Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Review: Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults , directed by Clay Tweel; Heaven’s Gate , hosted by Glenn Washington; The Cult Next Door: The Mystery and Madness of Heaven’s Gate, a Diane Sawyer Special , produced by ABC 20/20

2022; University of California Press; Volume: 26; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1525/nr.2022.26.2.98

1541-8480

Catherine Wessinger,

Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices

On 22 March 1997, thirty-nine members of the Heaven’s Gate class, including Marshall Herff Applewhite, “exited” planet Earth by means of suicide. Several former members of the class who still believed in the teachings subsequently exited. Two different media productions—a four-episode documentary on HBO Max and a ten-episode podcast—do a good job of helping viewers understand the UFO group known as Heaven’s Gate. A third media production, an ABC 20/20 documentary, aired in 2022. While of interest to scholars, this documentary, featuring broadcast journalist Diane Sawyer, falls into the category of sound-bite reporting on cults.The episodes of Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults began airing on HBO Max in December 2020. The documentary humanizes and gives voice to class members and reveals footage and perspectives about Heaven’s Gate not previously seen. The viewer sees the young Bonnie Lu Nettles and Marshall Herff Applewhite (later known as Ti and Do). There are familiar shots of Do, as well as scenes of members of the Heaven’s Gate class, reflections of former members, and interviews with family members and a former lover still grieving the loss of their loved ones. Nettles’ daughter Terrie remains hurt by her mother leaving with Applewhite in 1973 and not being informed in 1985 that her mother was in a Dallas hospital dying of cancer. Kelly Cooke, the daughter of two Heaven’s Gate believers who committed suicide on separate dates in 1997, still grapples with why her parents left her.Episode 1, “The Awakening,” examines the beginning of the spiritual journey of Nettles and Applewhite and how they attracted their first followers. Episode 2, “The Chrysalis,” explains that the purpose of the class was to transform each student into an extraterrestrial being suitable for eternal life in The Level Above Human (TELAH)—the Next Level. Episode 3, “The Second Harvest,” looks at the outreach to acquire additional members from 1991 to 1995. It presents information on the castrations performed on some of the men as recounted by a former member who calls himself Sawyer, as well as the influence of Star Trek on the group’s imagining of the Next Level. It also discusses the effect the 1993 Branch Davidian tragedy had on their thoughts about how they would accomplish their goal, and their earliest commitment to depart Earth by killing their bodies (their “vehicles”) in 1994. Finally, Episode 4, “The Exit,” reviews the decision and planning for Do and thirty-eight class members to exit by means of assisted suicide to join Ti on her mothership. Rio DiAngelo, a former member, describes how he discovered the bodies. The suicides of several additional believers, the thoughts of their grieving loved ones, and the insights of former members who still believe conclude the series.Religion scholar Reza Aslan discusses cognitive dissonance among class members that would have been prompted by Ti’s death and her apparent failure to transform her earthly body into an eternal extraterrestrial body. This required Do to provide a reinterpretation of how they would achieve their goal (Episode 2).New religions scholars Robert Balch and Benjamin E. Zeller play prominent roles in the series. As a sociologist and a historian of religions, respectively, Balch and Zeller, along with sociologist David Taylor, provide descriptive information, and their conclusions are based on the factual evidence they report. The series also features cultic studies scholars Janja Lalich and Steven Hassan. Lalich provides useful information on the Heaven’s Gate group, and she is convinced that members were brainwashed. Hassan states that people who join cults are unaware of the manipulation and behavior modification techniques used against them (Episode 3). The documentary permits viewers to assess for themselves the different researchers’ perspectives on Heaven’s Gate and the question of brainwashing/mind control, so it could be used as the basis for class discussions about different approaches to the study of new religious movements/cults.The television series utilizes materials that were uncovered during research for the earlier Heaven’s Gate podcast hosted by Glenn Washington, an experienced producer and podcast host. Washington takes an empathetic approach to the Heaven’s Gate members, in part because he was raised in Herbert W. Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God, in which members expected the imminent Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Washington’s underlying question in the podcast is “how can you tell when [a movement] has turned poisonous…how can you know that now is the moment I have to get out or all is lost?” (Episode 1, 31:24). Heaven’s Gate and other groups are called cults throughout the ten episodes, but Washington’s sense of connection to the Heaven’s Gate members prevents him from dehumanizing them. His primary consultant is Benjamin E. Zeller, author of Heaven’s Gate: America’s UFO Religion (2014). Zeller presents information about Heaven’s Gate without having to compete much with cultic studies scholars over interpretation, although Steven Hassan is interviewed in Episode 7.The ten episodes of the podcast provide an extensive history of the group. The first episode, “The Seekers,” introduces Heaven’s Gate members and clarifies the goal of the host. The spiritual evolution of Nettles and Applewhite and their recruitment practices are covered in Episode 2, “The Two.” Episode 3, “The Mothers,” details the activities of Nancie Brown, who founded a family support network while hoping to hear from her son David Moore. It also reveals that Bonnie Nettles/Ti remained in contact with her daughter Terrie by means of