CULTS: The Rajneesh Movement
February 25, 2026
50 min
34
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37 of 83
Episode 34 · February 25, 2026
CULTS: The Rajneesh Movement
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Episode 37 of 83 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
50:30This episodeCULTS: The Rajneesh Movement
Summary
<p>In this episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults, & Crimes, Vanessa Richardson, joined by The Final Hours hosts Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole, unpack the rise and collapse of the Rajneesh Movement, a New Age cult that transformed a remote stretch of rural Oregon into a powerful and deeply disturbing experiment in control. What began as a promise of spiritual enlightenment and communal living under the guidance of guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh quickly devolved into paranoia, political manipulation, and violence. As the cult’s leadership consolidated power, its members carried out election interference, intimidation campaigns, and ultimately the largest bioterror attack in U.S. history. This episode explores how idealism gave way to authoritarian rule—and how a quest for utopia ended in criminal chaos.<br />Listen to and follow The Final Hours with Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole wherever you listen to podcasts: <a href="https://play.megaphone.fm/zl8pwmgtteoqb01h_o7oww">https://play.megaphone.fm/zl8pwmgtteoqb01h_o7oww</a></p>
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