ZetaTalk: Being Human

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ZetaTalk: Heaven's Gate

Note: written on May 15, 1997

Scarcely anyone believes, as the leader and follower of Heaven's Gate did, that a UFO was indeed following what was

billed as the comet Hale-Bopp, or that they as human beings would be selected out from among the billions for special

treatment. What shocked the nation and the world was not so much the absurdity of their beliefs but the extent to

which they would go to adhere to them. Incidences such as suicide bombers and soldiers going into battle and even

into certain death are not unknown, but behind these actions is something concrete, such as home and family or actual

politicians and laws one is in rebellion against. Many church-goers prate the belief they supposedly espouse, but would

hesitate to put even their time and discomfort behind them, much less their lives. And those who would discomfit

themselves for a belief are sure that their belief is not as silly as Heaven's Gate.

However, if one looks at just a few examples from Christian belief - that of the Rapture that many Christians cling to,

or the Ascension where Jesus supposedly rose from the dead, or Baptism where splashing a bit of water is supposed to

make the difference between a tiny babe going to heaven or hell - one sees that the Heaven's Gate crowd was scarcely

alone in their silliness. These beliefs and the actions they generate have no more rationale than the beliefs that the Heaven's Gate crowd held. That said, why did the Heaven's Gate crowd arrive at such an absurd conclusion, and what

led them to take the steps they did?

When looking to understand why cults do as they do, one should first examine the leaders. Cults are characterized by

an isolationist life style, with the flow of information coming only from the leader and this slanted to fit his needs. The psychology that occurs is simply an extension of what goes on in the average family - what father says goes, and he

has ownership over his wife and children. Dictated rules seem absurd when one only sees the devotee slavishly

following them, and make sense only when one examines the leaders. They are, after all, his rules, created by him to further his comfort and reduce his distress. The sense of possession that prompts a cult leader to order his followers to follow him in death is a factor present in the average household, where it is not unheard of for the husband to threaten

to kill his wife if she even thinks about leaving him.

The leader of the Heaven's Gate cult was beset with personal anxieties, which are no secret. Ashamed of his

homosexual yearnings, he had himself castrated. Guilt often leads one to think of eminent death, the ultimate

punishment while simultaneously the ultimate escape, and this too was a theme throughout his life. Riddled with

sexual conflicts, he compulsively structured his life to avoid any temptations, and thus the rules against personal

interaction and the silly rules about how to slice apples and the like. Had the cult leader espoused the beliefs of an

organized religion, where their death was to take them to heaven, they would not have astonished many. That his

heaven was a space ship rather than a nebulous place in the clouds put him at odds with what the church teaches, and thus he was considered a kook instead of a deeply religious man!

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ZetaTalk: Right Religion

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ZetaTalk: Right Religion

Note: written by Jul 15, 1995

The major religions of mankind, now and throughout the history of mankind, have almost invariably fostered an

impression of selectivity - a theme that those holding to the beliefs taught, or those strictly adhering to the practices required, will be selected for special treatment both before and after death. Of course this is entirely false, and

purported only to secure and hold adherents. Christians are told that a few words spoken by a member of the religious

elite, along with a sprinkling of water blessed by these same religious elite, is the ticket to heaven. We are speaking

here of baptism. Absence of these steps damns non-Christians to hell. What nonsense. Does the entity not earn their future path by the steps taken? Whom does such a belief benefit? Look to this to understand why this falsehood is

promulgated. Those most insistent on holding out false hopes of an easy road in the future are those who benefit most

directly from widespread belief - the religious elite, who in most cases are charging for their services.

Just so, throughout history, religious elites have required that their enemies be persecuted and eliminated, their bed be feathered, their followers submit to sexual advances, and their coffers be filled - all in the name of a glorious future for the faithful followers.

There is no right or wrong religion, only ignorant or enlightened practices.

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ZetaTalk: Holy Wars

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ZetaTalk: Holy Wars

Note: written by Jul 15, 1995

Many religions based on the same concept of consideration for others and fair play have come to see each other as

rivals and do anything but practice what they preach. The Christians during the Crusades set out to eliminate rival

religions, and cared not how much murder and mayhem resulted. Islam has become so intolerant of western religions

that to reveal one's religious affiliations to be anything but Muslim in some countries is tantamount to a self