letters and phone calls. In Episode 4, “The Host,” Glenn Washington recounts his own experiences growing up in a cult and coming to think critically about its interpretations of the Bible. Episode 5, “The Tape,” presents an audiotape Do sent to Terrie Nettles, apologizing for not informing her that her mother was dying and expressing his own grief and vulnerability.According to former member Sawyer, the group possessed a book on assisted suicide from the Hemlock Society. More indications of Do’s planning to die are revealed in Episode 6, “The Choice,” in the discussion of the occasion in September 1994 when he asked his students if they were willing to lay down their bodies to reach TELAH. Several members, including Frank Lyford, who joined with Erika Ernst, eventually decided to leave. Episode 7, “The Programming,” discusses whether the self-discipline undertaken by members to remove their human attachments was brainwashing, with former members, Zeller, and Hassan weighing in. The parents of class member Gail Maeder describe their unsuccessful efforts in a telephone call to persuade her to come home for a visit. Hassan asserts, “Yes, there was brainwashing and mind control in Heaven’s Gate. And while there was the illusion of choice, of agency, there really wasn’t” (34:35). Washington refers to the scholarly research that challenges the brainwashing thesis. He explains that the brainwashing concept is utilized by relatives to avoid concluding that their loved ones made choices they find abhorrent and it enables them to put all the blame on the leader. Washington provides personal insights as he recalls his questioning of Worldwide Church of God teachings.Episode 8, “The Unknowns,” considers “what-if” questions relating to Applewhite, Jim Simpson who committed suicide in May 1997, and an unnamed former class member. Episode 9, “The Comet,” focuses on the arrival of the Hale-Bopp comet and what it signified to the group. Audio from videotaped “exit statements” made on 19 March 1997 by class members provide their reasoning for the exit to come on 22 March. The last episode, “The Class,” discusses how members enjoyed being with each other and presents the final reflections of former members, relatives, Zeller, and Washington. The host concludes that empathy can “fill the gap” where unanswered questions remain. Washington observes that “the same beliefs and fiery devotions that draw us together and bond us to one another…can turn on us in an instant and burn us to the ground” (49:46).Members of the Heaven’s Gate class were attempting to eliminate their human attachments in order to become eternal extraterrestrials in the Next Level. At the same time, their humanity and strong bonds with each other and their teachers were major factors in their decision to implement assisted suicide as a type of group Rapture to the Next Level. The HBO Max documentary and the Glenn Washington podcast reveal the continuing deep grief experienced by their parents, children, siblings, and former lovers—the ones they left behind.The ABC 20/20 documentary with Diane Sawyer first aired on 11 March 2022. The documentary begins with short clips of video footage presented in the chop-chop MTV style, which in this case has the effect of conveying to the viewer that the documentary is treating a sensationalized topic. The ABC 20/20 documentary contains some good information, but it is mixed with so many briefly shown images and interview sound bites that the humanity of the class members does not come through. The grief of loved ones left behind is not given enough time to be fully expressed in a manner that would elicit empathy from viewers.New religious movements scholars in the ABC 20/20 documentary include Robert Balch and Benjamin E. Zeller. The cultic scholars are Janja Lalich and Steven Hassan. It is not clear why other types of specialists are included, since they have no expertise on Heaven’s Gate. The fast-paced presentation of brief interview clips interspersed with other video clips likely makes it difficult for a viewer to get a sense of the differences in the research methods and assumptions being represented by the researchers of Heaven’s Gate.The ABC 20/20 documentary focuses on the early life experiences of Applewhite, with nothing on Nettles’ life before she and Applewhite met—probably because her daughter, Terrie Nettles, did not participate in this documentary. The viewer learns a little more about Applewhite’s life before meeting Nettles in a hospital in Houston, possibly when he was suffering from an anxiety attack. This documentary conveys the message that members of the Heaven’s Gate class were manipulated by Applewhite, whose spiritual journey began with his sense of shame for being gay, which was reinforced by rejection by his Presbyterian minister father who said he was destined for hell.The treatment of serious topics in the documentary are too short to produce thoughtful reflection and discussion in classrooms. Scholars of Heaven’s Gate and new religious movements will want to view the ABC 20/20 documentary to glean information from persons who have not been interviewed before, including people who left the class and people who knew Applewhite when he was younger. Diane Sawyer’s interview with Rio DiAngelo, who chose not to reveal his face to the camera, is particularly bad. Sawyer makes no effort to maintain an unbiased approach, and looks at him with pity visible on her face during the interview.I found it useful to watch the HBO Max documentary series first and then listen to the more detailed podcast episodes. As of 2022, this documentary continues to air on HBO Max and is not yet available as a DVD. The podcast is available at no charge on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and TuneIn. A single episode or the entire documentary is suitable for classroom use, as are selected episodes of the podcast or the entire podcast. These two media productions are important resources for new religions scholars and their students. While scholars will want to watch the ABC 20/20 documentary, I do not view it as suitable for assignment in courses, because it reinforces the essentialist cult stereotype frequently promoted by news media.