All language subtitles for 6hrthdfjdyjdtyjghjgh

♪

Cults, 30 years ago,

were very different
than they are now.

Right now, if we want
to know about something,

we go online.

Ties to a cult may have
led to a fatal shooting

in Monroe County.
A woman is now in custody

for shooting her
boyfriend in the head.

This went down because
Sherry Shriner manipulated

Steve Mineo,
and my ex-wife, Barbara.

She told them 24 times
that this was an accident.

They simply
refused to believe it.

[sighs] I swear, if Steve
never met that girl, man,

he'd still be alive.

Stephen was angry and
wanted to die because

he got kicked out of that cult.

Kelly's dead!

I think Sherry Shriner
is a predator...

And, like,
the epitome of evil.

What did she have to make
otherwise nice and

normal people embrace this
madness and paranoia?

I learned a lot from Sherry.

She put her life at stake to get
this information out there.

The heresy that Sherry was

presenting on her
websites, her podcast,

is 100%
counter to the gospel.

When we are talking about the
people who are joining cults,

there is this
price of participation.

She generated over $774,000
over a 10-year period.

I think that she sees these
tragedies as a way

to prove that she was
right all along.

This is part of
her ministry,

this is part of
her business plan.

♪ [electronic]

♪ [electronic]

- [dog barking]
- Hey, lay down...

You're alright...
Shiloh.

♪

[laughs]

[barking]

♪

What is absolutely critical
for Sherry is to

find ways to show
that her life is

constantly under
threat from Satan.

Everything's part of
a larger conspiracy.

One time, her dog ran away.

But, Sherry's dog
doesn't run away.

Sherry's dog gets
kidnapped by the government,

or Sherry's dog gets run
down by the MKUltra and,

it has a chip
implanted in it.

So, if Sherry is
constantly under attack,

that proves that...

Satan is out to get her,

and that proves how
important she is.

[Sherry coughing]

[coughing & sighs]

[coughing]

[coughing]

Sherry wasn't in great health.

She'd had a couple
heart attacks, she had...

general health issues.
She smoked.

So, for her though,
explaining her absences

couldn't be, "I had
a physical ailment."

Her absences always
had to be explained

in terms of her war
with Lucifer.

And, her followers
believed this in a real way.

They took it as proof
that Sherry

was who she said she was
because, otherwise,

why would she keep having
these heart attacks?

Why would the devil
constantly be trying

to kill her, if she
wasn't special to God?

[coughing]

[coughing]

♪ [suspenseful]

[coughing fit]

♪

♪

I was genuinely disappointed
to find out that

Sherry Shriner was dead.

Because, you know, I hoped
to get to interview her,

to talk to her
about all of this.

You know, you want to
get a sense

whether she really believed
what she said.

And, I, I feel like if
I got to talk to her,

I'd at least know.

Ah, but of course,
she, she did die.

She died of a,
a heart attack

in early January of 2018.

♪

I love the myth building around
Sherry Shriner's death.

I think it is
absolutely fantastic.

God told her to...

to go up to her room and,
to get ready for bed,

and so she did.

And, she was listening
to her praise music...

And then, God took her.

♪

She didn't die,
and that is critical.

If she died, that meant
that the devil had

succeeded in killing her body.

So, instead of
letting the devil kill her,

God took her soul before
the devil could get to her.

It's so absurd, but
they're building,

now they're building
the myth that, you know,

Sherry will be back when
Jesus comes back and...

and the myth that she didn't
die so much as she was taken.

♪

Plenty of her followers,
of course, are skeptical.

When somebody tells you for
years and years that

every death is the result of a
NATO hit squad or

some great conspiracy
theory, of course,

people are gonna believe
that when their leader passes.

I was speaking with one
of her followers and

they thought Sherry
was still alive,

and that just made me
tantalized for so long,

longer than I
should have been,

that Sherry might
still be alive.

I wanted it to be true.

I wanted her to have
bowed out, you know,

and just like take the
money and run.

♪

Sherry wasn't alive.

