Episodios

  • 19: The Kirtland Cult Murders: Jeffrey Lundgren

    19: The Kirtland Cult Murders: Jeffrey Lundgren
    May 30 2025
    🎙️ EPISODE TITLE:
    The Kirtland Cult Murders: Jeffrey Lundgren and the Tree of Life Delusion

    📚 EPISODE DESCRIPTION:
    In this haunting episode of Heinous Beliefs, we unravel the chilling true story of Jeffrey Lundgren, a self-proclaimed prophet who manipulated scripture, twisted doctrine, and led a group of devout believers into committing one of the most horrifying cult murders in American history.

    Lundgren’s teachings weren’t just off-base they were calculated. Backed by his warped interpretation of RLDS doctrine and a made-up method he called “Dividing the Word,” he convinced his followers that murdering an entire family the Averys, including five innocent children was not only necessary but commanded by God.

    • Jeffrey Lundgren’s abusive upbringing, religious obsession, and mental unraveling

    • How a Bible tour guide became a deadly cult leader in rural Ohio

    • The heartbreaking backstory of the Avery family and how their faith led them straight into danger

    • The twisted belief system that justified execution-style murders

    • How obedience and isolation fueled a silent group willing to sacrifice their morals

    • The forensic horror uncovered in a shallow grave beneath a barn

    • The full investigation, arrests, and trial that shocked a nation

    • Lundgren’s disturbing lack of remorse and his final moments on death row

    • A psychological breakdown of cult leadership and how spiritual abuse destroys lives

    • And a powerful closing reflection on belief, freedom, and the cost of giving your mind away

    This case is more than just murder it’s a wake-up call on how twisted theology, blind faith, and unchecked power can become a lethal cocktail.

    ⚠️ CONTENT WARNING:
    This episode contains graphic content, including the murder of children, religious violence, cult indoctrination, and psychological manipulation. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

    🧠 TAKEAWAY THEMES:

    • How scripture can be weaponised to justify evil

    • The signs and psychology of destructive cults

    • The danger of charismatic leaders claiming divine authority

    • The emotional cost of blind belief and spiritual manipulation

    🔍 KEY SOURCES:

    • Ohio court documents & trial transcripts (State of Ohio v. Jeffrey Lundgren)

    • FBI debriefs and internal records on religious cults (Freedom of Information Act)

    • Survivor interviews and cult psychology analysis from Rick Ross Institute

    • News reports from The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), The New York Times, and CourtTV Archives

    • RLDS Church statements and historical records

    • Expert commentary on religious delusion and obedience theory

    🖤 SUPPORT + CONNECT:
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    📸 Follow on Instagram: @heinousbeliefs
    🎧 Stream episodes & bonus content: linktr.ee/heinousbeliefs
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    📣 SPREAD THE WORD:
    Tag a friend who needs to hear this. Share this episode on your stories. Review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help more people learn how belief when twisted can become fatal.
    Más Menos
    44 m
  • 18: “The Ugandan Doomsday Cult ; Commandments of God”

    18: “The Ugandan Doomsday Cult ; Commandments of God”
    May 23 2025
    “The Ugandan Doomsday Cult: The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God”

    What happens when belief turns into blind obedience—and obedience turns deadly?

    In this episode of Heinous Beliefs, we head to Uganda to break down one of the most disturbing cult stories the world has ever seen. The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God promised salvation… but delivered death. Over 500 people—including children—were locked inside a church and set on fire, while others were poisoned, stabbed, or buried in mass graves across multiple districts.

    This episode explores:

    • The dark rise of cult leaders Joseph Kibwetere and Credonia Mwerinde

    • How apocalyptic fear and twisted interpretations of the Ten Commandments fueled total obedience

    • The psychological control tactics used to silence followers and break their independence

    • What really happened on March 17, 2000—the feast, the fire, and the betrayal

    • The investigation that uncovered mass graves, chemical accelerants, and a premeditated mass murder

    • Why no one has ever been brought to justice

    This isn’t just a story about religion gone wrong. It’s about power, control, and the dangers of unchecked belief.

