The mysterious alien sect where 39 members commit suicide: Heaven’s Gate

A number of interesting cults and cults have emerged over a long period of time, from ancient times to modern times. Almost all of these mystery sects had ideas and beliefs that seemed very strange to the vast majority of people. The sect that emerged in the United States in the early 1970s and was called Heaven’s Gate brought together people who shared an interesting belief.

Members of the sect use Christian concepts such as Jesus, Christ, the Bible, God, and an angel, but in reality they were talking about aliens, UFOs, higher consciousness, and transformation into supernatural beings. The fame of this hedonistic cult peaked in 1997, when 39 of its members committed mass suicide. Here’s what you need to know about the Heaven’s Gate Cult, one of the most mysterious and intriguing formations of the recent past.

The foundations of the Heaven’s Gate cult were laid by a man named Marshall Herv Applewhite and a woman named Bonnie Lou Nettles

In 1972, the year they met, the two were going through a very painful period spiritually. Nettles claims to have received many “revelations” from spirit beings and angels, while Applewhite was examining the “end of the world” narratives in religious texts, trying to shake his mental depression in this way.

Applewhite and Nettles developed an unusual belief system in 1974. They would talk about the Bible, about Jesus, and about God and angels to the people around them. But what they really meant were aliens and UFOs

According to the duo, the “beings to be believed” were aliens, beings higher than humans. At their meetings, they often mentioned that aliens would come to Earth, destroy it, or at least change it.

Also, in this interesting belief system developed by Applewhite and Nettles, he would rescue “believers who are ready to take it to the next level” before aliens destroy Earth. Later, Applewhite and Nettles began to see themselves as “the Witnesses”, which also found a place in Christian narratives. In the narrative given in the Bible, two witnesses will be killed and resurrected after witnessing the end of the world.

However, the way they interpreted this testimony and the scriptures they attributed to themselves was somewhat different. For example, in Christian narratives, it was said that the prophet Jesus would ascend to heaven in a cloud. But to Applewhite and Nettles, the cloud rising into the sky was nothing more than a UFO. The duo believed in extraterrestrial technology, not miracles, and found a path to redemption through alien worship.

In 1975, they began publishing their own beliefs. They became prominent figures in the world of “alternative faith” in the American states of California and Oregon.

The duo, who begin to share their beliefs with people, explain in their meetings that life on Earth is an intermediate world where humanity learns to fight “evil aliens”, transcend the human body and transform into perfect beings. Many quickly embraced the narrative that aliens, a superior life form, are true gods and will save the faithful. There has been a significant increase in the number of followers of the duo.

The members of the Heaven’s Gate Sect had never referred to themselves by that name. They called their community “class”.

Nettles and Applewhites were seen as “teachers”. Those who followed them were called “students”. Cult members often use the term “classmate” when talking about each other.

As the Heaven’s Gate Sect’s reputation increased, so did the number of members.

During this period, “teachers” Nettles and Applewhite begin to claim that they are aliens sent to Earth to prepare humanity for its imminent death. The duo changed their names to “Ti” and “Do”. As the number of members increased, the order gradually took on the identity of a monastery.

Heaven’s Gate was able to create its own rituals as well as its own belief system.

Ti and Do asked their students, who were trying to prepare for emancipation, to end their relationship with their families, “celibacy” was offered as a prerequisite for joining the sect, and members were required to wear Star Trek-inspired uniforms.

Bonnie Lou Nettles, OT, as she was in the cult, died in 1985.

This unexpected death of Ti caused a serious break in the belief system of the Heaven’s Gate Sect. Because the sect members were told that they would transform into superior beings both physically and mentally while they were still alive. However, his teachers died before he could transform into a higher being. For this reason, a very interesting method was found to overcome the crisis of faith in the sect. More precisely, a new paradigm of faith was developed.

After Tee’s death, the cult members were told that they had to “get rid of their imperfect human bodies to get to the next level, to have an alien mind and body”!

Many members of the cult considered themselves “an alien temporarily imprisoned in a human body.” For this reason, the idea of ​​getting rid of imperfect human bodies was easily adopted among the members of the sect.

The members of Heaven’s Gate chose March of 1997 to dispose of human bodies and transform them into superior beings!

Because at that time, scientists announced that the comet named Hale-Bopp would be closest to Earth in March 1997. In other words, this star, which is 1000 times brighter than Halley’s comet, will be visible to the naked eye from Earth. However, this event was much more than a rare normal occurrence for the members of Heaven’s Gate. The expected mark was approaching.

On the night between March 22nd and March 23rd, the members of Heaven’s Gate took the last step they needed to take to “shake off destruction”, “graduate” and “take their place at the gates of Heaven”!

39 cult members, including Marshall Herve Applewhite, committed mass suicide while crossing the comet, hoping to welcome the aliens and raise their consciousness into the heavens.

After this suicide incident, which was met with great surprise all over the world, some video recordings made by the members of the sect came to light. In the pictures, the sect members were happily talking about how they couldn’t wait to start their new lives…