Buzz
Throughout history, numerous individuals, motivated by ambition or control, have proclaimed themselves divine, attracting followers desperate for purpose or community. As their influence and fame expand, so too do their egos and delusions, often culminating in a dramatic and disastrous end. These 10 instances from the past two centuries highlight self-proclaimed messiahs whose actions not only defied reason but also devastated countless lives.
10. Arnold Potter
Arnold Potter, who dubbed himself Potter Christ, emerged as a leader of a breakaway group within the Latter Day Saint movement in the 1850s. During a mission to Australia in 1856, Potter asserted that he experienced a profound transformation, claiming the spirit of Jesus Christ had entered his body, transforming him into 'Potter Christ, Son of the living God.'
Upon returning from Australia, Potter relocated to California, where he swiftly attracted a following. Over the next year, he, along with his family and disciples, traveled across the country from California to Missouri and eventually Iowa. Dressed in a white robe, he roamed the streets, proclaiming himself the chosen one. Weekly, 'Potter Christ' led his devoted group in prayer, and in 1872, he announced that the time had come for his ascension to Heaven.
Potter mounted a donkey and rode to the edge of a cliff, declaring to his followers that he would leap off to ascend into Heaven, thereby proving his divine identity as Christ, the Chosen One. As he turned and jumped, instead of rising to the heavens, he fell to his death. His stunned and devoted followers were left to gather his broken body, burying it along with their crushed hopes and any semblance of reason.
9. Laszlo Toth
From 1498 to 1499, Michelangelo carved the Pieta, a life-sized marble statue depicting the Virgin Mary holding her deceased son, Jesus, after his crucifixion. This masterpiece stood untouched in St. Peter’s Basilica until May 21, 1972, when Laszlo Toth, an Australian student, attacked it with a hammer, striking it over 15 times while shouting, 'I am Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.' Toth (shown in the lower right above) was eventually restrained, but not before damaging Mary’s nose, part of her eyelid, and her left arm below the elbow. Due to his apparent insanity, Toth faced no legal charges and was sent to an Italian psychiatric hospital, where he spent two years before being released and deported to Australia.
The restoration of the Pieta sparked one of the most heated debates in art history, with experts divided on how to handle the repair of such an invaluable treasure. Some art historians argued that the statue should remain damaged as a symbol of a turbulent era, while others pushed for its complete restoration. In the end, the Vatican chose to restore the statue meticulously, ensuring no visible signs of repair. The process took over five months to locate all fragments and more than 10 months post-attack before the Pieta was completely restored, now displayed behind bulletproof glass in St. Peter’s Basilica, where it remains today.
8. Ernest Norman
Founded in 1954 by Ernest L. Norman, an electrical engineer who declared himself the reincarnation of Jesus but adopted the name Rafael, the Unarius Academy of Science promoted his teachings. Norman, a self-proclaimed fallen angel, shared his belief in the endless reincarnation of humans on Earth and other planets. His wife, Rita, co-leader of the group, claimed to be the archangel Uriel, possessing telepathic powers to communicate with beings from 33 other planets. Rita also asserted she had lived a past life as Mary Magdalene. A perfectly logical narrative, wouldn’t you say?
This narrative seemed entirely plausible to the Academy’s 150,000 members (though this figure was likely exaggerated), who firmly believed their leader Ernest was indeed the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. They also believed they were the ones who had crucified him in a past life, now reunited to atone for their sins. If this is making your head spin, brace yourself—it gets even stranger. The Unarius Academy of Science, headquartered in El Cajon, California, claimed that films like Star Wars were biographical accounts of their lives and that 33 spaceships were en route to Earth, specifically Jamul, California.
After Ernest’s death in 1971, Ruth assumed leadership, and the group gained significant attention in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this period, Ruth appeared on numerous talk shows, donning eccentric, brightly colored wigs and outfits, predicting specific dates for the spaceships’ arrival. Unsurprisingly, no aliens ever showed up. Her failed prophecies persisted until her death in 1993 at 93. To this day, no spaceships have landed, shifting the group’s focus to spiritual energy rather than alien encounters.
7. John Hugh Smyth Pigott
Agapemone, a Christian sect established in 1846 by Reverend Henry Prince, who proclaimed himself the Messiah’s second coming and claimed immortality, attracted many followers, mostly women. Prince convinced these women that, as the Holy Spirit, he could not impregnate them through sexual relations. However, this lie was exposed when one of his followers became pregnant. Prince then declared the child to be the offspring of Satan.
