Heaven's Gate
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Heavens' Gate was a destructive doomsday cult centered in California. 21 women and 18 men in this group voluntarily committed suicide in three groups on three successive days starting on March 23, 1997. Most were in their 40's, but the age range was from 20-72. Heaven's Gate was the last of three cults organized by Marshall Herff Applewhite and Bonnie "Ti" Lu Trusdale Nettles, who were known as "the two." The first cult ws Human Individual Metamorphosis which they founded in 1975. This group went out to the Colorado desert to wait for the arrival of a UFO. One came. Netles died of cancer in 1985. Then, Applewhite founded a new group in 1993 called Total Overcomers Anonymous. They placed an ad in USA Today, announcing that the Earth's present civilization was about to be recycled. Applewhite at first went by the name "Bo", but later changed his name to "Do." Marshall moved to San Diego County, CA with the group and renamed it Heaven's gate. The group followed a syncretistic religion which combined elements of Christianity with unusual beliefs about the nature of UFO's. They interpreted passages from the four gospels and Revelation as referring to visitation by UFO's. In particular, they emphasized a story in Revelation which described two witnesses who are killed, remained dead for 3.5 das, but were then revived and taken into the clouds. They looked upon the earth as being controlled by evil and thought they were among the elite who would attain heaven. They held a profoundly dualistic belief of the soul as being a superior entity which is only housed temporarily in a body. They belieed the final act of metamorphosis was to seperate from the human kingdom through seperation with the body. They believed that 2000 years ago, a group of extra terrestials came to earth from Heaven (The Next Level). One of these was "Do". He was given instructions by "Ti", his female companion, whome he referred to as his "Heavenly Father." He left his bidy behind, transported to earth in a space-ship and moved into the human body that became Jesus Christ. A second group of Et's returned to the earth, starting in the 1920's. Do was the Captain of this expedition with Ti being the admiral. They each moved into a human body but somehow became scattered. Do and Ti held public meetings to disseminate their beliefs. They were pleasantly surprised to find that most of their converts were long-lost crew members. Members called themselves brother and sister; they looked upon themselves as monks and nuns, and lived communally in a large rented San Diego County Home which they called their monastery. Most members had little contact with their families. many followed successful professional careers before entering the group. Some abandoned their children before joining. They were free to leave at any time. They dressed in unisex garments: shapeless black skirts and mandarin collars, and black pants. They committed to a celibate life. Eight of the male members were castrated. This was a form of preparing for their next level of existence, in a life that would be free of gender, sexual identity and sexual activity. The group supported themselves through a commercial effort called Higher Source which designed webpages for a profit. They also used the internet as a recuitment tool. In common with many other UFo groups, Heaven's gate believed that UFO's were inter-stellar space ships operated by extra-terrestrial beings who are attempted to bring humanity to a higher level of knowledge. The group committed suicide when the Hale-Bopp comet appeared. They believed that when the proper sign came, it would be time for them to commit suicide so that they could be taken up in the spirit on a spaceship that would come for them and would therefore leave their containers in the bodies. The total number of suicides mounted to 39.
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