Heaven's Gate Case Study: Exploring the Cult's Doctrines and Tragedy

This case study delves into the Heaven's Gate cult, founded by Bonnie Nettles and Marshal Applewhite in 1974, examining their unique blend of religious millenarianism and UFO beliefs. The study traces the evolution of their doctrines, from early scriptural interpretations to the conviction that a spaceship trailing Comet Hale-Bopp held the key to their ascension. It details Applewhite's influence, the group's hermetic lifestyle, and the tragic mass suicide of 39 members in 1997, who believed it was the only way to evacuate Earth and board the spacecraft. The analysis also explores the cult's perspective on suicide, the role of extraterrestrial narratives in their belief system, and their controversial stance on the human body as a mere 'vehicle.' The case study further examines the group's interactions with mainstream media and scholarly investigations, highlighting their lasting impact on the understanding of UFO religions and cult phenomena.

Running head: Heaven’s Gate
HEAVEN’S GATE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note:

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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

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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.
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 19th march and 20th 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

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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 26th 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

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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.
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

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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)
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

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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.

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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.