Prince’s death in 1899 stunned the community, as they had firmly believed in his immortality. However, their concerns were short-lived when John Hugh Smyth Pigott took over as his successor. Pigott declared that Prince had merely been a precursor, while he was the true eternal Messiah, Jesus. Once again, the followers embraced these claims, and Pigott’s influence and congregation expanded to around 6,000.
Pigott told his followers that God was not distant but present right before their eyes. As his influence grew, other religious leaders condemned him, threatening his destruction if he continued preaching. Over time, Pigott’s mental state worsened, leading to incoherent speech and erratic thinking. His followers gradually abandoned him, and he spent his final years in a state of mental, physical, and social collapse. Pigott died in 1927 and was laid to rest in his own church.
6. John Nichols Thom
John Nichols Thom was a prosperous and well-regarded wine merchant and hop dealer in England during the 1820s. He later ventured into the malt trade, amassing significant wealth in Liverpool. However, Thom vanished without a trace one night, leaving his family and friends puzzled about his disappearance for the next two years.
In 1832, Thom resurfaced in Canterbury, adopting the new persona of Sir William Percy Honeycomb Courtenay, a knight of Malta. With long hair, a beard, and flamboyant attire, he completely distanced himself from his past life, staying at the Rose Inn, a local hotel. During this time, Thom began asserting that he was the reincarnation of Jesus. After being convicted of perjury and with his ex-wife testifying about his history of mental instability, Thom was examined by two surgeons, who declared him mentally unfit, leading to his admission to Barming Health Asylum in 1833.
At the asylum, Thom was considered a model patient and received a royal pardon from Queen Victoria in 1837. After his release, he began attracting followers, promising them prosperity and a brighter future. His influence grew to the point where many men abandoned their jobs to follow him. This alarmed wealthy landowners, who were losing their labor force. On May 21, 1838, the parish constable, along with his assistant and brother, Nicholas Mears, set out to confront Thom.
When they arrived at Bossenden Farm, where Thom and his followers were staying, Thom shot and killed Nicholas Mears, prompting the constable and his assistant to retreat and return with soldiers. The 45th Infantry, led by Major Armstrong and comprising about 100 men, tracked Thom and his followers to the woods. Thom opened fire again, killing a lieutenant and injuring another. The ensuing eight-minute gunfight resulted in Thom’s death and the deaths of eight of his followers.
5. Krishna Venta
Francis Heindswater Pencovic, later known as Krishna Venta, established the Wisdom, Faith, Love, and Knowledge Fountain of the World cult in Simi Valley, California, during the late 1940s. Before founding his church, he had a criminal past as a burglar, thief, and con artist. However, he claimed a transformation occurred when he realized he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. He asserted that Christ’s soul had traveled from the planet Neophrates on a rocket ship, carrying Adam and Eve, and entered his body.
Venta’s appearance featured a monk’s robe, long hair, a beard, and bare feet. He prophesied an armed race war in the United States, instigated by communist Russia, culminating in Armageddon due to nuclear warfare. He assured his 144,000 followers they would survive by seeking refuge in a hidden mountain sanctuary.
Venta’s reign ended on December 10, 1958, when former cult members accused him of power abuse, separating them from their wives (who remained in the cult), and engaging in extramarital affairs. Armed with 20 sticks of dynamite, the men confronted Venta in the group’s administrative building. They detonated the bomb, killing Venta and nine other cult members. Venta’s wife assumed leadership and continued to lead the group until the early 1980s.
4. Marshall Applewhite
According to Marshall Applewhite and his cult, Heaven’s Gate, extraterrestrials from the Kingdom of Heaven descended to Earth 2,000 years ago, inhabiting the body of Jesus Christ. They controlled his soul until his crucifixion and returned millennia later to occupy Applewhite’s body. Despite the incredulity of this claim, Applewhite amassed a following of 39 people, culminating in a historic event in 1997.
Applewhite established Heaven’s Gate in the 1970s, which grew to around 200 members at its height. Over time, his paranoia increased, leading him to expel members he distrusted, retaining only the most loyal. The cult adhered to strict rules, including peculiar diets, sexual experimentation, and prohibitions on smoking and alcohol. Male members, including Applewhite, underwent castration.
