The Cult of Heaven’s Gate
In March of 1997, 39 members of Heaven's Gate participated in a mass ritual suicide, believing that upon death their souls would be transported to a spaceship trailing behind the Hale-Bopp Comet. Ultimately, they hoped this act would bring them to a new level of spiritual existence. In this talk we explore a brief history of cults to consider how they are created and why people join them. Then we turn our attention to the cult of Heaven's Gate and their final exit from planet Earth, as well as contemplate why they all wore the same pair of Nikes for this monumental event.