by Ray Black
EVIL CULT KILLERS (True Crime)
Ray Black
It is estimated that in the USA alone around five to seven million citizens have been involved in a "cult" at some point in their lives This book describes the history of cults, delving into their more gruesome aspects and documenting the horror perpetrated by brainwashed members manipulated by the messianic charisma of their leaders.
Introduction
It is estimated that in the US alone around five to seven million citizens have been involved in a ‘cult’ at some point in their lives and approximately 180,000 new members are recruited every year. Numbers are much lower in the UK. Cultic statistics are rather ambiguous as firstly it is extremely difficult to define what a cult actually is and secondly many groups are underground associations that do not make their membership numbers available or do not even record them. Nevertheless every country has groups and movements that worry the non-involved inhabitants, but the question is, is there a need for concern?
DEFINING THE WORD ‘CULT’
The word cult and the usage of such a word can be highly controversial as it is always people on the outside of the specific group or movement who deem it a ‘cult’.
The word has many meanings, and a dictionary definition shows just how intricate it really is. The Oxford Modern English Dictionary defines the word as:
cult 1. a system of religious worship,
esp. as expressed ritual.
2. a devotion or homage to a) person or thing (the cult of
aestheticism). b) a popular fashion, esp.
followed by a specific section of society.
3. (attrib.) denoting a person or thing popularized
in this way (cult film or cult figure).
A definition more specific to religious movements, that can be found on the Victims of Violence website, states that a cult is:
a religious movement which makes a fundamental break with the religious traditions of the culture and which is composed of individuals who had or seek mystical experience.
Throughout modern times the word cult has meant anything from a fad of a certain era, such as the mods and rockers of the ’60s or the Acid House movement of the late ’80s and early ’90s, to certain eating habits such as the Atkins Diet or vegetarianism. The word is often given to things that become popular very quickly and then just as rapidly, fade out.
Certain alternative, non mainstream film and music genres have what is deemed ‘a cult following’, but it is always the lack of understanding by people who are not involved that label such things so and the word always becomes associated with difference.
The majority of non mainstream religious groups are also negatively deemed cults as they are offering ideas and practices that are so alien to the majority that it is hard to understand what draws people to their teachings. Whenever the word cult is used within a religious sense it always denotes negative feeling. But for the purpose of categorization, sometimes the word cult is the only word that will do.
CULTS AND RELIGION
No one believes that the religious movement or hobby that they are interested in is a cult as they see their beliefs or interests as completely normal. Even within each specific group of people there are many individuals with opposing views and feelings to one another.
The problem is that the word has the tendency to cluster many extremely different ideas and movements under one banner and connotations of ‘weird behaviour’ and ‘brain washing’ become rife. In her book Cults, Shirley Harrison reiterates this point:
No one ever considers their own religion a cult. Christian Scientists are offended to find themselves linked with the Unification Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses will not preach to the likes of Scientologists. If you are a Muslim you regard the Baha’i Faith with disdain. If you practise Transcendental Meditation you are not following a specific religion at all. The Church of Christ believes that mainstream Christianity has departed from the teachings of Jesus. The truth is that neither the word cult, nor the softer alternative ‘New Religious Movement’, can be applied to all these groups. Each is different. Very few are all bad.
The word causes ongoing debates and questions, such as: why should The Branch Davidians be called a cult but Christians or Jehovah’s Witnesses not, when both groups can be defined as a ‘system of religious worship’?
Maybe it becomes easier to call a religious group or movement a cult after an event that has rocked them and brought their ideas negatively into the mainstream as it is these events that have given other peace loving harmless groups a bad name.
Although the word cult has been used in conjunction with modern culture, the idea of cults and sects is by no way a new notion. Cults, in some form or another, have been around since the beginning of religion. There have always been offshoots and movements that have not been accepted by the majority due to their fanaticism and instead have been negatively described as unorthodox or spurious.
Back in the time of the Crusades, around 1118, a knight of the First Crusade, Hugh de Payens, founded ‘The Templars’. The Templars consisted of ten knights who stayed in the holy land after the crusade and provided escort for pilgrims travelling from Jaffa to Jerusalem. Over the years this small group of ‘do-good’ knights grew in numbers, in fame and in power. By the Second Crusade they had gained the right to wear a red cross, the symbol of God, on their white mantles. But with fame and fortune also came stories that The Templars were rash and aggressive, with the best spy network in the Middle East. They soon spread as far as Europe and owned huge amounts of land that they used to earn revenue that could be sent back to their Templar brothers in the East.
The knights soon became a worry for monarchies and governments around the world, and whether or not they were doing anything bad did not seem to matter, they were seen as a threat, especially to those in power. By 1307, the King of France, Philip the Fair had the majority of Templars arrested on charges that ranged from sodomy to witchcraft and with the help of propaganda it wasn’t long before the public had turned completely against them.
