CultNEWS101 Articles 3/27/2025 (Term Cult, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Book Review, Fountaingrove, Jehovah's Witnesses, Canada, Legal)

Term Cult, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Book Review, Fountaingrove, Jehovah's Witnesses, Canada, Legal

NY Post: Cults like us': Why cults are as American as apple pie

" ... 'The word cult conjures a mental picture: a group of beautiful young people dancing trancelike in the sun, probably aspiring actors in Los Angeles who took a wrong turn at the beach and landed in an orgy.'

But that image couldn't be further from the truth and in "Cults Like Us" Borden charts not just the murky history of cult ideologies in America, but how the country remains a breeding ground for cult-like thinking.

"It informs our suppositions about American identity and our very understanding of the immutable self," she writes. "It undergirds every vote, purchase, prejudice, and social-media post. Like fish that don't know water, we swim through it without recognition."

Ever since the Pilgrim Fathers arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 with almost cultish puritanical beliefs, the nation has been susceptible to cult ideologies.

"But their Puritan doomsday beliefs didn't go away; they became American culture," she says."

People: Teen Escaped a Cult After a Forced Marriage to a Stranger. Her Husband Did Too — Then They Fell in Love

"Angela and Cade Johnson were married at a laundromat in 2003 when she was 16 and he was 19.

They exchanged vows not by choice, but because the notorious polygamist cult they grew up in — the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints — forced them to do so.

The cult Angela and Cade were born into made headlines when its infamous "prophet" and leader Warren Jeffs was accused by numerous young victims — including his own children — of molesting them.

Named one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted after fleeing the cult to avoid arrest, Jeffs, now 69, was finally taken into custody in Las Vegas in 2006. He was convicted five years later of two counts of child sex abuse and sentenced to life in prison.

Because of the tumult in the church at the time, "We didn't have too much to do with him," Angela says. "But if you've ever met him, he's just a creep. Full of arrogance."

She didn't like how girls and teens in the cult were forced to wed men they didn't know. One man she knew had 24 wives."

Oxford Academic: Unholy Sensations: A Story of Sex, Scandal, and California's First Cult Scare

"Unholy Sensations tells the forgotten but fascinating story of a sex scandal that erupted in the 1890s around a multiracial spiritualist colony called Fountaingrove in northern California. Out of the scandal came a new kind of public menace—what newspapers called the "cult." The Fountaingrove sex scandal helped establish for the first time popular ideas of "cults": groups or movements that violated religious, familial, and sexual norms to such an extent that they seemed dangerous to the dominant moral order. Thomas Lake Harris, the leader of Fountaingrove, became the archetype of the villainous "cult leader," supposedly brainwashing and manipulating his followers through his powerful charisma. The Fountaingrove scandal also established California as a breeding ground for cults, a reputation that remains strong today. Throughout the 1890s, the scandal's twists and turns captivated the public with a volatile mix of sex, religion, and racial exoticism due to the presence of Japanese immigrant men at Fountaingrove. From the Fountaingrove scandal onward, calling a group a cult was to mark it as outside religious, racial, sexual, and gender norms, all at the same time. Unholy Sensations tracks the emergence of the "cult" as a cultural concept while exploring the lived day-to-day realities of the Fountaingrove colonists, their beliefs, and their sexual practices, as well as considering the motives of those who attacked Harris and the colony."

Oak Bay News: Grand Forks Jehovah's Witnesses lose privacy law appeal

Court rules against Jehovah's Witness appeal to withhold former congregants' personal information.

"An appeal by the Jehovah's Witnesses in Grand Forks over holding the personal information of two former congregation members has been dismissed and is being hailed as a victory for the privacy rights of individuals.

The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled unanimously on March 21, that B.C.'s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) did not infringe on the religious freedom rights of two congregations of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

The case started in June 2022, when two former Jehovah's Witnesses requested access to their personal information under the control of the Grand Forks and Coldstream congregations. The congregations and their elders have fought to keep certain information, arguing disclosing these records would violate their Charter right of religious freedom.

