Heaven's Gate

{{hatnote|This article is about the cult, not about the unrelated 1980 film {{wpl|Heaven's Gate (film)|Heaven's Gate|.}}<ref group=note>The film was a complete bomb upon release, but since then reception has warmed considerably thanks to a series of re-cuts that led to the original 1980 cut being declared "one of the greatest injustices of cinematic history". It is confusingly destined to be both one of the worst ''and'' best movies ever made.</ref>}}
[[File:Marshall Applewhite.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Marshall Applewhite.]]{{cults}}
'''Heaven's Gate''' is the name of a [[UFO]] [[cult]], formed in 1974 and most known for the mass suicide of most of its remaining members in 1997. It was founded and led by Do a.k.a. Marshall Herff Applewhite, Jr. {{lived|1931|1997}} and Ti a.k.a. Bonnie Nettles {{lived|1927|1985}}. Under the business name "Higher Source", they did web design work in the time leading up to the mass suicide, and two believers agreed to live on and maintain the cult's website.<ref name=cracked />

==Mass suicide==
They achieved their infamy in 1997 when the 39-strong "Heaven's Gate Away Team" committed mass [[suicide]] in San Diego, [[California]], using phenobarbital mixed with applesauce and chased down with [[alcohol|vodka]], in order to get on board a UFO that they believed (through misinterpretation of a photograph, and [[remote viewing]]) was trailing behind [[comet]] Hale-Bopp (which had come into "close"<ref>How close? [https://web.archive.org/web/19961219054555/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/halebopp.html 1.3 AU, farther away than the sun.]</ref> proximity with [[Earth]]). This particular suicide became famous for the eerie sameness of how all of the cultists died: All of the bodies were discovered wearing matching black sweatsuits, with brand new Nike Decade shoes, and a square of purple cloth covering their faces and torsos.

Two members of the group survived, however, and unusually this was by mutual agreement.  The two stayed behind to spread word about the cult, maintain the Web site (poorly), and answer questions.<ref name=cracked>http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2426-my-life-in-suicide-cult-after-everyone-else-died.html</ref>

The mass suicide also resulted in Nike's Decade sneakers appreciating in value due to the notoriety associated with their use by Heaven's Gate members.

==The Bible==
Despite being a [[PIDOOMA]] [[religion]], Heaven's Gate used [[Bible]] quotes to justify their beliefs, which just goes to show one can justify just about anything with the Bible.<ref>[http://www.heavensgate.com/book/b-1.htm Appendix B: Bible Quotes Primarily from Previous Representatives to Earth from the Evolutionary Level Above Human. Page 1] [http://www.heavensgate.com/book/b-2.htm Page 2] ''"Heaven's Gate": How and When (The Door to the Physical Kingdom Above Level Human) May Be Entered. An Anthology of Our Materials''.</ref>
*"Breaking Away from the World (Discipleship)": 
*"Recognizing, Believing, & Following the Representative from the Kingdom of Heaven":
*"Separating from Human-Mammalian Characteristics":
*"These Last Days":
*"Avoid Being Judgmental":
*"Soul vs. Flesh Body":

==See also==
*[[The Aetherius Society]]
*[[Courtney Brown]]
*[[Jim Jones]]
*[[Scientology]]
*''[[Star Trek]]'' (they used terms from the show, such as "Away Team"; also, one of the dead cultists was the brother of Nichelle Nichols, the actress who played Uhura in the original series)

==External links==
*[http://www.heavensgate.com/ http://www.heavensgate.com] Their homepage, maintained on another server as it was in 1997.
*[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.good.news/browse_thread/thread/2f88d20d7017290b?q=author:Doe%40Ti.Lah A Usenet posting by "Doe"] Archived on Google Groups
*[http://gizmodo.com/the-online-legacy-of-a-suicide-cult-and-the-webmasters-1617403237 The Online Legacy of a Suicide Cult and the Webmasters Who Stayed Behind]
*[http://podcast.sjrdesign.net/shownotes_129.php ''Exposing Pseudoastronomy'' Podcast Episode 129] The Saga of Comet Hale-Bopp and its Fugacious Companion, Part 3

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{stub|ufology}}
[[Category:American religions]]
[[Category:California]]
[[Category:Cults]]
[[Category:Ufology]]

Categories: American religions, California, Cults, Ufology