonial masters’) 1889 Witchcraft Act as justification for forbidding a planned witchcraft competition. In Papua New Guinea, people who use the services of witches face up to 10 years in prison and fines up to 10,000 PGK.

In Saudi Arabia, the police force has an Anti‑Witchcraft Unit tasked with hunting down astrologers, fortune‑tellers, sorcerers, and so on. Since there’s no legal definition of witchcraft, judges can interpret the kingdom’s religious Sharia law however they like to impose unfair punishments on the accused. An Egyptian pharmacist, for instance, was beheaded for (according to his neighbors) casting spells to break up a couple and placing Korans in the bathrooms of mosques. Often people are entrapped by the state, such as when undercover police — apparently with nothing better to do — paid a man to cast a spell. Cases also relied on confessions extracted by torture.

Meanwhile in Romania, practicing witchcraft professionally is only legal with a permit obliging witches to pay taxes on their income.

4 Christianity

Even Christianity, with its long track record of suppressing other faiths, is illegal in numerous countries. In Somalia and Comoros, it’s against the law to publicly admit to being Christian and anyone who does may be subject to harassment or death. In Mauritania, it’s even dangerous for foreign nationals to express their Christian faith. In Eritrea, only some denominations are legal.

In the Maldives, politicians win votes by keeping everyone Muslim — which they manage to do by imprisoning everyone else. Christianity is also illegal in Saudi Arabia, where Islam is all that’s permitted. Under regimes like this, as well as Iran and North Korea, Bibles are delivered by a clandestine network of underground Christian renegades.

3 Baha’i

Despite (or, let’s face it, because of) its message of peace, equality, and human unity, Baha’i is heavily restricted in its country of origin Iran. Followers are barred from higher education, national pensions, and certain jobs — for example in government, law, and, perhaps most cruelly of all, food production because they’re considered unclean. Baha’i‑owned businesses are also subject to heavy restrictions or forced to shut down. A fatwa issued by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei instructs citizens to avoid dealing with them entirely.

They’re also subject to unlawful arrests, arbitrary detention, and, from their fellow Iranians, brutal discrimination. Literally adding insult to injury, Baha’is are even denied the usual Iranian right of diyeh (“blood money”) restitution for the murder or harm of their relatives.

Elsewhere, life can be just as harsh if not harsher. In Brunei, the “deviant” religion is banned outright, while in Egypt, followers are denied bank accounts, property, and even their own churches and religious literature. Also, couples married in the faith aren’t recognized by the Egyptian state, which means they have no access to basic spousal rights like inheritance, divorce, and residency. On national identity cards, Baha’is are designated simply with a dash — unlike Muslims, Christians, and Jews, all of whom are recognized by the state.

2 Jehovah’s Witnesses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMmFBxsOD8E

At first glance, it’s puzzling why so many governments, in very different nations, are against Jehovah’s Witnesses — especially given their avowed lack of interest in politics. But China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Morocco, the Maldives, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Comoros, and many more all ban Jehovah’s Witnesses activities. The reason is simple: for despotic regimes, Jehovah’s Witnesses’ political neutrality is a threat to national security. Never mind what Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves say in protest, or how law‑abiding they are in practice; they won’t pledge allegiance to a state — not over God anyway. This is why they were banned by the Nazis.

Russia is particularly notable for stepping up its persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses since the Supreme Court banned the religion, calling it an “extremist organization” in 2017. 2019 saw almost 500 raids on Jehovah’s Witnesses’ homes, with Bibles, computers, phones, and other items being seized.

Often these raids are early in the morning. Calling to mind Soviet‑era purges, van loads of police officers (up to 20 personnel) will descend on a residence, pound on the door, and handcuff the owners. Forced to stand facing the wall for hours, the state’s bleary‑eyed victims will even be denied use of their own toilets while the armed thugs carry out their search. Alternatively, law enforcement spies have been known to quietly infiltrate Jehovah’s Witnesses’ homes under the pretext of repairing their internet, only to download files from computers.

1 Psychedelic Sacramental Religions

So important was the freedom of religion to the Founding Fathers that its protection was enshrined in the very First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law … prohibiting the free exercise [of religion].” In practice, however, many religious practices remain illegal — from smoking weed to polygamous marriage.

Notably, the First Amendment unofficially exempts the first Americans, the Native Americans. Because it wasn’t until 1978 that Congress passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIFRA), aimed at correcting generations of suppression of indigenous religion. However, the sacramental use of peyote — crucial to many but federally banned — remains contentious even today. Although the AIFRA was amended to allow for such use by the Native American Church, only members of federally recognized tribes are in practice granted the concession. Citizens with Native American ancestry but no registered tribal membership are still not technically permitted.