An appeal by the Jehovah's Witnesses in Grand Forks over holding the personal information of two former congregation members has been dismissed and is being hailed as a victory for the privacy rights of individuals.

The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled unanimously on March 21, that B.C.'s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) did not infringe on the religious freedom rights of two congregations of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

The case started in June 2022, when two former Jehovah's Witnesses requested access to their personal information under the control of the Grand Forks and Coldstream congregations. The congregations and their elders have fought to keep certain information, arguing disclosing these records would violate their Charter right of religious freedom. "

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CultNEWS101 Articles: 3/26/2025 (Legal, Canada, Dera Sacha Sauda, Twin Flames)

Legal, Canada,  Dera Sacha Sauda, Twin Flames

City News: B.C. court voids 'cult' marriage, finding woman didn't 'truly consent'

"A British Columbia judge has annulled the marriage of a woman to a fellow member of an India-based "cult group," saying she didn't "truly consent" to the 2023 wedding.

The B.C. Supreme Court ruling issued this week says [named removed] claimed she was manipulated and overwhelmed by a "barrage" of overtures from Napinder Singh Jaura and his family that began in October 2022.

The ruling by Justice Ian Caldwell says the woman was an 18-year-old permanent resident in Canada when she was first contacted by the man, who lived in New Zealand and was around 32.

The ruling says she did not wish to marry but the man and his family "persisted," bringing a "sacred food gift" to her workplace and claiming the union was "blessed" by a priest of the Dera Sacha Sauda religious group.

The man's sister warned that refusing the marriage would invite "the wrath" of the religious community.

Caldwell's ruling found the marriage "voidable," saying the man "pursued, harassed, and perhaps even stalked" the teenager who was under duress when the wedding occurred in Abbotsford, B.C.

The ruling says the woman had finally agreed to marry on April 25, 2023, and was picked up from work the next day by Singh Jaura's relative. 

She was driven to a home where a Punjabi wedding suit was waiting for her, and the ceremony happened that day without her family present.

CTV:  We're Not a Cult: Inside Twin Flames Universe

Accused cult leaders deny allegations of brainwashing, forced labour and coercing followers to change genders. Special W5 Investigation with Avery Haines.

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A court orders the Unification Church in Japan dissolved

MARI YAMAGUCHI

AP

March 25, 2025

"The Unification Church in Japan was ordered dissolved by a court Tuesday after a government request spurred by the investigation into the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The church said it was considering an immediate appeal of the Tokyo District Court’s revocation of its legal status, which would take away its tax-exempt privilege and require liquidation of its assets.

The order followed a request by Japan’s Education Ministry in 2023 to dissolve the influential South Korea-based sect, citing manipulative fundraising and recruitment tactics that sowed fear among followers and harmed their families.

In the ruling, the court said the church’s problems were extensive and continuous, and a dissolution order is necessary because it is not likely it could voluntarily reform, according to NHK television.

"“We believe our claims were accepted,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshiasa Hayashi told reporters. He added that government will continue efforts to support victims of the church.

The Japanese branch of the church had criticized the request as a serious threat to religious freedom and the human rights of its followers.

The church called the court order regrettable and unjust and said in a statement the court’s decision was based on “a wrong legal interpretation and absolutely unacceptable.”

The investigation into Abe’s assassination revealed decades of cozy ties between the South Korea-based church and Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party. The church obtained legal status as a religious organization in Japan in the 1960s during an anti-communist movement supported by Abe’s grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi.

The man accused of killing Abe resented the church and blamed it for his family’s financial troubles.

The church, which officially calls itself the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, is the first religious group subject to a revocation order based on violations of Japan’s civil code. Two earlier case involved criminal charges — the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult, which carried out a sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, and Myokakuji group, whose executives were convicted of fraud.

To seek the church’s dissolution, the Education Ministry had submitted 5,000 documents and pieces of evidence to the court, based on interviews with more than 170 people.

The church tried to steer its followers’ decision-making, using manipulative tactics, making them buy expensive goods and donate beyond their financial ability and causing fear and harm to them and their families, seriously deviating from the law on religious groups, officials and experts say.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs said the settlements reached in or outside court exceeded 20 billion yen ($132 million) and involved more than 1,500 people.