This can be related to many modern day groups, it just takes a few pieces of bad press for a whole movement and ideology to be seen as a threat to society, just because the ideas they are teaching or the way in which the group are living are not ‘the norm’.
CULTS THAT BECAME DESTRUCTIVE
On the flip side, there are groups which are tarred with the description of cult as they are a danger to people and society as a whole.
Thuggee was an Indian cult in the 16th century that was made up of Muslim and Hindu members who worshiped Kali, the Goddess of Destruction. They were responsible for the assassination of travellers for monetary gain and each murder was completed in an extremely ritualistic fashion. The Thugs believed it was their religious duty to commit such atrocities, and a holy and honourable profession.
It was because of their fanatical belief and worship to Kali that the Thugs had become such dangerous people, who really believed that there was nothing wrong with what they were doing. In this respect the Thugs could be seen as a dangerous cult that needed to be stopped.
In recent times there has been an uprise in alternative religions and beliefs. This has had a lot to do with travel becoming easier, the movement and amalgamation of cultures have seen people exposed to many foreign theories and practices that are subsequently moulded into something new. Even something such as Yoga has made people in the West spiritually aware of a very Eastern practice which 60 or 70 years ago would not have been so accessible.
The practice of a non-mainstream religion or of a new belief that is not common is not the problem, as humans should be free to choose what they believe in, if anything. The problems with �
��cult activity’ come when people are sucked into a group that has a detrimental effect on their health and also on their brain and thought process which ends in them either killing themselves of others. These groups could be termed ‘destructive cults’. Groups, such as the Branch Davidians, Aum Shinrikyo and The Order of The Solar Temple were perfectly respectable groups, with the best intentions that for whatever reason ran out of control. Even after events such as mass suicide, many survivors of these destructive cults still praise their leaders, but is that because they were so severely brainwashed that they will never again think for themselves?
It is a myth that destructive cults prey on emotionally low people of low intelligence in need of guidance. Through various studies and personality breakdowns of former cult members we can see that an alcoholic divorcee has just as much potential of becoming involved in a life changing movement as a university professor. Although there is not one single personality type for people who join cults, in the West common traits are: middle class, white, non-religious and around 18 to 30 years of age, who are in a transitional phase in their lives.
It could even be argued that cults that embark on mass suicide should be left to it as they are all adults who can think for themselves. But it is never as easy as that as many times children are either brought into a group by their parents or are born into such a movement. It is the children who need rescuing as they know no different and are not able to make their own choices.
The problem with destructive cults is that people can be recruited dishonestly and new members are manipulated into conforming to certain rules and regulations that take away their freedom and interaction with family and friends on the outside. It can be extremely hard to distinguish between a destructive cult and a cult that is in fact just a radical new movement as leaders can come across as very saint-like and angelic who convince their members that they are going to feed the hungry and clothe the poor.
As soon as a group takes away your opinion to exercise your God-given privilege of free-will, it is a cult that definitely has the potential to be destructive and evil.
Section One: Cult Suicides
The Heaven’s Gate Ufo Cult
Mass suicide in San Diego
The hHaven’s Gate were known by various names during their 22 years of existence. At the beginning they did not even have a name, therefore it was people outside the cult who first christened them. A sociologist who studied them in the early years referred to them as the ‘Bo and Peep UFO Cult’ and media articles often referred to them as ‘HIM’ – Human Individual Metamorphosis. Yet it wasn’t until a couple of years prior to the end of their existence in 1997 that the group settled on Heaven’s Gate as a name, the name they had been using for their website.
Marshall Heff Applewhite was born in Spur, Texas in 1931 and had studied at various institutes before finally dropping out to follow a career in music. At the beginning this career path looked rather promising when he became music director at the First Presbyterian Church in Gastonia before obtaining the post Professor of Music at St. Thomas University in Houston. Things took a turn for the worse in 1972 when he was dismissed from his post due to a scandal involving a male student. This incident ruined both his career and his relationship with his family. Applewhite subsequently suffered a mental breakdown and signed himself into a psychiatric ward in order to ‘be cured of his homosexuality’. It was at this vulnerable time in Applewhite’s life that he met nurse Bonnie Lu Nettles. Applewhite felt that his sexuality was secure with Nettles and their relationship, although intense, was strictly platonic.
Bonnie Nettles was born in 1927, little is known about her background apart from her interest in metaphysical studies. She was a member of the Theosophical Society and had an avid interest in channelling. In contrast, Applewhite came from a traditional Christian family upbringing with a father who had been a Presbyterian minister – he had always been interested in religion but it wasn’t until he started hearing voices in his head that he became hungry for more. Nettles used Applewhite’s vulnerability to benefit her thoughts and beliefs by magnifying his delusions and although they had many differences in nurture, they soon discovered a mutual interest in UFOs, the paranormal and science fiction.
