Heaven's Gate suicides remembered

Heaven's Gate member Rio DiAngelo talks to CNN's Dan Simon about discovering the scene of the 1997 mass suicide.

What the rise of this '70s cult says about American culture

By Ben Zeller, Lake Forest College

(CNN) - Heaven's Gate -- also known as the "UFO cult" -- burst into American consciousness more than 20 years ago when, on March 26, 1997, law enforcement discovered 39 decomposing bodies in a San Diego, California mansion.

Each detail that emerged from the scene stunned a rapt public: Adherents had died by suicide in waves on March 22 and 23; they lay under purple shrouds, with five-dollar bills and rolls of quarters in their pockets; all wore simple dark uniforms and Nike tennis shoes.

Bizarre as these details may seem, if you actually look at the group's beliefs and history, Heaven's Gate has far more in common with American culture than you might expect.

In my book on Heaven's Gate, I argue that the group drew from broad trends in American culture -- religiosity, apocalyptic thinking and an interest in fusing science and religion.

But one theme has become even more evident since I wrote the book. The group's embrace of conspiratorial thinking reflects a culture of conspiracy that has long existed in the margins of society -- and has re-emerged at the center of American life.