The Cult Next Door | Heaven's Gate

[@labrynianrebel]

To sum up the cult's beliefs: "I don't want to live on this planet anymore"

[@michielayers3692]

Can I sign up for that one?

[@angelinaAGES]

@@michielayers3692 surprisingly enough there is still people who believe in HG so you're not the only one lol

[@bugzy_brain]

tbh... fair

[@SkepticalMantisCHANNEL10]

@@angelinaAGES there is a channel "3spm" that's run by ex Heaven's Gate member Sawyer. He still believes.

[@PlutoPigeon]

Mood this planets fucked

[@PlazmaticBrony]

I would be over the moon if you could do a deep dive of the Aum Shinrikyo cult that was behind the 1995 Sarin Attacks on the Tokyo Subway. They actually had some absolutely bonkers connections (same flight school as the 9/11 hijackers, were actually rather close to acquiring a nuke, owned a Russian military helicopter, etc.)

[@soullesspinkamenapinkamena1747]

"over the moon" I think the heavens gate cult beat you to that xD

[@PlazmaticBrony]

@@soullesspinkamenapinkamena1747 over the moon on their own LSD, only thing they were really good at XD

[@soullesspinkamenapinkamena1747]

@@PlazmaticBrony x3

[@BWalsh737]

This is a great idea @LoreLodge. Holla atcha boy.

[@BWalsh737]

@@soullesspinkamenapinkamena1747 Ha. Well said.

[@N0Faltz]

"Is THAT where this story is going?" *sigh* "EEYUP" Love these guys and everything they do!

[@emperortrevornorton3119]

It is the funniest deer in the headlights sort of confused look as he said eeyup

[@niceguynevermind999]

Lol

[@ewrgaming]

“If your parents were around in the 90’s.” My parents were around in the 1950’s but I was born in 2001 lol

[@settame1]

Heavens gate made their money being one of the largest early web developers. Something like 40% of early 90s websites were developed by Heavens Gate.

[@BlueBonnie764]

What a waste, to follow this madman into HELL. 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@jimboscooter432]

I believe it, tech workers are always a bunch of cult members

[@EShirako]

They were apparently pretty good at their job, at least for that era. I was alive in that era and had heard their name as a web-developer for a few of my IT clients. I never realized they were a religious thing, though I'd guessed they might well be from their name. I never did worry about it; they did their jobs and provided the files and that's all *I* needed to care about as a server administrator. They never said anything insane to me, and never hinted at anything strange that I'd noticed...so to ME, they seemed to be good, solid workers and not at all 'cult-y'. When they all turned up dead I was as surprised as anyone else. And for whatever it's worth, I don't recall any of my clients being left in the lurch by them not completing any remaining projects, though I did work through a project manager a lot of the time so I can't swear to that. I don't recall any complaints about them failing to deliver their promised work before 'ascending', though. It's funny to realize that I had no complaints about a cult's IT work output, but I just didn't. They did their thing, delivered almost always on-time and as-expected. Very curious.

[@SinoLegionaire]

A lot of their members were programmers, computer engineers, and computer savvy folks too. Suspicious…. As programmer of sorts nowadays there surely something ain’t right with us lmao.

[@marz-95]

In the early 2000s I had a ska band called "Marshall and The Applewhites"

[@dbensdrawinvids8390]

Got any music left over?

[@Duneswalker]

That's fantastic.😆

[@marz-95]

@@dbensdrawinvids8390 No, sadly 😕

[@Batwing20293]

Hell of a name, shame there ain't any music left

[@SpellboundWolf]

What genre was your band? Please tell us about it, good buddy.

[@vintageshed965]

I think that Count Dankula mentioned in his video, that the website is still up, because the only one who didn't commit suicide, was the web administrator, who was tasked with maintaining the site, as it documented their final journey, before ascending into higher existence, and without it there wouldn't be anything left to remind people of their existence.

[@miscellaneousshadow7452]

That is true. He has a YT channel with music and Bible studies.

[@FluffyJellyfishs]

genuine question. why the comma splices?

[@franz.francisco]

good lord you need to learn how to use commas my friend

[@Tom_Bee_]

I'm in a comma coma now. Thanks for that. The website is pretty interesting though. Weird to read how cogent completely insane people can sound. The page on PGP, for example, could be from any nerdy nineties website.

[@MalloryKnox.]

Sue also spoke about it on one of her cooking videos once but just as a short reference

[@keithmichael112]

whoever did the graphic design work for them was good, that logo is iconic

[@KaileyB616]

For real

[@jumpingjeffflash9946]

their website is still up all these years later (2023)

[@Somebodyelse141]

They did their own graphic design. Idk if it was apple white or a member, but one way the cult earned money was through making it designing websites for companies. Source: another yt video on this cult

[@Kyarareads]

​@@jumpingjeffflash9946whos maintaining it ? Didnt expect it to be allowed to still be up tbh

[@jumpingjeffflash9946]

@@Kyarareads from what I understand some people of that cult were left behind to carry out their mission and spread their word etc. I"m told when I saw stuff on reddit that if you email them on that site they respond so someone is paying the ISP for that site, wild though...1997 they did their thing and it's 2024 now.

