TW: This blog post discusses the topics of cults, s*icides, and mass d*aths. Please read at your own risk.
Hi friends! As promised, Freaky Friday Files IS back this week and you are in for a treat!!
Today, we are going to discuss the cult that was known as Heaven's Gate. If you're new to the blog, I sometimes describe myself as a self-proclaimed cult expert because there was a really long time in my life when I was obsessed with learning about cults (and I'm a sociologist so ya know). There are even other articles on here that discuss cults so make sure you check those out too:
Behind Closed Doors Part 1: Exploring the Secretive World of New Zealand Cults
Behind Closed Doors Part 2: Exploring the Secretive World of New Zealand Cults
Freaky Friday Files: Why Does the Word "Cult" Carry a Negative Connotation?
Day 63 of "Figuring it Out" - Revisiting That Time I Went to a Cult (For a Day)
What is (or was) Heaven's Gate?
Anyway, what's Heaven's Gate? According to Wikipedia, Heaven's Gate was "an American new religious movement known primarily for its mass s*icides committed by its members in 1997." The group, usually labelled a "cult", was founded by Marshall Applewhite (1931 - 1997) also known as "Do" and Bonnie Nettles (1927 - 1985) also known as "Ti" in 1974. Nettles unfortunately passed away in 1985 due to melanoma metastatic to the liver.
Applewhite and Nettles (or Do and Ti) met in the year 1972 where they embarked on a spiritual journey together claiming that they were two witnesses of the Revelation. In the mid 1970s, Do and Ti attracted a small following of several hundred followers and in 1976, Do and Ti stopped recruiting as a core group of followers decided to live a monastic lifestyle (aka where one stops pursuing their worldly passions to focus solely on devotion to their spiritual work).
As Heaven's Gate has been defined by many scholars as New Age, Christian Millenarianism, and Ufology, it has been lumped into the category of a "UFO Religion". UFO Religions are religions where the existence of ET entities (or aliens) operating UFOs (unidentified flying objects) is an element of belief. The core belief of the members of Heaven's Gate was that those who followed this belief would be able to transform themselves into immortal ETs (aliens) if they rejected their human nature and in turn, they would "ascend" into heaven which was often called the "Next Level" or "The Evolutionary Level Above Human".
Following the death of Bonnie Nettles, the group questioned their belief in ascension as they believed they would ascend to heaven on a UFO. However, they later realised that their bodies were only a container/vehicle for their soul and their consciousness would ascend to the next level.
It was on the 26th of March 1997 when 39 bodies from the group were found in a house in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The members had participated in a form of ritualistic s*icide that correlated with the closest approach of the Hale-Bopp Comet. Before the mass tragedy, Heaven's Gate's website was updated with the following message "Hale–Bopp brings closure to Heaven's Gate ...our 22 years of classroom here on planet Earth is finally coming to conclusion – 'graduation' from the Human Evolutionary Level. We are happily prepared to leave 'this world' and go with Ti's crew."
I've taken a lot of this information from Wikipedia so far, but I wanna go a bit deeper on this cult "case study" if you will because I know that there was a lot more to this cult and I find it soooo creepy that someone still runs their website to this day (I have just learned that two members who were "chosen" to stay on earth are who keeps the website up and running and these two are known as the group's "communication centre". Anyway, let's take this a bit deeper now.
The s*icides spanned over 3 days, they didn't all complete the process simultaneously. The members began the process on the Sunday where they combined chemicals such as hydrocodone, alcohol, and phenobarbital mixed with either pudding or apple sauce. Following this, the members placed plastic bags over their heads and s*ffocated. Bodies were covered in purple shrouds. After discovering the bodies, the coroner's report showed that not all deaths occurred on the same day.
Each body that was found was covered with a purple shroud and each person was wearing black and white Nikes on their feet. I also remember learning about this in a sociology class that they all put coins in their pockets but I am unable to find a source to back me up on this one. The reason that the Nike shoes were used is quite simple, two of the communicators left on earth Sarah King and Mark King spoke to a journalist saying "We were just looking for a good buy on shoes". The Nike shoes are discontinued and if you're looking for a pair, you will probably be paying upwards of $6000 USD.
Members had also left video diaries explaining the reason for their actions; that Do (Applewhite) had convinced them that so they could reach heaven, they needed to abandon their human form and board a UFO (alien spacecraft) that would trail behind the Hale-Bopp Comet.
Allegedly, members were devotees of the Master Cleanse (this means leaving your family behind, turning over all your money and possessions, and cleansing your body of all things impure such as fast food and s*xual thoughts). One former member said that the group drank nothing but a mix of lemonade, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper for 3 whole months. I don't know what that would be like, but it would suck because I am a foodie and I would do everything I could to eat food. Anyway. I also remember being told they were allowed to speak to their families but I'm not so sure of that now.
The members were originally told they wouldn't have to die to "ascend"
Part of the dogma of Heaven's Gate was that everything had to be the same, from how big a pancake was to how men shaved their faces. This indoctrination tactic helped in making it more likely for the ritualistic s*icides to occur.
The members of Heaven's Gate weren't always those who had experienced "relative deprivation," they were often people who were quite happy in their everyday lives but they may have been seeking something "more" than what they had.
There was a belief that members of the group needed to undergo surgical castration to suppress s*xual desires (8 men, including Do, went through with this).
If a member chose to leave the group, they weren't shunned away, merely told it was okay and to just hop on home. However, this may be because it was super easy to recruit new members. As we know with other cults, if someone leaves, they are usually ex-communicated and disrespected.
