Eng-121-1n: Why Did the 39 Members of Heaven’s Gate Commit Suicide?

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The behaviors of the cult members were related to the behaviors of the Old Catholic Vatican II church as mentioned in “The Lessons of Heaven’s Gate.” Richard P. McBrien states that in the old Vatican church rituals just like the Heaven’s Gate cult rituals, the communication was kept to a minimum, and there were very strict rules about interaction with the outside world, including family and friends. The isolation from the outside world made the members of the cult and the church alike focus more and more about life after death and the next level in the cult’s case.

The 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate cult all wanted something more. They were looking for unity and a sense of belonging. The cult offered them exactly that. All the members were not all there in their heads hence why they all went to extreme measures of committing suicide. They believed in things that were not real to have that sense of unity. They truly believed in all the absurd things such as UFOs and a level above human and that is why they committed suicide.

Works Cited

McBrien, Richard P. "The Lessons of Heaven's Gate." National Catholic Reporter 33.25 (1997):

16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.

Wegner, Willy. “Heaven’s Gate- Ascent to Madness, Part 1.” SkepticReport. Trans. By Claus

Larsen. Part 1. 1 Jun. (2008): N.P. SkepticReport. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

Wegner, Willy. “Heaven’s Gate- Ascent to Madness, Part 2.” SkepticReport. Trans. By Claus

Larsen. Part 2. 1 Aug. (2009): N.P. SkepticReport. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

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