[@saltybob5496]

“And if you were thinking they got that name from Do Rae Me Fa So La Ti Do…” That is not at all what I was thinking but now I don’t know what else I could have been thinking.

[@w1nterdays]

Do Re Mi Sol La Ti Do is actually what Solfège is(although So instead of Sol is also accepted)

[@simoneamaro987]

I learned Do Re Mi Fa Sol La SI not Ti

[@preskitt8531]

​@@simoneamaro987 it tends to depend on what language/ where you learned it. They revised the system so that each note started with a different letter to make abbreviation easier, but only some langauges took on that revision.

[@simoneamaro987]

@@preskitt8531 So in English is different or only they have chose something more fancy ?

[@rhapsody98]

I was in high school in 1997, and I think the comet was a big deal because of how *visible* it was in the night sky. For nearly a week, you could see it when you looked up, and it was beautiful. You've unlocked a memory I have of looking at the comet through a school bus window, thinking about the news that some crazy people had committed suicide because of it.

[@dena81]

I couldn't even remember why it was so popular I just remember it was all over the news about the comet. And then bam we hear about this cult centered around it

[@davinaz6885]

Woa, that must have been intense! Thanks for sharing!

[@creatrixZBD]

Also because it comes past only once every 86 years, so most people only get one chance to see it in their lives.

[@williamthompson5504]

I was in 11th grade in 97-98 and I remember the comet very well. I also remember Heaven's Gate and thinking WTF.

[@biffyqueen]

@@creatrixZBD You're thinking of Haley, Halebop comes around every 2500 years.

[@PercyNah]

Oh, honey. Vasectomy has been common in the US since 1971. They didn't get vasectomies. They really did get castrated, and they went to doctors after trying to do an at-home version that went very, very wrong.

[@terrideleon6350]

OMG😮

[@cinderellawilder]

He had me so confused. I know vasectomy and castration ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE words. One is to not have babies and the other is to not have a penis!! Yeah so thank you for clarifying it and to learn they actually did go through with castrations is appalling. How can people really follow and be so devoted to such … I don’t even know what to call it… is mind blowing. This guy seems to know quite a bit of detail about leader of this cult, it’s a bit scary how much detail he knows. But it made for a thorough investigation of this cult that I knew so little about.

[@AerynKDesigns]

THANK YOU! I was like "huh? literally not the same thing". Husband got a vasectomy over 15 years ago and he's perfectly capable of handling his husbandly duties.

[@davemccage7918]

@@cinderellawilderCastration is the removal of the testicles, Emasculation is the removal of the penis. The the former is often used interchangeably, but in reality they are both very different procedures with the latter being very uncommon (probably due to much higher mortality rates) until recently now that transgender surgery is in vogue.

[@retstak]

I was a freshman in college that spring. I was taking an intro to astronomy class, and the professor offered a trip to a working observatory (Lick Observatory, on a mountain above San Jose, CA) to whoever could find the most creative way to tell them they wanted to go. My contribution was called The Astroloid with the tag "Who needs truth when there's a whole universe out there to exploit?" and the second issue had the headline "Aliens apologize for misleading cultists" complete with doctored picture of a UFO behind the comet. Good times, man, good times.

[@TheSlammurai]

16:39 That jump from "God gave him permission to use the car" to "He was jailed for six months" had me laughing for far longer than I had any right to.

[@Arrmor1]

The Hale Bopp comet was a big deal because you could just look up and see it hanging there with a beautiful comet tail. It was a beautiful, once in a lifetime event. (Also, vasectomy is not the same as castration...)

[@Caddoan]

glad i wasnt the only one who caught that. BIG difference lol

[@jaynestrange]

I was very little at the time, but I remember being able to look up & see the comet! Every night I would make my parents take me outside to look at it. It's weird to think that while I was experiencing the comet beautiful amazing thing there was a group of people seeing it as a sign to take their own lives.

[@bloodyneptune]

I couldn't tell if it meant that he thinks the Heavens Gate members all got vasectomies and got the terms mixed up, or if he thinks a vasectomy means getting your bits fully chopped off 😂

[@Transilvanian90]

Yup, Hale-Bopp was gorgeous. I was 7 at the time and fondly remember walking with my parents in the evening and witnessing it every clear night. It was a good year :)

[@MonkDave666]

Just stumbled across your channel, good job! As someone that's been heavily in to cults for the last 25 years, I can tell you the reason they thought there was a spaceship in the tail of the comet was because someone on Coast to Coast AM back then phoned in and said as much. After the suicides happened, Coast to Coast did everything they possibly could to erase that episode from history.

[@TheLoreLodge]

Coast to Coast sounds like an absolutely wild show

[@raisinbigdaddykane9723]

@@TheLoreLodge You’ve never listened to it? I find that hard to believe.. Segues are hard. You think Applewhite was kin to former U of Texas semi-bust QB Major Applewhite?

[@thenowchurch6419]

@@raisinbigdaddykane9723 Coast to Coast was bonkers. The Lore Lodge is a lot younger than we are bro.

[@michaelallen3304]

If you haven’t heard of Coast to Coast you haven’t lived. Best nights of my life riding around listening to Coast to Coast.

