A Study Of Heaven’s Gate UFO Cult: History, Beliefs, And Tragic End

The Founding of Heaven’s Gate

Do an internet study of the following UFO cults: Heaven’s Gate.

The cult organization named Heaven’s Gate was began by Bonnie Nettles along with Marshal Applewhite. Located in San Diego of California in the year of 1974, the American UFO organization Heaven’s Gate falls under religious millenarian cult. During mid of 1970s, Marshall Applewhite as a previous officer as well as the child of a Presbyterian serve began raiding into scriptural prediction. After he was graduated from the University of St. Thomas located in Texas’s Huston he joined an affirmed organization along with his one male class friend. There he met a married medical professional in the month of March of 1972 who was full of enthusiasm for theosophy as well as scriptural prediction (Zeller). According to the composition of Applewhite, he and Nettles met in a health care center for mental healing where he served his service during his stay there and eventually they became friends to each other. Later Applewhite realized that Nettle was known to him since his past life which means they also have relation in their past life. Nettle said Applewhite that her extraterrestrials that they would meet and he is sent with a purpose to do a divine job.

Both Nettle and Applewhite shed the light on St.Francis of Assisi and read other works by different authors including the works of R. D. Laing, Richard Bach and Helena Blavatsky and do on. They carried a King James Bible along with them while focused on the Ne Testament’s some session, especially focusing on the lessons on monkish life, eschatology and Christology. In addition to that, Applewhite read books under the genre of sci-fi which included the Arthur C. Clarke’s as well as Robert A. Heinlein’s works. By the month of June of 1974, convictions of Nettle and Applewhite became more stronger in a fundamental diagram. It was presumed by them that scriptural prediction was satisfied by them and also they both of them had been blessed with more advanced minds in comparison with other individuals. A leaflet had been composed by them which depicted the resurrection of Jesus as a Texan but not a complete reference to Applewhite. Beside of that justified themselves as the two witnesses who had been described in the book of revelation/ Along with that, they went to different houses of worship or several other gatherings where they could speak about their presumed identities in which they referred themselves in a frequent manner as the “The Two” (Zeller). They realized that others would not accept them as they tried to portray themselves and then they could be resurrected by others while transported into an alien spaceship. Applewhite and Nettle alluded this occasion as “the demonstration” intended to describe their cases, but existing religious networks ineffectively got these thoughts.

Heaven’s Gate Beliefs and Practices

However, till the demise of Nettles in the year of 1985 as well as Applewhite’s resulting update of the gathering’s tenets that the team picked up a possible notoriety as a cyber culture type of religious idea change. By the mid-90s, the gathering had turned out to be hermitic that referring themselves by the puzzling business name “Higher Source,” as well as started enlisting by means of transferred web content (Davis). Bits of gossip started spreading all through the gathering in the next years which the up and coming Comet Hale– Bopp housed the key to their definitive ascendance as well as the salvation in the kingdom of paradise. Such bits of gossip proceeded through different video transfers onto the site page, which picked up a mass following.

Somewhere between 19^th march and 20^th March of the year 199, Marshall Applewhite recorded his voice talking about mass suicide. Speaking on mass suicide, he said, “it was the only way to evacuate this Earth.” Applewhite claimed Comet Hale – Bopp was being trailed by a spacecraft and then 38 descendants of him were convinced to commit suicidal attempt in order to assure that their souls successfully board the special spacecraft. It was believed buy Applewhite that after they die, a flying object named UFO which would not be able to be identified would carry their post-death souls to another level of existence that is above the human life (Davis). Applewhite described this existence as both spiritual as well as physical. Such beliefs along with other beliefs regarding UFO of the group to act as the leader to guide some followers in order to identify and determine the group as a kind of UFO religion. In the month of October of the year of 1996, an insurance of  alien abduction insurance was purchased by the group which was supposed to cover maximum 50 members as well as $1 million against each head count was supposed to be paid out. The policy was intended to cover death by aliens, abduction and most importantly impregnation.

A manor of 9200-square-foot had been leased by the group which was situated close to the 18341 Colina Norte that was later transformed into Paseo Victoria in the gated network within the San Diego-region’s upscale homes paying the amount of $7000 on a monthly basis that too in cash payment mode. Along with assemble pioneer Applewhite, 38 individuals of the organization Heaven’s Gate had been discovered lying dead within the house in the year of 1997’s 26^th March (Goerman). During the wake of California spring, a lot of dead bodies had already begun to deteriorate the time when the bodies were discovered. Later, incinerate was performed with the bodies. Phenobarbital was taken by the individuals along with fruit puree and everything had been washed away using with vodka. On top of that, plastic packs were anchored by them around their neck and head during the wake of ingesting the blend to initiate suffocation. It was discovered by the forensic experts that the dead bodies were lying without any flaws on their own lofts, countenance and middles secured with a square purple material. A five-dollar note as well as 75% in their pockets was conveyed by each part. The five-dollar note was to pay as the charge in order to cover vagrancy fines while the individuals were out on the purpose of occupation. Meanwhile, the quarters were the charges to make phone calls. Everyone of the 39 individuals was wearing indifferent dark shirts along with sweat pants and high contrast athletic shoes of NIKE Decades. They were also wearing armbands emblem bed with “Heaven’s Gate Away Team”. Charlie Humphreys and Wayne Cooke were the two individuals of the organization who later dedicated the commencement of suicide in a comparative manner. Along with Cooke, Humphrey survived a settlement of suicide in the month of May of 1997. However, atlas he was killed by him only in the month of February of the year 1998. The first 39 died additionally encouraged a 58-year-old California man to commit suicide in the month of April of 1997. A suicide note was left by the man stating that he would be grateful to join the individuals of Heaven’s Gate who were died (Goerman). This incident became highly popular among the mainstream media. However, Heaven’s Gate was grossly disregarded through the time of 1990s and was better eluded to UFO hovers and in a progression of scholarly examinations by humanist Robert Balch. Across the nation AM have Art Bell included Heaven’s Gate as well as the “friend protest” in Hale-Bopp’s shadow on a few projects.

