We, as humans, are constantly asking the big questions:
Why are we here? What happens after we die? What do I believe, and how is it different than what others believe?
As a part of that, we’re often fascinated by faiths or religions that are on the fringes, ones that are harder for us to understand and accept.
Some examples of that fringe includes the Rajneeshee group in Oregon in the 1980s and the Heaven’s Gate group known for committing mass suicide in the 1990s.
Both of these stories have become important parts of American pop culture. A huge reason for that is because it’s hard for many of us to understand these groups, which are often referred to as cults.
To help us better understand some of this, The Show spoke with Ben Zeller. He’s chair of the Department of Religion at Lake Forest College in the Chicago area, and is the author of the book, "Heaven’s Gate: America’s UFO Religion."