[@TheLoreLodge]

@@raisinbigdaddykane9723 never heard about it till I was about 22

[@wills2254]

Oh my God the Waco/Ruby ridge rant in the middle. That was hilarious

[@TheLoreLodge]

I got carried away 😂

[@johnnycaldwell8281]

@@TheLoreLodge I would like to request a full video on those. The ATF hasn't killed my dog yet but I'm afraid they maybe thinking about it.

[@johnnycaldwell8281]

It's pronounced App ah latch ah.

[@Lady_Amelia-Eloise]

@@johnnycaldwell8281 ATF doesn’t intentionally kill dogs

[@bugzy_brain]

@@Lady_Amelia-Eloisethats the joke 👍

[@SM-BSW]

Have you listened to the Heaven's Gate podcast? They interviewed surviving members and family members of victims. And the writer/narrator was part of a different cult, and brings a real sensitivity to the topic.

[@amandap7733]

There seem to be two versions, from two different surviving members, as to the money. One was that the $5 was for covering the cost of vagrancy laws and the quarters were for calling home from pay phones. The other was that it was a reference to a Mark Twain story which said $5.75 was "the cost to ride the tail of a comet to heaven."

[@shellymarie4027]

Just a quick note: castration is the removal of the testicles which takes away testosterone from the body. vasectomy is just cutting the tube that carries sperm to the penis so the testosterone levels are not effected. Very different things

[@TheKirkYates]

I was looking for someone to comment on this haha i was like hold up

[@KirbyKips]

My dad nicknamed me after this comet because it appeared two months before I was born. Whenever I tell people this fact, they go “soooo the comet that crazy cult killed themselves to be on?” And I’m like “YEP, that one.”

[@vortex389]

My sociology teacher in high school managed to get the sister of one of the members of Heaven's Gate to come speak to us, and take questions. I remember nothing of what was said, nor her name, but I do remember it happening. This was in the late '00s.

[@humanitronix]

as someone who emailed the contact on their website in 2014, i was responded to fairly quickly. they said they had been in the group for 12 years, and that they would be taken care of in the future. so at least as of 2014, there was someone real at the email and responding. we exchanged a few responses, and even now reading them back it seems human enough, not some kind of bot responder. always meant to check what year that had been, thanks for giving me a real reason to check lol.

[@Mlotshaw1]

if they where in group 12 years in 14 means they where still recruiting after the incident

[@miglek9613]

@@Mlotshaw1 they're literally not recruiting, the website administrator just stayed behind in order to keep the memory of the cult. Only Applewhite was allowed to innitiate anyone as he was the only jesus incarnate. Wouldn't be surprised if someone brainwashed enough to still believe in this after this many years of no community also has severe memory issues

[@conyeezy8027]

They answered me last year answered fast as well they didn't say much but still responding.

[@settame1]

As Dankula mentioned in his video there were a husband and wife that were tasked with maintaining the website by Applegate. There are still believers around - some who just didn’t live in the compound and weren’t told about the suicide (they were actually upset about being excluded but stayed with the cult).

[@jongreen5638]

I'm not finding it quickly, but I recall reading or hearing a claim within the last year or so that there are more members now than at the time of Applewhite and Co's death. Not sure if it's true or not, but don't seem that far fetched

[@SOGOnic]

When you said "Perhaps you were around in the 90s," my knees said ouch.

[@komikbookgeek]

SO DID MINE. AND MY BACK

[@jamisouthard9211]

Hilarious. I was just wondering if it's going to rain 🌧️ tomorrow 😏 what I couldn't get over with those people was the self castrations...I mean, Really!?!

[@komikbookgeek]

​@@jamisouthard9211 I mean I think people assume we do it to livestock without an issue or doctor. They are wrong but.

[@jillianliptak6214]

As a child I lived in Rancho Santa Fe and remember my dad pointing out that plot of land where the suicides took place (the mansion has been torn down since it happened) it's unreal to think that something so tragic could occur right where I grew up.

[@andrewb9708]

I lived on El Camino Del Norte for eight years. It's such a beautiful area.

[@butchmikey]

i’ve lived in san diego my whole life and it’s still a spot everyone always points out to each other when your near there. definitely a bit of a tourist spot to.

[@Reflox1]

As a European Catholic your explanation of St. Francis was the most American Protestant thing I have ever heard

[@pollyparrot8759]

True but Aiden is a Catholic 😄

[@mikeindiacharliehotelalpha2373]

​@@pollyparrot8759The Church has imposed the penalty of excommunication on Catholics who become Freemasons. The penalty of excommunication for joining the Masonic Lodge was explicit in the 1917 code of canon law (canon 2335), and it is implicit in the 1983 code (canon 1374). Because the revised code of canon law is not explicit on this point, some drew the mistaken conclusion that the Church’s prohibition of Freemasonry had been dropped. As a result of this confusion, shortly before the 1983 code was promulgated, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement indicating that the penalty was still in force. This statement was dated November 26, 1983 and may be found in Origins 13/27 (Nov. 15, 1983), 450.

[@TheChristianNomad]

To be fair, as a European Catholic, you are probably barely Catholic in any meaningful sense of the words. There are so few of them that I thought they were a myth until I was twenty.

