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Like many others, I first heard about the Heaven's Gate movement on Dreamland with Art Bell. Then I checked it out on the Internet. It was immediately obvious that we were dealing with a cult situation that was only tenuously linked to ufology. Of primary relevance is that the beliefs of the cult are based heavily on traditional religious doomsayer prophecy and new age spiritualism. The alien aspect was also far more aligned with sci-fi than ufology. In the documents I've reviewed, the Heaven's Gate members seldom use the term "UFO", and when they do so, it's in an analogous rather than literal manner, explaining that space aliens are a different concept from their "Kingdom".

So if we must lay blame on anyone or anything, then let's blame the usual suspects, the first one being the age old religious belief in God. Combine that with mental instability and new age mumbo jumbo against a sci-fi backdrop and presto ... Heaven's Gate! Real ufology has nothing to do with it other than to study it in an objective historical and sociological context. As for Art Bell: There seems to be a level of discontent here aimed at Bell, and although I don't think the criticisms are entirely unfounded, when it comes to this issue, based on the shows I heard, I don't think Bell has any legitimate accountability for the deaths in Heaven's Gate. 

 

Let's not forget that Bell wasn't an investigative reporter. He was a talk show host. I'll admit that I have more respect for those hosts who take time to do some background research, and IMO the more the better, but ultimately, it's a talk show host's job to facilitate the show, not act as inquisitor, judge and jury. So let's be reasonable. If we held every talk show host accountable for all the problems they talk about, they'd all be in jail. Clearly they need the freedom to facilitate what their guests are expressing without us assuming they are always colluding with them in an unethical manner.