    ⚠️ CONTENT WARNING
    This episode includes discussion of mass death, cult indoctrination, manipulation, and violence against women and children. Please listen with care.

    💬 Let’s Connect
    Follow us on Instagram: @heinousbeliefs
    Send us your thoughts or case suggestions: 📧 heinousbeliefs@gmail.com

    💸 Support the Show
    Wanna support Heinous Beliefs and get access to exclusive content? Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/heinousbeliefs
    You can also support by rating, reviewing, (FIVE STARS ONLY) and sharing the podcast!

    🎧 Listen on all major platforms:
    Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | and more.

    📰 Sources:

    • BBC News – “Uganda’s Kanungu Cult Massacre”

    • BBC Archives – “The Preacher and the Prostitute”

    • New York Times – “Uganda Cult’s Mystique Finally Turned Deadly”

    • The Guardian – “A Party, Prayers, Then Mass Suicide”

    • Uganda CID reports and forensic documents

    • Interviews with survivors and law enforcement

    Thanks for listening. And remember—always question who’s leading you, and why.
    Más Menos
    36 m
  • 17: Ernie Cheyenne Johnson

    17: Ernie Cheyenne Johnson
    May 16 2025
    In this episode of Heinous Beliefs, we take you into the terrifying true story of Ernie Cheyenne Johnson, a man whose extreme religious beliefs about spiritual ownership and purity led him to violently stab a trusted family friend.


    This episode breaks down the twisted belief system that fueled Ernie’s paranoia, the events leading up to the stabbing, and the devastating aftermath for everyone involved.

    ⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and religious extremism. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

    🔗 Links & Resources:

    • Support Us on Patreon for bonus episodes:
      👉 patreon.com/heinousbeliefs
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      📧 heinousbeliefs@gmail.com

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      📸 @heinousbeliefs

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    Don’t forget to rate, review, and share this episode to help us reach more true crime listeners who care about exposing how dangerous belief systems can turn deadly.
    Más Menos
    18 m
  • 16: When Paranoia Becomes a Doctrine-Jared Loughner

    16: When Paranoia Becomes a Doctrine-Jared Loughner
    May 9 2025
    Episode Overview

    On this week’s episode of Heinous Beliefs, we’re stepping away from traditional cults and organized religions to talk about how personal doctrines and paranoid ideologies can be just as dangerous. We’re unpacking the case of Jared Lee Loughner, the 22-year-old man behind the 2011 mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that shook the entire nation.

    Jared wasn’t following a mainstream religion or part of some recognized cult but in his mind? He had built his own belief system. One that twisted reality, convinced him the government was using grammar to control minds, and pushed him to target Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in front of a grocery store full of people.

    This case is wild, heartbreaking, and a wake-up call about the dangers of untreated mental illness mixed with radicalized internet conspiracies.

    What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

    • ✅ Who Jared Loughner really was before the headlines

    • ✅ His obsession with language, time, and government “mind control”

    • ✅ How sovereign citizen beliefs and conspiracy theories warped his reality

    • ✅ His personal grudge against Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

    • ✅ The chilling details of the January 8, 2011, Safeway mass shooting

    • ✅ The six lives lost, including a 9-year-old child and a federal judge

    • ✅ How bystanders took him down before more lives were lost

    • ✅ His diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and the controversial trial

    • ✅ The political and social fallout from gun control debates to mental health reforms

    • ✅ Gabby Giffords’ inspirational journey from survivor to national advocate

    • ✅ How online radicalization and isolation can weaponize unstable minds

    Why This Story Matters:

    Jared Loughner’s case forces us to ask some serious questions.

    • How do personal belief systems become deadly doctrines?

    • What happens when society ignores years of red flags?

