holds an apocalyptic belief, typically predicting  that the world will end in a catastrophic event.  

These cults often have charismatic leaders  who command the complete trust and loyalty  

of their followers. The term "doomsday  cult" is typically used pejoratively and  

is not how these groups self-identify. It  came into common usage following several  

high-profile incidents involving such groups.  For example, the Jonestown Massacre in 1978,  

where over 900 members of the Peoples Temple, led  by Jim Jones, died in a mass murder-suicide event,  

or the Heaven's Gate cult suicides in 1997, where  39 members committed suicide believing they would  

be transported to an alien spaceship following  the Hale-Bopp comet. In some cases, doomsday cults  

have been known to engage in dangerous or illegal  activities, including mass suicide, violence,  

or other harmful actions, often justified by  their belief in the imminent end of the world.