Top 10 Crazy People Who Claimed to Be God
You will think twice when saying someone has a messiah complex after seeing this list. From Ariffin Mohammed, to Wayne Bent, to David Shayler, the self importance of these individuals is.. well… otherworldly. WatchMojo counts down ten crazy people who claimed to be God.
Special thanks to our user roxy for suggesting this idea! Check out the voting page at: WatchMojo.comsuggest/Top+Crazy+People+Who+Claimed+to+Be+God
Script written by Astrid Willis Countee
#10: Ariffin Mohammed
Also known as Ayah Pin to his followers, Ariffin Mohammed claimed to be the “King of the Sky”, as well as the reincarnation of Buddha, Muhammad, Jesus, and Shiva. Pin “learned” of this from an angel, which first came to him when he was between 10-12 and then again in his early 30s toinform him he was God. Given his godhood, Pin had a skill set that included invisibility and the capacity for telepathic killing. Mostly, however, Pin oversaw unusual building projects – including a giant teapot – around the compound of his sect - known as the Sky Kingdom – in Malaysia. By the time of his 2005 exile to Thailand, Pin claimed to have 10,000 followers worldwide.
#9: Wayne Bent
What if Wayne Gretzky Wasn't Traded To The LA Kings
Known to some as Michael Travesser, Bent – a convicted sex-offender – is the leader of The Lord Our Righteousness Church, in New Mexico. A former Seventh-day Adventist pastor, Bent claimed to have been informed directly from God that he, in fact, was the Messiah. His special mission was to sleep with seven virgins – some of whom he allegedly found among the daughters of his Strong City followers. Statutory rape and Messiah complexes aside, Bent's other claim to fame was his prediction of the world's end, which he deduced – wrongly we now know – was to occur on October 31st, 2007.
#8: Sergey Torop
Known as Vissarion, and leading the Vissarionites, Sergey Torop is the founder of the Church of the Last Testament. A Red Army vet, Torop was a traffic cop, until he was sacked in 1989. Soon after, Torop began having revelations and realized that he was not God, but rather, a reincarnated Jesus Christ, making him the Word of God. The sect leader considers the Virgin Mary to be his biological mother, and has even modeled his look after his mother's better-known son. Vissarion claims to have a following of around 4000 Russians, with a global reach of around 10,000, and uses a modified calendar set by his arrival on Earth.
#7: David Shayler
More World Cup Controversies! Young Indiana Jones? Jason David Frank Remembered. Disney's Pivot!
A former MI5 operative, David Shayler broke ties with the agency and in 1997 leaked claims to the press that it was committing unwarranted investigations against socialist politicians. Tried under the Official Secrets Act 1989, he eventually became a vocal part of groups like the 9/11 Truth Movement, a fan of David Icke, and took up a hard-line anti-Zionist stance. In the late 2000s, Shayler began claiming to be the Messiah Jesus Christ and holder of the secret of eternal life. However, unlike the traditional Jesus, Shayler also lives part of his life as a woman named Delores Kane, who squats in a 17th century farmhouse.
#6: Inri Cristo
Born Álvaro Theiss, Inri Cristo claims that “a powerful voice” speaks to him. It compelled him to leave his parents when he was 13, and it was what brought him back from atheism, and informed him that he was the Second Coming. Taking a new name – mostly an acronym for King of the Jews - Inri set about wandering the Earth and visited 27 countries to spread his word. He was also kicked out of at least three, those being Venezuela, the UK, and the United States, but was harbored – if not welcomed – by the French.
#5: José Luis de Jesús Miranda
Joséphine de Beauharnais: The True Story of Napoleon's Wife
According to José Luis de Jesús Miranda – his actual name – sin is a thing of the past. Our sin-free world began when he discovered that he wasn't just cleverly named. In his 20s, Miranda said he was visited by angels who informed him of his true calling. He then set about founding the Creciendo en Gracia church, and began to claim to be Paul the Apostle. In 2005, he traded Paul for Jesus, claiming to be Jesus Christ Man, and this was followed soon after by claims to be the Antichrist. Miranda died in 2013 of cirrhosis of the liver – a condition very much at odds with his so-called immortality.
#4: Marshall Applewhite
Claiming not only to be God, but also a “level above human”, Marshall Applewhite differed from his contemporaries by not only touting eternal life with God, but also a chance to get out of Earth before it was “recycled”. The best way to do that, was to join the Heaven's Gate cult. A religious sect with a sci-fi twist, the cult planned to escape by catching a spacecraft that was trailing the Hale-Bopp comet. Unfortunately, suicide was not only a requirement for boarding the ship, but it was the method, and in 1997 Applewhite and his 38 followers were found dead in a rented Californian mansion.
#3: David Koresh
Top 10 Unbelievable David Blaine Magic Tricks
Born Vernon Howell, David Koresh first encountered the Branch Davidians when he moved to Waco, Texas in the early 1980s. It was in Waco that Koresh changed his name, and found a place where he became a leader. It wasn’t long before he claimed to be the son of God, with a gift of prophecy. However, allegations of child abuse and illegal weapons got the Federal Government involved, and set the stage for an infamous 51 day standoff. 4 ATF agents and 6 Branch Divisions were shot and killed before a fire killed 76 Branch Davidians, including Koresh.
#2: Charles Manson
Top 10 Facts About Charles Manson’s Trial and Imprisonment
For many, the name “Charles Manson” is synonymous with pure evil. Manson spent his youth committing crimes and bouncing from boys’ homes to prison, until he emerged in the late 1960s during the hippie movement. During this time, he pieced together what became known as the Manson Family. Living in a commune, Manson claimed to be God or at least God’s son, and prophesied an oncoming race war. In 1969, he instructed his followers to carry out the murders of actress Sharon Tate and 5 others. From this, Manson gained global infamy, as well as a life sentence owing to seven counts of first-degree murder, and one count of conspiracy.
Before we reveal our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions.
Laszlo Toth
Mitsuo Matayosh
Apollo Quiboloy
#1: Jim Jones
10 Daredevils Who Lost Their Lives Doing Crazy Stunts
The architect of the largest mass suicide in Amerrican history, Jim Jones was the founder of the Peoples Temple, originally founded in Indianapolis, then based in California but later relocated to Jonestown, Guyana. Claiming to be Jesus – among others – Jones spread messages of racial equality, socialist and communist ideals, but human rights abuse claims lead to an investigation by US Congressman Leo Ryan in 1978. When Jones allowed Ryan to free people who claimed to be held in Jonestown against their will, Jones launched an attack, killing Ryan and some of his party. In the wake of this, Jones then initiated the mass suicide of him and his followers, via cyanide poisoning.
