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Exodus International (1976)
Exodus International was a Christian organization founded in 1976 that became the leading organization within the “ex-gay” movement. Exodus maintained that through prayer, pastoral counseling, and reparative therapy, individuals could change or suppress their sexual orientation. By 2006, the organization served as an administrative network for more than 250 local ministries across the United States… Continue reading
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Exclusive Brethren (1848)
The Exclusive Brethren are a separatist branch of the Plymouth Brethren movement that emerged following a schism around 1848. The split divided the original movement into two groups: the Open Brethren and the Exclusive Brethren. The dispute centered on church authority and discipline. The Open Brethren supported the autonomy of individual congregations, while the Exclusive… Continue reading
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Benny Evangelista (c. 1920)
Benjamino Evangelista was born in Naples in 1885 and immigrated to Philadelphia in 1904 with his brother Antonio. Their relationship deteriorated two years later after Benjamino, who Americanized his name to “Benny,” began claiming to receive divine visions tied to occult beliefs. Antonio, who was a practicing Catholic, rejected these claims and sent Benny to… Continue reading
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Evangelical Pentecostal Church of Besançon (1963)
The Evangelical Pentecostal Church of Besançon, now known as the Evangelical Church The Mission of Besançon, was founded in December 1963 in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France. Aldo Benzi established the congregation after what he described as a personal conversion experience linked to a recovery from pleurisy that he considered miraculous. Benzi served as… Continue reading
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Evangelical Baptist Church of Korea (1962)
The Evangelical Baptist Church of Korea, popularly known as the “Salvation Sect,” was established in 1962 by Yoo Byung-eun and his father-in-law, Kwon Shin-chan. Despite adopting the Baptist name, the group maintained no formal connection to the Korea Baptist Convention. Its theology held that once an individual was saved, they were permanently separated from future… Continue reading
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Evangelical Association of the Israelite Mission of the New Universal Covenant (1968)
The Evangelical Association of the Israelite Mission of the New Universal Covenant (Spanish: Asociación Evangélica de la Misión Israelita del Nuevo Pacto Universal, AEMINPU) is a religious and political movement founded in Peru in 1968. Commonly known as the Israelitas, the group combines elements of Old Testament law, Incan traditions, and a communal agricultural system.… Continue reading
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Ethnos360 (1942)
Ethnos360, formerly known as New Tribes Mission (NTM), is an international evangelical Christian organization founded in 1942 and based in Sanford, Florida. Its mission focuses on reaching indigenous groups that do not have access to the Bible in their native languages. The organization operates in regions including Latin America, West Africa, Southeast Asia, and the… Continue reading
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Ethical Culture (1876)
The Ethical movement, also known as Ethical Culture or Ethical Humanism, was founded by Felix Adler, the son of a New York Reform Jewish rabbi, in 1876. Adler was initially expected to enter the rabbinate. During his studies at the University of Heidelberg, Adler was influenced by neo-Kantian philosophy, including the idea that the existence… Continue reading
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Etherians/Carbon Nation (2015)
Eligio Bishop was born in Harlem in 1982 and grew up in conditions he later described as unstable. According to his own accounts, he spent time in foster care where he reported experiencing abuse. As a teenager, he developed a juvenile record and was placed in detention facilities and a psychiatric ward. After a brief… Continue reading
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Eternal Flame Foundation/People Unlimited (1982)
The Eternal Flame Foundation, later known as People Unlimited, People Forever, and CBJ, was founded in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1982 by Charles Paul Brown, Bernadeane Brown, and James Strole. The group is centered on the belief that physical human immortality can be achieved through willpower and what it describes as a “cellular awakening.” It characterizes… Continue reading
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est (1971)
Erhard Seminars Training (est) was founded in 1971 by Werner Erhard and became a prominent organization within the Human Potential Movement of the 1970s. The program offered a structured course called “The est Standard Training,” typically delivered over two consecutive weekends and totaling about 60 hours. It aimed to produce a cognitive shift described as… Continue reading
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Esperianism/Expedited Scientology (2018)
Esperianism is an unauthorized offshoot of Scientology founded by Justin Alan Craig, who claims to be the living reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard. While Esperianism incorporates many core Scientology concepts, it presents itself as a refined and expedited version of the original framework, aimed at a new generation within the “Freezone,” a network of independent… Continue reading