Ayahuasca churches, such as Santo Daime and UDV, have similar problems — right around the world, thanks to America’s War on Drugs. A recent attempt in the Netherlands to legalize ayahuasca for religious use was denied, leaving followers of the religion to organize illicitly — even in “enlightened” Western Europe — for fear of arrest and imprisonment.

10 ways world could meet its end are whispered by obscure faiths as nuclear treaties fray, superpowers clash, and ecological collapse looms.

10 ways world: A Glimpse Into Hidden Eschatologies

10 The Invisible Village of Ancestors

African ancestral faiths generally do not feature a classic apocalypse narrative. Instead, they present an alternative worldview that treats existence as an endless rhythm. Seasons cycle in a perpetual loop—rain, planting, harvest, dry spell, then back again—mirroring the waxing and waning of the moon. Time, for them, is a timeless infinity where humanity persists indefinitely.

When a person dies, they are not erased completely. The “righteous dead” are believed to join an unseen realm known as the “village of ancestors.” One’s moral standing is judged by how well they honor ancestral customs and keep the memory of the departed alive, emphasizing continuity over finality.

This vision does not promise a future golden age like many apocalyptic traditions. Rather, the golden age is anchored in the past; each passing year merely adds to that past. In this timeless model, eternity is already present, residing in the ever‑growing archive of history.

9 Oblivion

The Kurdish faith of Yarsanism belongs to the broader Cult of Angels and operates without a written scripture. Its teachings and prophecies travel orally through generations. Like its sister branches, Yarsanism asserts that souls migrate through a series of reincarnations, beginning as inanimate matter, then plants, then non‑human animals, ultimately seeking purification that culminates in a human vessel capable of uniting with the Universal Spirit.

This soul‑journey, called dun ba dun—literally “oblivion to oblivion”—may span up to a thousand lives or fifty thousand years. Should a soul, after its 1,001st incarnation, remain non‑human, it must await the Final Judgment, known as Pardivari, the “bridge crossing.”

Unlike most entries on this list, Yarsanism places the timing of an individual’s personal apocalypse squarely in the hands of the soul’s own conduct. One’s deeds directly determine when—and if—the ultimate reckoning arrives.

8 The End of the Era of Beasts

At the heart of the Korean movement Daesoonjinrihoe (the Fellowship of Daesoon Truth) lies a dual‑era cosmology: the Former World (seoncheon), riddled with transgressions, and the Later World (hucheon), suffused with goodness. The current Former World is subdivided into the “Six Stages of Waning Proximity from the Dao,” each representing a progressively corrupt epoch: Divine Thearchs, Sagely Emperors, Heavenly‑Mandated Kings, Cunning Tyrants, Uncivilized Rulers, and finally, Beasts.

We now inhabit the last stage, the Era of Beasts, marked by maximal misalignment with the Dao. Yet this very misalignment signals the imminent arrival of the Later World. Those who qualify will enjoy eternal youth, endless abundance, and a reality where opening a chest always yields clothing and food—no war, no jealousy, only peace for the “noble populace.”

Even in this utopia, rulers will exist: twelve‑thousand‑nine‑hundred and sixty individuals empowered by the Dao, tasked with benevolent governance. Their status is earned, not inherited, and they may even hail from outside the faith if they demonstrate sufficient spiritual cultivation. Daesoonjinrihoe boasts over two million adherents, all aspiring toward this promised future.

7 The Dawning of the New Age

Founded in 1955 by London cab driver Dr. George King, the Aetherius Society posits that extraterrestrials have long guided humanity, manifesting as figures like Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi. Their central alien, Master Aetherius, proclaimed that the New Age is “being born this moment,” and humanity’s fate hinges on whether it will be pleasant or “a little unpleasant.” In either case, “the wheat will be sorted from the chaff.”

The Society predicts that before this New Age fully blossoms, a cascade of catastrophic events will unfold: a surge in natural disasters, a gradual decline of the ionosphere, and a consequent rise in cosmic rays and UV radiation reaching Earth’s surface. In our present state, humanity is deemed insufficiently spiritually evolved to survive these changes; they will be lethal. Yet a new Master is on the horizon, and Earth itself will shift its position in space, heralding the dawning of the Age of Aquarius—a golden era for humankind.

This vision diverges sharply from that of Raëlism, another extraterrestrial‑centric faith. Raëlists view nuclear weapons as the “sixth seal of the Apocalypse,” with a seventh seal—global nuclear war—triggering a divine intervention in which the Elohim will clone humanity on the Planet of the Eternals for those whose “cellular plan” was pre‑transmitted.

6 Ragnarok

Modern Asatru revives the ancient Norse pantheon, embracing the belief in an ultimate cataclysm known as Ragnarok—literally “Doom of the Gods.” In this mythic finale, the world of men (Midgard) and the realm of the gods (Asgard) are torn asunder. The ash‑tree Yggdrasil, the cosmic axis, will die, signaling the end of all existence.

