SUPREME TRUTH
In the 1990s, this bizarre sect was responsible for a terrorist attack in Japan that killed 13 people and injured more than 5,000.
tokyo christ
The Japanese Shoko Asahara, leader of the sect True Supreme, chose to use that name after a pilgrimage he made through the Himalayas. Although his original name is Chizuo Matsumoto, he has named himself the God of Destruction, Christ of Tokyo, Holy Pope and Savior of the Nation. In the 1980s, Asahara joined the Agonshu religious sect, but shortly afterwards he decided to found his own religion, which would come to be known as True Supreme (or Aum Shinrikyo, in the original term). The group’s first phase was one of popularity and some recognition by Japanese society: it received government authorization to exist and tried to place members in parliament. The group also attracted upper-class youth, but when those attempts failed it took a turn towards much more extreme acting.
crazy ideals
The philosophy of True Supreme consisted of a hybrid belief of Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity, in addition to references to the writings of the Christian monk Nostradamus, famous for the predictions he made in the 16th century. a nuclear war and humanity would be doomed to destruction. Of course, only those who followed his teachings would be saved. He came to command around 50,000 members. Some more fanatical followers even paid to drink the water that Asahara used to bathe. Others paid to drink his blood.
criminal sect
The group’s greatest atrocity took place in March 1995, when members of the sect carried out a terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway. They boarded five different lines, carrying bags of sarin, a chemical weapon. When released, the substance evaporated and infected the wagons and stations where the subways stopped. The attack resulted in 13 deaths and more than 5,000 injuries. That had not been the first misdeed of True Supreme. After the attack, Japanese authorities linked the group to a series of unsolved crimes, including the murder of a Japanese lawyer who had helped families try to rescue children from the cult.
WHAT THE SYMBOL MEANS: During his journey through the Himalayas, Asahara was greatly influenced by Hinduism, a religion practiced mainly in India. So much so that the original name of the group, Aum Shinrikyo, carries this influence: “Shinrikyo” means “true supreme” In Japanese, “aum” is a mystical syllable, used while reading Hindu sacred texts and meditations. This syllable also appears on the sect’s original emblem. (above), which became a symbol of terror. After the subway attack, several members of the True Supreme were arrested and their leader was sentenced to death in 2004. To date, the sentence has not been carried out. The sect, however, only needed to change its name and continues to exist, now called Aleph. The guys maintain a website (aleph.to) to recruit new members.
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RAELIANISM
For followers of Raelianismwe and all other living beings were created by alien scientists
the origin of everything
“Thousands of years ago, scientists from another planet came to Earth and created all forms of life, including human beings,” states the official page of the Raelianism, religion created in France in 1973. These aliens would be similar to human beings, but carried advanced technologies, which made our ancestors see them as deities. That is, according to the Raelians, religious leaders like Moses, Jesus, Mohammed and Buddha are extraterrestrials sent from space to “educate” humanity.
journalist messiah
The last of these envoys would be Rael, born in 1946 in France. With the original name of Claude Vorilhon, this French sports journalist was visiting a volcano in central France, in 1973, when he would have found an alien and heard the revelation that would allow him to found the Raelianism. At that meeting, he was informed of his mission: to tell the rest of humanity about the true origins of man and the potential return of the aliens who would have created everything here. In addition, he would have to build an earthly embassy to receive the extraterrestrials.
alien activism
The Raelians, however, are not restricted to religion. They are also involved in various social and political causes: they have already defended the right of union between homosexuals, genetically modified foods, technological innovations and masturbation. They have also protested against pedophilia, female genital mutilation and violence. According to Susan Palmer, a Canadian sociologist and specialist in modern religious movements, these varied causes are used by the group to attract attention and attract new members.
WHAT THE SYMBOLS MEAN: The original emblem of Raelianism (above) mixes two extreme symbols: a swastika (the same version as the Nazis) and a Star of David, original from Judaism. Long before it was used by Hitler, the swastika appeared in religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, symbolizing peace and harmony. Even with this historical justification, the swastika was replaced from the symbol of Raelianism by a vortex in the 1990s. This is because an alien would have asked for its removal to facilitate negotiations with Israel, a nation with a Jewish majority in the Middle East, where the movement wants to build its Temple.
