Marshall Herff Applewhite and Bonnie Lu Nettles believed they were heavenly messengers sent from outer space to Earth to recruit humans and help them reach the next Evolutionary Level. For two decades, a handful of converts followed the teachings and worked on shedding their humannesses until they eventually shed their "containers" in a mass suicide in March 1997.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources

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Zeller, Benjamin E. Heaven's Gate: America's UFO Religion. NYU Press, 2014.