I don't wanna go into too much detail of the history of Heaven's Gate, because I don't think that's the interesting part. I find that the interesting part of Heaven's Gate is the way that they chose to partake in ritualistic s*icides over 3 days, what their beliefs were, and how Heaven's Gate is different to what we know as a "cult."
One thing that I absolutely must also point out here is that on Heaven's Gate's own website, there is a message discussing their position against unsubscribing from life. I feel like this cult leaves me with more questions than answers really?
Why did they take 3 days to complete their task?
If they didn't see any of the other members board the space craft, then why did they all follow in the footsteps of the others and go through with it?
Did all the bodies have purple shrouds over them? Were the two communicators Sarah and Mark at the house and place the shrouds on them? Because that's literally the only thing I can think of.
Was their intention to transcend the boundaries of cyberspace, sci-fi, and cults into the everyday world? Do they want people to go and join Heaven's Gate again?
So, let's explore it in a more sociological manner as to what made people join and why this cult did what it did (if that makes sense)
The Sociology of Heaven's Gate
Charismatic Leadership
Marshall Applewhite (Do) claimed to have a divine connection and in turn, he portrayed himself as a type of "contemporary Jesus". As Applewhite (Do) was sooo charismatic, it was easy to recruit followers and keep them "in check".
Bonnie Nettles (Ti) was Applewhite's partner and so she reinforced his beliefs and in turn, this helped others follow Applewhite's beliefs.
Both Do and Ti created an aura of spiritual authority that appealed to people who were seeking further meaning, belongingness, and community.
Apocalyptic Beliefs
End Times Prophecy - to me, it feels a little Doomsday Cult-vibe-ish, but many people who hold these sorts of beliefs use it as a way of understanding the world around us, helping make sense of anxieties and uncertainties, and is often used as a way to justify extreme behaviours.
UFO + ET beliefs - using a blend of sci fi and religious undertones was quite unique at the time, attracting those who were fascinated by aliens and alternate cosmologies.
Sociological Dynamics
Group Cohesion - I feel like this one is self-explanatory, but because they had really strict living conditions, participated in communal living, and had to share resources meant that the group's bond was very tight-knit and created a type of insular environment where people were isolated from any sort of outside influence.
Totalistic Control - yep, this one is also self-explanatory, but basically there was sooo much control of what the members did, ate, what they did with their bodies (or didn't do), and even their names. Such a form of control would reinforce loyalty and conformity making it really hard to "deviate" from such control tactics.
Ritual + Symbolism - participating in rituals such as purification processes (castration) to get ready for departing this world created a sense of purpose and in turn, reinforced the beliefs of the group. Also, the symbolism was a big part of it by wearing the same clothes, same shoes, etc.., all the way to the end.
Recruitment + Socialisation
Targeting vulnerable individuals - this tactic was most likely used when members would leave the group (and is that whole relative deprivation theory) but they also preyed on those seeking deeper meanings as aforementioed.
Gradual Indoctrination - the group followed an incremental approach, which means that new followers/members were slowly introduced to new ideas, making it easy to convince them of such beliefs.
Reaction to Modernity
Technology + Cultural Critique - here's something we see in cults a lot - the rejection of mainstream society or western society, and this group went a bit further by seeing modern technology as "corruption". This idea may reflect broader societal discontent (which also relates back to those members who don't fit the relative deprivation theory).
Seeking transcendence - the group offered a new type of narrative which transcends modern life (this appealed to members who wanted to find their ultimate meaning).
Psychological Factors
Cognitive Dissonance - Members experienced cognitive dissonance when faced with contradictions between their beliefs and reality. They resolved this by further committing to the group's ideology, reinforcing their belief in the impending salvation (so doomsday).
Sense of Belonging - Participation in the group provided a sense of belonging and identity, especially for those who felt alienated from mainstream society. This social support network made the prospect of leaving the group unappealing.
Heaven’s Gate serves as a powerful illustration of how charismatic leadership, apocalyptic convictions, stringent social regulations, and a criticism of modern society can form a united, isolated community. The sociological aspect of the cult emphasises the interaction among personal susceptibilities, group behaviour, and larger societal influences in comprehending the reasons behind individuals' decision to join and stay devoted to such organisations.
Some YT videos if that's how you learn!
Some readings:
Davis, W. (2000). Heaven’s Gate: A Study of Religious Obedience. Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, 3 (2), 241–267. https://doi.org/10.1525/nr.2000.3.2.241
Dawson, Lorne L. (2003). Cults and New Religious Movements: A Reader. Wiley-Blackwell.
Lee, K H (1997) - 'Ex-Member Wishes He'd Taken Dose, Too / His wife stayed with cult and died', SFGATE.
Urban, H. B. (2000). The Devil at Heaven's Gate: Rethinking the Study of Religion in the Age of Cyber-Space. Nova Religio, 3 (2), 268-302.
Wendy Gale Robinson, Heaven's Gate: the End, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Volume 3, Issue 3, 1 December 1997, JCMC334, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.1997.tb00077.x
I hope you enjoyed this week's Freaky Friday Files and I'll see you again next week!
Much love,
Ash
PS let me know what cults you want me to cover in the comments below.
Really interesting post! I’ve never heard of this cult before. The scary part is that it’s still operating! Have you ever heard of the breatherarian diet? I learned about in a language arts class. It a belief that we can get all the nutrients and sustenance we need from the sun and air alone. It’s a belief that seems to have been around a long time but it gained popularity in the 1980s through a man named Wiley Brooks. The wild part is that some intelligent people, even some scientists, took interest and started following the guy.