8 Incredibly Strange Religions From Around The World

One could easily make the argument than any religion can look quite strange to those on the outside of it, but most of the major world religions all follow a pretty similar pattern as far as practices and beliefs. The world however is a big, strange and diverse place. By no means a definitive list, here's a look at a few smaller religions from around the world that you might not believe actually exist. (We'll go ahead and skip the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, because if you haven't already heard of that one, this must be your first day on the internet.)

8. The John Frum Cult

The John Frum Cult is based on Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific. The actual person "John Frum" is something of an enigma. His exact ethnicity is even something of a mystery. He is depicted as an American Serviceman, or sometimes a native man dressed as a Westerner, who visited the island and promised the natives that if they followed him, he would bring them wealth an happiness. For this to happen, they had to reject Christianity and other western cultural ideas. European colonialists tried to stamp out the movement, but it was boosted in World War II when US troops landed, bringing with them cargo and supplies that many of the natives saw as the wealth promised to them by John Frum. When the Americans left, the followers of John Frum began building ceremonial landing strips to encourage the American planes to land there!