Heaven's Gate

Benjamin E. Zeller is Assistant Professor of Religion at Lake Forest College.Robert W. Balch is Professor of Sociology at the University of Montana.

• Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 Part I Science and the Unification Church Introduction 21 1 Science and the Foundation of Unificationism 25 2 Science and the American Unification Church 46 Part I I Science and the Hare Kri shna Movement Introduction 69 3 Science and the Foundation of the Hare Krishnas 73 4 Science and the Expansion of ISKCON 92 Part I I I Science and Heaven's Gate Introduction 117 5 Science and the Foundation of Heaven's Gate 121 6 Science and the End of Heaven's Gate 142 Conclusion 163 Notes 173 Works Cited 199 Index 221 About the Author 227

"Zellers prose is clear and attractive, and he has a great story to tell, makingHeavens Gatea sparkling read. This book is highly recommended to all interested in new religious movements, apocalypticism, and American religions. Its relevance extends far beyond the small group that became forever notorious in 1997." (Journal of Religious History) "Zeller has written the most thorough work on the cult of Heaven's Gate that is presently available...Zeller provides a thorough presentation, and his 'Why Suicide' chapter is the most comprehensive in this fine publication." (Choice) "A dramatic and engaging story. The writing is crisp and clear, and the argument, particularly about the indebtedness of Heavens Gate to the Bible and Christianity, as well as to New Age and UFO milieux, is well-articulated and persuasive. Zeller effectively captures the particularity of the members of Heavens Gate, why they thought and acted as they did, and what led them to the fateful decisions to take their own lives. In the process he rescues them from being dismissed as mindless 'cult members' and makes understanding them both more challenging and more rewarding. This volume should become the standard reference on Heavens Gate." - Eugene V. Gallagher,author of Why Waco? Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America "Despite the extensive media coverage of the Heavens Gate suicides in 1997, no single-authored academic book has yet been written about this group. This volume thus fills an important gap. This is an extremely valuable book, which should be of interest not merely in academic circles, but more widely. Anyone who has an interest in new religions and wonders how a charismatic leader can persuade 39 people to commit collective suicide will find it a highly readable account of Marshall Herff Applewhite and his followers." - George Chryssides,University of Birmingham "The glare of media attention has long since passed from Heavens Gate and its group suicide in 1997, but Benjamin Zeller now brings a far more discerning light to the movements history, beliefs, and practices. He carefully situates the group within the broader religious culture of the late twentieth century, including its substantial engagement with both Protestant Christianity and New Age currents. In the process, he turns Heavens Gate, an idiosyncratic UFO religion, into one richly emblematic of Americas questing, apocalyptic cultural landscape." - Leigh E. Schmidt,Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in the Humanities, Washington University in St. Loui