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THE HEAVENS GATE CULT INFORMATION WEBPAGE This webpage is a school research assignment. The creator is in no way associated with anything pertaining to the Heavens Gate Cult.
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Followers Beware! A mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California became a grisly scene of death in late March of 1997. Thirty-nine bodies draped in purple diamond shaped shrouds were found inside. New Nike sneakers ornamented their feet and a bag packed with clothing was located at the foot of their beds. The most disturbing fact about this scene is that the group had committed suicide. Whether or not they committed suicide under their own will is questionable.
The thirty-eight men and women were part of a cult called Heavens Gate. Their leader, Marshall Applewhite, brainwashed the cult to believe that the way to cheat death was to physically ascend into another realm beyond Earth. At first the cult believed that a spaceship would land on earth and whisk them away. When that didn't happen Applewhite changed his tactic. |
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The news of the comet Hale-Bop passing close to the Earth provided Applewhite with another opportunity. He then lead the cult to believe there was a spaceship following in the comets tail. That spaceship was the one they were supposed to board. This would be accomplished by leaving their earthly "vessels". Applewhite filled his follower's heads with thoughts of a wonderfully privileged life somewhere beyond Earth. The idea of such an immortal life convinced his followers to commit suicide in order to leave their bodies and be brought onto the spaceship.
The 39 men and women died by ingesting poison mixed with applesauce. They packed their bags with clothes and each person carried $5 bills, quarters and their passport. This evidence proves they put faith into what Applewhite told them. The fate of cults with such a strong belief and an influential leader is usually the sad fate chosen for them by the leader. Only those who have strong will power can leave the cult, and all the pleading of their family members do little good. A few members left the Heavens Gate cult when talk of suicide became more serious, but the 38 followers who were left had such enormous faith in what Applewhite was saying that they stayed and met their fate willingly. Why would people join such a cult? Finding meaning in life lies at the center of religion. Always, people seek to satisfy their spiritual longings. With today's rapid social change, traditional meanings are constantly challenged and sometimes uprooted. Most significantly, cult teachings are learned among a group of people who satisfy deep needs of belonging, who provide a life-enhancing sense of community. Newcomers are isolated, cut off from family and friends who would provide a balancing perspective on reality. Their sense of individuality is erased as well. In the case of the Heavens Gate Cult, Applewhite had everyone wear the same clothes, shaved everyone's hair into the same short buzz cut, castrated some of the men, and stopped using personal pronouns such as "he" and "she". As the group's views are regularly confirmed by people one has come to like and respect, the bizarreness of these beliefs gradually wears off. Instead, cult members come to be viewed as "insiders" who are privy to secret messages that lie beyond the grasp of "ordinary" people. |