Heaven's Gate Tragedy, A Warning for us All
(This is written in response to a request by the Internet Service Provider that hosts this web site.)
The disaster of Heaven’s Gate is very sad. Thirty-nine lives have been wasted and all those who knew those people will be forever changed. The rest of us will try to make sense out of what can only be described as insanity.
As a former member of a spiritual group, Siddha Yoga, which I now know as a cult, I can possibly understand some of the distorted thinking and dynamics that lead to such a deadly outcome. I cannot phantom the last choice they made, to die. My cult was not so bad. As I hear the TV and read the newspapers talk about cults, they, the media, are missing many of the not so deadly groups. There are thousands of cults and many different kinds of cults.
There are what I would determine the doomsday cults, such as Heaven’s Gates, Branch Davidian cult, the Star Temple and of course the Jim Jones nightmare in Guyana. These cults and the leaders are so sick that only the end of their own lives can justify their existence. I’m sure the psychologists will speak to the underlying dynamics that have lead them to this action.
Then there are what I would call the murder cults, such as the recent Aum Shinrikyo in Japan, whose purpose was to kill others, rather than themselves. Hitler could be included in this group, with a political twist rather than a religious one.
Not all cults are like these. Not all cults end in such obvious disaster. At the same time, just because a cult has not yet caused the loss of life, what’s to say it won’t? The Heaven’s Gate group started in the 70’s. As the leader of the group became more delusional, he took the already deluded followers with him.
Many cults are "protected" by the seal of religion and non-profit status. As a result, there is no way to investigate these groups until it is too late. Perhaps the freedom of religion and the separation of state goes just a little too far in this respect. In Germany, the government is taking an active role against Scientology. Here is it a religion.
I think what is most important is to recognize that there are different kinds of cults, causing different kinds of damage. Those in Siddha Yoga will very comfortably say to themselves, boy I’m glad in a group that is not a cult, see what Heaven’s Gate did, they killed themselves. We don’t do that; therefore we are not a cult. The false logic is very clear here.
Some cults, such as Siddha Yoga, do not isolate all their members. While some members do isolate, Siddha Yoga actually uses current members to "invite" friends and family to special "introductory programs". If devotee’s family or friends get too negative about their involvement in Siddha Yoga, they will be told to keep "good company" implying that the friends and family don’t understand and should be avoided.
There is much confusion in the public given that so many apparently successful and intelligent people join cults. Well, why would a cult want a non-successful and non-intelligent person? Especially when that success translates into money. Siddha Yoga has rejected people due to mental illness or other problems that get in the way of fitting into the cult. Even cults have their standards. You have to fit in. In my last years in Siddha Yoga, I was not considered for higher "management" type positions as I asked too many challenging questions.
The vulnerable link is emotional. A cult provides instant family, acceptance and approval. Watching the video wills of the Heaven’s Gates people will show the individuals laughing that all knowing laugh together, like a secret code or short hand.
Siddha Yoga practices a common technique, "love bombing". This is when a new person is smiled at, and approached in a "loving" and emotionally seductive manner to get their attention. Many times I have seen this done and moments later the person doing the hit will then turn around and be angry and controlling about something else. It is obviously a false veneer to seek people’s approval and participation.
The cult member is very special. They know they are not apart of life’s main stream (even though they may have a 9 to 5 job) because at night or on the weekend they are chanting and doing work to all hours at the local center. The truth is life is hard. Alcoholism, drugs and other addictions run rampant in the world. People do have a legitimate hunger for community and spirituality. There is nothing wrong in that, but you must be very careful.
Siddha Yoga is very polished and practiced. Whenever they get a movie or TV star, that person will quickly become a spokesperson and MC at many of the ceremonies. Phylisha (sp?) Rashad is a current participate of Siddha Yoga. She is on many of the videos, as the MC, that are sold to the local centers. In the past Marsha Mason, the actress, was a speaker for Siddha Yoga. So, one says to one self, "If so and so is a member, then it must be ok."
That Heaven’s Gate used the Internet to advertise and recruit should not come as surprise. The Internet is a media, reflecting society as a whole, with all its wonders and its sorrows. Many other cults are using the Internet, as they use posters, videos, books, magazines, ads and people on the streets selling flowers. And likewise, we, at Leaving Siddha Yoga are using the Internet to put the word out about Siddha Yoga and cults. While Siddha Yoga itself does not have their own, official, web site, there is at least one web site that is very pro Siddha Yoga, and we suspect that they have the unofficial support of Siddha Yoga, in part, to counteract our site.
Perhaps we should realize that cult type behavior has been with us since the beginning of time. We don’t think of gangs as cults, but in fact they can be seen in the same light. We don’t think of mainstream religions to be cults, but in fact if any religion encourages an individual to avoid other spiritual teachers or paths that is a major warning sign of a group that needs to control its members. As we educate the public, about the dangers of cults, we must also address the underlying problems of families and society.
Pendragon
March 1997