CultNEWS101 Articles: 1/7/2026
Patrick Ryan
Religion Unplugged: America’s First Religious Outsiders: What ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ Reveals About The Shakers
"Director Mona Fastvold’s new film, “The Testament of Ann Lee,” features actor Amanda Seyfried in the titular role: the English spiritual seeker who brought the Shaker movement to America.
The trailer literally writhes with snakes intercut amid scenes of emotional turmoil, religious ecstasy, orderly and disorderly dancing – and sex. Intense and sometimes menacing music underpins it all: the sounds of the enraptured, singing their way to a fantastic and unimaginable ceremony.
The trailer is riveting and unsettling — just as the celibate Shakers were to the average observer during their American emergence in the 1780s. "
Chosun Daily: Police Raid Ex-Unification Church Official's Home in Bribery Probe
"Police investigating allegations of bribery involving the Unification Church raided the home of Jeong Won-ju, former secretary-general to the Unification Church’s former president, on the 31st. The National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation, leading the dedicated Unification Church probe, confirmed the raid at Jeong’s residence in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province."
Fox: Independent counsel to investigate alleged misconduct in Word of Faith Fellowship proceedings
A judge issued an order on Tuesday for independent counsel to be appointed to investigate allegations of misconduct against the Rutherford County District Attorney in connection with delayed legal proceedings on Word of Faith Fellowship.
Word of Faith Fellowship, based in Rutherford County, has been accused of operating as a cult over the last several years. The church has faced allegations of trafficking slave labor and emotionally and physically abusing its members. Two members also pleaded guilty to unemployment fraud.
A new trial in the church case was scheduled to begin on Dec. 8, but was postponed. Earlier this month, a victim in the case filed a formal petition accusing District Attorney Ted Bell of misconduct and seeking his removal from office or the case."
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