Our sources—the 13th‑century Prose Edda and the 10th‑century poem Voluspa—describe a sequence of horrors: moral chaos, murder, and the three‑year-long Fimbulwinter, a sunless, bone‑chilling winter. The wolves Skoll and Hati devour the sun and moon, while Fenrir, the monstrous wolf, breaks free alongside Loki and the Midgard Wyrm. Giants, demons, and spectral forces assault Asgard, and the gods meet heroic deaths: Thor slays the Wyrm then dies from its venom; Loki and Heimdall kill each other; Tyr duels Garm; Odin is swallowed by Fenrir; and Surtr, wielding a flaming sword, incinerates the earth.

Yet from this devastation, renewal emerges. The children of the gods—Odin’s sons Víðarr and Váli, Thor’s sons Móði and Magni—inherit Asgard. A new shoot from Yggdrasil, called “Treasure‑Mimir’s Holt,” gives rise to Lif (Life) and Lifthrasir (Stubborn Will to Live), who will repopulate the earth, ushering a new cycle.

5 Apocalyptic War

Yezidism, a branch of the ancient Cult of Angels, is a minority faith centered in Iraq that venerates the Peacock Angel (Malak Ta‘ūsh). Despite misconceptions branding its followers as devil‑worshippers, the religion maintains a rich oral tradition, supplemented by two written texts: the Book of Revelation and the Black Book.

Prophecies in Yezidism flow from an ethereal “book” called the defter, which has no physical form. When seers enter trance, they “fall into the book,” receiving visions that often focus on the end of the world. A recurring theme is an apocalyptic war between forces of good (the xas) and evil (the bastiné), featuring battles involving holy beings and supernatural entities.

Recent prophecies, dated to 2020, claim that 200 xas are preparing for war in Iran, while a figure named Miryam (Mary) is constructing planes in London to transport angels. The visions detail specific conflicts across America, Holland, Britain, Lebanon, and more, predicting a twelve‑year war that will leave only six million people in Iraq. Ultimately, the forces of good triumph, ushering a peaceful era marked by golden‑eyed beings, a great deluge that turns Earth into a sea, and a renewed, pleasant world.

4 The Fourth Destruction

Mandaeanism, emerging in first‑century Persia, reveres a non‑personified deity known as the Great Life, symbolized by living water. The faith rejects hierarchical structures and views earthly rulers—called Archons—as obstacles to spiritual ascent. While John the Baptist is respected as a practitioner of healing magic (a Nasurai), Jesus is considered a Nasurai who misled humanity by using “dead” water for baptism and imposing celibacy.

Our knowledge of Mandaean cosmology is fragmentary, drawn from the lost Haran Gauaita, which supposedly chronicled the entire world history from creation to apocalypse. Surviving excerpts reveal a prophetic timeline culminating in chaos among Arabs, the rise of a false Messiah, the return of the angel Anush Uthra from the World of Light, and a final cataclysm under the dominion of Amatit, daughter of Qin.

This apocalyptic episode is labeled the “fourth destruction,” occurring 480,000 years after Adam. Earlier destructions unfolded as follows: the first—sword and plague—ended Adam and Eve’s lineage 216,000 years after creation; the second—an era of Ram and Rud—lasted 156,000 years; the third—flood—wiped out the race of Shurbai and Sharhabi’il after 100,000 years. Humanity’s current epoch, according to the prophecy, lasts a mere 8,000 years, with its demise slated for the 791st year of the fish sign (Nuna), delivered by wind or air.

3 The End of White Yang

Once deemed a threat by the Chinese Communist Party, Yiguandao resurfaced in Taiwan during the 1980s and eventually gained legal status on the mainland. The religion blends Daoist and Buddhist concepts, organizing history into three Yang (or Sun) eras, each overseen by a Buddha. The first, the Blue Yang Era, spanned 1,886 years (3086‑1200 BCE) under Dipamkara Buddha. The second, the Red Yang Era, lasted 3,114 years (1200 BCE‑1912 CE) under Sakyamuni Buddha.

The current epoch, the White Yang Era, is projected to endure 10,800 years under Maitreya Buddha. According to Yiguandao, this era will conclude in the 127th century—specifically the year 12,712 CE—marking the end of humanity. This event will complete the ninth “mega‑month” of a 129,000‑year “mega‑year” allotted to the universe by the Supreme Goddess Wuji Laomu.

The Earth itself will persist longer, entering a tenth “mega‑month” of gradual decay before ultimately vanishing without a trace during the twelfth mega‑month, taking Heaven with it. Thus, Yiguandao forecasts a cosmic timeline that stretches far beyond human history, culminating in the quiet disappearance of all creation.

