|
|
| ... in 1997, a former music professor named Applewhite persuaded 38 people to commit suicide with him, with plastic bags and purple cloths over their heads and Nike sneakers on their feet, in an effort to reach a UFO hiding behind Comet Hale-Bopp. This UFO was to take them, via what they termed Heaven’s Gate, to an unspecified interplanetary reward. |
By Matthew J Sharps Ph.D.
www.psychologytoday.com 10-2-20 |
|
|
|
When authorities killed William Cooper in a burst of
gunfire outside his hilltop home in eastern Arizona, he was an author
and radio host who had attracted a rabid following among UFO buffs,
prisoners and the militia movement. |
By Richard Ruelas, and Rob O'Dell
Arizona Republic 10-1-20 |
A man with a conviction is a hard man to change. Tell him you disagree and he turns away. Show him facts or figures and he questions your sources. Appeal to logic and he fails to see your point.
We have all experienced the futility of trying to change a strong conviction, especially if the convinced person has some investment in his belief. We are familiar with the variety of ingenious defenses with which people protect their convictions, managing to keep them unscathed through the most devastating attacks.