    • Are we doing enough to prevent isolated, paranoid minds from turning violent?

    Whether it’s religion, politics, or personal conspiracies — when belief goes unchecked and untreated mental illness is ignored, the results can be catastrophic.

    💬 Join the Conversation:

    Got thoughts on this episode? Did it hit you in the gut the way it hit me while telling it?
    Let me know on Instagram: @HeinousBeliefs
    I wanna hear from you and your takeaways, your emotions, or just your reaction. Tag us in your posts or DM us your thoughts.

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    Join our Patreon community for extra episodes on wednesday.

    Your support means everything. Every share, every listen, every dollar keeps these stories coming.

    📧 Get In Touch:

    Got a case suggestion? Wanna sponsor the show? Or just wanna show love?
    Email me anytime at heinousbeliefs@gmail.com
    Let’s keep this conversation going.

    ✅ Don’t Forget:

    If you’re listening on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream make sure you hit that Follow button, drop a review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

    Catch y’all next Friday for another deep, dark, and disturbing dive into the world of Heinous Beliefs.
    Más Menos
    18 m
  • 15: Kristy Bamu: Tortured by Belief

    15: Kristy Bamu: Tortured by Belief
    May 2 2025
    🎙️ Episode Title: Kristy Bamu: Tortured by Belief
    Podcast: Heinous Beliefs
    Episode Type: Full-Length, Deep Dive (Trigger Warning: Child Abuse, Faith-Based Violence)
    Runtime: ~55 Minutes

    🔊 Episode Description:
    In this powerful and deeply disturbing episode of Heinous Beliefs, we explore one of the most heartbreaking and brutal cases of faith-fueled violence in recent memory: the murder of 15-year-old Kristy Bamu.

    In December 2010, Kristy traveled from Paris to London with his siblings to spend Christmas with their older sister, Magalie Bamu, and her boyfriend, Eric Bikubi. But instead of holiday cheer, Kristy walked into a nightmare. Convinced he was possessed by “kindoki” a Congolese witchcraft belief Magalie and Eric subjected Kristy to days of violent “exorcism” rituals that ended in his death on Christmas Day.

    This wasn’t a horror movie. It was real. And it happened in a city where people assume belief-based violence is a thing of the past.

    In this episode, we break down:

    • Kristy’s background and who he was beyond the headlines

    • The cultural belief system of kindoki and how it impacts children

    • The build-up to the murder and the spiritual paranoia that took over

    • The graphic and painful details of the crime itself

    • How law enforcement handled the investigation

    • The outcome of the trial — and what it says about faith, fear, and justice

    • Broader conversations on immigrant communities, Pentecostalism, and silence around spiritual abuse

    This episode pulls no punches and honors Kristy’s life by telling the truth.

    🚨 Content Warning (Please Read):
    This episode includes explicit discussions of child abuse, spiritual torture, and violent death. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you’re not in a space to hear this kind of content, please take care of yourself first.

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    We wanna hear from y’all.

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    DMs are open. Comments are welcome. Hate gets blocked.

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    Más Menos
    32 m
  • 14: Burned Alive – The Witch Murders of South Africa

    14: Burned Alive – The Witch Murders of South Africa
    Apr 25 2025
    Burned Alive – The Witch Murders of South Africa

    Heinous Beliefs: Where Faith Meets Fear and Turns to Fire

    In this chilling and emotional deep-dive, we expose a brutal truth that rarely makes headlines: people in modern-day South Africa mostly older women are still being accused of witchcraft and burned alive.

    Yes, you read that right. This isn’t some ancient historical footnote from the 1600s. This is happening in the 2020s. Right now. In communities where fear, spiritual confusion, and poverty meet belief is still being used to justify murder.

    In this episode, we cover:

    • The real-life case of Anna Feti a 58-year-old woman with epilepsy who was falsely accused of cursing two young men. Her own neighbors dragged her into the street and burned her alive. The police stood by and did nothing.

