Marshall Applewhite: Heaven’s Gate Cult Leader

A cult is defined as a small group of people that do not adhere to the larger widely accepted belief system, instead they are often regarded to have extreme or dangerous beliefs (Cult). Cult leaders engage in many different methods and actions to gain their followers. Some cults last for a long period, others end shortly after creation. Cults nevertheless hold a stigma that brings terror and confusion to many outsiders looking in. The public questions why people could become so consumed in someone else that they could bring themselves to take their own lives. Not all cults are the evils the public makes them out to be; they are not necessarily spotless institutions however. When one thinks of a cult, they imagine death, brainwashing, and simple human robots following the reincarnation of the devil. Not all cults end in mass suicide, violence, or terror; many religions once started as cults and have thrived since. However, some cults end in the expected display of death, confusion, and regret. Heaven’s Gate, led by Marshall Applegate, is one such example. Marshall Applegate invoked various methods of persuasion to gain followers, who in the end would commit suicide in attempts to reach their idea of heaven.

Marshall Applegate began and lived a normal life that no one would have found odd or unusual. Marshall Applewhite was born on May 17, 1931, in Spur, Texas. He graduated from Austin College and was married shortly after. Marshall was known fondly for his music and drama talents. He sang opera and often impressed people with his baritone voice. He failed to become an actor in New York, becoming instead an assistant professor at the University of Alabama. Eventually he would return to Texas as the head of the music department a...

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...r, was able to convince 38 adults to commit suicide through the simple use of persuasion. One can learn from the mistakes cult members have made in the past. Beware of the persuasive techniques others hold and put into practice, do not succumb to their enticement. You may just save your or someone else’s life. Potential cult leaders can be anywhere, they only have as much power as their followers allow them.

Works Cited

"Cult." Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, 2011. Web. 17 April 2014.

“Marshall Herff Applewhite." The Biography. A&E Television Networks, LLC, n.d. Web. 16 April 2014.

Monmaney, Terence. "Free will, or thought control?" Los Angeles Times 4 April 1997: A1. Web.

Stewart, Dennis D. and Cheryl B. Stewart. “Heaven's Gate, Marshall Herff Applewhite and Bonnie Lu Nettles.”Secret History of Laura Knight-Jadczyk. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 April 2014.