The Cult Of The Heavens' Gate

In 1997, the abnormally bright Hale - Bopp comet flared up a spectacular scenery of light in the night sky. On one extreme, its appearance frightened the astronomers whereas on the other, it brought with itself the most unanticipated misery to the families, a mass suicide tied with an extraterrestrial cosmic belief. It was a cult called ‘The Heavens’ Gate’ that had a firm faith that the Earth would be recycled (rejuvenated, wiped clean, born again) before the year 2027 and the only probability for the survival of their consciousness was to willfully leave their human bodies or as they called it, ‘vehicles’ at an appointed time.

The Events

On March 20’ 1997, prophet Marshall Apple White taped himself speaking of ‘mass suicide and the only way to evacuate this earth’. In the recording, he said that a spacecraft was tailing the Hale - Bopp comet and that this event would represent the closure of the heavens’ gate. He believed that after their deaths, a UFO would extract their souls to another level of existence above the humans. Between 22 - 26 March 1997, the members took phenobarbital usually used to prevent seizures with applesauce, pudding and ingested it with vodka. Also, they wrapped their heads to prompt asphyxiation. The process followed by them was even more disturbing. Once a member was dead, a living member would arrange the body by removing the plastic bag followed by posing it and laying it neatly on its own bed and then doing the same thing with themselves and this continued until every member was no more.

After Events

39 people died, including their leader prophet Marshall Apple White; the UFO religious cult had performed their act of negligence towards the society. This group revealed that they were against suicide but elucidated it in their own form ‘to turn their human bodies against the next level when offered’. After the happening, foolish truths rose about them. The men and women went through castration and hysterectomy respectively to live a highly ascetic lifestyle. The website through which the cult shared its activities and information still exists.

The last words from them are as follows -

“The joy is that our older member in the evolutionary level above the humans (Kingdom of Heaven) has made us clear that Hale - Bopps’ approach is the ‘marker’ we’ve been waiting for - the arrival of the spacecraft from the next level will take us home to ‘their world’ - in the literal heaven. Our 22 years of classroom here on planet Earth is finally coming to a conclusion - ‘graduation’ from the human evolutionary level. We are happily prepared to leave ‘this world’.”

Nobody Can Halt The Beliefs And The Setbacks

The Heavens' Gate cult got a wide coverage in media and got itself distinguished with setting an example of mass suicides. This caused many other subsequent deaths with notes left pointing to the same belief. After the news got fame, the co - discoverer of the Hale - Bopp comet, Alan Hale was pushed into the case. His phone 'never stopped ringing that entire day. He was exhausted and the he had to declare at the press conference the next day.

Dr. Hale discussed the scientific importance and the popular belief systems related to the comet. He also mentioned that before 'the Heavens Gate' was formed, he had told one of his colleagues that they are probably going to have some suicides. The depressing part here was he wasn't surprised.

Comets are appealing, substantial and esoteric astronomical objects but they can never have any holocaustic, momentous or apocalyptic significance and we must utilize our precious minds to not get caught in events like these.