[105] He argued that many prominent moral teachers and advocates of political correctness were actually Luciferians. Marshall Herff Applewhite Jr. (May17, 1931 March 26, 1997), also known as Do,[a] among other names,[b] was an American cult leader who founded what became known as the Heaven's Gate cult group and organized their mass suicide in 1997. [2], Applewhite moved to New York City in an unsuccessful attempt to begin a professional singing career upon finishing his education in Colorado. Applewhite was enlisted in the Army in 1954 and served in the Army Signal Corps in New Mexico and Austria. [200], Lalich states that Applewhite fit "the traditional view of a charismatic leader",[31] and Evan Thomas deems him a "master manipulator". [37], Applewhite and Nettles opened a bookstore known as the Christian Arts Center, which carried books from a variety of spiritual backgrounds. cyberhellravedungeonfunruncore (feat. [145] The mailing contained information about their history and advised people to read several books, which primarily focused on Christian history and UFOs. [111] This, along with a series of public lectures in 1994, caused membership to double from its nadir at the beginning of the decade. Learn how your comment data is processed. 4. Referring to their house as a "craft", they regimented the lives of their disciples down to the minute. [106], Applewhite and Nettles sometimes made sudden, drastic changes to the group. [70] Applewhite thought that his followers would reach a higher level of being, changing like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly;[71] this example was used in almost all of the group's early literature. [29] They usually stayed at remote campgrounds and did not speak about their beliefs. [82][d] Balch and Taylor believe that Applewhite's prison experience and early rejection by audiences contributed to this fear. [16] When Applewhite revealed to his parents that he was homosexual, his father rejected him. [143] In addition, he stated that evil extraterrestrials, whom he referred to as "Luciferians", sought to thwart his mission. The university froze Applewhite's salary from Feb. 5, 2009 -- almost immediately upon learning of the behavior and discussing it with Applewhite -- until Jan. 1, 2010. [48][51] The pair believed that they would be killed and then restored to life and, in view of others, transported onto a spaceship. Rcw Felony Harassment Threats To Kill, [135] One member who joined in the mid-1980s recalled that Applewhite avoided new converts, worrying that they were infiltrators. [23] The president of the university later recalled that Applewhite was often mentally jumbled and disorganized near the end of his employment. In 2013, he was the co-offensive coordinator and . [171] In addition, he stated that his deceased followers would be taken by the vessel, as well, a belief that resembled the Christian pretribulation rapture doctrine. [34] To their dismay, these ideas were poorly received. He previously held the record for career yards (8,353) and consecutive passes without an interception (156). [39] They concluded that they had been chosen to fulfill biblical prophecies, and that they had been given higher-level minds than other people. jonathan jones obituary; Get to know us . [198] Zeller argues that Applewhite's sexuality was not the primary driving force behind his asceticism, which he believes resulted from a variety of factors, though he grants sexuality a role. [15] He separated from his wife when she learned of the affair in 1965, and they divorced three years later. [111] In 1982, the pair allowed their disciples to call their families. [100] Applewhite organized seemingly arbitrary rituals that were intended to instill a sense of discipline in his followers; he referred to these tasks as "games". [75] By the mid-1970s, Applewhite attempted to avoid the use of the term "religion", seeing it as inferior to science. [137] Increasingly, he began to discuss the Apocalypse,[138] comparing the Earth to an overgrown garden that was to be recycled or rebooted and humanity to a failed experiment. [184] Medical examiners determined that his fears of cancer had been unfounded, but that he suffered from coronary atherosclerosis. Written by on 27 febrero, 2023. Bruce talks about Applewhite's time at UA in "Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults. Marshall Herff Applewhite Jr., better known as Do, was an American religious figure who formed the Heaven's Gate religious movement and coordinated their 1997 mass suicide. [179] The deaths occurred over three days; Applewhite was one of the last four to die. [112], In 1983, Nettles had an eye surgically removed as a result of cancer diagnosed several years earlier. Applewhite led Texas to two Big 12 Championship games, to victory in 2 Bowl games, and set 48 school records along the way. In 1972, Applewhite developed a close friendship with Bonnie Nettles, a nurse; together, they discussed mysticism at length and concluded that they were called as divine messengers. So the family name was O-D-Y.. [37] By June 1974, Applewhite and Nettles' beliefs had solidified into a basic outline. Three assistants helped him commit suicide, then killed themselves. [35] Raine writes that Nettles "was responsible for reinforcing his emerging delusional beliefs",[36] but psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton speculates that Nettles' influence helped him avoid further psychological deterioration. [39][40] The pair closed these businesses a short time later. [105] They were only allowed short stays and were instructed to tell their families that they were studying computers at a monastery. [26] In a public statement Applewhite