THE HEAVEN'S GATE CULT SUICIDES
Have you ever heard of the Heaven's Gate cult? Do you know what happened to its members in 1997? If not, let me tell you a shocking story that still haunts many people who remember it. On March 26, 1997, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult were found dead in a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. They had committed mass suicide by ingesting a lethal mixture of phenobarbital and vodka, with plastic bags over their heads and black clothes and Nike sneakers on their bodies. Why did they do this? What did they believe in? How did they prepare for their final act? In this blog, I will try to answer these questions based on the available evidence and the testimonies of some former members of the cult. I will also reflect on the psychological and sociological factors that may have contributed to this tragic event.