[@ericlee8231]

It's ok

[@locusfilms3455]

As American no one cares my boy

[@maxitrillion630]

i’ve been wanting to watch this since it dropped. been CHILLIN in “watch later”. finally clicked today and was NOT disappointed. great video man

[@MrGoesBoom]

Man, hearing something that happened my senior year of high school be described as a long ago event just makes me feel old....I'm only 43 damn it, that's not old!

[@koolkel00]

Something I sincerely appreciate about this channel above all other channels I've seen that cover these kinds of topics and they just focus on on purely the facts pertaining directly to what happened; I like that lore lodge does this, but with a far more complete look at what the times were like back then and the other effecting factors that were going on in the world at that time, like in this one he brings up WACO and the hippie movement. It really genuinely helps to paint a greater more complete understanding of the topic in ways that I sincerely appreciate. As a long time true crime and mystery fan, this channel is awesome and I'm binging all your videos!

[@travisashmore6620]

Super stoked about this one. The HG story has always intrigued me.

[@dracorex426]

If your anti-heirarchy group has a leader, that's a bad sign.

[@vaporslash7920]

Soon as you mentioned Bonnie came from a Baptist family I knew I was in for a wild ride. I know it's a little extreme of an opinion but Baptists always felt like cultists to me. Growing up in the South it's hard to go far without running into them and they've always got the craziest takes I've ever heard.

[@cataclysmicmystics]

I was raised baptist, I'm not anymore, but I can confirm this. It's horrifyingly similar to a cult. ESPECIALLY Freewill Baptists.

[@leahdavis9434]

That's southern baptists, they're not quite the same thing as baptists, which I am

[@vaporslash7920]

@@leahdavis9434 I mean agree to disagree. I'll admit southern Baptists are the worst of it but you've still got people like at the Westboro Baptist Church going batshit as well. And I mean hey maybe your church is fine, I'm not saying every baptist church is nuts, but as a whole? It's all very cult-like.

[@J40JesusIsLord]

@@leahdavis9434 I'm Primitive Baptist, there was a big split in the 19th century where much of the Baptist Church began adding extra biblical offices and organizations and went off the deep end, the PB's wanted to keep things as they were and ended up having to separate (Black Rock Address).

[@juneannbrusie2042]

@@leahdavis9434 you also believe in an invisible man who lives in the sky so sorry you are just as crazy as every other religious person. All religions are cults

[@BobBeardTX]

I remember hearing about this as a kid. Appreciate all the research you put into these.

[@SamtheIrishexan]

Born in 97. Man I am getting old. Looks like a cool channel subbed and look forward to going through these. I was 11 and I remember this because I grew up in Texas.

[@imurgodsgod]

I love how he went from 5 to 7 pages of notes to 20 to 30 pages of notes, now he does 50 to 80 pages or even more In His recent videos 😅 the lore lodge just KEEPS getting better

[@bugzy_brain]

my favorite part of the entire experience that is watching this youtube channel is clicking on the video knowing that im going to be struck in the face by the most mind boggling string of words that can be formed. i also learn stuff so thats nice too

[@SgtBuck01]

"When a man on the street approaches you talking about Jesus and aliens and boarding a comet, you know what you do? You put a wee pound coin in his hand and keep walking, you don't join his bloody cult." - Count Dankula

[@shanntastical4968]

They didn’t get castrated in Mexico. They put a “Mexico” sign on a building so they could tell authorities the procedure’s happened in Mexico. Excellent video and very captivating.

[@Rick_Cleland]

😦😮😮

[@ferideylmaz6114]

But in the end they found doctors that could do an operation on them after their failed attempts to do that themselves. Wasn't that hospital in mexico?

[@seblo8462]

So it happened in "Mexico", just like illegal street racing videos that state "filmed in Mexico" lol.

[@s0cializedpsych0path]

... I haven't watched this yet... but I hope you mentioned that the Hale-Bopp comet appeared on the same night as the Phoenix Lights... which is why it was seen by so many people.

[@godwarrior3403]

What's crazy is I scrolled past you at first at first and thought "He looks like a psychopath I once saw" and then I read your name.

[@ericgaudette4309]

Just a small critique not really part of the story, but the hippie movement had died before the mid-70's. The phrase "the 60's ended in 1973" is a reference to that. The 70's definitely were a decade of weird and often hilariously awkward new-age things, and some of those definitely were repositories for former hippies, or people still holding on, but to say that the mid-70's was the central point of the hippie movement is categorically false and just widly untrue. The hippie movement didn't even really last a decade. It began somewhere in the early-mid 60's, and petered out probably after the deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison in '71. So, the aforementioned phrase about the 60's ending in 1973 is probably apt. In some ways I think Woodstock was actually probably the peak, although that might be more for the movement as a whole with factions like Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters living their heyday a few years or so before that along with the Grateful Dead and the Haight-Ashbury scene. Ray Manzarek of the Doors commented before that in the 60's taking drugs was all about mind-EXPANSION and exploring different philosophies whereas in the 70's it was just about getting loaded. Totally different mindset. Although there was some real beauty that came from the hippie movement of the 60's, it lasted probably about as long as it should have and has gotten more credit and positive publicity than is really deserved.

[@somethingsunting]

This was really good. Heaven's Gate is fascinating and mad even by cult standards and I knew quite a lot about how it all went south, but the closer look you gave to the origins and background were great.

