Cults, a public hazard to society, have become a serious social problem in countries all over the world. In general, cult organizations have several common characteristics: forming an association secretly, being well organized, worshipping the founder, preaching doomsday of the world, controlling disciples ideologically, accumulating wealth by unfair means, opposing society, and injuring disciples physically and mentally. When the inside story of the cult is revealed, or its crimes are exposed, it instigates its disciples to engage in terrorism, such as kidnapping, assassination, poisoning or explosions. Collective self-immolation is an insane and cruel act of terror that cult followers often engage in.

In 1986, seven members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult in Japan burnt themselves to death for the deceased leader of the cult.

In 1993, the disciples of the Branch Davidians in the United States waged armed resistance against the US judicial authorities. After 51 days of confrontation, David Koresh, the cult founder, set fire to the building in which they stayed, and as a result, a total of 86 people were burnt to death.

In October 1994, when the founder of the "Solar Temple" was found by the police to have accumulated a large amount of money by unfair means, he thought he was faced with imminent disaster, so he incited his disciples to set fire to themselves. Consequently, 53 of his followers in Switzerland and Canada lost their lives in the conflagation.

On March 17, 2000, over 530 disciples of the "Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God," a cult organization in Uganda, burned themselves to death collectively. This cult advocated that before the destruction of the world people should sell their properties, and present the money to the founder of the cult, who allegedly represented God.

On January 23, 2001, several "Falun Gong" fanatics, who had been deceived, incited and instigated by Li Hongzhi's fallacies of "reaching fulfillment and going up to Heaven," poured gasoline on themselves in a self-immolation attempt in Tiananmen Square. One died on the spot, four were badly burnt, and two were stopped just in the act.

(Compiled by New Star Publishers, March 2001)