Many people have heard about the mass suicide where Jim Jones led 912 followers to their deaths in Guyana in 1978, but far fewer have heard of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God.
And whether it was a mass suicide or a mass murder, hundreds of followers of the cult would ultimately die in fire at a secluded mountain church in Kanungu, Uganda.
The Movement Got Started In Uganda In The Late 1980s
In the late 1980s, Credonia Mwerinde and Joseph Kibweterethe created the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God started in Uganda. It started with a strong emphasis on Christian practices but added its own twist with an emphasis on practicing the Ten Commandments to their fullest.
The group fasted frequently and banned soap and sex, for example. Members of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God reported speaking to the Virgin Mary through everyday objects.
The Group Grows And Attracts New Followers With Its Christian Message
In 1992, Kibwetere and the members moved to Kanungu in the district of Rukunginri and they started to grow extensively. Several hundred people lived in a communal setting and built a church, an office, and a school.
As time went on, the cult's membership grew to as many as 4,000 people. To join, people were expected to sell off their possessions and turn over considerable sums of money.
In 1998, authorities took away the group's license to operate the school because it was found to violate public health regulations and there were rumors of possible mistreatment of the children.
Despite those challenges, the cult was virtually unknown to the world until 2000, when tragedy hit.
Cult Leaders Plan A Mass Casualty As They Warn The Apocalypse Is Approaching
The five leaders of the cult originally stated that the Apocalypse was going to occur on January 1, 2000. They later changed their predictions to say the world was actually going to end on March 17.
On their final day, more than 500 people attended a party and they had no idea that the leaders planned to blow up the facility where the party was held, killing everyone.
Authorities Make A Gruesome Discovery
Authorities who went to other Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God sites discovered hundreds of burned bodies and destroyed properties.
There was some speculation that the event may have been a mass suicide like what occurred at Jonestown just a few decades before, but officials soon found evidence to the contrary. Four days after the fire, investigators found six bodies covered in concrete behind the church. It was evident that these people had been brutally murdered and put in the hole.
The Extent Of The Cults Heinous Acts Becomes Evident
Within a few days, additional bodies were recovered beyond the site of the explosion, which brought the total count of victims to nearly 800 people.
These mass graves were a further indication that the event was likely not a mass suicide, but a murder that cult members did not know they were walking into. It was clear that Credonia Mwerinde and Joseph Kibweterethe did not actually live by the commandments they were preaching.
Almost none of the members one could be positively identified, so authorities resorted to burying all the remains together in a grave alongside their wrecked house of worship.
It is believed that both Credonia Mwerinde and Joseph Kibwetere died on March 17, 2000, but the extent of the tragedy overwhelmed the resources of the Ugandan officials. They were not able to do a thorough investigation into what led up to that day.
]]>The Inquisitr