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THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Among other dogmas, the Society theosophical preaches that there is a hidden world beyond physical reality, accessible through mystical rituals and much meditation
in search of truth
“There is no religion greater than the truth,” states the motto of the Society theosophical, an esoteric group founded in New York, USA, in 1875, and later migrated to Chennai, India. That is, more than believing in a specific religion, the members of this occult sect focus on the study of different beliefs and try to find esoteric teachings in all religions on the planet. Its members can even maintain their own religions even after joining the movement.
the rules of freedom
Despite freedom of religion, members of the Society need to agree on some premises to be accepted into the group. Initiates must accept membership in a «universal brotherhood», must study religion, philosophy and science and must investigate the «unexplained laws of nature and the latent powers of man». It is in this last rule that many of the esoteric ideas that made the Society theosophical famous.
mainstream belief
Very popular in the 19th century, the sect has remained large and there are several theosophical centers around the planet, including in Brazil. Many have common beliefs: that the world hides a spiritual reality, beyond the physical reality we can observe, and that it would be possible to reach this hidden world through mystical rituals and meditation sessions. They also believe that humans have been separated from God, that they are trapped on Earth and that they need to evolve to return to godhood.
WHAT THE SYMBOL MEANS: Seven elements make up the emblem of Society theosophical (above): the symbol for “om”, a syllable sacred to Hindus and Buddhists; the swastika, which would carry the original and positive meanings of the symbol (and not the same as the Nazis); the serpent swallowing its own tail, a symbol of the cycles of nature and infinity, used by ancient Greeks and alchemists; the six-pointed star, whose triangles represent spirituality and consciousness (pointing upwards) and matter and substance (pointing downwards); and “Ankh”, an Egyptian hieroglyph that means “life”.
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THELEMA
“Do what you want, it must be all of the law”. The phrase that became famous in the music of Raul Seixas is one of the teachings of this “update” of the ancient occultist sect Ordo Templi Orientis
The Key of Mysteries
The Ordo Templi Orientis (Order of the Temple of the East) was founded in 1895 by the Austrian chemist Carl Kellner and started out associated with Freemasonry, but soon took its own path as an occult order. Before founding the Order, Kellner studied secret organizations and Eastern mysticism, conversed with occult masters such as Franz Hartmann, a German theosophical scholar, and traveled in Europe, America and Turkey. “During the studies, Kellner discovered a key that would explain the complex symbology of Freemasonry and the mysteries of nature”, explains the official page of the Order, in the United States.
Aleister Crowley
The most famous member of the Order was the British occultist Aleister Crowley, who joined in 1910, although the founder was Carl Kellner. In addition to becoming a musical hit in the voice of Ozzy Osbourne, Crowley brought influences from other occult organizations, incorporated into the philosophy and hierarchy of the organization. With some changes, Crowley’s system is still used by members, whose hierarchy includes such titles as Sovereign Prince Rosicrucian, Illustrious Knight Templar of the Order of Kadosh, and Epitome of the Illuminati.
occult philosophy
Crowley’s greatest influence was connecting the Ordo Templi Orientis to Thelema, another occult philosophy. Thelemic precepts are in the Book of the Law, written by Crowley from the voice of an entity that only he could hear, called Aiwass. According to the teachings, members of Thelema need to discover their True Will, their highest purpose on Earth. For this, they use a technique called Magick, which involves astrology, tarot, divination and yoga. In Brazil, the most famous follower of Thelema was Raul Seixas, who quoted one of the mottos of the sect in the song Sociedade Alternativa: “Do what you want, it must be all of the Law”.
WHAT THE SYMBOL MEANS: It is a unicursal hexagram (above), that is, a six-pointed star that can be drawn without lifting the pen from the paper. Formed by two connected triangles, this figure represents the human connection with cosmic and divine forces. The version used by thelema still displays a five-leaf clover in the center, which represents the Pentagram (pentagram), another important symbol for the followers of the sect. Made of paper or metal, the five-pointed star inscribed in a circle is popular in various sects, such as Wicca, and can be used as a protective amulet or item to evoke spirits.
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DAVIDIAN BRANCH
The sect leader Branch Davidian preached that he would be a kind of biblical spokesman, but the message he left was one of chaos
The end of time is near
In 1959, former members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church gathered in a new religious center, located in Texas, in the United States. Following the prediction of the then leader of the movement, Florence Houteff,…