Heaven's Gate, ten years later

[bananas]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20070318-9999-lz1n18heaven.html

Heaven's Gate revisited

Ten years ago, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult committed mass suicide inside a Rancho Santa Fe mansion. First responders are still haunted by the gruesome discovery.

By J. Harry Jones
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

March 18, 2007

Ten years ago next week, one of the strangest events in county history exploded into the public's consciousness. For several days, it was the biggest news story in the world.

It began unfolding the afternoon of Wednesday, March 26, 1997, during a period when the Hale-Bopp comet could be seen in the night sky.

Inside a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult lay dead. Convinced that a spaceship was traveling behind the comet and that they would be transported to the vessel to begin a new life “beyond human,” they had poisoned themselves. Twenty-one women and 18 men died by eating pudding and applesauce laced with phenobarbital and other drugs – the largest mass suicide on U.S. soil.

<snip>

But the first male body Stanley examined caused her to worry about her skills. She couldn't find the man's testicles.

<snip>


"Doh"

[EvolveOrConvolve]

1. And the spaceship has still not been found (surprise!)

Stupid cults.

With the freedom of religion comes the responsibility to practice your religion without killing all the adherents.

[trotsky]

2. Interesting case, especially for those who defend their own religion...

by pointing to martyrs willing to die for their beliefs, as if that were somehow unique to their religion or showed it to be true.

[MistressOverdone]

3. Very strange episode

and for some odd reason it always reminds me of a SNL skit.

Not saying it was funny, but something about their leader. Or maybe coneheads?

And it really has kind of faded into the woodwork, hasn't it?