[@driederprinz]

The videos just keep getting better and better man. keep up the good work!

[@marywallace3620]

When I heard about Heaven's Gate as a kid and I heard that that cult thought aliens were coming to pick them up or something, I immediately thought that Jesus was an alien himself and I kinda went with that idea as a story writing thing. I mean granted it sounds kinda like a wierd ass hyped up conspiracy theory one might make up when doing a lot of drugs or something but at the same time it kinda sounds like a cool sci fi metaphor for religion like what CS Lewis did with the Narnia series :)

[@stevencooper3202]

Anyone who is versed in theology and ancient religious texts knows that the link between aliens and divine beings is there. Look into the Sumerian religion. There religious beliefs are very ufo cult.

[@SG-17]

Art Bell on Coast to Coast AM was highlighting a conspiracy theory at the time that a UFO was following the comet, that's where Applewhite likely got the idea.

[@watchdog8058]

yep, same thing i saw from a documentary i watched. cults fascinate me.

[@r-pupz7032]

Out of all the bonkers ideas Marshall had, "heaven is actually when you become a project manager for God" is one of the weirdest because... Who would want that? You die, and your reward for living a good life (and following whatever religious teachings you are supposed to) is to become a middle manager???

[@r-pupz7032]

I know that isn't the most outrageous or insane, but that really stuck out to me because it's so banal and unappealing lmao

[@shanntastical4968]

Seriously, heaven apparently is all work and no play. Sounded awful.

[@sweetistweeter]

I know this is a year old so it doesn't matter what I write, but I will anyway. The part you said right at the end is interesting (and important) ...because what does "be careful" look like? I've known cult survivors, and they are extremely disillusioned to the point where they trust no-one. Just like with Bonnie's family, those that break out of cults often have left (and are forced to leave) a huge amount of pain and damage behind, because at some stage you have to challenge both groups: fundamental beliefs about the world in your previous life when you join, and then your cult life when you leave. There aren't really... tips for how to know who the right or wrong people are, and if your friendship group is entirely the "wrong" people, and you realise that... who do you turn to? Are you going to step out, all on your own? That's one of the reasons extremist groups are so solid, and why they tend to be built up of those without much capital. I think the answer to a lot of questions around Heaven's Gate is the sunk-cost fallacy. Marshall experienced that too- he felt he had no way to continue except to double down. In terms of followers, these people left college, probably with student debt, and threw a lot away. Just as they had nothing tying them down, they had no future, so they had to believe the lies even as they got more convoluted. It's how gambling works- you can have $1 left from $1mil and still spend it because you never know, that million might just reappear.

[@chilibeer3912]

After listening to The Last Podcast on the Left’s multi-part series on Heaven’s Gate, I can’t help but hear Henry’s impression of Bonnie every time she is mentioned or shown.

[@scottcantdance804]

By the way, surgical castration is astronomically different from a vasectomy. A vasectomy is just surgical male sterilization. You keep all your parts and they still function, but your vas deferens is no longer connected. With surgical castration, they are literally becoming eunuchs, which does sterilize them, but they also no longer have their testes and suffer extreme hormonal changes. They may have even taken it further than that and had their members removed, but I can't find details online.

[@flomojo2u]

Exactly! I was yelling at the screen when he said that, VERY different operations.

[@alexandralamberton5615]

A vasectomy basically makes your testicles wireless

[@MarvinHartmann452]

I wouldn't like my doctor to confuse the 2.

[@sierratree93]

If any of you are ever in Savannah, GA, the Graveface Museum has some artifacts from Heaven's Gate. As well as a bunch of other things related to cults and serial killer. There's some graphic crime scene photos in parts of the museum, so if that's not your jam, maybe skip the upstairs displays.

[@watchdog8058]

thanks! would love to check out the museum…

[@Fubs_the_queen]

Medievalist here! I don’t mix up Francis and Bernard, but I do mix up Constantine and Charlemagne. Just their names though, not what they did.

[@LadyValkyri]

Try the Tablow "Mt. Pocono" coffee, folks. SO good! Regarding the HG cult, it was such a tragic waste of life. I remember being stunned when the news of the suicides first came out. These megalomaniacs gained power over (and control of) people who, for whatever reason, were swayed into believing in the snake oil they were selling. I know members are still alive and well. It is my hope that they evaluate and reconsider their belief system. Thanks for video, Aidans. Hugs

[@mariawhite7337]

Oh yeah. It's hard to remember that there are members still living. They are the ones that keep the website up and running in fact. And keep it as it is in all of its 90's glory.

[@LadyValkyri]

@crlody I bought it, I liked it. I don't get any compensation or make any money for saying that. I suggested people try it. Jeez. I've got no marbles in the game, so I'm not peddling anything, friend.

[@singularsquids5753]

The reason I love your channel so much is you go so on depth in everything then occasionally trail off on something random, and it always very interesting to me simply because it was random.

[@PukeLizard]

I hope your account blows up way more so that a decade from now some iPad kid sees this video and their parents weren't even around in the 90's

[@ameliadavidson360]

I"ve...watched this video a few times. I dunno why I like listening to this while I'm at work.