2 Return to Ilyuwn

The Nuwaubian Nation of Moors began in the 1970s‑80s as the Ansaaru Allah Community, a black‑separatist movement based in Brooklyn. Founded by Dr. Malachi (also known as Dwight York), the group rebranded in the 1990s with Afro‑futurist, extraterrestrial overtones. Their doctrine declares black people superior, claiming whites evolved from apes while blacks were created by alien beings. They also assert that ancient Egyptians, as well as prophets like Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammad, were dark‑skinned and wooly‑haired.

In 1993, Malachi established a purpose‑built compound called Tama‑Re in Georgia, featuring replicas of Egyptian pyramids, the Sphinx, and other monumental architecture. The community proclaimed itself a sovereign nation and began amassing firearms, preparing for an eschatological event.

According to Nuwaubian scripture, extraterrestrials will return to “pick up their children,” annihilating all Caucasians in the process. The alien fleet will then transport the Nuwaubians—up to 144,000 individuals—back to their home galaxy Ilyuwn, specifically to Dr. Malachi’s planet Rizq, provided the faithful increase their numbers to meet the quota.

1 Project Lucifer

The Pana‑Wave Laboratory, a Japanese sect known for its white‑clad members and convoy of white vans designed to deflect radiation, has issued a series of apocalyptic prophecies. They maintain that Earth originated 365 million years ago around a star named Veh‑erde, with extraterrestrials guiding humanity ever since, primarily through founder Yuko Chino.

Chino claimed that “communist guerrillas” were gradually assassinating her via gamma rays, microwaves, X‑rays, and other radiation. She also warned of an impending apocalypse: on May 15, 2003, an undiscovered tenth planet would swing close to Earth, flip its poles, and trigger massive earthquakes and tsunamis that could eradicate most of humanity. The group traveled across Japan seeking a safe haven, but the date passed without incident. They subsequently shifted the predicted date to May 22, 2003—again, no catastrophe occurred.

Undeterred, the Laboratory announced in July 2004 that cracks were forming on Japan’s sea floor, predicting that the nation would sink to the ocean’s bottom by spring 2005. Their response was to construct a spacecraft to escape Earth, though they failed to acquire the necessary steel‑titanium alloy. Instead, they devised Project Circle P—”pick‑up”—promising that UFOs would rescue them from forthcoming disasters.

The most alarming of their schemes, dubbed Project Lucifer, alleged that the U.S. government planned to transform Jupiter into a new sun by firing a plutonium‑filled probe at it. This act would pulverize Mars into an asteroid belt, allowing Jupiter’s unmediated gravity to drag Earth through it, killing 99 percent of the population. While this scenario has yet to unfold, Chino’s death in 2006 left the movement without further updates.

Religious conflict is often viewed as a major source of violent deaths in human history. The 2012 book Encyclopedia of Wars by Charles Phillips and Alex Axelrod lists 123 conflicts that were, ostensibly, primarily religiously-motivated, from the Crusades to the Taiping Rebellion. Considering that the Taiping Rebellion in particular took over 13 million lives, the intensity and the human cost of these wars can leave the impression that religious differences will very likely fill people with an animalistic rage that will compel them to tear fellow people apart. 

In truth, religious wars account for less than 10% of all organized conflict, because many times neighboring religious communities not only live in peace, they also exchange ideas and beliefs. The very fabric of their religions can be influenced by these interchanges, altering the way millions of people view the world for millennia after. 

10. Christianity Overlap with Hinduism 

For those unfamiliar with Hinduism, the Vedas are transcripts from before 1500 BCE of the earliest religious leaders after they performed deep meditation. They range from outlining the protocol for rituals, to stories of mythical figures. Those mythical figures include Lord Rama, a supposed manifestation of the Hindu god Vishnu, and according to a significant number of interpretations, Jesus Christ. Yes, there is a widely held belief in Hinduism that the carpenter from Galilee is the eighth manifestation of Vishnu as a human. He is known by some as Krishna; by others, according to the BBC, as Ishu. 

There are many historians that claim this did not occur organically. For example, Sanskrit Magazine cites historians that postulate that the relevant mantras are forgeries that were put in the Vedas by British colonizers in an attempt to convert the population of India from Hinduism to Christianity. It should be considered that the origins of the ancient Vedas are themselves so murky that there are many who believe they came from Aryans in Central Asia instead of India. So, who is to say which portions of the scripture were added to advance which group’s agenda? 

