Scholar and author Joseph Laycock joins us to talk about his book "The Exorcist Effect" and how movies influence what and how we believe.

YouTube video by Seth Skorkowsky

A self-proclaimed Tantrik and his three accomplices allegedly gang-raped a 19-year-old woman for nearly 10 months in Sri Ganganagar. The accused reportedly made obscene videos of the victim under the ...

A 54-year-old self-styled Taoist practitioner who had sexually assaulted and murdered a 21-year-old intellectually disabled girl, and the victim's 57-year-old mother, who aided the self-proclaimed “ex...

At least three academics, including two potential research consultants, have withdrawn from or declined offers to speak to or work with history classes at Texas State since Sept. 10.  The guest lectur...

Fake victims like Gaines evoke the little girls of "The Exorcist" and "The Conjuring"

The Editorial Board argues the University should join the league of universities rejecting Trump’s compact in favor of in institutional independence.

PURCHASE ON GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS ►► https://g.co/booksYT/AQAAAECKdEg00M The Penguin Book of Cults Authored by Joseph P. Laycock Narrated by James Lurie, Megan Trout, Nancy Peterson, Robert Fass, Zura Johnson 0:00 Intro 0:03 The Penguin Book of Cults 0:25 Introduction by Joseph P. Laycock 10:25 Outro #josephplaycock #thepenguinbookofcults — GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS Find your next great read with Google Play Books. Google Play Books is a global digital bookstore offering ebooks, audiobooks, comics, and manga. Discover book recommendations personalized just for you. Get the iOS app: https://goo.gle/books-ios Get the Android app: https://goo.gle/books-android — BOOK DESCRIPTION A chilling documentary history of the most notorious cults of the past two thousand years, from the Celtic druids whose ritual sacrifices inspired the folk horror film The Wicker Man all the way up to the Peoples Temple and Heaven’s Gate A Penguin Classic The word “cult” conjures images of people in thrall to a charismatic leader who extracts obedience through lies and threats, and of apocalyptic prophecies, ritual sacrifices, sexual perversion, and mass suicide. The Penguin Book of Cults charts the history of our fear of the religious other: the arrest and public execution of thousands of members of an ancient Roman cult devoted to Bacchus, the god of wine; the burning alive of victims in giant wicker effigies as an offering to Celtic gods; the nocturnal orgies, murder of children, and demon worship of medieval heretics; a church of “human vampires” in nineteenth–century Kansas City; moral panics over the hypnotic powers of yoga; and mass casualty events like the sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system by the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo. Bringing to light little–known sources such as a “death tape” of Jonestown’s final hour, when Jim Jones led more than 900 of his followers to drink poison, and a minute–by–minute log of the FBI’s final assault on the Branch Davidian headquarters, and including accounts of drinking the blood of sacrificed cats, theories that we are living inside a hollow earth, and reports that space brothers from Venus are coming to redeem us from the threat of nuclear war, this volume opens a fascinating window into cults and why some of them have ended in spectacular violence. Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English–speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up–to–date translations by award–winning translators. — ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joseph P. Laycock (editor) is an associate professor of religious studies at Texas State University; coeditor of Nova Religio, the premier journal for the study of new religious movements; the author of several books about new religious movements, possession and exorcism, and moral panic; and the editor of The Penguin Book of Exorcisms. He has written for Quartz and The New Republic and been featured on the television documentary series Mysteries Decoded and The History Channel’s Holy Marvels with Dennis Quaid and The UnXplained with William Shatner. — AUDIOBOOK DETAILS Purchase on Google Play Books ►► https://g.co/booksYT/AQAAAECKdEg00M Language: English Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Published on: October 7, 2025 ISBN: 9798217169597 Duration: 10 hr, 51 min Genres: Religion / Cults, Social Science / Sociology of Religion, True Crime / Murder / Mass Murder

A San Diego writer hunts ghosts in Presidio Park, gets her palm read at psychic shops and drives out to the cults that dot San Diego County. This Halloween episode examines why the supernatural still ...

What was once a beacon of access and discovery is now fighting for its soul and mission as political attacks upend norms, rules and rights, Lisa L. Moore writes.

I spoke with Lucien Greaves, cofounder of the Satanic Temple, about what the organization looks like in the Trump era.

The nation s largest organization representing what it calls secular and nonreligious students is spotlighting young leaders who are challenging what the group describes as Christian privilege in

Gov. Greg Abbott said Art Markman was dismissed from his role as senior vice provost for academic affairs for "ideological differences."

Paul G. Mahoney and Sian Leah Beilock, UVa’s and Dartmouth’s leaders, emphasized the importance of merit in the awarding of research funding — echoing proclamations made by other university presidents...

Browse audiobooks narrated by Nancy Peterson, listen to samples and when you're ready head over to Audiobooks.com where you can get 3 FREE audiobooks on us

Following a court-ordered due process hearing, Texas State University administration made the decision to terminate Associate History Professor Thomas Alter on Oct. 13.  “After a thorough review of Dr...

Exorcists interviewed for this story said their screening process shows that more than 99% of those who claim possession are suffering from a mental illness.

The announcement of system-wide course audits by the Texas State University System (TSUS) on Oct. 1 has sparked fear among faculty teaching about gender and LGBTQ+ studies. The call for audits comes l...

Ed and Lorraine Warren's grandson, Chris McKinnell, tells the 'Reel Appreciation' podcast about working alongside his paranormal investigator grandparents.

From horror for a spooky start to the month to nonfiction for those not looking for a fright, these new paperpacks offer something for everyone.

As President Trump continues to test precedents, the Supreme Court is seeing a high number of “shadow docket” cases. Here’s why that’s so controversial.

The Main Point is an opinion written by The University Star’s Editorial Board. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of our entire publication. National politics in the U.S. are driving ever-gr...

(RNS) — 'What Cardinal Dolan may not have known is that many of Mr. Kirk’s words were marked by racist, homophobic, transphobic, and anti-immigrant rhetoric, by violent pro-gun advocacy, and by the pr...