[157], From June to October 1995, the group lived in a rural part of New Mexico. Zodiac sign: Leo. [168], In October 1996, the group rented a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. [13] They wrote a pamphlet that described Jesus' reincarnation as a Texan, a thinly-veiled reference to Applewhite. [34] To their dismay, these ideas were poorly received. 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. [134], In the wake of Nettles' death, Applewhite became increasingly paranoid, fearing a conspiracy against his group. He served as head coach at the University of Houston from 2016 to 2018, where he previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. [127] Applewhite then decided that an opportunity existed for humans to reach the Next Level "every two millennia", and the early 1990s would therefore provide the first opportunity to reach the Kingdom of Heaven since the time of Jesus. [52], After Applewhite's release, Nettles and he resolved to contact extraterrestrials and began seeking like-minded followers. His close partner, Bonnie Lu Nettles, decided they were "The Two" mentioned in the Book . At this point, the docuseries indicates, Applewhite had his fateful encounter with Nettles. [99] Lifton states that Applewhite wanted "quality over quantity" in his followers, although he occasionally spoke about gaining many converts. This idea has failed to gain support among academics. [29] They usually stayed at remote campgrounds and did not speak about their beliefs. J. Scott Applewhite - staff, AP Chairman Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., center, leads a special House committee dedicated to countering China holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb . [3] He had three siblings. [140] Woodward notes that Applewhite's teaching about the Earth's recycling is similar to the cyclical perspective of time found in Buddhism. In 1985, Nettles died, leaving Applewhite distraught and challenging his views on physical ascension. Zeller notes that this naturally ensured no possibility of the group's continuing if Applewhite were to die. Upcoming Football Trials, [170] He told his followers that the vessel would transport them to an empyrean destination, and that a government conspiracy was attempting to suppress word of the craft. He was birthing students into the next level., Marshall Applewhite, the leader of the Heaven's Gate cult, was a former music instructor at the University of Alabama. [178] A bag that contained a few dollars and a form of identification was placed beside most bodies. By Steven Godfrey Updated Dec 30, 2018, 1:24pm EST A self-proclaimed prophet and messiah, he died in the group's mass suicide of 1997. Marshall Herff Applewhite was an American religious leader who founded what became known as the Heavens Gate religious group and organized their mass suicide in 1997. [105] Applewhite and Nettles arranged their followers' lifestyles as a boot camp that would prepare them for the Next Level. [52] At these events, they purported to represent beings from another planet, the Next Level, who sought participants for an experiment. [2] He then taught at the University of Alabama (UA). Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). These ideas were expressed with language drawn from Christian eschatology, the New Age movement and American popular culture. So the family name was O-D-Y.. Applewhite and Nettles gave cult members new names, all of which ended in ODY.. On January 16, 2008, Applewhite accepted an offer to become running backs coach at the University of Texas and he also served as assistant head coach to Mack Brown. [16] When Applewhite revealed to his parents that he was homosexual, his father rejected him. Wrong username or password. [144] This theme emerged in 1988, possibly in response to the lurid alien abduction stories that were proliferating at the time. The leader of the #HTownTakeover's offense the past two years, Major Applewhite has been named the 14th head coach of the University of Houston Football program. Houston's success starts on offense, where it ranked 15th in passing and 21st in scoring . itsleeps (feat. [56] The two seldom personally spoke with attendees, only taking phone numbers with which they could contact them. "Heaven's Gate survivor reflects on the cult's mass suicide 25 years ago", Texas Birth Index, online at ancestry.com, "Family tree of Marshall Herff Applewhite", "Heaven's Gate cult members record farewell messages: 20/20 'The Cult Next Door' Preview", Zeller, "Extraterrestrial Biblical Hermeneutics" 2010, Lalich, "Using the Bounded Choice Model" 2004, "The Devil at Heaven's Gate: Rethinking the Study of Religion in the Age of Cyber-Space", "Cult's Founder Turned from Music to UFOs", "Eyes on Glory: Pied Pipers of Heaven's Gate", "Mysterious Couple may be the Founders of Suicide Cult", "From Religious Childhood To Reins of a U.F.O. Marshall Herff Applewhite was born in Spur, Texas, to Marshall Herff Applewhite Sr. and Louise Applewhite; he had three siblings. [136][156], In the early 1990s, Applewhite posted some of his teachings on the Internet, but he was stung by the resulting criticism. He's the key figure in a new docuseries, Heavens Gate: The Cult of Cults, streaming on HBO Max. 4 yr. ago. [96] The two leaders limited the group's contacts with those outside the movement, even some who may have been interested in joining, ostensibly to prevent infiltration from hostile parties. [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. 