9. Greek Mythology Changes Roman

It’s commonly asserted that the gods of Ancient Rome are just the Greek gods with different names (Zeus became Jupiter, Hera became Juno, war god Ares became Mars, etc.). But the Romans weren’t merely cutting and pasting and then rebranding gods from across the Aegean Sea that the Greeks had brought to their Italian colonies. Before the Greek influence arrived, Roman beliefs were much less rigid and personified. It was a belief in spirits that imbued everything, which is much more similar to the kami concept in Shintoism than any popular religions that originated in the Middle East.

Romans largely distinguished themselves from their Greek counterparts in the social role that religion played. For example, the priesthood was a publicly accessible institution in Rome in a way that it was not in Greece. For another, religious rituals were prioritized over beliefs, which was why they clashed with the emergent Christians much more over the newer religion’s adherents being unwilling to perform the rituals than which God they worshiped or how many. They also had their institution of vestal virgins, which TopTenz previously covered in depth.  

8. Greek Mythology Changes Christianity

Considering that the first known copies of the New Testament were written in Greek, it was inevitable that the prevailing religious concepts of Greece would influence the teachings of Christ. This was especially the case as the early translations were into supposedly common, lower class Greek instead of more scholarly Greek. As it would later be when Martin Luther started the capital crime of translating the Bible from Latin in 1517, popular consumption was more important than academic purity. 

As reported by Arthur Fairbanks in A Handbook of Greek Religion in 1910, the elevation of the Virgin Mary was significantly influenced by the worship of virgin wisdom goddess Athena. The notion of having patron saints of specific groups is modeled on having gods of those same groups, such as Poseidon becoming the equivalent of St. Nicholas, patron saint of sailors. More significantly, the holiday Easter is, to a significant degree, modeled on Greek originals. 

7. Christianity Takes from Mithraism

For our last entry on Christianity, we’re going to highlight something a tad less familiar than Greek mythology. Mithraism is Roman-influenced worship of the Persian sun god Mithra. It fell out of fashion after Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as the state religion for the Roman Empire. Yet despite being driven into obscurity by the religion from Israel, it still left its mark on the religion that supplanted it on the way out.  

For example, surviving records of the cult of Mithra record him as being referred to as “the redeemer” or “the way, the truth, the light” before such labels for Jesus Christ were popularized. According to the BBC, the notion of labeling a clerical leader a “father” was also present in Mithraism. While scholars have generally rejected the notion that Jesus Christ is just an imitation of Mithra, certain phrases and terms are heavily indicated to have carried over.   

6. Buddhism Changes Shintoism

Shintoism was mentioned earlier, but unlike pre-empire Roman mythology, Buddhism actually did shape the single most popular religion of Japan (which makes sense, since as of 2020 Buddhism is the second most popular religion of the island nation). Indeed, the influence of Buddhism on Shinto is surprisingly firmly established, to the extent that it has been recorded that Buddhism first arrived in Japan in 552 CE. In short order, Buddhist priests began to claim that the Kami spirits of Shintoism were manifestations of enlightened Buddhist adherents, undergoing constant cycles of death and rebirth. Over the centuries, the religions blurred to a point where Shinto shrines had statues of the Buddha and Buddhist priests maintained Shinto temples.

By the 12th Century CE, there were formal attempts to amalgamate the religions. By the 13th, a reactionary sect of Shinto called Watari Shinto attempted to purge the Buddhist elements. While it succeeded in maintaining Shintoism as separate, the Encyclopedia Britannica claims that by the 16th Century BCE, Watari Shintoism had codified into the most prevalent school of Shintoism that one could use to connect best with Kami through pursuing inner purity and enlightenment. That’s an extremely Buddhist notion that did not exist in any recorded versions of Shintoism before 552 CE. Even as Watari Shinto attempted to purge Buddhism, it codified its influence on the religion for centuries to come.    

5. Islam on Hinduism

Even as Buddhism spread its influence to the East, Islam was coming from the west to have its effect on Buddhism in its own birthplace. This was often not a comfortable process, as the first recorded interactions between the cultures include the 696 CE conquest of modern Uzbekistan and conversion of Buddhist monasteries into mosques. These invasions would continue into the 10th Century CE and beyond. Still, as we said in the intro, violence can often be an effective form of proselytization. 

A particularly famous way that Islam changed Buddhist lore was recorded in 851 CE. On a mountain in Sri Lanka, there was a legend that the Buddha had left a footprint. After Islam spread to the island, the myth was changed so that the footprint had actually been left there by Adam of the Torah/Bible/Koran, which was significant enough that the mountain was named “Adam’s Peak.” Most belief systems don’t leave such literal footprints.

4. Hindu/Muslim Dargahs

On a regional basis, Islam and Hinduism are two extremely contentious religions. Muslim invasions of India in particular have been leading to the destruction or conversion of Hindu temples into mosques since practically the 7th Century CE. On the hand, the regime of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, since 2014, aggressively encouraged persecution of Muslims to an extent that has included mass-lynchings. On a more personal level, though, peaceful coexistence has reached a level where it’s practically required by religious practice. 

