Page 35 - 20090506 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - May / June 2009

35 Doomsday & Doomsday Cults 35 Doomsday & Doomsday Cults Doomsday & into the future, however, to know for certain temporarily in a body. Applewhite said that Doomsday & bodies were only "the temporary containers of which of the doomsayers are right. We should Doomsday Cults be able to weed out the Chicken Littles like the soul...The final act of metamorphosis or Doomsday Cults Richard Noone and Walter Wagner rather easily separation from the human kingdom is the Continued from Page 33 Continued from Page 33 and without much controversy. The task is more 'disconnect' or separation from the human difficult when evaluating the claims of those physical container or body in order to be As noted above, however, not all who see a future of catastrophic destruction released from the human environment." doomsayers are religious prophets. Some look from climate change, genetic engineering, They believe that about 2000 years ago, to science as the likely cause of the end of the various forms of pollution, or depletion of a group of extra-terrestrials came to earth from world. I grew up during the so-called Cold War, natural resources. We have to be careful of the the Kingdom of Heaven (the "Next Level"). when the United States and the former Soviet bandwagon effect from consensus viewpoints, One of these was "Do". He was given Union tried to outpace each other in developing as well as of contrarian claims masquerading as instructions by "Ti", his female companion, nuclear weapons. What began as a race to significant objections to the consensus. There whom he referred to as his "Heavenly Father." develop the most powerful weapons of mass will never be universal consensus among He left his body behind, transported to Earth in destruction in history gradually gave way to a scientists and other informed people regarding a space-ship, and incarnated (moved into) a philosophical position known as nuclear these controversial issues. Any action taken will human body, that of Jesus Christ. A second deterrence. Even though both sides eventually have to be based on probability and carry with it group of extra-terrestrials returned to earth, had enough weapons to destroy our species some degree of uncertainty. We need fear being starting in the 1920's. Do was the Captain of this many times over, neither side would use its wrong much less than we need fear having ideas expedition; Ti was the Admiral. They each weapons because to do so meant extinction for stifled because they don't fit with someone's moved into a human body, but somehow them as well. Now the great fear is that nuclear political agenda. We may make the right became scattered. Do and Ti held public material will get into the hands of terrorists or a decisions for the wrong reasons, but that hope is meetings to disseminate their beliefs. They were rogue nation like Iran, which might use the not a principle the future of our planet should pleasantly surprised to find that most of their weapon against Israel. Some end-times depend on. converts were the long-lost crew members. doomsayers might long for such a day, because Members called themselves brother and they believe that Israel will be the site of the last sister; they looked upon themselves as monks HEAVEN'S GATE battle on Earth, at Armageddon, mentioned HEAVEN'S GATE and nuns; they lived communally in a large, above. In fact, despite the widespread Christian / UFO believers rented San Diego County (CA) home which Christian / UFO believers destruction terrorists or Iran might cause, it is they called their monastery. Most members had unlikely that they will bring about the end of the little contact with their families of origin or with world. In any case, if they do, the irony will be Heaven's Gate is a destructive, their neighbors. Many followed successful that the only reason some obscure passage in doomsday cult centered in California. 21 professional careers before entering the group. one book of the Bible had anything to do with women and 18 men voluntarily committed Some abandoned their children before joining. the end of the world is that some people, in their suicide in three groups on three successive days They were free to leave at any time. They zest for the end of life on Earth, hastened the starting on 1997-MAR-23. Most were in their dressed in unisex garments: shapeless black event by rationalizing that their bad behavior 40's; the rest covered an age range of 26 to 72. shirts with Mandarin collars, and black pants. was God's will. 1 Two months later, two additional members, They were required commit themselves to a A recent example of the belief that Charles Humphrey and Wayne Cooke attempted celibate life. Eight of the male members, science will bring about the end of the world suicide in a hotel room a few miles from the including Do, submitted to voluntary castration. concerns the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), Rancho Santa Fe mansion; Cooke succeeded. This seems to have been a form of preparation buried in the mountains on the Swiss/French Humphrey tried again in the Arizona desert for their next level of existence: in a life that border. Before it was turned on, some non- during 1998-FEB and was successful. would be free of gender, sexual identity and scientists feared it would create a black hole that "Heaven's Gate" was the latest of three sexual activity. would devour us. A lawyer in Hawaii named organizations founded by Marshall Herff The group supported themselves Walter Wagner sounded the alarm. According to Applewhite and Bonnie "Ti" Lu Trusdale through a commercial effort called Higher Bob Park, Wagner "read far too much science Nettles, a.k.a. "The Two." The first was Human Source which designed WWW pages for a fiction as a youth" and "fantasizes that he is a Individual Metamorphosis (HIM) which they profit. They also used the Internet as a physicist by virtue of an undergraduate biology organized in 1975. They traveled to the recruitment tool; they have a site called degree with a minor in physics." Wagner Colorado desert to wait for the arrival of a UFO. Heaven's Gate. On their site, Applewhite worries that the LHC is "a doomsday machine None came. Bonnie Nettles died of cancer in (calling himself the "Present Representative") that ... is posed to destroy the world by creating 1985. Applewhite organized a new group called drew parallels between himself and the spirit a black hole." How? By smashing particles into Total Overcomers Anonymous or "TOA" in from Heaven that occupied the body of Jesus one another. Scientists aren't too worried, since 1993. They placed an ad in USA Today, Christ. Their main page says: "As was promised nature has been smashing particles into one announcing that the Earth's present civilization - the keys to Heaven's Gate are here again in Ti another on Earth and on the Moon for billions of was about to be "recycled." Applewhite and Do (The UFO Two) as they were in Jesus years with much greater energy than the LHC originally went by the nickname "Bo", and more and His Father, 2000 years ago". They will be able to muster. So far no black holes recently was called "Do" (pronounced "Doe"). discussed their task is "to work individually on have occurred on either the Earth or the Moon, Marshall moved to San Diego County CA with our personal overcoming and change, in and last I checked, both were still floating in the group, now renamed "Heaven's Gate", and preparation for entering the Kingdom of space with one orbiting the other. lived on to become one of the 39 suicides. Heaven." Their web site was taken over by the Some people think that the attraction of They followed a syncretistic religion, FBI, but some individuals were able to doomsday thoughts is linked to the desire to combining elements of Christianity with download the site files and create mirrors at find meaning and significance in life.* unusual beliefs about the nature of UFOs. They various locations. Apparently, some people's lives seem worthless interpreted passages from the four gospels and Marshall Herff Applewhite was gay. unless they can die and live some other sort of the book Revelation as referring to UFO There are rumors that he had one or more affairs existence in a dream world populated by spirits visitation. In particular, they emphasized a story with male students when he was a music who spend eternity worshipping their maker. I in Revelation which described two witnesses teacher. He is believed to have checked himself think we can safely ignore the religious end- who are killed, remained dead for 3 1/2 days, in to a hospital over two decades ago in order to times doomsayers. were revived and taken up into the clouds. They overcome his homosexual feelings. This The same can't be said for all those who look upon earth as being in the control of evil occurred when many therapists believed that a warn us of impending doom if we don't change forces, and perceived themselves as being person's sexual orientation could be changed. our ways. Some of our behaviors may turn out among the elite who would attain heaven. They Needless to say, the therapy was unsuccessful. to lead to truly catastrophic destruction of our held a profoundly dualistic belief of the soul as planet and our species. Nobody can see that far being a superior entity which is only housed Continued on Page 36