Personal Narrative: Heaven's Gate Cult Suicide

financial donations to many organizations, and she also became a patron of the arts. Her

Two of the last Heaven’s Gate followers “Telah” and “we” keep the Heaven’s Gate website online and promptly respond to any questions through email. March 23, 1997 was when the mass suicide known as Heaven’s Gate occurred in Rancho Santa Fe community of San Diego, California. Thirty-nine members were found dead neatly in bunk beds wearing Nike shoes, black sweat pants, and covered with a purple cloth. The cult started in 1997, when founders Marshall Applewhite, and Bonnie Nettles became “the Two” and gain followers. As the son of a Pastor, Applewhite always saw himself as a preacher, but never fit into mainstream religion due to his alleged homosexual tendencies. Furthermore, the development of Human Individual Metamorphosis (HIM), a New Age religion in which members believed the planet earth would be recycled in order to move to “next level” or heaven, humans give up all attachments to the

When I woke up on April 3rd, 2011, I didn’t expect that later in the day, my whole life would be changed forever. I was aware, however that something was wrong.

help people and influence others to do the same. Doing this she has helped our world

Charismatic leader Marshall Applewhite was an American cult leader who established the Heaven's Gate religious group and composed their mass suicide in 1997. It was the biggest mass suicide to happen in the United States, killing thirty-nine individuals. Applewhite went to a few Uni’s and served in the United States Army when he was younger. In 1972, he created a relationship with Bonnie Nettles, a nurse that tendered him while he was recovering from a heart attack. Together they shared their beliefs and reasoned that they were the ‘two’ or the ‘messengers’.

The four choices consisted of physical pickup, natural death, accidental death, or death from random violence, or outside persecution that leads to death and wilful exit from the human body. Toward the end Applewhite decided that they all would have to leave their bodies just as Jesus did. On March 24,25,26 all 39 members committed suicide and “graduated”. Thirty-eight members plus Applewhite were found dead. They all used a phenobarbital mixed with applesauce and used vodka to wash it down. They were all found with bags on their heads and all wearing identical clothing. Richard Ford was the one member who didn’t kill himself and videotaped the mansion. The mass death of the Heaven’s Gate Cult was so widely publicized in the media it is now believed to be one of the most massive cult suicides in

She overcame many struggles, which she always called opportunities from the Lord. And it was those struggles that made her an amazing counselor, mother and friend. She walked hand and hand with many women of our church watching and guiding them to a closer relationship with Jesus. Her personal and professional life was a quest to give back to people what she found in recovery. To teach everyone that life is a series of events the

She lived a holy life spreading God’s teachings to young girls. After a life of hard work and dedication her beliefs

I was born in the year 2000, the start of the 21st century! My mother, who was born 32 years before me, in 1968. My birth year and her birth year have different key events pertaining to world history, but two events out of 2000, and two events out of 1968, definitely caught my eye. Back in 2000, two tragic airplane crashes occurred (April 8th and July 25th). I can’t forget about 1968! Back in 1968, a massacre (March 16th), and a hostage situation (January 23rd) occurred.

Heaven’s Gate is a California-centered notoriously known ‘destructive doomsday cult’ consisting of women and men ranging from 26 to 72 years old. On the 23rd of March, 1997, 21 women and 18 men voluntarily committed suicide in three groups on three consecutive days (B.A. Robinson, 2009). Heaven’s Gate was the latest of three organisations founded by Marshall Herff Applewhite and Bonnie Lu

Against her father’s wishes, Teresa ran away to become a nun of the Carmelite Order. Although the convent was crowded, she started right away teaching people the power of mental prayer. She did not just teach women, as nuns often did, but men as well. She did not want to entertain people; instead she wanted to change people’s lives. “She guided nuns not just through strict disciplines, but also through the power of love, and common sense” (Pettinger, 2010). She had a heart

I have work experience with Heaven’s Gate Ministries in Newark, DE from January 2012 and currently as the Pastor’s Personal Assistant. Interviews conducted with the parishioners involved highly personal, sensitive and confidentiality involving topics with housing, drugs, pregnancy, finances, crime, and other social issues. These interviews assist with locating the services and resources needed to help the parishioners and community in need of services. Other duties encompass making personal pastoral appointments with community and governmental leaders. Reviewing and contacting applicants to obtain required information for application completeness.

This lead her to follow God’s will, and become a teacher at St Mary’s school, and later become the principle of this school. At the school Mother Teresa, taught history, english and a couple of other subjects to teach the children at the schools. She loved the kids as if they were her own, and equally. Mother Teresa’s second calling was the call to care for the people in the slums of Calcutta, but to do so she needed permission from her superiors, as at this stage Mother Teresa was the principle at St Mary’s. In the following year, Mother Teresa began her work which obeyed God’s call fro her to look after the poor, sick and dying in the streets. Through many difficulties, Mother Teresa obeyed and followed the work which God led her to do, her lives work, and influenced her into making these decisions. The vow of obedience, influence Mother Teresa greatly, in following orders from superiors, and God himself. As said by Mother Teresa, “…by faith, I am catholic. As to my calling, I belong to the world…”, her calling brought her closer to the world, and the calling itself influenced the work which Mother Teresa is known of doing.

Mother Teresa was born in Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia. By 18 she was already serving others as a nun. Later she left with permission to serve the poorest of the poor in Calcutta with nothing to give but her love. She did not care that she was doing it alone with no funds- she just wanted to love them and be there for them. She was so inspiring that people began to fund her work and to come as volunteers. She served till the end and still influences people today.. Her life was the definition of heroism, her life was service and she gave her all to the poor of Calcutta and other poverty stricken areas. She loved all who came to her with an open heart. And that is what made her the hero she is and was- still touching others with the story of her life

There are many people in this world that we consider great humanitarians. Mother Teresa was a unique individual that stood out of the crowd because of her involvement in helping the sick, poor and dying. She spent everyday of her adulthood caring for people that were in need by setting up the Missionary of Charity along with many homes for the people she cared for. Mother Teresa won many awards throughout her lifetime for her dedication to care for people in need. It is no wonder that Mother Teresa won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and is considered a saint.