There are hundreds of sites throughout India where Hindus and Muslims perform their respective prayers literally just out of arms’ reach from each other. These shared places of worship are known as Dargah, which roughly translates to “doorway” according to Encyclopedia Britannica. As reported by India Today in 2017, the widespread use of Dargah throughout India is commonly used on social media to contend against the notion that Indian society is so bifurcated that amiable coexistence between the groups is impossible. 

3. Hinduism to Buddhism

As seen in the first entry of this list, some sects of Hinduism have been willing to incorporate figures from other religions for one reason or another. This was also done to a much more familiar religion early in both of their histories. For as popular as Buddha, or Prince Siddharta Gautama, was among Hindu groups in the centuries after his death, overwhelmingly they were not about to convert to Buddhism. Even Ashoka the Great, the conqueror of modern India and the highest profile patron of Buddhism through his construction of many monasteries and pillars to the belief system, remained officially a follower of Hinduism. 

One particular sect took this in the most practical direction. Vaishnavism contends that the Buddha was another incarnation of the god Vishnu on Earth. Unlike the murky story behind how Jesus Christ came to be labeled an avatar of Vishnu, Hindus and Buddhists have a solid grasp on who originated this notion: 12th Century poet Jayadeva. He claimed that Vishnu became Buddha largely in an effort to put a stop to the practice of animal sacrifice common among Hindu communities in Buddha’s time, which to be fair was consistent with the Buddha’s own words on the matter. Confusingly, while Christ was listed as the eighth avatar of Vishnu, Buddha was the ninth, despite living centuries earlier.  

2. Muslim Sicily

In 827 CE, Islamic forces began an occupation of Sicily which ended in the conquest of the island by 902. Though the last of them were driven from the island in the 11th Century, their mark lasted in one vastly more enduring way. The force that drove the Islamic forces out of Sicily was another seafaring empire, the Normans. As much as the Norman Christians disapproved of Islam, they were much more approving of the architecture of their mosques. 

Islamic architectural touches that Normans pilfered included the use of tile mosaics for decoration of chapels. And, more significantly, the also “borrowed” arches, buttresses, and even decorative facades. Another trend was to move all the really flashy decorative touches from the outside of the buildings to the interiors to help immerse believers in the sense of awe that were meant to impart. This wasn’t to say that Islamic architecture was all about being flashy and throwing gold around; to a significant extent, the more elaborate architecture was meant to instill a sense of awe despite using less expensive construction materials. Buildings such as the Palatine Cathedral in Palermo, Sicily in particular are rife with Islamic touches despite being the work of Norman architects. 

1. Moors Bring Greek Philosophy

As much cultural influence was left behind by Muslim occupiers in Italy, Spain was left with far more. It stands to reason, as historians claim that they controlled between a half and a third of the Iberian Peninsula for about 535 years starting in 711 CE. It was far from utopia, with many Muslim leaders had a number of intolerant practices against the Christians that they had colonized such as raiding their churches and restricting public displays of Christianity. Still the timing of the Islamic conquests roughly coincided with a philosophical revolution in the Muslim world that they brought with them to Europe. 

In the 9th and 10th Centuries CE, the previously controversial or dismissed teachings of Greek philosophers Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, etc. received major endorsements from venerated intellectuals of the time al-Kindi and al-Razi for reinvigorating analysis of spirituality and logic. When the teachings of the Greek masters reached generations of Spanish theologians that would go on to form the schools of metaphysics throughout the Catholic Church, it was initially through Arabic translations. 

Dustin Koski wrote the fantasy novel A Tale of Magic Gone Wrong, and any religion that would like to be influenced by it is welcome to do so.

The most recent addition to the big world religions (more than 25 million followers) was Sikhism 500 years ago. But, social media notwithstanding, it takes time to get so many followers — and the age of the prophets never really ended. The 19th century saw a flurry of smaller new religions, including Jehovah’s Witnesses and Baha’i. And the 20th gave us Scientology.

Even today we’re inventing new religions that, in centuries’ time, may outsize Christianity or Islam. They’re all a bit silly, but what religion isn’t? What matters is that people take them seriously — and these 10 they certainly do.

10. Matrixism

A religion based on the movie, Matrixism arose four years after The Matrix — in 2003, the same year its sequels came out. While adherents, known as Redpills or Pathists, don’t believe we’re literally inside a simulation, they do take other cues from the movies. These include a belief in the prophecy of The One (due to return some time before 2199), and the recognition that reality is subjective. 

It’s not a dogmatic religion, though; it’s more of a spiritual path. The freedom of the individual is paramount. For example, Pathists value psychedelics as tools for exploration and, while there is a recommended reading list (including the scriptures of world religions and Huxley’s The Doors of Perception), individuals are free to interpret.

