4 cults with ties to Wisconsin

Learn about the most prominent cults with ties to Wisconsin, from La Luz del Mundo to the Branch Davidians. 

From the Manson family, a California-based group that went on a gruesome killing spree led by the now-infamous Charles Manson, to Heaven’s Gate, an apocalyptic UFO group, there have been a number of cults that dominated headlines and captured the attention of everyday folks in America. 

While the definition of a cult varies from source to source, generally speaking, a group of people that have beliefs that are viewed as extreme or strange by the general population is considered to be a cult. The Manson family, for example, believed their leader was the second coming of Christ. Heaven’s Gate followers were convinced an extraterrestrial spacecraft would transport them to the “kingdom of heaven.” 

While these cults — and the many others that made their mark on the U.S. throughout the years — have ceased to exist, there are still plenty of cults in existence throughout the country today. Some of these groups even have ties to Wisconsin. Keep reading to learn all about some of the most prominent cults with connections to Wisconsin. 

1. Samanta Roy Institute of Science and Technology

The Samanta Roy Institute of Science and Technology, or SIST, was founded in the 1970s by Rama Behera (who later went by Dr. Rama Chandra Samanta Roy and then Avraham Cohen). Behera, a former Hindu who converted to Christianity after a transcendent vision (and then later took on an idiosyncratic version of Judaism), was born in a small village in India and moved to the U.S. to attend Columbia University in New York City. In 1973, he purchased a house in Shawano, Wisconsin, which remains the home base for SIST today. 

Behera had significant influence over SIST members, who were often referred to as brethren. He arranged marriages and created a dress code for female members. He also banned certain foods — peanut butter and anything Italian — and told followers what types of vehicles to purchase (flashy, expensive ones). 

Behera’s influence extended beyond his followers though. SIST purchased almost a dozen local businesses, including a fudge shop, multiple gas stations, an amusement park, apartment buildings, and hotels. SIST members also operated these businesses — for no pay. 

In 2008, an alleged hitman shared that he received $175,000 from SIST to murder 60 people in Shawano, including the mayor and police chief. Instead of carrying out the hits, the man, who decided he was in over his head, contacted authorities. 

Former members also spoke out against SIST in a 2012 Intelligence Report article. One woman who was raised in the group recalled being zapped with a cattle prod when she was a child. Teenage girls reportedly had their heads shaved for disobeying Behera. This harsh treatment led to several members being kidnapped by deprogrammers who hoped to rescue them from the group. 

While the group has managed to remain out of the headlines in recent years, the massive Shawano compound still exists. 

2. Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, didn’t originate in Wisconsin, but it now has ties to the Badger State. The group, a radical offshoot of mainstream Mormonism that practices polygamy, was founded in Short Creek, a remote community on the Utah-Arizona border. Members worship a prophet, who they believe God communicates through. The group’s current prophet, Warren Jeffs, is behind bars serving a life sentence for sexually assaulting multiple underage girls. 

FLDS was the focus of the 2022 Netflix documentary “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey.” Jeffs imposed strict rules regarding how members could dress and act and told women to “keep sweet,” or suppress their emotions and be obedient to their husbands and Jeffs. A core belief of the FLDS community is that the more wives a man has, the closer he is to salvation. 

In 2023, it was discovered that Warren’s brother Seth Jeffs was constructing buildings on an 80-acre property in Menomonie, Wisconsin. Seth pleaded guilty in 2005 to harboring a fugitive — his brother — who was on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list for facilitating marriages between adult men and underage girls. Seth was running the group’s South Dakota compound and purchased 40 acres of land in Minnesota in 2019 but had to stop construction on the land due to building code violations. This led Jeffs to purchase the land in Menomonie. Neighbors told Leader-Telegram that construction on the property is underway, and many local residents have expressed concern over Jeffs’ presence in their community. 

3. La Luz del Mundo

La Luz del Mundo was founded in 1926 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and now has about 15,000 affiliated churches across the globe — including several in Wisconsin — and more than five million followers. La Luz del Mundo, or The Light of the World, is a Christian denomination church with leaders, called apostles, who are perceived as a representation of God on Earth. 

Sexual abuse by La Luz del Mundo’s apostles has kept the organization in the headlines for years. In 2019, leader Naasón Joaquín García was arrested and charged with sex crimes in California. In 2022, he pled guilty to charges involving the sexual abuse of children. In 2023, he was charged with additional crimes relating to child pornography, and he remains behind bars in California. 

La Luz del Mundo was the subject of the 2022 HBO docu-series “Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo” and the 2023 Netflix film “The Darkness within La Luz del Mundo” in which former members shared their experiences with the church.   

“This is the largest cult that nobody knows about,” a former member said of the church. “The apostle was above everything. Without him, we didn’t have salvation. He basically was our God.”

Today, there are several La Luz del Mundo churches in Wisconsin in cities such as Madison, Delavan, and Oshkosh.

4. The Branch Davidians

The Branch Davidians — a doomsday cult founded in Texas in the 1950s — has Wisconsin ties thanks to Steven Schneider, one of the group’s most prominent figures. Schneider, who was raised in Wisconsin in a Seventh-Day Adventist home, was considered to be the right-hand man of David Koresh, head of the Branch Davidians. 

The Netflix series “Waco: American Apocalypse” details the events of the now-infamous 51-day standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidians at their Waco, Texas, compound, Mount Carmel. The standoff ended when the FBI raided the compound and a fire broke out, killing 76 of the 85 Branch Davidians who lived there. 

According to former members, Mount Carmel had no electricity, heat, or running water. Koresh told his followers what to eat and forbade women from wearing jewelry or makeup. He also stockpiled guns and ammunition because he believed the government would one day attack the group. Many members also shared accounts of sexual abuse. It was allegations of abuse and the stockpiling of weapons that led to an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the eventual siege by the FBI.  

While the Branch Davidians aren’t active anymore, we thought the group was worth mentioning, given its prominence in the history of American cults. 

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.