The Heaven’s Gate Cult- The Mass Suicide

The Heaven’s Gate began in the 1970s under the leadership of Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles.

 

Marshall Applewhite was born in 1931 in Texas, and by most accounts had a relatively normal life.

 

But in 1970, he was allegedly fired from his job as a music professor at Houston’s University of St. Thomas because he was having a relationship with one of his male students.

 

Though Applewhite and his wife were already divorced by that point, he struggled with the loss of his job and may have even had a nervous breakdown. A couple of years later, he met Bonnie Nettles, a nurse with a strong interest in the Bible as well as a few obscure spiritual beliefs.

 

 

Nettles convinced Applewhite that he had a purpose — and that God had saved him for a reason.

 

By 1973, they were convinced that they were the two witnesses described in the Christian Book of Revelation — and they would prepare the way for the kingdom of heaven.

 

It is unknown when they incorporated UFOs and other elements of science fiction into their theology, but this would eventually become a central tenet of their ideology.

 

How They Got Their Followers

 

Applewhite and Nettles wasted no time in promoting their new cult after they formulated their belief system. Applewhite and Nettles distributed posters promoting a blend of conspiracy theories, science fiction, and proselytization while they prepared speeches for potential followers across the country.

 

Nevertheless, these invitations were certainly captivating. Frequently, the term "UFOs" would appear in large letters at the top, followed by the disclaimer "Not a discussion of UFO sightings or phenomena."

 

The posters usually claimed, “Two individuals say they were sent from the level above human, and will return to that level in a space ship (UFO) within the next few months.”

 

After a particularly effective presentation in Oregon in 1975, Applewhite and Nettles attracted national attention. In this talk, Applewhite and Nettles presented Heaven's Gate, formerly known as Human Individual Metamorphosis or Total Overcomers Anonymous, with the promise that a spaceship will transport their believers to salvation.

 

First, though, they had to forsake sex, narcotics, and material possessions. In the majority of instances, they also had to abandon their own families. Only then could they be promoted to TELAH, The Evolutionary Level Above Human, a new world and a better life.

 

An estimated 150 individuals attended the Oregon event. Despite the fact that many townspeople initially believed it to be a joke, at least a couple dozen individuals were intrigued enough to join the cult — and bid farewell to their loved ones.

 

Through this grassroots strategy, the Heaven's Gate cult's founders were able to convince more people to abandon everything they knew and travel with them for roughly two decades.

 

It was a radical move, but for some, the choice encompassed the spirit of the decade — many were giving up the conventional lives they had started and seeking new spiritual answers to old questions.

 

But before long, some followers began to feel restricted by the cult’s rules. As if abandoning their families wasn’t enough, members were also expected to follow strict guidelines — including “no sex, no human-level relationships, no socializing.” A few members — including Applewhite — took this rule to the extreme by undergoing castration.

 

The followers were also expected to dress largely alike — and conform to incredibly specific rules about the most mundane things.

 

“Everything was designed to be… an exact duplicate,” survivor Michael Conyers explained. “You were not to come up with, ‘Well I’m going to make the pancakes this big.’ There was a mixture, a size, how long you cooked it one side, how much the burner was on, how many a person got, how the syrup was poured on it. Everything.”

 

Heaven’s Gate was appealing to members because of its blend of asceticism, mysticism, science fiction, and Christianity.

 

The Mass Suicide

 

The 1985 death of Nettles of cancer, however, threw a strain into their plans. Her death was not only an emotional but also a philosophical blow to Applewhite. The death of Nettles had the potential to cast doubt on a number of the cult's doctrines. Perhaps the most serious question is why she died before the TELAH aliens arrived to fetch the disciples.

 

Then, Applewhite came to rely heavily on one particular aspect of the cult's beliefs: Human bodies were only vessels, or "vehicles," that carried them on their trip and could be abandoned when they were ready to transcend to the next level.

 

Applewhite asserts that Nettles had only recently exited her vehicle and joined her new home among the TELAH creatures. However, Applewhite still had work to perform on this plane of existence, so he would guide his followers in the hopes that they would once again be reunited with Nettles.

 

It was a subtle but significant shift in the cult's worldview, and it would have dangerous repercussions.

 

Members of Heaven’s Gate believed that suicide was wrong — but their definition of “suicide” was far different from the traditional one. They believed that the true meaning of suicide was turning against the next level when it was offered to them. Tragically, this fatal “offer” was made in March 1997.

 

The 39 active Heaven's Gate cult members had already rented a mansion in San Diego with the money they earned from designing websites, the sect's primary source of income. Therefore, they chose this estate as the location to deposit their "vehicles."

 

Beginning about March 22 or March 23, 39 cult members had applesauce or pudding spiked with a large quantity of barbiturates. Some accompanied it with vodka.

 

Group by group, they placed bags over their heads to ensure asphyxiation, and then awaited their deaths. It was assumed that this occurred over the course of several days.

 

Applewhite was the 37th person to die, leaving two others to prepare his body before they took their own lives.

 

After receiving an anonymous tip on March 26, authorities discovered 39 victims neatly arranged on bunk beds and other resting places, wearing similar black tracksuits and Nike sneakers and wrapped in purple shrouds. Heaven's Gate Away Team is printed on their matching armbands.

 

The anonymous informant was eventually discovered to be a former member who had quit the group just weeks prior and received a scary package including the group's videotaped farewells and a map to the mansion.

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