Two days are holy in Matrixism: April 19 (“Bicycle Day” or the day LSD discoverer Albert Hoffman first tried the psychedelic himself) and November 22 (the date Aldous Huxley, C.S. Lewis, and JFK all died in 1963). The symbol for Matrixism as a religion is the Japanese hanji for ‘red’ — ? — a reference to the liberating pill.

9. The Church of All Worlds

The mission of the Church of All Worlds (CAW) is to reawaken Gaia and reunite Her children. Incorporated in 1968 by Oberon Zell, it was the first pagan church founded in the US and was officially recognized by the IRS in 1970. This is despite its basis in the work of science fiction writer Robert Heinlein, and in particular his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land. It was the concept of a “Nest,” a group of people seeking to know each other deeply, that inspired Zell to found the CAW. In fact, congregations within the Church are themselves referred to as Nests.

Drawing on the ancient Greek Mysteries of Eleusis, the pagan May Royalty, and Zell’s own vision of Gaia as alive, the CAW embraces diverse beliefs and practices. More important is the shared set of values, which includes friendship and “tribal intimacy,” “positive sexuality,” and harmony with nature. That said, there is one rite that underpins the faith. Known as Watersharing, it symbolizes sacred bonds and our place in the web of life.

At heart, it’s a hippy religion. Its Mecca, so to speak, where important rites are held, is a sprawling woodland in Northern California called Annwfn (the Otherworld in Welsh mythology).

8. The Elven Spiritual Path

The Elven Spiritual Path draws on Tolkien’s Legendarium (his works set in Middle Earth) and in particular the cosmology of the elves. Its full name is Tië eldaliéva (abbreviated as T-e), which is Elven for “Path of the Star People.” 

This isn’t live action role-playing. Followers of the path are genuinely devoted to enlightenment on elvish terms. It’s also a recognized religion, complete with tax-exempt status. Even so, the church (called Yána eldaliéva, the “Sanctuary of the Star People”) meets mostly online with two different websites. They do have their own calendar, though.

To help visitors understand the religion, the FAQs evoke the image of a tuning fork. Vibrating at the frequency of a guitar string, it causes the string to vibrate. And this “sympathetic vibration makes sympathetic resonance possible.” What this means for the Star People in practice is that meditating aligns one with the vibration of higher consciousness, opening one to resonance with one’s full nature.

7. Satanism

Founded by Anton LaVey in the 1960s, Satanism is surprisingly atheistic. Neither LaVey nor his followers claim Satan exists. As LaVey put it himself, it’s more of a “state of being … a lifestyle, an outlook, an attitude.” In fact, Satanism isn’t even diabolical. It’s more of an “exultation of self,” offering non-religious people a way to feel religious. A large part of its appeal, therefore, lies in its rituals.

Of course, Satan features heavily in these ceremoneis — as do his cross-cultural equivalents. A list of “Infernal Names” is provided in LaVey’s Satanic Bible, and detailed instructions are given in The Satanic Rituals. Satanism being individualist, however, rituals may be freely adapted.

Unsurprisingly, this individualist religion is still very much thriving today. Although (like all good religions) a rift splintered LaVey’s Church of Satan into various sects, the original is still in operation. Meanwhile, LaVey’s daughter Karla founded the Satanic Breakfast Club, which became the First Satanic Church. And there’s also the Satanic Temple — which the Church of Satan denounces as un-Satanic (and which describes the Church of Satan as “inactive”) — and the Global Order of Satan, an “independent nontheistic rationalist Satanist religious ministry” founded in 2016.

6. Ed Woodism

The official website of the Church of Ed Wood greets every new visitor with a pop-up: “To answer your first question – yes, we’re serious!” You wouldn’t have thought so — despite its 3,000 followers. Founded in 1996 by Reverend Steve Galindo, Ed Woodism sees the pulp science fiction writer/director (whose credits include the laughable Plan 9 from Outer Space) as a Christ-like savior of sorts.

In a world of “easily offended, self-righteous, puritanical people,” adherents look to Wood as a beacon of understanding and acceptance — even of things rejected by society. According to the website, Wood’s example informs frank discussions of “sex, race, drugs, and transvestitism.”

Ed Wood isn’t God, though. For Ed Woodists, God is a movie producer: he “built the sets, got the casting ready, and financed our great, big movie masterpiece.” He just wants us to make a good movie, but he’s not the director. “We are the director of our lives.”

