The National Public Radio program "Snap Judgment" presents a fascinating history of the "Heaven's Gate" cult that began in 1972 and gained international notoriety in 1997 when 39 of its members committed suicide in a San Diego mansion, with the expectation that they would be carried into another dimension by extraterrestrials. The nearly hour-long program covers the history of the cult, its beliefs, and the cultural influences that encouraged so many to join. One of its major cultural influences was Erich von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods, as discussed by Benjamin Zeller in his book Heaven's Gate: America's UFO Religion (also available from the Rutgers Libraries). Worth a listen, and definitely a viable topic for this class.
I just came across an old episode of Richard Maclean Smith's excellent podcast Unexplained devoted to the Heaven's Gate suicides, which adds quite a lot to the NPR story:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.unexplainedpodcast.com/episodes?offset=1457634600231
And I just realized today that the Heaven's Gate suicides coincided with the Phoenix Lights.
ReplyDeleteI recently noticed that the documentary Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults can be seen on HBO Max. Here is the trailer:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgixLDm-5Ag