11. The Illuminati
No single group in history, cult or not, has the notoriety and infamy of the Illuminati. Many believe that its members are compelling people who are behind every major event that happens in the world today. The origins of the Illuminati, however, are a bit less dramatic than the modern perception. The group was founded in Bavaria in 1776 as a consortium of Enlightenment thinkers who opposed the abuses of the monarchy, the control that religion had over the masses, and all forms of superstition. The group was outlawed a few years later, but its members were believed to continue underground and were blamed for the French Revolution that broke out in 1789.
Today, the Illuminati is at the center of the New World Order conspiracy theory, which suggests that they are orchestrating all significant events to gain world domination through a secret world government. Some indicated that the Illuminati supported both the capitalist West and the communist East during the Cold War as a means of dividing the world. Elite fraternal organizations, such as Yale’s notorious Skull and Bones fraternity, are believed to be fronts for the Illuminati. It’s unclear if these conspiracies have any substance, but even if the Illuminati cannot in itself be considered a cult, it has gathered a cult-like following of conspiracy theorists.