BO AND PEEP
A year after their chance encounter the couple began wandering around the American West living a rather nomadic lifestyle. They cut themselves off virtually from all other human existence and submerged themselves in a private world of visions and metaphysics. Having plenty of time for contemplation and reflection it was at this point that they decided they were the two witnesses written about in the Book of Revelations. Their belief drew on an ideology that they were two prophets whose destiny it was to die and be reborn. They had many childlike nicknames for their duo such as ‘Bo and Peep’ ‘Guinea and Pig’ and ‘Ti and Do’ and to this day cult and theological analysts are still trying to work out what the reasons behind the names are.
‘The Two’, as they also referred to themselves, embarked on creating a hybrid religion that was a mixture of Christianity, Theosophical teachings and the paranormal. They often reportedly had contacts with beings from other planets whom would tell them to ‘abandon their worldly pursuits’. The Book of Revelations went on to state that after 1,260 days of showing their witnesses the truth, their enemies would attack and kill them. This event would be followed by their rise to heaven by cloud. The cloud would take the form, Applewhite believed, of a UFO.
TWO BECOME HIM
It didn’t take long for ‘The Two’ to start attracting media attention, many people who had the same thoughts and beliefs as them but who maybe needed a little guidance to act upon it started to join them on their walkabout.
Applewhite educated his followers into believing that himself and Nettles were representatives from the ‘higher level’ of existence who had taken on a human form at this lower level in order to guide aspirants through the journey to the higher level of existence.
At one point, with around 200 recruits in tow, Bo and Peep spilt the members into small groups with vague instructions regarding preparation for the resurrection. Bo and Peep disappeared into the wilderness, and for about six months small groups of their followers were roaming the country awaiting news from their leaders.
After half a year of nomadic wandering, news came that Bo and Peep could be reached at a post office box in Mississippi. Within a few months, around one hundred followers had reassembled behind a much more mature leadership.
By the beginning of the ’80s ‘The Two’ had become ‘HIM’ with around 50 or 60 solid members. The group wandered around the Mid West before making camp near Laramie, Wyoming. They were an extremely peaceful and contemplative group of people who were dedicated to their cause – more likened to monks than a cult. Over time, more and more rules were being thought up by Bo and Peep, and members – their sheep – were strictly regulated by what was termed the ‘Process’. They yearned to eliminate sex and all human emotion from themselves and their followers. It was almost as though because Applewhite had such a problem dealing with his own emotion and desire that he felt such feelings should be deleted from existence.
Followers came and went but ‘HIM’ maintained a hardcore following, and through members inheritances the group managed to set up two residencies, one in Texas and the other in the Rockies.
LIFE AFTER TI
In 1985 Nettles, (who had actually been rechristened ‘Ti’ to Applewhite’s ‘Do’ at this point) at the age of 57, died of liver cancer. In Applewhite’s eyes Nettles had always been his superior and from the day of her death he started to refer to her as his ‘heavenly father’. He told his followers that Nettles was definitely an advanced member of the higher level and reported right up until his own death in 1997 that he was in constant communication with her.
Applewhite continued to sail his ship onwards and upwards so to speak. He lectured followers that if they wished to board the spaceship to heaven they would have to embark on even
more disciplined training. His disciples had to give up practically everything, including family, friends, alcohol, tobacco and sex. Applewhite was surgically castrated and five of his male followers followed suit.
The group adopted a whole range of space related jargon in order to describe their ideas. Applewhite was the Captain and his followers were the crew. Food turned into ‘fuel’ and their bodies were the ‘physical vehicles’ that would help take them to the heavenly space ship. Members wore identical uniforms which consisted of collarless monotone tunics, Nike™ trainers and, male and female alike, all had cropped hair cuts. Their tunics were disturbingly similar to something that could easily be associated with a sci-fi television programme such as Star Trek, and it is believed that many of the group’s members were in fact avid sci-fi fans.
According to Applewhite, the Bible provided an array of proof regarding what their ideologies entailed. Passages from the four gospels and the Book of Revelations could apparently be interpreted to show references to UFO visitation.
As the years went by each of the members individuality lessened. They had been given new names by Applewhite which helped crumble their sense of past, they were no longer the people they had once been, they had been completely brainwashed for the cause of the higher level. This mind-control was supported by members being assigned a partner. If one half of the pair was falling out of the much needed mind-set the other crew member was there to put them back on track. The individual thought process had been predominantly wiped out, except maybe the individual thoughts of Applewhite himself.
NEW RECRUITS
In the early ’90s the group came out of seclusion and began a campaign to get their message across to as many people as possible. They recorded video messages, held open meetings and lectures, took out advertisements in national newspapers and set up their own website called Heaven’s Gate. The website allowed access to the group’s sacred text: How and When Heaven’s Gate May Be Entered and also contained essays by both Applewhite and his students explaining their theories and where they were going. An ‘Earth Exit Statement’ posted on the site by a student named Glnody discusses the dominant and corrupt governments of the world and how due to technology there is no longer such a thing as freedom on earth. It was around the time that their website went live that they started loosely calling their movement Heaven’s Gate . . .
