Most people can’t understand the decision to join a cult. It’s hard to fathom the motivation behind someone who abandons everything for a group with controversial and unorthodox beliefs and practices. The potentially horrific nature of cults really came into the spotlight in the 1960s, when cult leader Charles Manson convinced members of his “family” to commit a series of barbaric murders. This demonstrated that people who have been brainwashed by cults are capable of doing anything, which is why cult activity has been at the center of some bizarre unsolved murders and unexplained disappearances.