It's absurd to
think that she was,

but when you're dealing with
all these conspiracy people,

right, then you become
part of it. You're like,

"Well, how do I know?
How do I know?"

And, it's so easy to get
dragged into that because

once you start entertaining
the absolutely absurd,

it just gets easier
and easier to do it.

What's interesting is that her
websites are still active,

and that the people
who followed her,

they still seem to hold
onto a lot of those beliefs.

Sherry's Facebook
page is still active.

People still post on it.

Her followers
still post on it.

They repost Sherry's old
stories as if they were

prophecy and, the whole
mechanism is still running.

You know, someone
is still running it.

I joined her Patreon,
they took my dollar.

I bought her book,
they took my $10.

You know, that money
got in the bank and,

that money got spent.

Someone's still
running this.

This is a machine
that is still happening.

Sherry being dead
doesn't mean that

they can't still cash
in on her ministry.

So, the question becomes...

who's running
Sherry's ministry?

♪

♪

What really compelled me,
early on, was...

what was Sherry's appeal?

What drew people to her?

How did she wield this
kind of power

without ever leaving her house?

♪

She called herself this
plain, country girl

in the backwoods
of Ohio and,

there wasn't anything
appealing about her.

It absolutely puzzled me
how a woman like this...

got the reach and effect
that she was able to get.

Sherry Shriner's cult was really
a social media network.

She had podcasts, she had
lots of YouTube videos,

she had, you know,
regular radio show, websites,

Facebook pages that she
aggressively moderated.

It was a digital world where
people could go and

learn her views to the exclusion
of everything else.

♪

My name is Samuel Woolley.

I'm an assistant professor
at the School of Journalism

at the University
of Texas at Austin.

♪

My research is mostly
focused on the ways in which

new media technology,
everything from

social media to virtual reality,

gets used in attempts to
manipulate public opinions.

So, to change the way
that people think and

feel about particular ideas.
20, 30 years ago,

Sherry Shriner
would have been

laughed off the stage in
any major venue because

her ideas are so preposterous
and far out there.

But now, you have
people like Sherry Shriner,

lots of people like her,
who are online,

who have followings
in the millions,

getting views and
actually getting buy-in.

The rise of conspiracy
theories lately

is certainly tied
to the internet.

I mean, it's certainly
facilitated

by the internet, but...

you know, the question is,
why are people looking?

You know, what makes them
feel like they have to give up

on the official story and find
out what's really going on?

People are more likely to
spread bad news or

false information because
that stuff is sensational.

It sells, it's interesting.

And, because information
spreads so fast online,

you'll see pick up of
particular conspiracies or

particular ideas from country
to country really quickly

in a way that you never
would have seen it before.

And so, it's kind of like
disinformation or

conspiracy on steroids today.

♪

Now, a huge proportion
of Americans get their

journalism and their news
from Facebook or Twitter.

Their perception is that
this is a viable good place

to get information,
and that's way different

than say, like, the tabloids
of old, right, because...

social media is
almost a melting pot

of good, bad, and
ugly information.

And, the thing is,
it's all dressed up,

often times in
the veneer of, like,

quality or
trustworthiness.

And, Sherry Shriner,
in particular,

had the kind of amazing
combination of being able

to put people into that
trancelike state with

this just constant barrage
of interesting, weird...

conspiratorial information,
combined with the power of

social media and the reach
that social media afforded her.

[gunshot]

In terms of who believes
in conspiracy theories,

it's important to
understand that it's

really potentially anybody.

When we first hear
conspiracy theories,

we often think that they
might sound very outlandish

and that they, you know,
the person believing them

might be crazy.

And it's really clear
that that's not the case.

I think we all have the
potential to believe in

conspiracy theories.
And so,

it's not necessarily
about one type of person.

I think it more speaks to
what's going on socially,

what other kinds of beliefs
that we have that

might align with that
conspiracy theory so,

probably, the best
predictor of who believes in

conspiracy theories are
people who are mistrustful

of authoritative
accounts of information.

