That morning the chapel was contacted and informed there was a body that was to be gathered and cremated immediately, although the man died a day earlier. Gassett and Bang were told to make sure there was no foul play

Gassett and Bang arrived at the ranch where they were met by Hubbard's attorney, Earle Cooley, and his doctor, Gene Denk. "It was like, ‘Here's what happened and we don't want anything else going on here,'" Gassett remembered of their conversation. "‘We just want you to take the body and do the cremation.'"

The message from Cooley and Denk was clear that Hubbard was to be cremated immediately. Hubbard had drafted a new will that stated there would not be an autopsy because it violated his religious beliefs. The will was signed, dated, and imprinted with Hubbard's inked thumbprint. The new will, giving more assets to his family than a previous version, was dated the day before he died. At the time he was worth about $25 million.

How to Start a New Religion

Creating a New Religion

he began to get a following. In 1968, he and several followers drove to Southern California.

What prompts cult leaders to go completely over the edge, like Applewhite? Power. It corrupts them. They break down and become psychotic. We saw it down in Waco, Texas with the Branch Davidians, and we saw it down in Guyana with Jim Jones' Peoples' Temple. Then they go one of two ways: They build up an arsenal of weapons to prepare for the apocalypse, or they go the passive way. And that's what probably happened to Applewhite. His whole world was breaking down, and he induced his followers to go along with him. He used the old cry of "Let's do it before it happens." Every suicide that I've ever treated wants to take matters into their own hands. It's their last power. And they all believe that there is another world. These people (Heaven's Gate members) packed suitcases before they committed suicide.

In 1978 they staged a fake disbanding of the group in response to the negative media attention following the Jonestown tragedy.

The Earth...its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter.3 Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life. The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day. And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.4