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In something that feels straight out of a nightmare, the world once had to deal with a cult that proposed every man, woman and child on Earth should kill themselves.
The Church of Euthanasia, which still has a running website, was founded in 1992 by software developer and DJ Chris Korda.
Korda said the idea for the church laid itself out to her in a dream, where she was “confronted [by] an alien intelligence known as The Being who speaks for the inhabitants of Earth in other dimensions".
“The Being warned that our planet's ecosystem is failing and that our leaders deny this," she explained.
"The Being asked why our leaders lie to us, and why so many of us believe these lies.”
The twisted cult of the 1990s would often march carrying grotesque props – including a stick with a bloody baby doll and American flag attached, a pro-abortion symbol.
They'd also swing around a huge abortion pill while chanting "Save the planet. Kill yourself."
The church believed that Earth was at a huge risk of overpopulating, and Korda was inspired by the news of irreversible climate change.
As the cult began to gain traction, they organised increasingly high-profile and outlandish situations to get their twisted message out.
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Motorists driving on the Massachusetts Turnpike on September 1993 were met with a huge billboard for the Museum of Science in Boston covered with their classic slogan “Save the Planet – Kill Yourself”.
Following on from this, members appeared on the notoriously wacky Jerry Springer Show and described the Church’s “four pillars”.
Those four pillars are suicide, abortion, cannibalism and sodomy.
Korda, who also had a career releasing techno music, was criticised by Springer for comments where she suggested a depressed teenager thinking about suicide should be offered assistance.
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And the cult didn’t just lead to on-screen entertainment. In a serious turn of events in 2003, a woman in Missouri was found dead lying next to a printout from the Church of Euthanasia site.
The lead prosecutor for the city of St. Louis at the time, Jennifer Joyce, publicly threatened the church with manslaughter charges – which led to the online instructions being removed.
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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