Prophets, Cults and Madness

Cult leaders inspire intense loyalty among their followers, yet they strike outsiders as loathsome. Why are there so many of them and why do they persist throughout history despite the fact that most cults disintegrate completely under the strain of their mad ideas? In this study of the thin partitions that separate cult leaders from full-blown schizophrenia, this book argues that the answer lies in our gene pool. The sexual charisma of schizotypal leaders - from Hitler, David Koresh and Jim Jones on the one side and Jesus on the other side of the spectrum - play a vital role when groups split and this is in turn vital for the survival of the species.