commented on the affair: "Several years ago, I made a regretful decision resulting in behavior that was totally inappropriate. Applewhite went 15-11 in two-plus seasons at the helm, succeeding Tom Herman, who was 22-4 at Houston before taking the head coaching job at Texas. They wore Nike shoes and black uniforms with patches that read "Heaven's Gate Away Team". Upcoming Football Trials, "[15] Alabama, however, then lost the last four games of the season, including a shocking 21-14 loss to Louisiana-Monroe. Viewers in Alabama may have a special interest in the series, courtesy of a link to our state. [134], In the wake of Nettles' death, Applewhite became increasingly paranoid, fearing a conspiracy against his group. At this point, the docuseries indicates, Applewhite had his fateful encounter with Nettles. is major applewhite related to marshall applewhite . According to the docuseries, members of the group laid down their vehicles in three shifts on March 23, with each shift cleaning up after the preceding one. Thomas. [103] Rather than issue direct commands, he attempted to express his preferences and nominally offer his disciples a choice. [197], While covering the suicides, several media outlets focused on Applewhite's sexuality;[198] the New York Post dubbed him "the Gay Guru". [39][40] The pair closed these businesses a short time later. Cult", "Cult Leader's Son Apologizes to Families Who Lost Loved Ones", INFORM (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements), Academic study of new religious movements, Religious discrimination against Neopagans, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marshall_Applewhite&oldid=1140988724, American members of the clergy convicted of crimes, Converts to new religious movements from Christianity, People extradited within the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Use shortened footnotes from November 2022, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 20:03. Major Applewhite. . We were all devastated, most of all Do, recalls Frank Lyford, a former member known as ANDODY. [88] On one occasion in Texas, they told their followers of a forthcoming visitation from extraterrestrials and instructed them to wait outside all night, at which point they informed them that this had been merely a test. At this point, members of Heavens Gate were living in a large house in Rancho Santa Fe, California. This event, which they referred to as "the Demonstration", was to prove their claims. [106], Applewhite and Nettles sometimes made sudden, drastic changes to the group. [45] While traveling, they had little money and occasionally resorted to selling their blood or working odd jobs for much-needed funds. [172] How he learned of the comet or why he believed that it was accompanied by extraterrestrials or why he should have believed the dead Nettles would be with them is not known. In 1985, Nettles died of liver cancer, forcing Applewhite to take charge of the theological direction of the movement (only later renamed "Heaven's Gate . He came to a conclusion about his body, that it was abhorrent., Do held a meeting and he said that he had a nocturnal emission, and he was investigating having himself castrated, Sawyer says in the docuseries. [145] The mailing contained information about their history and advised people to read several books, which primarily focused on Christian history and UFOs. . Marshall Herff Applewhite was born on month day 1901, at birth place, Texas, to Jesse Carroll Applewhite and Texana Applewhite . [196] Urban posits that Applewhite found no way other than suicide to escape the society that surrounded him and states that death offered him a way to escape its "endless circle of seduction and consumption". [78] He, Nettles, and their followers lived what religious scholar James Lewis describes as a "quasi-nomadic lifestyle". [128] Zeller notes that his beliefs were based on the Christian Bible, but were interpreted through the lens of belief in alien contact with humanity. [168], In October 1996, the group rented a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Prior to coaching, he was a college football quarterback for the Texas Longhorns from 1998 to 2001 and set 8 school records. [158] He explained that everything "human" had to be forsaken, including the human body, before one could ascend. [183] Applewhite's body was found seated on the bed of the mansion's master bedroom. Reynolds Funeral Home Obituaries Waynesboro, Va, A media circus followed the discovery of their bodies. Thirty-nine people, including cult leader Marshall Herff Applewhite, participated in a mass suicide in 1997, convinced that their souls would leave their human containers and be transformed into enlightened alien beings. [13] Applewhite lost his position there after pursuing a sexual relationship with a male student;[14] his religious education was likely not supportive of same-sex relationships and he was subsequently frustrated by his sexual desires. 830A-Hazardous Material Control Management Technician. [2] He then taught at the University of Alabama (UA). Deceased 26 March 1997 - San Diego, San Diego Co., CA,aged 65 years old. Eventually, there were, depending on which source you look to, between seven and nine men within the group that had been castrated, author Zeller says in the docuseries. He was a self-proclaimed prophet, drawing rhetoric from science fiction and scripture. He then did a brief stint in the US army corps from 1954 to '56. [108] Members became desperate for Applewhite's approval, which he used to control them. [90] This capital was used to rent houses, initially in Denver and later in Dallas. 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