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Esalen Institute (1962)
The Esalen Institute was established in 1962 on the Big Sur coastline of California on land originally inhabited by the Esselen tribe, from which it took its name. By the late 19th century, the property had become a destination for tourists seeking the therapeutic benefits of its natural hot springs, then known as Slates Hot… Continue reading
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Equinox (1991)
Equinox was founded in New York City in 1991 as a local fitness center for urban professionals. The company expanded in the following years, and in 1999 Harvey Spevak assumed leadership as CEO. Under his direction, the brand positioned itself apart from traditional gyms, emphasizing exclusivity and promoting the idea of “the club” rather than… Continue reading
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Endtime Ministries (1991)
Endtime Ministries, headquartered in Plano, Texas, is a Pentecostal Christian organization established in 1986 by Irvin Baxter Jr. The ministry focuses on biblical prophecy and eschatology, interpreting contemporary global political developments as fulfillments of scripture. Baxter, a former pastor at Oak Park Church in Richmond, Indiana, founded the organization after years of study of the… Continue reading
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Endeavor Academy (1992)
Endeavor Academy, legally established in 1992 as the New Christian Church of Full Endeavor, is an international spiritual community and seminary based in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The organization centers its teachings on A Course in Miracles (ACIM), a psychological and spiritual self-study program first published in the 1970s. Founded by Charles Buell Anderson, the Academy… Continue reading
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End Time Ministries/Mountaintop Ministries Worldwide (1984)
End Time Ministries, which has also been called Meade Ministries and is now known as Mountaintop Ministries Worldwide, was established in 1984 by Charles Meade. Meade was born in 1916 to a farming family in Kentucky. He later claimed to have served on the front lines of World War II, but official service records do… Continue reading
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Emissaries of Divine Light (1932)
The Emissaries of Divine Light was founded in 1932 by Lloyd Arthur Meeker. Meeker, who wrote under the pen name “Uranda,” began experimenting with a practice called “Attunement” as early as 1929. The group dates its formal origin to September 16, 1932, following what Meeker described as a three-day spiritual awakening. Its teachings were based… Continue reading
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Emin (1973)
The Emin Society, also known as the Emin or the Eminent Way, was founded in London in 1973 by Raymond Armin. Born in 1924 as Raymond Schirtenlieb, Armin had previously worked as a quartermaster in the Royal Air Force and later as a salesman. Within the movement, he became known as “Leo.” The group originated… Continue reading
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Elijah’s Ten Commandments Stone Kingdom (1980)
The organization now known as Elijah’s Ten Commandments Stone Kingdom was founded in 1980 by Park Myung Hoo under the name World Elijah Evangelical Mission. A Chinese Korean leader, Park structured the group around a five-level hierarchy consisting of God, Angel, General Secretary, Chief, and Director. The movement was defined early on by Park’s claim… Continue reading
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Elan Vital (1971)
The spiritual lineage of Elan Vital traces back to early 20th-century India with Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, who founded the Divine Light Mission (DLM) based on the Sant Mat tradition. This tradition emphasized a direct, internal experience of divinity rather than external rituals. After his death in 1966, his youngest son, Prem Rawat, then eight… Continue reading
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Élan School (1970)
The Élan School was a private residential behavior modification program and therapeutic boarding school that operated from 1970 until 2011. Located on a 33-acre campus in Poland, Maine, it was a member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs and presented itself as a facility for teenagers who had not responded to other… Continue reading
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Educo (c. 1970)
Tony Quinn was born in Dublin in 1946 and initially worked as a salesman and apprentice butcher before moving into yoga and hypnotherapy. By the early 1970s, he had established communal living arrangements in Templeogue and Howth, where followers lived under his direction. During this period, early controversy emerged as Quinn claimed he could treat… Continue reading
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Eckankar (1965)
Eckankar is a new religious movement combining elements of several belief traditions that was founded by Paul Twitchell in 1965. It is today one of the larger new faiths coming out of that period, with as many as 100,000 adherents worldwide in more than 120 countries, with significant communities in the United States, Canada, Nigeria,… Continue reading
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Earthseed (c. 2000)
Earthseed is a religion created by science fiction author Octavia E. Butler in her novels Parable of the Sower (1993) and Parable of the Talents (1998) that has since been adapted into a real-world religion by some readers. In the books, teenager Lauren Oya Olamina, develops a philosophical and religious system called Earthseed. Olamina has… Continue reading