Heaven's Gate Cult Analysis

Now that an operational framework has been constructed, it is also important to note that not all cults are the same. Ronald Enroth (1987), a leading cult expert in his day, has divided cults into five different groups, with a sixth variation. These groups are Eastern Mystical, Aberrant Christian, Psychospiritual/Self-Improvement, Ecletic-Synetistic and Psychic-Occult-Astral. The sixth variation is New Age, but the five categories previously stated can all fall into New Age thinking. In order to better understand each of these categories, it may be best to examine a cult from some of these categories.
The Branch Davidians led by David Koresh and the People’s Temple led by Jim Jones are both Aberrant Christian groups. The Branch Davidians broke …show more content…
Heaven’s Gate was led by two individuals. These two people left their spouses and children to start Heaven’s Gate. They went through numerous name changes as leaders. First, people called them Bo and Peep, but later they had them switch to Do and Ti. And finally they went only by The Two. According to a History Channel documentary produced by Martin (2002) they took this name from the book of Revelations, the two were sent to prepare the world for the second coming. Before they took on these different names Marshall and Bonnie were normal people. He was the son of a Presbyterian pastor.
This group remained relatively small. Heaven’s Gate made many predictions as to when the world was going to end, but their most famous estimation remains with Hale Bop. They believed that this comet would have a companion that would beam them up to a spaceship. This ship was going to transport them to heaven. While the leaders of these four cults are very different in the way that all people are, they share some characteristics. Most leaders of cults do. According to Enroth, most cults are led by someone who is charismatic, can direct the energy that people have, is enthusiastic, can provide spiritual food, and is able to elicit a sense of loyalty (1987). Cult leaders also tend to be self-appointed and put the focus on themselves (Singer & Lalich, …show more content…
They both grew up in the Deep South just after desegregation started. But things were too hard for the girls and their father in the south. They moved north to Indiana. But the churches there were not accepting of black members either. So they took to watching the TV evangelists. One day they stumbled upon Jim Jones’ sermon at the Peoples Temple. He preached equality and the choir was integrated. The sisters visited the church one Sunday and were warmly welcomed, but the church was far away and getting ready took a while, as did catching the street

Show More

Related Documents: Heaven's Gate Cult Analysis

Heaven's Gate Cult Analysis

Psych Review Notes