‘NatureBoy’ Cult: A Familiar Pattern of Exploitation

Have you heard of NatureBoy? Or perhaps 3God, or Eligio Bishop? These are all names associated with the man who, around 2015, founded ‘Carbon Nation.’ This community amassed a huge online following with promises of Black liberation, but for many, especially Black women and children, it delivered the opposite. Hulu’s new docuseries, ‘The Cult of NatureBoy,’ dives into this story, and for many viewers, it feels disturbingly familiar.

A Familiar Trap: Exploiting the Desire for Liberation

The four-part series retells the story through the eyes of former members and investigative reporters. It’s part true crime, part a reflection on Black internet history, and a stark cautionary tale. The docuseries exposes how the pursuit of ‘freedom,’ ‘healing,’ and ‘higher consciousness’ by men like Bishop can tragically harm Black women and children.

Bishop, originally from Atlanta, crafted a powerful social media persona promising an escape from systemic oppression to tropical paradises. What started as an invitation to off-grid living and salvation quickly spiraled into a world of control, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse – often broadcast live online.

Spiritual Language as a Tool of Control

Bishop used spiritual language to justify his control. He presented himself as a guru, a father figure, especially resonant during a time of heightened awareness of police brutality and the rise of overt white supremacist ideologies. When he claimed divine compulsion to enter sexual relationships with all recruited women, regardless of their existing commitments, compliance often followed.

Even when physical abuse occurred – members being ordered to punish each other, women forced to fight, or Bishop’s own violence – many remained loyal, believing the victims somehow deserved it. This unwavering loyalty nearly led to the group’s arrest when Bishop ordered members to defy authorities trying to understand their situation.

Preying on Vulnerability

Many members came from backgrounds marked by overt racism in small Southern towns or struggled with loneliness, depression, and a search for Black-centered spirituality. They severed ties with their previous lives, sometimes even abandoning their names, to join the group in remote locations between 2015 and 2021.

When confronted about being a cult in 2020, Bishop dismissed the label, saying, ‘Me? A Black man, a cult leader? I’m from the hood.’ He framed it as a protest against societal conditions. However, the abuse and control tactics directed at women, including sexual coercion, assault, false imprisonment, and revenge porn, ultimately led to his downfall.

Echoes of the Past, Present Dangers

Bishop was arrested in 2022 and convicted in March 2024 on charges including rape and false imprisonment, receiving a life sentence without parole. His story echoes past Black-centered movements like Jonestown, Nation of Yahweh, and Nuwaubian Nation, which also used isolation, spiritual manipulation, and abuse. These groups, including Carbon Nation, preyed on the specific pain born from surviving within a white supremacist society.

In today’s age, social media amplifies these movements, allowing them to spread faster. Similar groups continue to emerge globally. While Bishop is imprisoned, the underlying conditions—loneliness, spiritual searching, distrust in institutions, and the yearning for Black-centered healing—still exist. These are the fertile grounds where such ideologies can flourish.