A group of lawyers who have represented people suing the church welcomed the court decision as a major first step toward redress. They demanded an apology and compensation from the church as soon as possible.

The church, founded in Seoul in 1954, a year after the end of the Korean War, by the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the self-proclaimed messiah who preached new interpretations of the Bible and conservative, family-oriented value systems.

It developed relations with conservative world leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as his predecessors Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

The church faced accusations in the 1970s and 1980s of using devious recruitment tactics and brainwashing adherents into turning over huge portions of their salaries to Moon. In Japan, the group has faced lawsuits for offering “spiritual merchandise” that allegedly caused members to buy expensive art and jewelry or sell their real estate to raise donations for the church.

The church has acknowledged excessive donations but says the problem has lessened since the group stepped up compliance in 2009.

Experts say Japanese followers are asked to pay for sins committed by their ancestors during Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, and that the majority of the church’s worldwide funding comes from Japan.

https://apnews.com/article/japan-unification-church-dissolution-d5e1fdf3cb671d6ffeb45d75620ef8b2

CultNEWS101 Articles: 3/25/2025 (Jehovah's Witnesses, Legal, Brazil, Legionaries of Christ, Book Review, 764)

Jehovah's Witnesses, Legal, Brazil, Legionaries of Christ, Book Review, 764

Correio: Former Jehovah's Witnesses prepare lawsuit against religious organization in Brazil

"Former members of Jehovah's Witnesses are gathering documents to sue the religious organization in Brazil, accusing it of practices such as covering up cases of pedophilia, pressuring people to avoid higher education, public humiliation and what they call "inducing suicide" — referring to the prohibition of blood transfusions, even in life-threatening situations. The lawsuit, which could include up to 28 dissidents, seeks compensation for moral damages. The information was released in a report by UOL.

Among the main complaints is the practice of ostracism, which forces believers to cut ties with family and friends who leave the religion. This policy led Norway to cancel the church's registration in the country in 2021, a fact that inspired Brazilian dissidents to seek similar measures here. "It's as if I had been buried alive," says Ester Lopes Bueno, 42, who has not spoken to her family since leaving the church in 2019.

Reports of sexual abuse are also common among former members. Psychologist Lucas Vasconcelos, 24, claims he was molested at age 15 by a church leader who made him drunk until he lost consciousness. When he woke up, he says he found marks of abuse on his body. Journalism student Mirela Costa, 25, reports having been sexually abused at ages 10 and 12 by two church members and says she was not treated as a victim. "The second time, they asked me if I wasn't in love with the abuser," she says.

The organization, in turn, denies the accusations. In a statement, it stated that it considers sexual abuse "a malicious and repugnant act" and that it complies with the law by reporting cases to the authorities. Regarding ostracism, it argues that "followers should limit contact with the person who is removed from the congregation." Regarding the prohibition of blood transfusions, spokesman Laércio Ninelli highlighted that the practice is based on "biblical instruction" and has been recognized as a right by the Supreme Federal Court (STF).

Another point of conflict is the devaluation of higher education. The organization discourages believers from attending college, claiming that this could expose them to "moral and spiritual dangers." Lara Prado, 27, who left the church at 23, regrets not having followed her dream of studying history or journalism. "I lost everyone I knew. And, most of all, I lost my mother. She is alive, but she treats me as if I were dead," she says.

The lawsuit is also expected to address the ban on blood transfusions, which the dissidents call "inducing suicide." Jacira Araújo, 72, showed a notarized document in which she renounces the procedure. "I have legalized my death in a notarized document. This is a sacrifice of life," she said. Ninelli countered, stating that refusing a transfusion is a guaranteed right and that the church does not induce suicide.

The organization maintains its position, stating that the accusations come from "people making false and slanderous statements." Meanwhile, former members remain mobilized, seeking justice and reparations for the impacts they claim to have suffered."