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 . In 1952 he graudated from Austin College. Marshall had recorded a video shortly before his passing, in which he rambled about UFO's and his beliefs, saying that these suicides were the "final exit" of his group . [124] He emphasized that Jesus, whom he believed was an extraterrestrial, came to Earth, was killed, and bodily rose from the dead before being transported onto a spaceship. Florida. Despite their stance against suicide, he and 38 followers were found dead dressed identically, wearing arm bands that read "Heaven's Gate Away Team." 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. Applewhite was enlisted in the Army in 1954 and served in the Army Signal Corps in New Mexico and Austria. [122], Religious scholar Catherine Wessinger posits that the suicides began on March22. [27], In August 1974, Applewhite was arrested in Harlingen, Texas, for failing to return a car that he had rented in Missouri. [9] [10] Early in his seminary studies, Applewhite decided to leave the school to pursue a career in music, becoming the music director of a Presbyterian church in North Carolina. Marshall Herff Applewhite Jr. (May 17, 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. By the mid-1990s, cult membership had dwindled and efforts to recruit others -- via a website, radio interviews and other methods -- were finding little success. [34] Applewhite permanently broke off contact with his family as well. Applewhite, who completed 57.4 percent of his passes, including 63 percent as a senior, said though he yearned to play he understood the coach's decision to start Simms. Marshall Applewhite Latest Breaking News, Pictures, Videos, and Special Reports from The Economic Times. Early Life. [7] He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1952 and subsequently enrolled at Union Presbyterian Seminary to study theology, hoping to become a minister. [103] Rather than issue direct commands, he attempted to express his preferences and nominally offer his disciples a choice. [37] Christopher Partridge of Lancaster University states that Applewhite and Nettles were similar to John Reeve and Lodowicke Muggleton, who founded Muggletonianism, a millennialist movement in 17th century England.[33]. (Courtesy of HBO Max). Last season, Applewhite was instrumental in helping Jalen Tolbert earn the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors, the first for a Jag, as Tolbert led the conference in catches, receiving yards, receiving yards per game and yards per reception - ranking third in . [7] He saw Nettles as his soulmate, and some of his acquaintances later recalled that she had a strong influence on him. [82][d] Balch and Taylor believe that Applewhite's prison experience and early rejection by audiences contributed to this fear. Major Applewhite returns to South Alabama for his second year as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. "[15] Alabama, however, then lost the last four games of the season, including a shocking 21-14 loss to Louisiana-Monroe. Marshall Applewhite. jonathan jones obituary; Get to know us . [65] Applewhite and Nettles denied connection with the New Age movement, viewing it as a human creation. [email protected]. Toggle navigation MENU. [25] Applewhite's father died around that time; the loss took a significant emotional toll on him, causing severe depression. Tim Ryan Pwc Ex Wife, [143] In addition, he stated that evil extraterrestrials, whom he referred to as "Luciferians", sought to thwart his mission. After stints at Texas and Houston in the next 11 seasons, Applewhite returned to Alabama in 2019-2020 as an analyst. [91] They typically communicated with their disciples in writing or through assistants. Banned. [118] A relationship with Applewhite was said to be the only way to salvation;[119] he encouraged his followers to see him as Christ. [1] That was followed by losses to Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game and to Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. He graduated from high school in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1948. [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. 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. Reply. [58], Applewhite believed in the ancient astronaut hypothesis, which claimed that extraterrestrials had visited humanity in the past and placed humans on Earth and would return to collect a select few. [154] This proved to be a difficult endeavor, particularly for the aging Applewhite:[160] he was in poor health and, at one point, feared that he had cancer. [81] The pair also had little contact with their dispersed followers, many of whom renounced their allegiance. [120], After Nettles' death, Applewhite also altered his view of ascension; previously, he had taught that the group would physically ascend from the Earth and that death caused reincarnation, but her deathwhich left behind an unchanged, corporeal bodyforced him to say that the ascension could be spiritual. David Dayan Fisher, (Courtesy of HBO Max), 3. [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. His students supported him during this time, greatly encouraging him. (, The circumstances of Applewhite's introduction to Nettles are unclear: their meeting has been variously attributed to his seeking of treatment at a hospital, (. [112] They further relaxed their control in 1983, permitting their followers to visit relatives on Mother's Day. They believed that suicide was a means of transferring their human shells into an alien spacecraft hidden behind the Hale-Bopp Comet. [44][160] They purchased 40 acres (16 hectares) and built a compoundwhich they referred to as the "Earth ship"using tires and lumber;[161] Applewhite hoped to establish a monastery. 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