These kinds of ideas about
lizard people or things,

while you might
laugh at 'em, at first,

what you need to
realize is there's people in

all levels of government,
that there's people

who work for major news
media organizations,

and that there's people just
next to you on the street

that believe in QAnon,
and believe in conspiracy

theories like the theories
that Sherry was spreading.

These things have
become pervasive.

Q is the best thing that
has ever happened to you.

You know, I feel the
Democrats are in, are in...

working with China.

How do you trust the media
when they're only reporting

the side that they
want you to hear?

President Trump is in charge
of the federal reserve system,

which was set up
and established...

by Satan in 1913,

by killing all those who
oppose it on the Titanic.

I think it's more of...

mainstream science.

Now it is,
is God sitting there?

Is he listening to the
interview between

you and the devil?

[Sherry] Oh, yeah.

[crickets chirping]

I can see how people got

drawn in to the train wreck

that was Sherry Shriner's
Facebook page.

And, it's often just, this
is a piece of news and

this is a blatant
misinterpretation of it.

But if you're not
an informed person,

if you, if you have no idea
about how the world works,

then, I guess that
makes sense to you.

Well, guess what, I'm not a
damn clone and I ain't in hell.

And you know what...

I really don't give a
hell what y'all think.

She's got witches
getting together,

she's got voodoo.

Dedicated to
Orgone Warriors.

Not "worriers",
but warriors,

around the globe.

But I can't see how people

could get past
the reptile thing.

Once she starts talking
about the reptiles...

[slithering]

I'm shocked.

Today, right now, still
absolutely shocked that

she doesn't lose
anybody, everybody,

at reptiles.

Watching this, like,
one of the things that

you start to realize
really quick,

that what Sherry's
doing here is exhibiting

what we call a cheap fake.

So, in the picture
where she's saying,

"Look at her palm, look at
her fingers," you can also

see that the rest of the video
is completely blurry, right,

and it's not, like,
actually that, that

she is any different.

It's that the whole picture
is blurry because

she's paused it at a
particular moment.

And then, you have all
these pictures of Barbara,

here, where
Sherry's saying, "Look,

it's a much younger woman."

The lighting is like
drastically different

in all of these images.

You're talking about selfies
that someone's taken of

them self at their own
home versus a mugshot.

It's like being a magician,
right, like sleight of hand.

Like, you try to get people
to look at one thing and

they're not looking
at everything else.

It's like pseudo
investigation,

and it's, it's not
surprising that

it's convincing to
people because, like,

people don't really
look at the whole context.

They're willing to believe
what you want them to

believe and that's
why magic works.

It's why a lot of
snake oil sales work.

Thank you, $1!

There's a perception that,
like, people like Sherry...

or, other conspiracy
theorists online,

are consigned to,
like, this,

this very small
portion of the internet,

they don't matter,
that their behavior...

are not really a
widespread phenomenon,

they're not
really important.

That's incorrect.

♪ [bird cawing]

♪

This is something that's
really, really important.

The more people that watch,
the more eyeballs

on the screen, the more
ads that get consumed,

the more money
YouTube makes.

And, remember that people
share bad information more

than good information and
conspiratorial information

more than
factual information...

what's gonna make
you more money there?

♪

♪

♪

[ticking]

I don't think people are
getting more paranoid,

but I think they're getting
more comfortable

with paranoid ideas.

They can exist in an echo
chamber where

they think that everyone
thinks like them.

And we all feel like
we're the reasonable people,

and then there are people who
are less reasonable than us

and people who
are crazier than us.

You are being reactive
and not listening!

No! 'Cause they're wrong!

The internet gives us the
ability to reinforce that

in ways that only
cults used to have.

The kind of content that you
saw coming out of Sherry's

YouTube channel and that
continues to come out

after her death,
is really indicative of a,

of a larger kind of cultural
moment we're experiencing

in America. Yes,
the religious right

has been growing
for a long time,

but there's also been
a fragmentation of

people's perspectives
in the last 10, 20, 30 years.