[@joshuapatrick682]

I grew up in the 90’s, the fear of Stranger Danger had somewhat subsided. We were post Cold War but pre 9/11…it truly was a magical time to be a teenager!

[@shanntastical4968]

I feel like stranger danger was huge, at least for me. America’s Most Wanted was “family night” haha I always was afraid of being kidnapped.

[@bonnieparker9584]

I knew an organist who work with him in a church in Houston. Applewhite was told by the minister he must see a therapist to keep his job. He refused. This was shortly after he left St Thomas.

[@corning1]

See a therapist why?

[@firefancy9928]

@@corning1 I have no facts, but i would imagine it could have been conversion therapy, seeing as it was the 70s.

[@darrelldog5]

O. M. G. I literally thought you said they studied the works of Artie Lange. Who would have known they were Stern Fans?... Wow, that was hilarious 🤣

[@kiwik2951]

I was surprised too!! Didn’t even know Artie was that old!!

[@marz-95]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one that caught that 🤣

[@mysteryminx2619]

l grew up two streets over from the house in The Ranch when this went down and I had moved up to LA to work in a prop house. I first heard it on the radio (yeah, I'm That Guy who drives around listening to the news station). I have never called my mother so fast in my life! She was losing her mind over how many Rollers were up and THEN came EVERY coroner's van in the county -- and I know where the county morgue is, they are not equipped to handle that many "no longer with us" people in the history of San Diego County. I showed up on the weekend and they were STILL going through that house! Rancho Santa Fe is the Beverly Hills of North County. It truly is full of Rich Weirdos and Upper-Middle class (yeah, that was us, I admit it) yahoos and 'who did what to who' ricochets around there in about 20 minutes. Also, always good to know the local LEOs, The Ranch is in the County and does not have a local PD, the sheriffs handle it. My buddies were both retired, showed up anyway, and we had front row seats from the "Yep, we just walked right in, you are NEVER going to believe this!" retired Rollers of SD County. (who then showed up at our place after they left the scene and drank a bunch of coffee.) It was nuts from start to finish. We STILL have no idea how they managed to scrape up the dough (okay, I made an unintended joke there, sorry) to rent that place. Those houses go for a mint. (we basically lived in the very tame, very not rich section of RSF) But I assure you, EVERYONE knows EVERYBODY else's business there. THIS was a Blockbuster!

[@johnexum9775]

I heard that they found another suicide victim a few days later, he was under the sink behind the comet

[@treydelaspades3543]

*ba dum tss*

[@zillybeth]

Ha ha ha

[@seanwilson6690]

Marshall Applewhite's son was my 8th grade science teacher.

[@shanntastical4968]

Was he weird? Did he mention his father? I need to know deets! Like he was straight up completely abandoned by his father so I can assume there’s some resentment there.

[@seanwilson6690]

⁠@@shanntastical4968he was your average man. He was very religious and wasn’t shy about it. He never talked about his father, but it was 8th grade. It would have been weird if he talked about that stuff with 12/13yr olds.

[@watchdog8058]

poor family! they were victims too. hope they are ok.

[@jamesdaviesanswers8751]

Great video as always gentlemen

[@TheLoreLodge]

Thank you!

[@brandonhoefer6151]

I came here for a documentary.. This is way more amusing and entertaining also informative. I'm happy I found this channel.

[@Between_Scylla_and_Kharybdis]

Hale-Bopp was a big deal because it was clearly visible in the night sky to the naked eye for a year and a half, even in urban areas, where light pollution may be a problem. It was kind of a "once in a lifetime" situation

[@alexandralamberton5615]

I was 3 but I still have vague memories of watching it on the roof with my parents

[@fancyflautist]

You just dragged up a childhood worth of memories where we lost TV because it stormed 😂😅

[@deathsdoodles]

The website is maintained by two members that were left behind with the mission of maintaining it in order to keep the information available to anyone interested in their religion.

[@CathysouthwesternColors]

That is actually not true. The two individuals that took over the website were kicked out of the group in 1987. The website was left to another member who was out of the group at the time they left. His name was Rkkody, he maintained the website until he too left in 1998 then the two people who now run it sued Rkkody's daughter and lied to the Judge to highjack the website from her. They were NOT left behind to do anything. Like I said, they both got kicked out of the group back in 1987.

[@katinvestor]

Yep. This is true.

[@gabrielblanchard3921]

I will never understand how people fell for Applewhite. Not that I don't understand how people fall for cults in general; that's natural, if pitiable and unfortunate. But looking at Marshall Applewhite's face, good God, it would make a child scream!

[@mia-dc7rj]

🇰🇷 I just stumbled onto your channel yesterday evening, and I've been binge watching your uploads ever since. Your ability in narrative teaching is quite impeccable, and is perfection in balancing and in utilizing knowledge, intellect, and just enough dry humor (which has become a sort of an anomaly in itself) to keep your viewers tuning in and staying engaged, being able to learn things we may/may not have known already (commendable either way, nonetheless) take something away from your videos long after clicking off, and coming back for more, is such a refreshing and respectable rarity. To say a simple cliche "great work" would be doing your work injustice, but for lack of better words, just know I'm only saying "great work" cuz I'm in a hurry to continue watching this video above its comment section. I would ❤️ to see you do one on *Ruben (The Hurricane) Carter* and *The Russian 💤 Experiment* ☺️

[@HistoryDaddy]

That thumbnail is sick, love it

[@John-f6z6g]

I drove back a lane to watch.Hale- Book. I've now lived at the end of that lane for 10 years.

