Heaven's Gate (cult)

Heaven's Gate was an American UFO-based religious group founded in the 1970s by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles.

Heaven's Gate was an American UFO-based religious group that became internationally known after 39 members died by mass suicide in March 1997.

What it was

Founded in the early 1970s by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles, Heaven's Gate combined Christian millenarian ideas, New Age beliefs, and ufology. Members believed they could discard their human bodies and ascend to a higher extraterrestrial realm called the "Next Level."

The 1997 mass suicide

In March 1997, 39 members died in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The event was linked to the appearance of Comet Hale-Bopp, which the group believed accompanied a spacecraft that would carry them to the Next Level. It became one of the most widely reported mass-casualty events associated with a religious movement in the United States.

Why it matters

Heaven's Gate is historically notable for its use of the internet for outreach and the unusual circumstances of its mass suicide. For Canadian readers, it serves primarily as a case study in new religious movements, cult dynamics, and media history.