Sherry was very
much a part of that.

I think there's good
evidence that mistrust is at

a peak or, I guess you could
also say that trust is

at a low point in
American history,

at least when we go back
looking 50 or 60 years.

There's actually good
evidence that this

rising tide of mistrust and
distrust of experts

is really a worldwide event.

And politically, it's really
something that's often

associated with
populist movements.

And right now in history,
we're seeing a lot of

populist political
movements on the rise,

including here in the US.

♪

Do you still believe the
world is flat, Mr. Voliva?

- Yes, sir, I do.
- Ah, why?

You know, I think the challenge
with the internet is

just how it evolves
from this point on.

Right now, I think there's a
lot of attention to the

fact that belief in
misinformation is running

rampant because
of the internet.

Social media companies
are sort of playing

whack-a-mole right now.

They're seeing what
the issue of the day is.

Journalists are mad about...

certain white
supremacist groups.

Okay, we'll take
those groups offline.

But they don't really
address the core issue,

which is groups
recommending other groups

that will promote these
extreme views.

So, they're responding
in some respects,

but it's sort of...

you know, they're
trying not to get sued.

There's a lot of defensiveness
when you talk to people

that work at social media
firms or major

technology firms about
the ways in which their,

their tools get used.

And so, when people
get upset and say,

"We're just the platform,"
it really frustrates me.

You make billions of
dollars off of these people,

and you also
direct them about

what they should view and when.

And so, when people end up
viewing Sherry's content and...

murders get committed...

someone's to blame there.
And certainly,

the person that held the
murder weapon holds culpability.

But, the platforms,
themselves,

also have some culpability
there because they allowed

these people to
become famous.

Not only did they
allow them, passively,

they like, pushed their
content to all kinds of

people and
made it widespread.

♪

[Sherry's voice echoes]

♪

[dog barking]

After Sherry's death,

I was watching how
her Facebook page

developed and,
it was clear that

there was someone
still running things.

Her Facebook page
keeps getting posted to.

And I know that Mariane
Meloy was very involved

with Sherry's ministry and,
at least in supporting it.

And the same with
Beverly Nelson.

There's this person,
Ronda Z,

who was really prominent.

And of course,
her daughter Melanie.

As far as I can tell,
the hierarchy is Sherry,

and then her
daughter, Melanie.

And then the
lieutenants would be

Mariane Meloy and
Beverly Nelson.

I know Melanie,
her daughter,

is responding from
the social accounts so,

I don't think it's
unreasonable to expect that

she's at least doing the
administrative stuff...

if not also going back
and finding the appropriate

prophecy for the day,
or for the time,

to put out on
Sherry's behalf.

It looks very much like
what we've heard about,

you know, in Christianity.

Trying to keep the message
alive until the boss comes back.

I think we're seeing a
massive rise in online cults.

There's tons of them,
and they have followers

in the millions online,

subscribers on
YouTube that, that...

equal some of the most
popular celebrities that,

you know,
Hollywood has produced.

You have cult leaders who
function the exact same way.

They reach audiences in
the hundreds of thousands,

if not millions.

So, there is a
sort of concern here.

Sherry Shriner's
beliefs seem really fringe,

and it seems like how could
anybody believe in that?

Or, if they
believed in that,

what's the use in
reaching out to them?

But these beliefs really
alienate people from

the rest of the world.

It separates them
from their families,

from their jobs,
from really interacting

normally in society.

And I think that's,
it's incredibly sad.

♪

After Sherry died, there's
a resurgence of other cults

that have picked up a lot
of the same messaging

Sherry Shriner had.

So, the idea of the
reptilian aliens,

the idea of the Illuminati,
the idea that, you know,

the world's religions
are corrupt and

the tool of Satan,
you see that continuing.

You see the messages that
Sherry promoted continuing to...

develop and continuing
to adapt to the changing

political climate, and the
changing social climate.

Sherry is dead and buried.

But the ideas that she
promotes are alive and well.

