Heaven's gate : America's UFO religion PDF
Preview Heaven's gate : America's UFO religion
Heaven’s Gate This page intentionally left blank 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 This page intentionally left blank 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 This page intentionally left blank 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
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