Heaven's Gate/OBEs

 

Out of body experiences (O.B.E.s) are sensations of leaving your body but being able to observe yourself and things around you. There are many people and groups who claim to have had out of body experiences. O.B.E.s can be used by cults to entice perspective members to join. One such cult was the Heaven’s Gate. The Heaven’s Gate cult was created by a man named Applewhite and a woman named Nettles. This cult preached that Applewhite and Nettles were the key to heaven. The cult considered their bodies “vehicles” for their souls. They were planning a mass suicide to leave their bodies for a spaceship. Eventually, a comet arrived in 1996 which could be seen all over the world. Applewhite took this as a sign and prepared for their suicide. Then in 1997, the whole group committed suicide. They believed that their souls were transported to the ship as they died. The belief that the soul and body are separate is common in our society. The issue that causes mass suicide like this is when people view the soul as almost independent of the body or even better off without it. When this thought is followed through, it can lead to disastrous results.