Readers House: Kevin O'Sullivan Shares His Journey of Resilience, Writing, and Psychological Insight

"From Ireland to Australia: A Journey of Self-Discovery

Kevin O'Sullivan discusses his literary journey, from A Good Boy to Cheaper than Therapy, sharing insights on storytelling, psychology, resilience, and the power of reclaiming one's narrative through writing.

Kevin O'Sullivan is a writer of remarkable depth and honesty, a storyteller who weaves together personal history, psychological insight, and an unflinching curiosity about the human experience. His work spans poetry, memoir, and fiction, each piece infused with a profound understanding of the resilience of the human spirit. Born and raised in Ireland, Kevin's journey has taken him across continents—from the strict confines of a religious order to the liberating landscapes of Australia, where he now calls home.

His memoir A Good Boy (Atelier Books, 2022) is an extraordinary account of survival, self-discovery, and the courage to break free from an oppressive past. In it, he recounts his early years in the Legionaries of Christ and his eventual escape, a story that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. His forthcoming second volume, Cheaper than Therapy, promises to be just as compelling, chronicling the formative years that shaped his path as a psychologist and writer.

Beyond his literary pursuits, Kevin has spent decades as a clinical and forensic psychologist, bringing the same depth of empathy and understanding to his therapeutic work as he does to his writing. His insight into the human psyche, shaped by both personal trials and professional expertise, makes his reflections on belief, resilience, and identity especially compelling."

The Fifth Estate: Exposing 764: On the trail of an extremist 'cult' of online predators (video)

"'764/ is a global cult of online predators — many are teenagers targeting vulnerable children. They coerce minors to self-harm and have even plotted acts of mass violence. Police are struggling to contain what's being called a growing terror threat."

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CultNEWS101 Articles: 3/24/2025 (Video, Scientology, Jehovah's Witnesses, LDS, Event, Traumatizing Narcissists, Dan Shaw)

Video, Scientology, Jehovah's Witnesses, LDS, Event, Traumatizing Narcissists, Dan Shaw

Melissa Dougherty: Scientology: The Most Bizarre Cult in America

"Scientology is an odd religion (If it is even a religion). My friend Lindsey Medenwaldt knows a ridiculously random amount of information about this religion. So, naturally, I couldn't resist luring her onto my channel to spill the tea on all things Scientology. Where did this "religion" come from? What do they believe? And why are so many celebrities a part of the most bizarre cult in America?"

Stop The Shunning: CENSORED: 10 Things Jehovah's Witnesses Can't Say

Mormon Discussion Inc.: Latter-day Saint Insider Exposes Secret Surveillance!

"In this ... episode, a former Mormon Church employee who worked with confidential records and the Strengthening Church Members Committee (SCMC) comes forward to expose the behind-the-scenes machinations of the LDS Church. From secret surveillance of members to how the Church tracks and manages dissent, to how the Church handles those who ask their names to be removed, this insider reveals ... details that the Church doesn't want you to know."

Event: The Rise of the Traumatizing Narcissists  (Dan Shaw)

Saturday, March 29th, 10am -1pm EST, Zoom

About the Event: The world is witnessing a surge of nationalist cults led by authoritarian demagogues who combine sociopathy with narcissism—malignant narcissists. Daniel Shaw developed the theory of traumatic narcissism from his experience with cult leaders and followers. After working with patients who described relationships similar to cult dynamics, Shaw profiled the traumatizing narcissist and how they use undue influence to subjugate and exploit others.

Shaw explores the traumatizing narcissist's "delusion of omnipotence" and outlines eight controlling behaviors they use to construct systems of subjugation. Anticipating his third book on the topic, Shaw's presentation will clarify for clinicians how to identify traumatizing narcissists and address challenges when working with their subjugated victims.

As more patients report abuse by unregulated figures—coaches, wellness gurus, psychics, healers, and facilitators of psychedelic journeys—the need for clinicians and patients to understand who the traumatizing narcissist is, what they do, and why they do it has never been greater.

REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-rise-of-traumatizing-narcissists-tickets-1022891314457

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‘Cults like us’: Why cults are as American as apple pie

Gavin Newsham

NY Post

March 22, 2025

“We all have an idea of what constitutes a cult,” writes author Jane Borden in “Cults Like Us – Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America” (One Signal Publishers). “The word cult conjures a mental picture: a group of beautiful young people dancing trancelike in the sun, probably aspiring actors in Los Angeles who took a wrong turn at the beach and landed in an orgy.” 

But that image couldn’t be further from the truth and in “Cults Like Us” Borden charts not just the murky history of cult ideologies in America, but how the country remains a breeding ground for cult-like thinking.

“It informs our suppositions about American identity and our very understanding of the immutable self,” she writes. “It undergirds every vote, purchase, prejudice, and social-media post. Like fish that don’t know water, we swim through it without recognition.”

Ever since the Pilgrim Fathers arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 with almost cultish puritanical beliefs, the nation has been susceptible to cult ideologies.

“But their Puritan doomsday beliefs didn’t go away; they became American culture,” she says.

And, as Borden explains, the meaning of ‘cult’ has shifted from the original Latin, cultus (meaning any religion or religious practice), to something more derogatory, taking in fanatics, enthusiasts and imposters. “Today,” adds Borden, “cult carries strong valences of deception, abuse, and charlatanism.”

But because of the First Amendment and, argues Borden, a nation ripe for indoctrination, non-traditional groups once treated with suspicion, like the Christian Scientists and Jehovah’s Witnesses, are now established and institutionalized religions.

And with that recognition comes many benefits.

“If they can secure church status, we don’t even ask for taxes,” she adds. 

We all know the notorious cults of our time, like the Manson Family and David Koresh’s Branch Davidians, but today the number of cultlike groups in the United States is growing exponentially and Borden estimates there are now around 10,000 such organizations nationwide. 

Indeed, they might now be viewed as integral parts of our national psyche rather than simple aberrations. “Destructive cults and extreme belief systems are not unique to America, of course,” adds Borden. “But Americans certainly tolerate them more.”

Whatever the group, cults share similar characteristics; a demagogue at the helm, notions of exceptionalism, and, invariably, a ‘Doomsday’ endgame.

They also strive to pit members against a supposed adversary, irrespective of any threat posed.

“When cult leaders, con artists, grifters, demagogues, dictators, domestic abusers, or other selfish dillweeds wish to manipulate or exploit others, all they need to do is raise the specter of an outside enemy,” writes Borden.

“Any will do, it doesn’t matter which.”

Some of the case studies Borden examines in ‘Cults Like Us’ verge on the ridiculous.

Take Arthur Bell, leader of California’s Mankind United cult in the 1930s who convinced 14,000 members to part with their cash so he could take the fight against the conspiratorial web of ‘Hidden Rulers’ who, he claimed, were responsible for all the world’s ills, from wars to famines and even the Great Depression.

Like most cults, Bell’s sales pitch was based on a conspiracy theory where the enemy is “unfathomably powerful” and that only he, with the backing of his members, could do anything about it.

As Borden explains, it’s a common theme. “Cults and conspiracy theories are kissing cousins: they share DNA, often look alike, and sometimes get married,” she says.

But it’s this call to rebel against elites targeting everyday folk that has been the rallying cry of demagogues since the dawn of the nation – and will continue to be, says Borden. “Because these fears are deeply ingrained in us, they are often employed to manipulate us,” she writes. 

For cult leaders, it’s personal gain that drives recruitment campaigns. “Voter feelings are all that matter to a demagogue, who stokes fears, bends the truth or outright lies, and builds fanatic followings instead of platforms,” adds Borden.

https://nypost.com/2025/03/22/lifestyle/why-cults-are-as-american-as-apple-pie/

How Satanist Pedophile Groups Strategize To Groom Kids, Avoid Detection On Popular Chat Site

Hudson Crozier

Daily Caller News Foundation.

March 15, 2025

Online Satanist networks targeting children for sexual abuse keep gravitating toward a gaming site that has pledged to crack down on them, according to documents and interviews obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Predatory Satanists are increasingly appearing on platforms popular with young people by the dozens, prompting attention from law enforcement and lawmakers who question the efficacy of online safety policies. The DCNF obtained screenshots of one such band of users on Discord who talked about having a sexual interest in minors, where to find “groomable victims” and how to avoid getting banned.

