5. The Order of the Solar Temple
The Order of the Solar Temple was an esoteric cult that merged Gnosticism, alien beliefs, the occult, and other out-of-mainstream elements to create a creed that centered on establishing a correct order of authority and power. The members believed that they were heralding the second coming of Jesus Christ as well as creating a unified belief system for both Christianity and Islam. The Order of the Solar Temple was primarily regarded as a secret society, mainly based in Switzerland and France, and few people outside of its cloisters had access to information about its goings-on.
In October 1994, one of the cult’s leaders, Joseph Di Mambro ordered the murder of a three-month-old boy because he believed that the infant was the antichrist, born into the group to keep Di Mambro from becoming the leader. He then held a ritual Last Supper, just a few days before different groups of The Order of the Solar Temple began committing mass suicide. Some groups committed suicide in chapels that were adorned with symbology of the Knights Templar, suggesting that the mass suicides were rituals ordered as part of the cult’s religious beliefs. In some cases, the buildings where they committed suicide were set to detonate so that the souls of the deceased would be purified with fire. The mass suicides continued for three years.
