From Wondery, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American Scandal.

In November of 1978, the world was stunned by the news emerging from Guyana, country on the northern coast of South America.

Over 900 Americans living in a communal settlement carved out of the jungle had lost their lives.

Adults, children, and even infants lay sprawled out on the ground while several miles down the road,

a United States congressman, along with members of his entourage, had been shot and killed.

The tragedy at Jonestown left many wondering how a religious group, found with progressive political ideals, could have come to such a gruesome end.

Jim Jones had founded the People's Temple with a goal of advancing economic and racial justice.

And over the years, Jones and his congregation had earned widespread praise and even forged alliances with powerful politicians in the furtherance of their social goals.

But as the full picture emerged from Jones down, the outside world learned how Jim Jones had transformed his church into an abusive cult, one where hundreds of his followers were willing to carry out his most extreme command.

The tragedy at Jonestown prompted a national conversation about cults and their potential to damage lives.

Yet despite this widespread attention, cults did not disappear from American life.

There are still an estimated thousands of these groups currently operating in America.

And according to my guest Rachel Bernstein, cults are continuing to proliferate with the advent of social media and the decline of traditional religious organizations.

Bernstein is a marriage and family therapist who spent over 30 years working with survivors of cults and people whose family members haven't yet walked away.

She's also the host of the podcast in Doctrine Nation, where she speaks with former cult members and other experts on the topic.

In our conversation, Bernstein explores how almost anyone can be vulnerable to joining a cult and she reveals how these groups have begun taking on new and surprising forms across the country.

Our conversation is next.

This episode is sponsored by the new documentary, Colleen Rooney, The Real Wagatha Story, streaming exclusively on Disney+.

There have been many variations of the Wagatha saga and now it's time to uncover her truth.

In this three-part original series, Colleen will tell her story in her own words for the first time.

Tune in to learn how Colleen figured out who was leaking her stories to the press, get an exclusive look at the trial and discover unseen and unheard moments.

If you'd like to dive even deeper, listen to our podcast, British Scandal, for an exclusive episode about the Wagatha saga on the 27th of October.

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