Discord, an online messaging platform, said in an email that the users’ accounts and chat rooms “were proactively detected and removed” on Feb. 21, meaning the chats were active for at least four days. “The horrific actions of these groups have no place on Discord or in society,” a spokesperson said.

“Discord is committed to providing a safe and secure online environment for all users, and we are taking decisive actions to address harmful content on our platform and to find and remove the users who create such content,” the spokesperson continued. “We are continuously working to improve these measures, and, where appropriate and permitted by law, Discord aims to collaborate with the FBI and law enforcement.”

‘Tempel Ov Love’

Discord has long dealt with safety concerns due to its design of allowing users as young as thirteen — with parental permission — to join private “servers” comprised of one or more chat rooms for group messaging and audio calls, often with strangers. Discord servers are spaces that users create with “text and voice channels” while making their own rules for them, the platform’s website says.

The DCNF obtained images from Feb. 19 and 20 of “Tempel Ov Love,” a Discord server with 26 users and a logo resembling that of “Tempel Ov Blood,” a Satanic, neo-Nazi occult group. Tempel Ov Blood glorifies child exploitation and encourages adherents to commit terrorist attacks. Users in the Discord server discussed how they might find “preys” in other online communities on platforms they did not specify.

Posts and profiles from the server displayed symbols of movements such as “764,” which the Department of Justice (DOJ) calls a global “terror network.” Members of 764 typically groom children in online forums full of violent content and pornography and extort them into harming themselves, according to the DOJ.

An FBI bulletin from March 6 warned the public of a “sharp increase” in 764’s activities, saying the predators operate through “social media sites, gaming platforms, and mobile applications commonly used by young people.” The agency said the 764 network and others coerce “victims as young as 9 years old” to make self-harm videos or sexual content of themselves, carve the names of their abusers into their bodies and even “live-stream their own suicide for the network’s entertainment.”

A symbol denoting the Satanic group 764 is displayed in a Discord server on Feb. 20, 2025.

The 764 predators may move between web platforms and change the name of their movement, but “the core goals and membership remain consistent,” the DOJ previously said.

“These groups are … full of femboys and women with mental health issues,” a Discord user said about other online networks, “Joy of Satan” or “JoS” and “Order of Nine Angles.”

“Actually sounds like the HQ of preys,” another replied — before saying, “so many groomable victims.”

“Everyone there would be so easy to manipulate and mindbreak,” the first user said.

The same two users discussed one underage girl “in the JoS forums who is a minor foid with autism,” using “foid” as derogatory internet slang for a female. One of them said she “is also brain damaged for drug abuse.”

The other user replied, “even more groom[able]” and asked, “Is she good looking?”

The user who first mentioned the girl later said, “I told the foid to show me her boobs and she ghosted me … she probably [reported] me.” Someone else then congratulated that person as the “top groomer” in the chat.

A user in a Satanist Discord server brags about soliciting a minor for sexual material of herself in a chat message on Feb. 19, 2025.

Another post from an unrelated conversation reads, “I would fuck a guy but only if he was good-looking and about the same age as me or a minor.”

Several past and ongoing prosecutions of child abuse cult members have shown some of them using Discord, a platform normally meant for playing video games while talking to friends. They also congregate on other platforms, sparking pledges from companies to crack down on the predatory networks, Wired and the Washington Post reported. An unnamed spokesperson for Discord also told Wired that it closely works with the FBI and law enforcement and that taking down 764 is a top priority.

In one recent case, 764 member Jairo Tinajero pleaded guilty to producing child pornography, racketeering and other federal charges on Feb. 11. Tinajero convinced a minor to send nude pictures of herself through Discord and Telegram, then threatened to show them to her family if she didn’t send him more, a plea agreement says.

Tinajero was also in “an online chatroom” on an unnamed platform that “directed a female who Tinajero and others believed was as young as 12 years old to repeatedly cut herself with a knife,” the document says.