    • How culture, trauma, Christianity, colonialism, and traditional belief systems clash leaving vulnerable people in the crossfire.

    • The psychology of mob violence: how grief, fear, and projection turn people into killers.

    • The legal failure: outdated laws like South Africa’s Witchcraft Suppression Act of 1957 that criminalize witchcraft instead of protecting victims.

    • The silence of the state and media and how this global crisis gets erased by mainstream narratives.

    • The fact that this isn’t just a South Africa issue. Witch killings are still happening in Ghana, India, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, and even in immigrant communities across the U.S. and Europe.

    This episode is one of the heaviest we’ve done not only because of the horror of the crimes, but because of the silence that follows. No news coverage. No justice. No memorials. Just ashes.

    But on Heinous Beliefs, we don’t do silence. We speak the truth, we say the names, and we ask the hard questions. Always.

    Content Warning
    This episode includes graphic descriptions of violence, death, elder abuse, and ideologically motivated murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

    Want to talk to me or share your thoughts? Here's how to reach out:

    Email: heinousbeliefs@gmail.com
    Instagram: @heinousbeliefs

    Have a case suggestion? Want to share your experience or be a guest on a future episode? I want to hear from you.

    Support the podcast:

    If this episode moved you — if it made you pause, feel, or question — share it. Rate it. Review it. Subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, Audioboom, or wherever you’re listening.

    And talk about it. Because these victims deserved better. And their stories deserve to be heard.
    Más Menos
    27 m
  • 13: Faith Healing Gone Wrong – The Schaible Case

    13: Faith Healing Gone Wrong – The Schaible Case
    Apr 18 2025
    🎧 Episode Title: Faith Healing Gone Wrong – The Schaible Case

    Welcome to another gripping and emotional episode of Heinous Beliefs the podcast where we expose the darkest crimes ever committed under the influence of religious and ideological beliefs. In this episode, we’re diving deep into the tragic and preventable deaths of two young children, Kent and Brandon Schaible, whose lives were cut short not by violence or disease but by the faith-driven decisions of their parents.

    Herbert and Catherine Schaible were followers of a radical faith-healing church in Philadelphia. Instead of taking their children to the doctor, they turned to prayer and laid hands, believing that divine intervention would do what modern medicine could. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. Twice. And what’s worse? The system gave them a second chance… and they still chose faith over help.

    🔍 In This Episode, We Break Down:

    • The Background of Herbert & Catherine Schaible: What kind of parents were they? What were they like behind closed doors? We give you a full character breakdown based on verified public records, court documents, and news reports.

    • The First Century Gospel Church: An isolated, tight-knit congregation led by Pastor Nelson A. Clark. We look at the toxic doctrine that banned all forms of medicine and glorified suffering as a sign of faith.

    • The Death of Kent Schaible (2009): How a treatable illness turned fatal under the weight of blind religious conviction and how the legal system responded.

    • The Death of Brandon Schaible (2013): How the exact same tragedy happened again just four years later despite court orders and probation conditions that were meant to prevent it.

    • Religious Exemption Laws: How Pennsylvania (and over 30 other states) once had child welfare loopholes that allowed parents to opt out of life-saving care in the name of religion.

    • The Public Outrage and Legislative Fallout: We talk about how these cases shifted public opinion, inspired nationwide media coverage, and led to calls for major policy reform.

    • The Bigger Picture: Why this isn’t just about one family. This is about how deeply-held beliefs, when protected by outdated systems, can become a recipe for tragedy and how many more children are at risk if we don’t have hard conversations about the line between belief and harm.

    ⚠️ Content Warning

    This episode includes discussions of child death, religious extremism, faith-based medical neglect, and disturbing court testimony. Please use discretion when listening.

    📢 Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

    Have thoughts about this case? Wanna share your personal story or tip us off to another crime driven by belief?

