In 1997 cults jumped to the front page when 39 members of the Heaven's Gate religious group committed mass suicide. Members of Heaven's Gate viewed themselves as monks and addressed each other as brother and sister. Each left his or her everyday life to join the group's monastery in San Diego and lead a celibate life. And what was the point? Well, according to their website, members of Heaven's Gate joined "to work individually on our personal overcoming and change, in preparation for entering the Kingdom of Heaven."
Fearful of persecution, psychological torture and arrest, the group prepared for mass suicide believing their bodies would be left behind and their souls would be transported to the UFO they believed to be hiding behind a nearby comet.