Telegram said in December that it had partnered with the Internet Watch Foundation in December to “continue to effectively delete child abuse materials” and maintains what it calls “a zero-tolerance policy.”

Followers of 764 and similar groups work together toward “destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of youth,” according to prosecutors in Tinajero’s case. A user in the Tempel Ov Love Discord server appeared to take inspiration from 764 cultist Angel Almedia, whom the DOJ charged with exploiting minors in 2021.

A Discord user posts an image of 764 member Angel Almeida on Feb. 19, 2025.

Users also touched on how other Satanists they knew of were “boring” for supposedly being “against pedos,” calling it “sad.”

‘Severe Risks’

A majority of “enforcement actions” Discord takes against accounts and servers are for child safety, self-harm concerns and violent extremism, a 2024 company report says. But employees still “aren’t doing enough at all,” said Becca Spinks, a firearms instructor who has gained notoriety by writing about Satanic predator networks in her spare time.

“Discord makes it ridiculously difficult for investigators like myself to report entire servers for abuse,” Spinks told the DCNF.

The quickest option for users on any device to report illegal activity is clicking a “report message” button on individual posts. Spinks and her research partner, who goes by the name “Paco” online, said Discord users they’ve observed easily evade this system. Paco belongs to a small team of researchers with Spinks and asked not to be named to avoid threats from the Satanic extremist groups. (RELATED: Transgender Teen’s Alleged Shooting Plot Is Latest Linked To Popular Chat Platform)

Paco and Spinks said some groups on Discord often “spam” child pornography in a server together and quickly delete posts before someone can click the report button.

“What people will do is they’ll record the spam and then screenshot, download … take whatever they want, and then leave the server, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Paco told the DCNF in a phone interview.

Paco claimed to have seen this happen in a past Discord server, describing a flood of content containing “gore, beastiality, obviously child pornography, self-harm” and animal abuse material or “animal crush.”

“It was the worst shit you could possibly imagine,” he said.

Paco said he reported that server anonymously to the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children because users were deleting posts too fast for him to report them one by one.

“It’s not an effective method and the fact that it hasn’t been fixed is frankly negligent,” Paco told the DCNF.

Discord has a “Report Server” button in its mobile app, but not for the desktop version. Spinks and Paco said they were not aware of the feature and were frustrated that restricting it to the mobile app creates another hurdle for reporting pedophiles.

Accounts on X, formerly Twitter, helped spread an invite link to the Tempel Ov Love Discord server as early as Feb. 17, with one account later deleting its post, the DCNF observed.

Users in the comments section of one of the X posts suggested ways to evade Discord bans: making alternate accounts, creating VPNs, using a program that creates temporary phone numbers and using an encrypted email service. One person inside the server told others to “delete anything that’s unsafe [or] edgy after like a minute.”

X’s CEO testified to lawmakers in January 2024 that fighting “child sexual exploitation” is “our top priority” during a Senate Judiciary Committee investigation of tech companies. Discord told the committee that it is relying on AI software to detect such content.

Discord said “all [child sex abuse material] reports are reviewed by humans” in comments to the DCNF.

Discord also removed a button on its website in 2023 that allowed anyone to file written reports directly to the trust and safety team, archived webpages show. The company told the DCNF that it did so because the “report” buttons others have complained about make the process “easier and faster.”

“The root of the problem is that Discord systematically fails to prioritize safeguarding on its platform — it fails to effectively, proactively identify abuse networks or activities, and it fails to protect minors on the platform as well,” Haley McNamara, Vice President at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), told the DCNF. “The platform is extremely popular with children, but we highly recommend that minors avoid Discord given the platform’s severe risks.”

“We have recommended that Discord start by defaulting all minors’ accounts to the highest level of safety and privacy available,” McNamara said. She has previously advised federal agencies on combating sexual exploitation.

Paco told the DCNF that parents must “strictly” monitor their kids’ internet activity “every day” to protect them from groups whose methods continue to evolve.

“I have been added, unadded, blocked, unblocked, loved and hated, but never forgotten,” reads a profile from the Tempel Ov Love server.

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