♪

♪

We see these conspiratorial
beliefs increase

in moments of uncertainty.

And, there are a lot of
corresponding conspiracy

theories and paranoias
emerging right now.

Those have real,
tangible effects.

♪

People are going on
inter-state man hunts

because they believe in...

satanic child
sex trafficking.

People are avoiding
vaccinations and basic

public health measures
because they believe that

COVID-19 is made in
a government lab.

Deaths and serious harm
from conspiracy theories

is an increasing risk right now.

So, this is a very
real and I think

ballooning issue in this moment.

And of course,
Sherry still lives.

I mean, her physical
body is gone,

but her words are
with us, right?

She still is on Facebook.

She still is on YouTube.

People are still
listening to her

Blog Talk Radio show.

And so, it's out there.

But... the fact that
it's out there

is again, it's not as...

worrisome as the fact that
people are looking for it.

♪

[birds chirping]

♪

Drop it. [whistles]

Drop it, no, drop it.
Drop it, drop it. Stop.

♪

I wanted to speak to you
guys because

Barbara's not some
kind of monster.

She got sucked into
something that

was way above her head.

And, it's terrible, and I
want people to

understand that
she's not a monster.

My kids' mom really is just
a very timid person

that's very mixed up and
she needs help.

♪

Sherry's teaching and the
way she ran her ministry

had real world effects.

♪

We're not just talking
about people locked in

their houses afraid
of the reptiles.

People died.

People stopped
talking to their families.

They...

isolated themselves
from relationships.

That's the hardest part.

It's the hardest part
about this whole thing.

She was there, she was,
she was online.

She wasn't with me.
She was around.

And I still held
out hope that, you know,

we would have a good
relationship someday, but...

now it's over.
There isn't any hope

and she's gonna be in
jail for a long time.

Stephen lost his life.
Kelly lost her life.

And, Barbara
lost her freedom.

Sherry facilitated...

Off-screen: Bye, Barbara.

...if not directly caused,

the absolute
destruction of lives.

This isn't just something
that got made up

on the internet.

I think the painful thing is,
like, I'm forgetting.

Like, you guys are asking me
these questions and

I have to try really hard
to pull it back up.

I don't want to forget,
but I'm forgetting.

And, that's what's painful.

- That's super cute.
- My favorite.

I definitely want people to
know that Kelly wasn't just

like some crazy cult
worshipper or some

Satan worshipper or
anything like that.

She was just a nice woman.

She was a nice young woman
who wanted to help people.

That's how I knew her and

that's how I want
people to know her.

I knew Kelly for 8 years,

and she's been gone for 8 years.

And sometimes, it doesn't
feel like it's been that long.

And...

Yeah, I miss her every day.

♪

♪

I think we all have to ask
ourselves how

we've been implicated by
Sherry Shriner.

Or how we've been implicated
by fake news culture.

I think we have
to ask ourselves,

what do we do to
perpetuate it?

♪

I worry that we don't ask
ourselves often enough,

how are we at fault?

How are we the problem?

Sherry Shriner isn't reflective
of what we are like,

but she's an indication
of how awful we can be.

The fact that any of these
conspiracy people get the

kind of traction they get
is a symptom that

we're not paying attention to.

And the symptom is
that we don't have

people in charge
that we can trust.

Conspiracy theorists,
in that light,

are more like just an
early warning bell.

There's bad
things coming and...

we need to deal with it.

I don't know, I don't
love our odds.

But, before we just dismiss
this as crazy people

killing crazy people...

they are an alarm
bell going off.

And, we ignore it
at our own peril.

♪

♪

If I were you and I
were here at that time,

I would be loading up
on guns and ammo.

I would be getting
out of the cities.

I would be fortifying...

whatever tent or house,
or trailer you have

in, in the country,
and defending it.

And it is your right as a
believer in the most high

to defend yourself against
these wicked, evil,

Satanist, murderous
thugs who want to

kill you and your family.

Anyways, folks...

'til next week, everybody.

Yah bless."

♪

♪