On an autumn day back in 1994, authorities from a tiny ski village in Canada’s Laurentian Mountains responded to reports of a house fire.
What they discovered inside was chilling: two bodies, at first believed to be suicides.
But the investigation didn't end there. Three more victims would be discovered, stabbed to death.
The very next day, two small towns in Switzerland were rocked by eerily similar tragedies.
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Info-CultResearch & Writing:
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Editing:
Aiden Wolf
Sources:The Order of the Solar Temple: Temple of Death, ed. James R. LewisThe Pleasure of Believing: Toward a naturalistic explanation of religious conversions, by Fabrice ClementThe Order of the Solar Temple (Witness Documentary Series)Radio Canada International: History Canada: October 4,1994: An international cult tragedy beginsThe Guardian: An apocalyptic cult, 900 dead: remembering the Jonestown massacre, 40 years onSalon: Jim Jones' sinister grip on San FranciscoNew York Times: 16 Burned Bodies Found in France; Cult Tie SuspectedThe Guardian: Conductor on trial for cult deathsGetty Images: Cult Survivor Thierry HugueninVuarnet Official WebsiteWorld History Encyclopedia—Knights TemplarWikipedia: Priesthood of MelchizedekNewspapers.com Sources:
The Gazette, Montreal, 11 Mar 1993, Thu · Page 4
The Gazette, Montreal, 02 Apr 1993, Fri · Page 3
The Winnipeg Sun—13 Mar 1993, Sat · Page 9
The Gazette, Montreal, 05 Oct 1994, Wed · Page 3
The Gazette, Montreal, 06 Oct 1994, Thu · Page 1
The Ottawa Citizen 07 Oct 1994, Fri · Page 1
The Gazette, Montreal—08 Oct 1994, Sat · Page 4
Calgary Herald—24 Mar 1997, Mon · Page 3
Edmonton Journal—22 Apr 2001, Sun · Page 42
Controversial New Religions, ed. James R. Lewis and Jesper Aagaard Petersen