When the Hale-Bopp comet was discovered in 1995, Heaven’s Gate interpreted it as a spaceship destined to transport them to the “Next Level.” On March 21, 1997, as the comet approached, the 39 members dined on their final meal—turkey pot pie, cheesecake with blueberries, and iced tea. Over the next two days, they ended their lives by consuming a mix of vodka and barbiturates. Their bodies, discovered on March 26, were uniformly dressed in black with new Nike sneakers and purple shrouds covering their heads. Whether their spaceship reached its destination remains unknown.
3. Jim Jones
Jim Jones, arguably the most infamous figure on this list, declared himself a messiah and insisted his followers address him as “Father.” He went further, claiming to be the reincarnation of both Jesus Christ and Vladimir Lenin—two vastly contrasting historical figures.
Jones’s strange and oppressive rule began with the founding of the Peoples Temple, which primarily attracted marginalized groups, including African Americans, societal outcasts, the uneducated, the impoverished, and those seeking purpose. People joined not because of their background but because they found a sense of community. Jones claimed the move from the Midwest to California was to escape racial tensions and find safety in case of a nuclear war.
As Jones’s control over his congregation grew, so did his paranoia and desire for dominance. Over time, his drug and alcohol addiction worsened, and his delusions became increasingly erratic. Convinced the CIA was tracking him, he sought a new sanctuary, dubbing it “The Promised Land.” Eventually, he relocated his entire following to Guyana, where the Peoples Temple operated in isolation. Despite numerous reports of atrocities in “Jonestown,” the Temple’s ties to diplomats and Guyana’s prime minister ensured local authorities turned a blind eye.
On November 18, 1978, California congressman Leo Ryan arrived to investigate the congregation. As he prepared to leave Guyana, he and his team were ambushed and killed on the airstrip by members of the Peoples Temple. Later that day, convinced that law enforcement would soon close in and that it was the end, Jones orchestrated a mass suicide. His followers poisoned their children with Kool-Aid or flavor-aid (both were found at the site, and Jones was filmed opening a crate containing them), then consumed the lethal mixture themselves. Jones shot himself in the head after his followers had died. In total, 900 people died, marking the largest mass suicide in modern history.
2. Shoko Asahara
Shoko Asahara, born Chizuo Matsumuto on March 2, 1955, in Japan, was partially blind due to a birth defect that left him with no vision in his left eye and limited sight in his right. After being rejected from medical school, he turned to studying herbal medicine. In 1981, he was fined for practicing pharmacology without a license. Following this, Asahara shifted his focus to religion, Chinese astrology, and Taoism.
By the late 1980s, Asahara established his own religious cult, Aum Shinrikyo. By 1990, the group had grown to 10,000 followers, and Asahara had adopted titles like “Savior of the Country,” “Holy Pope,” and “Tokyo’s Christ.” He prophesied that the world would soon end through a series of catastrophes and instructed his followers to stockpile firearms, develop biological weapons, and acquire sarin gas to prepare for the apocalypse.
In March 1995, following Asahara’s orders, five Aum members released sarin gas in the Tokyo subway system, killing 13 people and causing neurological damage to thousands. Dozens of Aum members, including Asahara, were arrested. The cult was disbanded, and Asahara received a death sentence in 2004.
1. Yahweh Ben Yahweh
Hulon Mitchell Jr., known as Yahweh ben Yahweh (meaning “God, Son of God” in Hebrew), founded the Nation of Yahweh, a black separatist religious group in Miami, in 1979. Dressed in white robes and a turban, he claimed to be the reincarnated Messiah and attracted a cult following of thousands who viewed him as a prophet.
His followers wore white robes and turbans, adopted the surname Israel, followed a kosher diet, and were taught that black people were the true Jews. They were instructed to worship at the sect’s “Temple of Love.” Over time, Yahweh grew increasingly paranoid and punished those he deemed disrespectful or disobedient. In one instance, Leonard Dupree, a member of the Nation of Yahweh, was beaten to death with a tire iron in front of 70 followers inside the Temple of Love.
Over time, Yahweh ordered the killings of group members he suspected of opposing his teachings, some of whom were beheaded. He demanded his followers demonstrate loyalty by murdering random white individuals, whom he referred to as “white devils,” often targeting homeless people, framing it as an initiation ritual. In 1992, Yahweh ben Yahweh and 12 followers were convicted of 14 murders, two attempted murders, extortion, and arson. Yahweh was ultimately found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to 18 years in prison, being paroled in 2001. He passed away from cancer in Miami in 2007 at the age of 71.