[@johnnycaldwell8281]

Someone is updating the Heavens Gate. There were 2 people left specifically to update the website.

[@CathysouthwesternColors]

Not true, those two people were kicked out of the group in 1987. They want people to think they were tasked with it but they were out of the group for 10 years. I know all this because those two yokels are suing my partner and I right now in federal court. Soon all their lies will be exposed and all the information the group left behind will be made public!

[@katinvestor]

Yes, they like to sue and keep others quiet

[@jacksonbarker7594]

@@CathysouthwesternColorsany updates to that? Who are you? Are there public records?

[@CathysouthwesternColors]

@@jacksonbarker7594 Pacer is a website that court cases are logged with. Our case is absolutely logged there and if you want to access it you are more than welcome too.

[@wyrmrose2273]

Wild how you can hold someone against their will without them really realizing they can’t leave

[@Lamp512]

Bill Barr was never FBI director, and actually wasn't in any federal office during the Waco siege. During Ruby Ridge, he was Attorney General though.

[@justempress7876]

As tragic as this was, i appreciate how he took his narrative and went full send into it.

[@angelkeith4767]

Not meaning to sound like I’m fact checking, but the vasectomy procedure was being done in the US from the mid 70’s. By the late 80’s, it was being done in the doctor’s office as opposed to tubal ligation being done in the operating room. By the early 90’s, both procedures could be reversed with an outpatient procedure. Also, sterilization and castration are the same thing.

[@J40JesusIsLord]

Just found this channel, great presentation! Liked the analysis showing the similarities between HG and older heresies. Btw the King James Version that is used today is the 1769 revision from the original 1611.

[@DjTeutonik]

I'm friends with Sawyer a 19 year member of the Heavens Gate Cult. He has a KZbin channel called 3spm. - If your wanting more information

[@Sage-ig9hk]

Your mention that Applegate taught at the University of Alabama made me chuckle, I’m currently a biochemistry student at UA (roll tide!!!) and my dad studied and then worked there for 11 years too!! I finally get a bit of UA lore to tell him about and not the other way around. Too bad my dad didn’t start there until the 80’s, so they would never have crossed paths

[@B_heron]

Hey dude. There is a youtuber called Count Dankula. He has a vid on these guys too. He actually managed to make contact with the woman running the site..

[@jenniferelizabeth9440]

I remember when this happened, I was a junior in college. I was a freshman in college when Waco happened and starting my junior year of high school when Ruby Ridge happened. The cabin the Weavers lived in was home to six people: parents Randy and Vickie, and children Sara, Samuel, Rachel and Elishaba. Elishaba was a baby and in her mother’s arms when Vickie was murdered. Randy and his three daughters survived.

[@LadyGrelka]

I had a math teacher in high school who spent my freshmen year all the way up through most of my sophomore year going on and on about Heaven's Gate and Hale Bopp comet, and how we should not write off what they said about a UFO following the comet. Once he got started he would just keep going and going, some of the kids in class used it as a way to avoid doing actual math work, he got suspended for I believe it was a week my freshmen year because a few parents complained. It came to a head a few weeks before the news that the cult had killed themselves and the school final had to let him go because not only was he spending more time talking about the cult and the whole UFO behind the comet then teaching but he was also making some students just plain uncomfortable and parents where not happy at all.

[@erikreber3695]

Whats crazy is one of them "stayed behind" and operates their website and it's still active. 💀

[@eazycure8988]

Castration and vasectomy are two VERY different medical procedures.

[@shandiwarren6454]

I grew up in the town Marshall Applewhite was born in. It's not really talked about there or anything, but I find it really interesting.

[@Interloper783]

I always appreciate people spreading the knowledge that the ATF will and have already slaughtered innocent people without a second thought, too many people think the government won't kill them in a heartbeat

[@firefancy9928]

It's insane that we pay their taxes and make sons for them to send to the wars they like to have, but it's all for nothing.

[@komikbookgeek]

I know right? I joke that these statements are why my background checks are taking longer but I'm not really joking

[@cradleofgoth]

That short rant around 38-40 minutes in was amazing

[@albertoftasmania]

It was, very good.

[@Ghost51492]

Heaven’s Gate, Ocean Gate …….. haven’t we learned that any name that has “Gate” in it usually doesn’t end well.

[@BlueBonnie764]

WATER GATE .. 🌊 LOL

[@CAMSLAYER13]

After watergate so many controversys get the -gate thing tacked on

[@6Tainted1370]

Excellent video, watched it last night. Well presented and engaging, find heavens gate a fascinating subject.

[@zillybeth]

Me too amazing

[@TheChristianNomad]

No one mentions it, but Heaven's Gate almost ended up in Ohio...I know, OHIO? Yes, in Ohio there are an insane number of cults, most focusing on teens, but also about a half-dozen worldwide cults have their headquarters there. And when I lived there in the 90s as a young child, they bought a church building that was repossessed for taxes. And evidently a chapter opened up there and had members living there clear into 2010. I spoke with a member while on lunch when filming an independent movie in the neighborhood. He seemed so normal, and claimed it wasnt a d3ath cult and the others did it wrong, and then 10 minutes later made a statement that the others were in heaven and he missed his because he didn't have the guts to end himself. It was trippy to talk to someone still hanging on to the cult.

