Heaven's Gate

Heaven's Gate was a cult that committed suicide in matching outfits in 1997. It was started by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles in the 1970s. According to them, they were the messengers described in the book of Revelation and would be transported by a giant spaceship into the next level of existence. After Bonnie died, they adopted a belief that they must also die to enter the spacecraft.

When the Hale-Bopp comet was approaching earth, a rumor was started in UFO communities that there was a giant spaceship hidden behind the comet. The Heaven's Gate community believed that this was the spaceship they were waiting for and prepared to liberate their souls from their earthly bodies so they could board the spacecraft. Over the period of three days, 39 members committed suicide, believing that it would provide salvation. It remains the largest mass suicide on U.S. soil.

Other info:

• Everything had to be done in the same way. For example, there was only one acceptable pancake size and only one acceptable way to shave one's face (source)

• Their website is still being operated by former members (source)

• One member survived, believing that he had a purpose in staying on earth. He has written a book and has done interviews about his experience (source)

• Members believed that they could communicate telepathically through secret codes (source)

• Hayden Hewes described his conversion to the cult: "[Marshall] said 'Mr. Hewes, if you ever need to get ahold of me...', [and] gave me a secret code which was mentally praying to Bonnie and her (sic) with the Lord's prayer. And then, about 15, 16 months later, there was widespread publicity about some people that disappeared in Oregon after attending a UFO lecture. So, I decided to use the code. Then, the next morning, received a telephone call, and when he said 'you have now asked,' I thought 'well, maybe these people are, you know, who they say they are'" (source 8:53)

• After creating a website to recruit new members, they were earning nearly $400,000 a year, which allowed them to place a full-page ad in USA Today and other newspapers (source)

• Marshall Applewhite was Fired from his teaching position at the University of Alabama for having sexual relations with a male student. He later hospitalized himself to try to stop his homosexual desires (source ch. 1)

• "Using my own mind," criticizing the leaders or members of the cult, "having private thoughts," and "having likes or dislikes" were all forbidden (source)