The Hale-Bopp Comet Incident

It was believed by the individuals of Heavens’ Gate that the planet Earth was soon to be “recycled”. Thus in order to survive, on should abandon it in a prompt manner. While committing suicide was opposed by the group, ‘suicide’ was categorized by them in a very particular setting of their own, so that it can imply “to betray the next level when it is being offered” (Heavensgate.com). In addition to that, they believed that the purpose of the human body was just to assist them on their journey like a vessel. While having discussion among themselves, they would refer a human body by the word “vehicle”.

The element of extra-terrestrial beings and events that are caused by extra-terrestrial factors from an important part of narratives of many religions worldwide, even the main stream religions (Palmer). The mainstream religions such as Christianity, Islam and Hinduism all draw extra-terrestrial narratives in their religious tales. However these elements are not very prominently dealt with in the mainstream religions, but they mention heavenly vehicles, spaceships, alien beings, extra-terrestrial voices and inter planetary or multi world travels. It is not completely unthinkable that the founders of the Heaven’s Gate cult had drawn their philosophies from these religious teachings and these have been then retold and repackaged. In the Christian religion there are tales of appearance of various space ships like bodies over a mountain and people getting cured miraculously by bathing in a nearby lake. In Islam there is Archangel Gabriel who passed on messages from heavenly realms. In the Hindu religion there are instances of spaceships and advanced weaponry in the holy texts of Mahabharata and Ramayana.

It is possible that the philosophy of the new religion was drawn from these examples and then these were reproduced as authentic philosophy of a new cult (Chryssides). However there were many controversies in the way these narratives were presented or handled by the cult and often there is accusation of encouraging suicide by Heaven’s Gate Cult. The official position of cult about this accusation is as follows. “We know that it is only while we are in these physical vehicles (bodies) that we can learn the lessons needed to complete our own individual transition, as well as to complete our task of offering the Kingdom of Heaven to this civilization one last time. We take good care of our vehicles so they can function well for us in this task, and we try to protect them from any harm. We fully desire, expect, and look forward to boarding a spacecraft from the Next Level very soon (in our physical bodies).” (Heavensgate.com)

The Tragic End of Heaven’s Gate

It was believed by the Heaven’s Gate individual that the insidious outsiders of the space known as Luciferians erroneously communicated between them to Earthlings as the Supreme Being as well as schemed in order to safeguard people to refrain from creating. All the more, the propelled humanoids, such outsiders possess shuttle, clairvoyance, space-time travel and more importantly a life which is expanded (Chryssides). They utilize 3D images to counterfeit wonders. They had withdrawn the preparation of the accomplishment of the Kingdom of God, long years ago. It was believed by the individuals of the cult organization that the pernicious outsiders undermine the each of the existing religion on the planet.

A stroll can be categorized as “an element which involves a body which has been cleared by its unique soul.” The individuals of Heaven’s Gate started believing an extraterrestrial stroll in was “a stroll in which is as far as anyone knows from other planets in the Universe. Thus Nettles as well as Applewhite were backed the concept of walk-ins in specifically beginning from the state of their actuality of the thought process to think of a fresh starts (Chryssides). In such supposed fresh start, they were never again considered by individuals from this current group of Heaven’s gate in order to be the general population which they were preceding the formation of the unity. However, they had gone up against another life. Thus such idea gave them an approach in order to “delete their human individual narratives as the accounts of spirits who in the past involved the assemblages of Applewhite and Nettles” (Heavensgate.com).

Applewhite and Nettle received another conviction of new age was happened to be the old space explorer speculation. The expression ‘old space travelers’ is utilized in order to allude different categories of idea which extrarrestrials went to this planet long back.

References

Chryssides, George D. “Approaching Heaven’s Gate.” Heaven’s Gate. Routledge, 2016. 13-28.

Davis, Winston. “Heaven’s Gate: A Study of Religious Obedience.” Heaven’s Gate. Routledge, 2016. 89-116.

Goerman, Patricia L. “Heaven’s Gate: The Dawning of a New Religious Movement.” Heaven’s Gate. Routledge, 2016. 69-88.

Heavensgate.com. “Our Position Against Suicide.” Heavensgate.com. N.p., 2018. Web. 13 July 2018.

Palmer, Susan J. Aliens adored: Raël’s UFO religion. Rutgers University Press, 2004.

VanSteenhuyse, Erica, and David Sanchez. “Heaven’s Gate: An exploration of the Christian, apocalyptic nature of the space destined suicidal cult.” (2013).

Zeller, Benjamin E. Heaven’s Gate: America’s UFO religion. NYU Press, 2014.