The Most Dangerous Man You've Never Heard Of - Who is John Todd?
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Hey, Smokescreen listeners, this is Jonathan Hirsch. I want to tell you about the latest drop on the Binge Channel, which Smokescreen is a part of. It's called Cover Up, The Conspiracy Tapes, and it's available now wherever you get your podcasts. Here at Smokescreen, we go deep into the minds and lives of dubious characters and complicated criminals. And on this new season of Cover Up, we do the same thing with a guy named John Todd, one of the most dangerously influential people you've never heard of.

John Todd's fingerprints are all over some of the most pervasive and dangerous conspiracy theories of our modern world. And on this season of Cover Up, the conspiracy tapes, we expose the secrets of his dark and distorted reality. Join us as we travel back to the 1970s to trace the origins of his power and unravel his twisted teachings. It includes tales of witchcraft, devil worship, human sacrifice, everything you want.

How did this one man manage to use his influence to change the world for the worse? Find out on this season of Cover Up, The Conspiracy Tapes. Listen weekly wherever you get your podcasts. And if you're a subscriber to The Binge, you can enjoy all episodes ad-free today. So I'm going to leave you with a little sneak peek. Check it out.

You've heard of the Illuminati, right? The shadowy force who want to take over the world and destroy traditional American values. But did you know the reason you've heard about the Illuminati is largely due to one man?

His name was John Todd. The Illuminati doesn't produce rock music to entertain you. They do it to put demonic influence in your life. Back in the 1970s, John Todd convinced a lot of Christians not only that the Illuminati was real, but that he was part of their secret cabal. The man who handed me the knife to do the ritualistic killing was a United States senator that ran for president named McGovern.

John Todd told people he was once a powerful witch, and that he'd even been a part of human sacrifices with other influential elites. But then he converted to Christianity and toured the country warning people Satanists were in their midst. You better watch what your kids turn on on the TV set. There hasn't been a witchcraft movie that has anything to do with Satan that Satan didn't win.

And to survive after the Illuminati take over, you need to get ready to defend yourself, your family and your country. First of all, the number one weapon in everybody's home should be a 12-gauge pump shotgun.

John Todd's fiery teachings in the 70s would go on to inspire extreme right-wing violence from Ruby Ridge to Waco, right through Pizzagate and QAnon to the steps of the US Capitol on January 6th. All have John Todd's fingerprints on them. All the stuff that he was talking about in the 70s has come true. But the whole time, John Todd was going from church to church saying that he was saved. A good, honest Christian.

Except he wasn't a good honest Christian. He was on the run. He had made a living denouncing witchcraft and Satanism and encouraging Christians to freaking arm themselves and to kill and burn witches. And all of it was just a fantasy. He was running from a secret so terrible it would eventually be his undoing.

From Magnificent Noise and Sony Music Entertainment, this is Cover Up, The Conspiracy Tapes, coming May 1st. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts to binge all episodes or listen weekly wherever you get your podcasts.