Heaven's gate : America's UFO religion

304 Pages·2014·4.58 MB·English

by  Benjamin E. Zeller

Heaven’s Gate
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Heaven’s Gate
America’s UFO Religion
Benjamin E. Zeller
Foreword by Robert W. Balch
a
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
www.nyupress.org
© 2014 by New York University
All rights reserved
References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing.
Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that
may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Zeller, Benjamin E.
Heaven’s gate : America’s UFO religion / Benjamin E. Zeller ; foreword by Robert W. Balch.
 pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4798-0381-1 (cl : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4798-8106-2 (pb : alk. paper)
1.  Heaven’s Gate (Organization) 2.  Cults—United States. 3.  United States—Religion.  I.
Title.
BP605.H36Z45 2014
299’.93—dc23
2014020797
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials
to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Also available as an ebook
For Emily, without whose support this book would not have been written
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Contents
List of Illustrations and Tables ix
Foreword by Robert W. Balch xi
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction 1
1. The Cultural and Religious Origins of Heaven’s Gate 17
2. The Spiritual Quest and Self-Transformation: 43
Why People Joined Heaven’s Gate
3. The Religious Worldview of Heaven’s Gate 64
4. Understanding Heaven’s Gate’s Theology 90
5. Religious Practices in Heaven’s Gate 126
6. Why Suicide?: Closing Heaven’s Gate 171
Afterword: Heaven’s Gate as an American Religion 219
Notes 227
Bibliography 257
Index 275
About the Author 287
>> vii
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list of Illustrations and Tables
Illustrations
1.1: Marshall Herff Applewhite and Bonnie Lu Nettles 30
4.1: Digital illustration of a Next Level alien 101
4.2: Marshall Herff Applewhite (Do) from the satellite series
Beyond Human 118
5.1: Heaven’s Gate member Jmmody building
the “launch pad” 137
5.2: The uniforms worn by members of Heaven’s Gate 143
5.3: A prayer from the “Preparing For Service” booklet 164
6.1: Hale-Bopp comet 209
6.2: Heaven’s Gate departure patches 214
Tables
2.1: Members of Heaven’s Gate at the time of
the 1997 suicides 47
3.1: Annotated Verses of the Two’s Bible, by Biblical Book 94
3.2: Annotated Verses of the Two’s Bible, by Theme 94
6.1: UseNet posts by date and group 189
>> ix