The Heaven's Gate Studies Center is now online!
Come check out the resource library, FAQ, and community projects...and chat with the resident AI "Discody"
I am very pleased to announce the launch of the Heaven's Gate Studies Center.
About:
The Heaven's Gate Studies Center is a community of people who enjoy discussing the Heaven's Gate religion -- whether out of curiosity, academic interest, or personal belief. Heaven's Gate remains a major (but often misunderstood) topic of interest amongst the public as well as academics, journalists, and filmmakers. Discussions and analyses of Heaven's Gate continue to yield important insights into the development of modern-day religious faith and practice. This community exists to make that conversation more accessible, more diverse, and more exciting!
Mission Statement:
To facilitate a friendly, diverse and active community of people who are interested in Heaven's Gate discussion
To make hard-to-find information about Heaven's Gate more accessible to content creators, academics, and history buffs alike
To host and maintain a comprehensive library of resources related to Heaven's Gate
To organize and support the continuing study of Heaven's Gate
To provide education and resources to the public about the history, beliefs and practices of Heaven's Gate
To promote respectful, rigorous and responsible research practices in all areas of Heaven's Gate studies
All you need to access the HGSC is a Discord account. You can also enjoy the virtual tour I've created.
This is a project I’ve been working on since around the time I took over moderating r/heavensgate. I’m really looking forward to building a strong community of Heaven’s Gate history buffs, researchers, students and anyone else who’s interested in this topic!
Here is some of what’s offered:
Active Discussions and Live Events
Text, voice and stage channels for discussion. Come hang out in the "Next Level Lounge", dive deep in the “Study Hall”, or start a focused conversation in the “Topic Forums”. Don't forget to check the Events Calendar for upcoming events, lectures and focused discussion groups!
FAQ Forums
A regularly-updated list of the most frequently asked questions related to Heaven's Gate. Answers are carefully researched, straightforward and succinct. The FAQ is organized by topic with a variety of tags making it easy to navigate.
Resource Library
An ever-expanding, comprehensive list of resources related to Heaven's Gate -- meticulously-organized, all in one place. Great for students, researchers, or content creators who are looking to continue the important work of studying this fascinating topic.
Searching for a specific interview, video or article? Trying to track down something you saw or heard about the group but can't remember where? Head over to one of the channels under "Resource Library" to see if I have it archived!
Talk to Discody (The One and Only Heaven’s Gate Bot)
Discody is an AI app I created using Shapes, Inc. who is very interested in the teachings of Ti (Bonnie Nettles) and Do (Marshall Applewhite). He's a friendly and curious bot who loves to talk about Heaven's Gate, and he is always learning. Feel free to ask him questions or teach him something new!
Community Projects
A space for serious researchers, or anyone who values the study of Heaven's Gate, to collaborate on specific projects related to the furtherance of Heaven's Gate Studies. I currently have three projects on the docket for discussion (just look for “Community Projects” in the sidebar).
It's a great way to be a part of a community of people with similar passions and a desire to make real progress in the area of Heaven's Gate research. It's also a wonderful opportunity to showcase your own unique talents.
Check out the project proposal forums and make your voice heard or find out more about how you can get involved!
Opportunities to Support Continued Research
As an independent researcher, the work I do to study and document the continued history of Heaven's Gate is self-funded, as is the time I invest in developing and maintaining the Center. Members who would like to support the Heaven's Gate Studies Center can do so by becoming a Founding Member. This is a monthly service subscription built right into Discord.
As a thank-you, Founding Members will have access to exclusive text and voice channels, behind the scenes content, and early access to articles/videos -- along with a shiny, purple username flair! (Supporting the server is optional. You do not have to purchase a subscription to access the FAQ, Resource Library, Talk-to-Discody, Project Proposals, or any other public text/voice channels).
I’ll be having a Launch Party on Friday, March 7th at 8PM Eastern (US) for anyone interested — an informal get-together in one of the voice channels on the server, possibly along with a Q and A about Heaven’s Gate, the Studies Center, or any other related topic.
Hope to see you over there!
— VB