If anything, the Net can combat that sense of helpless isolation by giving people who feel disconnected from society a chance to connect to each other. Heaven's Gate members apparently tried to capitalize on that aspect of the Net, reaching out to Usenet readers and Internet Relay Chat users with invitations to join their ranks. But the evidence so far suggests their online efforts fell flat. A few smart-ass comments, nothing more. Sure, the Net offers plenty of space for cult leaders to share their sermons with a worldwide audience.
Religious cults predate the Internet by thousands of years.
They were a well-established phenomenon by the time a radical group of Jews split from their brethren to follow a charismatic leader named Jesus Christ. Their persistence owes to that part of the human soul which wonders about its place in the universe and, often enough, isn't satisfied by the usual answers. It's got very little to do with the Internet - something modern journalists will be loathe to admit. This time, at least, the medium is not the message. Columnist Joe Salkowski has made his home online after covering politics for the Arizona Daily Star.