|
||
Profile:
Name: Heaven's Gate
Founders: Marshall Herff Applewhite & Bonnie "Ti" Lu Trusdale Nettles, a.k.a. "The Two."
Lineage: New Age > Space Age Religions
History:
Heaven's Gate is a small religious cult once led by Marshall Applewhite before he and 38
followers committed suicide in three groups on three successive days starting on March 23,
1997. They essentially died in shifts, with some helping others injest lethal mixture of
phenobarbital and vodka before taking their own doses.
Heaven's Gate members timed their deaths to coincide with the arrival of the comet Hale-Bopp, an unusuall bright object which they believed was a sign that it was time for them to shed their earthly bodies (or "containers") and be taken up by a spaceship hidden behind the comet that would take them to a higher plane of existence.
A basic principle of the group was sexual repression. Applewhite himself had been fired from his position as a music professor at Houston's University of St. Thomas in 1970 after administrators learned he had been having an affair with a male student. Applewhite checked into psychiatric clinic in order to be cured of his homosexuality and stop the voices he was hearing.
While in the hospital, Applewhite met Bonnie Lu Trousdale Nettles, a nurse, with whom he developed his new brand of spirituality. Together they pledged to renounce all sexuality - a pledge Applewhite sought to reinforce by having himself castrated. They believed that the human body was merely a contained for an asexual soul which could only find salvation in outer space. Together they recruited hundreds of followers across the country, all of whom were expected to dress alike, cut their hair short, and also repress any sexual feelings. Recruitment was greatly aided by the internet, and after the mass suicides there was a great deal of concern about the ability of other, even more dangerous groups to do the same.
A few members who did not commit suicide continue to maintain a web site and distribute information about the group's history and beliefs.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is the Philosophy of Religion?
Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself, rather than the truth of any particular religion.