[@niceguynevermind999]

Theres a pretty good sized music scene in ohio so its not suprising.

[@stevejackson3396]

Cool video. You got a few things a bit wrong. But 95% spot on. Well done!!!

[@noahadelman3465]

So you’re telling me lore lodge isn’t a cult?

[@kiwik2951]

They can’t officially state that it is 😏

[@TheLoreLodge]

👀

[@RubixCuber66]

“Buckle up buttercup, we’re going hard.” ( 1:21 )

[@Jane_8319]

“What if Jesus came back, and he came back as a gay man in Texas” I mean, with all those apostles he hung around with and not having a gf besides maybe the one lady with the same name as his mom, gay man in the American South(west) isn’t too far fetched (sarcastic, obviously)

[@TheNightWatcher1385]

The fact that there’s estimated to be around 4 members still alive who still believe in it.

[@Son-of-Tyr]

Dude, cults are just as easy to join today as they were in the 70s, probably more so. Scientology has a massive amount of followers.

[@danphillips1130]

I agree

[@Zombraiined]

"Financed by dining and dashing" is hilarious

[@LilyoftheLake14]

The Hale Bopp comet is so special because it only comes by earth every 2,533 years. It got closest to earth on April 1, 1997 C.E. (aka A.D.). Although, it was visible before then because of how bright the comet is and because it can be seen by the naked eye. It was likely seen by the Ancient Egyptians in 2,215 B.C.E. because the Pharoah that ruled when the comet passed earth, had an inscription on the wall of his pyramid, describing how the Pharoah had a companion in the heavens of a star with long hair. The Hale Bopp comet won't be back by earth again until 4,380 C.E. (aka A.D.) The website is still up and it's ran by 2 cult members that stayed behind specifically to keep the site running when everyone was gone. If you look at their website, they have an FAQ where they address the most asked questions. You can email them and as long as you aren't a dick, they'll respond to you if you're curious about something.

[@EbuneezerSplewdge]

It's a pleasure to have found a group that not only does what thorough research they can, but are educated enough to use terms correctly, like orwellian, and properly says Revalation(non-plural).

[@scottcantdance804]

39:08 I think you meant to insert a picture of Chipman during editing, but did not.

[@grantandrews4826]

Great vid lads ❤ that closing statement was really good.

[@glenngriffon8032]

I think Hale Bop was a big deal mostly for science but the media picked up on it and it became a thing. The 90's had some moments. Slow news one week next week Houston has a crime wave to make Gotham blush. But mostly i think it's cause it was going to hit Jupiter and these events were actually clear enough in the sky that you could watch it happen with a decent telescope. I remember my mother calling me out into the yard and asking if I heard about the comet. She pointed Jupiter out to me in the sky. Probably would have watched for a while but our chow chow wanted to see why everyone was going outside and leaned on the window over my bed and she shattered it. She was okay when she fell through but yeah. We got distracted by that and after sweeping up the glass and putting a board over the window i forgot about the comet and just watched Hanging With Mr. Cooper.

[@Between_Scylla_and_Kharybdis]

Shoemaker - Levy hit Jupiter, Hale - Bopp was very bright and clearly visible to the naked eye for 18 months. You didn't have to watch the news to hear about it, you just had to look up

[@milknhoneyhoney]

Aaaaaay we’re the same age, I was born in 97 as well!! Wow you’re doing cool things with your life like making an insanely cool podcast, and I’m…unemployed and depressed ha ha ha

[@r-pupz7032]

I remember when Hale-Bopp was passing, I was 13 at the time and my dad (who was a science teacher and astronomy nerd) was extremely excited - as was the rest of the world! It was a pretty huge deal as it was easily visible to the naked eye - in fact, it was the brightest comet anyone alive had seen. (Sources do differ on this, some say the brightest in recorded history, others "in many decades" - but either way, it was pretty special.) It was visible without equipment for longer than any other comet in recorded history too - 18 months, surpassing the previous record holder, the Great Comet of 1811. Side note: The 1800s seemed to have a lot of "Great Comets"! This visibility (along with it only passing us once every 2500 years) meant it was popular beyond just astronomers and scientists, as the average Joe could see it without a telescope and we knew we wouldn't see it again. It inevitably attracted a lot of UFO/new age people too, along with science buffs and average people who just thought it was really cool. Humanity won't see it again until 4385 (if we are still around then - fingers crossed!!)

[@r-pupz7032]

It was especially visible in the northern hemisphere, and I remember seeing it and just feeling absolutely thrilled. My dad borrowed a telescope from his school and that was incredible, but you could just look up and see it which was awesome. It's truly devastating that such an incredible event led to mass murder (I consider cult suicides to be murder, Jonestown being the biggest example but I include Heavens Gate.) Incredibly sad.

[@justinchastant9246]

I was also 13, right on.

[@watchdog8058]

i watched it too! pretty cool to see