    We want to hear from YOU.

    📧 Email: heinousbeliefs@gmail.com
    📸 Instagram: @heinousbeliefs

    DMs are open. Emails are welcome. And if you’re a survivor of this kind of religious abuse or know someone who is we’re listening, and we believe you.

    🖤 Support the Show

    If this episode moved you, angered you, or made you think a little deeper share it. Leave us a 5-star review. Screenshot it and tag us on social media. Every share helps break the silence around religious trauma and exposes how harmful belief systems can fly under the radar for years.

    Want to go the extra mile?

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    We’re building a community of truth-tellers, survivors, and thinkers—and you’re a part of it now.
    Más Menos
    30 m
  • 12: Julius Christ: The Messiah from Connecticut Who Preached Power, Sex, and Control

    12: Julius Christ: The Messiah from Connecticut Who Preached Power, Sex, and Control
    Apr 11 2025
    🎧 Episode 12 – Julius Christ: The Messiah from Connecticut Who Preached Power, Sex, and Control

    Podcast: Heinous Beliefs
    Host: Ria
    Email: heinousbeliefs@gmail.com
    Instagram: @heinousbeliefs
    Content Warning: This episode contains detailed discussions of spiritual abuse, sexual coercion, and cult violence. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

    Episode Description:
    In this jaw-dropping episode of Heinous Beliefs, we uncover the disturbing rise and fall of Julius Schacknow, aka “Julius Christ” a self-proclaimed messiah who ran a religious cult out of Connecticut during the 1970s and 80s. Claiming to be the reincarnation of Jesus, Julius built a secretive, high-control religious group known as The Work, manipulating followers with fear of damnation, promises of salvation, and twisted “purification rituals.”

    We explore how Julius exploited apocalyptic fear to isolate, control, and abuse his followers, many of whom were vulnerable women and children. You’ll hear about the cult’s inner workings, the crimes that went unpunished, survivor testimonies, and the psychological profile of a man who weaponised belief for total domination.

    This isn’t a story of faith, it’s a warning of what happens when someone wraps harm in holiness.

    In This Episode:

    • Who was Julius Schacknow, and how did he become “Julius Christ”?

    • The belief system behind The Work and how it twisted scripture to justify abuse

    • Survivor accounts of spiritual manipulation and sexual coercion

    • How the cult avoided law enforcement for decades

    • What the FBI knew and why it took so long for anyone to speak up

    • The ripple effects of cult trauma on families and entire communities

    • Why this case still flies under the radar, despite its impact

    Sources & Documents:

    • Hartford Courant Archives: “He Called Himself Christ” (1985)

    • FBI FOIA documents on Julius Schacknow (1986–1992)

    • New Haven Independent: Cult survivor interviews (2006)

    • Milford Mirror Archives (1979–1989)

    • “The Cult Next Door” Investigative podcast, 2021 episode

    • Journal of Cultic Studies: “The Psychology of Religious Delusion”

    • Court documents from Paul Sweetman’s child abuse conviction, Florida (linked to Julius's teachings)

    Mental Health, Abuse, and Cult Recovery Resources:

    • RAINN (Sexual Assault Hotline): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) | www.rainn.org

    • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (U.S.): 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

    • Recovering from Religion: www.recoveringfromreligion.org

    • The Hotline (Domestic Abuse Support): 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

    • International Mental Health Helplines: www.checkpointorg.com/global

    Connect with Me:
    Got a story? Thoughts on the episode? Or just wanna support? Hit me up:
    📧 heinousbeliefs@gmail.com
    📲 Instagram: @heinousbeliefs

    If you found this episode powerful, informative, or disturbing in the right way share it. Rate it. Review it. Let’s keep exposing how belief, when twisted, can turn deadly.

    Until next time, stay sharp, stay safe, and don’t get caught up in the madness.
    Peace. 🖤
    Más Menos
    26 m
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