- Meet the man spreading the deadly new disease in America, a violent ideology called efilism, targeting young people online.
- This belief system promotes anti-natalism and has inspired real-world attacks, including a deadly bombing.
- Experts warn the movement’s influence is growing and urge parents and authorities to watch for signs of radicalization.
Gary Mosher lives quietly in a simple house in rural New Jersey. His home sits just 10 miles from Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf course. It looks ordinary on the outside. But inside, Mosher spreads a dark and dangerous philosophy. For 25 years, he has pushed a grim idea. He says all life, whether human or animal, is pure suffering. He believes it should end. Mosher calls this belief “efilism”—the word life spelled backwards. Some call it “pro-mortalism.” Though it sounds strange, his ideas have found new followers online, especially among Gen-Z youth. Social media sites like Reddit and TikTok helped spread his views far and wide.
How Mosher’s Dangerous Ideas Inspired Deadly Violence
Mosher’s philosophy stayed under the radar for years. But it suddenly hit the headlines after a violent attack in Palm Springs. On May 17, a 25-year-old man named Guy Bartkus set off a bomb at a fertility clinic. The explosion injured four people and killed Bartkus himself. Investigators found Bartkus believed strongly in Mosher’s anti-life ideas. He even called himself “anti-life” in a manifesto. Authorities found online links between Bartkus and Mosher’s twisted teachings. Bartkus said procreation was wrong and saw the clinic as a target. After the attack, Mosher denied any role. He said he never wanted violence. But experts warn the opposite is true. Mosher’s words fuel anger and dangerous actions.
Why Experts Fear This Growing Anti-Life Movement
Psychologists and law enforcement watch Mosher’s ideas with worry. They see his teachings as a strange and harmful movement. Hal Kempfer, a retired Marine intelligence officer, called it one of the weirdest terrorist threats he has seen. Agencies like the FBI are digging deeper to find how many people follow Mosher’s beliefs. The threat may be bigger than anyone realizes. The movement mostly attracts young men. These followers talk online about ending life itself. The internet hides their true numbers, making it hard to stop them. Some fear foreign actors may try to spread chaos by supporting this strange cause. But experts say the movement’s weirdness makes it unlikely to be a foreign plot.
What Mosher Teaches About Life and Suffering
On his website, Mosher sums up life as “Consumption, Reproduction, Addiction & Parasitism,” or C.R.A.P. He argues that living is a burden, full of pain and suffering. He calls life “an imposition.” Mosher uses strange, poetic language to explain his views. He says the universe began with the Big Bang, but life brought tragedy. He claims the start of life caused the first moment of pain. Mosher paints life as a never-ending cycle of misery. Because of this, he believes the world would be better without life at all. His words sound harsh, but they have gained an audience.
Mosher’s Extremist Views Go Beyond His Philosophy
Mosher’s beliefs cross into dangerous territory. In his many YouTube videos, he calls for harm to pregnant women. He defends a convicted baby killer and even supports drowning kittens. He denies well-known historical facts, like the existence of Nazi gas chambers. His harsh views shocked even some followers. In August 2021, several of his former supporters publicly warned about his violent rhetoric. They said his words might lead someone to get hurt. One former follower called Mosher a sad, angry man with clear signs of mental illness. They said the movement should never promote violence or suffering. Yet Mosher’s ideas still spread online.
The Deadly Result of Mosher’s Dangerous Teachings
Guy Bartkus’s bombing showed the real risk behind Mosher’s words. Bartkus wrote a manifesto that spoke of wanting humanity’s peaceful end. He hoped life would disappear soon, without more pain. But his violent act shattered that idea of peace. A former insider said Mosher lied when he denied promoting violence. They said Mosher openly supported violence many times. Experts warn Mosher’s ideas create real danger. They believe his hateful views should never be ignored or allowed to spread. The bombing was just the start of what could happen if this ideology grows unchecked.
The History and Growth of Anti-Natalism
Mosher’s ideas come from a long history of anti-natalism. This belief says it is wrong to bring new life into the world. The Shakers, a religious group from the 1700s, stopped having children. Today, only two Shakers remain in the last village in Maine. The idea grew in modern times, too. In 1968, Paul Ehrlich warned about overpopulation and disaster in his book, “The Population Bomb.” In 2006, David Benatar published “Better Never to Have Been,” arguing life causes harm. Many anti-natalists respect Benatar’s work. But Mosher and his followers think his views are too mild. They push the idea much further, to extreme and violent beliefs.
The Difference Between Personal Choices and Dangerous Extremes
Most anti-natalists hold peaceful, personal beliefs. They choose not to have children for ethical or environmental reasons. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said they limited their children for the planet’s sake. These views differ sharply from Mosher’s violent and hateful ideology. Experts say it’s important to separate peaceful ideas from violent acts. Philosopher Connor Leak said anti-natalism itself does not call for harm. Instead, some people twist it to justify violence. Leak argued that banning online discussions might do more harm than good. He said parents should listen to children who struggle with these feelings and help them, not just block their conversations.
How Society Can Respond to This Threat
British filmmaker Jack Boswell studied anti-natalists for his documentary. He found most followers peaceful and not dangerous. He said extremism exists on the edges of any belief system. Young people often look for provocative ideas. Boswell believes parenting and environment matter more than the ideas themselves. But others warn the violent attacks linked to Mosher’s views cannot be ignored. The full scale of this extremist threat remains unclear. Some say Mosher should have lost his online platforms long ago. His followers tend to be angry young men, vulnerable to harmful ideas. Experts hope the violent extremists will be pushed out of public view.