Heaven's Gate

1
Heaven's Gate

• Jackie Morales, Phillip Jackson, Gentry Haughton,
  Jameelah Brown, Kristy Ussery

2

• But exlude the outer court do not measure it,
  because it has been given to the Gentiles. They
  will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And
  I will give power to my two witnesses, and they
  will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in
  sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the
  two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the
  earth.
• Revelation 112-4

3
March 26, 1997

• Suicide scene
• 39 DEAD
• 21 women
• 18 men
• Ranged in ages from 26 to 72
• Dressed in all black
• Wearing new Nikes
• Method of death
• applesauce laced with barbiturates
• a shot of vodka
• suffocated with plastic bags

4
Marshal Applewhite Timeline

• May 17, 1931- Applewhite is born in Spur, Texas
• 1970- Applewhite fired from job
• 1971- He checks himself into psychiatric hospital
• 1972- He leaves family and meets Nettles
• 1975- Both set out to increase group numbers
  (convince that they are supposed to meet up with
  UFO)
• 1997- 39 bodies discovered in a mansion located
  in Rancho Santa Fe, California

5
UFO Religious Movements

• June 24, 1947 marks the beginning of modern UFO
  movement
• Audience Cults take the shape of cult movement.
• Sacred text (I.e. How and When Heavens Gate may
  be entered.)

• Beliefs
• Alien beings exist
• A select few can communicate with UFOs
• Evolution
• Everything is living and related

6
Take me to your leader!

• Marshal Herff Applewhite and Bonnie Lu Nettles
• Applewhite caught in sex scandal and fired from
  job
• Sent him into depression where he experienced
  hallucinations
• Checked into mental institution where he later
  met Nettles.
• She was a prominent member of the Theological
  Society

7
Continued

• Nettles provided a stable relationship and guided
  Applewhite into a new spiritual direction
• She convinced Applewhite that was sent from the
  Kingdom of God to lead his followers to a divine
  realm
• 1988 Applewhite renounced his sexuality and
  divorced his wife.
• The Two are later called Bo and Peep they
  sought to rescue Gods sheep like Little Bo Peep.
• They recruit hundreds of followers around the
  country to form Heavens Gate
• Convince their followers that their bodies would
  ascend to another realm outside the world.
• Bonnie Lu Nettles died of cancer in 1985.
• Appelwhite died on March 26, 1997 in the mass
  suicide.

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History of Heavens Gate

• Started with Applewhite and Nettles
• Isolated themselves from outside world (settled
  near southern Oregon)
• Became immersed in a world of visions, dreams and
  telepathic experiences (contact with
  extraterrestrials)
• Applewhite claimed to have a revelation that told
  him that he and Nettles were the two prophets of
  the Book of revelation (Chapter 11)
• Vision predicted that after 1260 days of
  witnessing, their enemies would kill them
• Would be brought to heaven on a cloud (believed
  this would be a spacecraft)
• First successful meeting was in Los Angeles to a
  group of metaphysical students.

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More history

• Returned to South Oregon and UFO cult began to
  emerge
• Gained more followers in Denver
• Had around 200 followers
• Bo and Peep split the group and announced that
  they would withdraw into the wilderness to
  prepare for the ascension into heaven
• The next 6 months was confusing for th divided
  groups
• Bo and Peep made contact giving a P.O. box
• The members that remained faithful were the
  chosen few qualified to move to the next
  evolutionary level
• Needed disciplined training to rid themselves of
  their earthly bodies (container)

10
Even more history

• The group was withdrawn from culture
• activities were designed to take emphasis off
  individual and prepare for next kingdom
• Moved near Salt Lake City where members took on
  jobs to help their financial debt
• Inheritance relieved the group of the burden and
  they moved to Denver and again to the Dallas-
  Fort Worth area
• This drifting lifestyle and rejection of worldly
  materials were characteristics of the group
• Computer business called Higher Source
• Provided them with the money needed to rent a
  mansion in Rancho Santa Fe.
• Mass suicide on March 26, 1997

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Primary Beliefs

• Combined Christianity with unusual beliefs about
  UFOs
• Interpreted passages from 4 gospels of Revelation
  as referring to UFO visitation
• Applewhite and Nettles believed themselves to be
  the two witnesses killed and taken to heaven into
  the clouds
• Earth in control of evil forces
• The group would be amond the few elite that would
  go to heaven

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More Beliefs

• Perceived themselves as dualistic
• Their soul was superior entity housed in
  temporary body
• 2000 years ago extraterrestrial came to earth
  from Kingdom of Heaven
• 1920s Do and Ti return to earth and are
  separated
• Sexless lifestyles
• Silence, fasting, celibacy
• UFOs to bring humans to higher level
• Through suicide, they can move to next life

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References

• "Death, Virginity, Armageddon, Space Alien" The
  Legacy of the Heaven's Gate New Age UFO suicide
  Cult 1997 Heaven's Gate A Profile Michael
  Nielsen's Mirror of "Heaven's Gate"
  http//answers.org/cultsandreligion/hgate.html
  http//www.rickross.com/reference/heavensgate/gat
  e15.html http//www.rickross.com/reference/genera
  l/gurus.html http//www.witchvox.com/cases/hgcomm
  ents.html http//www.cnn.com/US/9703/28/applewhit
  e/index.html http//www.cnn.com/US/9803/25/heaven
  s.gate/ http//www.religioustolerance.org/dc_high
  e.htm