5. Raelism

Founded in the 1970s, Raëlism (the International Raëlian Movement or the Raëlian Church) says humans were created not by gods but extraterrestrial aliens — the so-called Elohim, which happens to be Hebrew for ‘gods’. Although atheistic, Raëlians (or Raëlists) revere the prophets of theistic religions — e.g. Jesus, Mohammad, Joseph Smith — as well as the Buddha and 35 others as Elohim/human hybrids. The fortieth and final prophet is Raël himself (Claude Vorilhon), the Frenchman who came up with the faith.

According to Raëlians, this is the Age of Apocalypse — which begun with the bombing of Hiroshima. The only way we’ll ever meet our makers is if we learn to wield technology for good. The Elohim won’t return until we do. The job of the Raëlian Church, therefore, is to spread this message and prepare for their arrival — which means building a Raëlian embassy. 

Sexual experimentation and meditation are both encouraged — as is human cloning to realise our destiny as immortals. In 2002 the Church actually claimed to have cloned a human — a baby girl they called Eve. 

4. Cosmicism

Cosmicism rejects theism for a nihilistic outlook and “a fear of the cosmic Void” — based on the writings of Lovecraft. It’s also known as the Cult of Cthulhu, the oldest of Lovecraft’s malignant Great Old Ones, or dormant primordial gods. 

While not all cultists think Cthulhu exists (as anything more than a metaphor), they all believe they’ve been called. The Call of Cthulhu is a personal thing that can manifest through dreams, synchronicities, or simply one’s fate or desire. But it sets one apart from the masses. According to the religion’s website, “only a select few are even worthy of The Cult and its teachings.”

Another key doctrine is Ascension — the belief that within every called cultist there’s an Elder God (benevolent ancient deity) seeking transcendence. And, as Lovecraft was a science fiction writer, it should come as no surprise that Cosmicism is a science religion drawing on multiverse theory and quantum decoherence.

3. The Church of Maradona

To say the Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona has a loyal fanbase would be an understatement. What he has are religious devotees. For all his flaws — drug addiction, involvement with the mafia, etc. — he’s revered as a saint. There’s even a physical church dedicated to his worship in the city of Rosario, Argentina. Congregants gather to share stories about Maradona’s effect in their own lives, as well as to celebrate his birthday (October 30) like Christmas.

In fact, Maradona’s association with the divine goes back further than the founding of the Church in 1998. Just four years after they lost the Falklands War, Argentina was again doing battle with Britain — this time for the 1986 World Cup. They had to win. And it was Maradona who scored the decisive goals, one of which earned him the name the “Hand of God.” He was also hailed as a saint — Saint Gennaro’s second-coming — in Naples for drawing attention to the city’s impoverishment after joining its football team.

Despite Maradona’s reluctance to be seen in this way, the Church of Maradona has half a million devotees across several countries. Its entrance is flanked by soccer balls in vases and covered in photos of the man. It even has its own version of the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Diego, who art in Earth / Hallowed be thy left leg / Thy magic come, / Thy goals are remembered, / On Earth, as they are in Heaven.”

2. The Prince Philip Cargo Cult

It’s not known why modernity-rejecting villagers on the Vanuatuan island of Tanna came to worship the Queen of England’s consort Prince Philip. But somehow they came to believe he was the pale-skinned son of a mountain spirit. According to ancient prophecies, he’s supposed to have traveled to a distant land to marry a powerful woman before one day returning to Tanna. They also believe he was the brother of the original cargo cult figurehead John Frum, who entered their pantheon in the Second World War.

Although Philip visited Vanuatu in 1974, he wasn’t aware of his status. But when he was told, he unsurprisingly embraced it — exchanging photos and gifts with the villagers. He sent them an official photograph, and they sent him a pig-bludgeoner. He responded by sending them a photo of himself holding it. In 2007, five of the villagers were invited to Britain to meet him.

But he never returned to the island.

1. The Creativity Movement

Not to be confused with Creationism, the Creativity Movement doesn’t care about dinosaur bones and evolution. All it preaches is the advancement of white people and the inferiority of “coloured mongrels.” It started in 1973 with Ukrainian Ben Klassen, who wrote about his hatred of Jews and non-whites. 

After his suicide 20 years later, student Matthew Hale took over. His aim was to take control of the government to forcibly deport all “inferior races” to Madagasdcar. But they wouldn’t stop there; under his leadership the Creativity Movement seeks to incite a “racial holy war” similar to China’s Cultural Revolution, in which any “non-white” elements of culture are annihilated. That would include rap music, which Creativity describes as “gruesome.”

Although it seems like just another bunch of racists, the movement sees itself as a religion. They don’t believe in God, but they do see whites as “nature’s highest creation.” Active in many of the most politically white countries — the US, Russia, Australia, France, Germany, Canada, Austria, Poland, and Switzerland — the movement even has its own White Man’s Bible. It also has more than 30 associated web sites, along with mailing lists, forums, and chat rooms.