� � � � �����������������������������ͻ � T R U S T N O O N E � �����������������������������ͼ � � � � /\ +--+ +----+ / \ //======// ===\\ / \ // // \\ / \ //====// ==\\ +------------+ /// \\======================================/// \\====================================/// Things to beware of in 1997: President's who never seem to be IN their countries, countries who tend to lend millions/billions when they are IN debt, the proliferation of military armaments worldwide, and countries with white pyramids who wouldst rule. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Cult offered 'weird' Web messages BY JEFF RISTINE AND DANIEL DE VISE COPLEY NEWS SERVICE RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. - Long before carrying out their mass suicide in Rancho Santa Fe, devotees of the Heaven's Gate cult amused, annoyed and intrigued fellow Internet users with opaque comments hinting at their paranormal view of life. A Heaven's Gate article distributed in August generated particular scorn. It presented itself as a communication from a reincarnated Jesus Christ promising to soon depart this world in a "next level mothership." A shorter, more cryptic message, posted in June to Usenet newsgroups on subjects ranging from guns to Star Trek, carried what appeared to be an advertisement for the then-obscure Heaven's Gate Web site. "UFOs and Space Aliens - Sorting Good From Bad," it offered. "Final Warning for Possible Survivors." Internet user Doug Natelson, contacted by e-mail Thursday, said he remembered "being struck by just how nutty it was, even on the Net-kook scale." "Naturally, I'm horrified by what happened," he said of the mass suicide. "It's tragic, and I am genuinely concerned that we'll see more of this sort of thing leading up to the turn of the century." Elsewhere, anonymous cyberspace orators reacted to the dark news with a mix of passion, parody and pathos. "I just LOVE cult suicide," wrote a 38-year-old New Jersey woman, in a chat room devoted specifically to the event. "They are nuttier than a ton of fruitcakes. Though I gotta say, maybe they are right and everyone else is wrong." The unsigned Heaven's Gate article from the self-styled Messiah drew similar derision last summer. "The Jews and Christians promote lies - unknowingly," read its headline, all in capital letters. "The Jews say they love my father - the Christians say they love my father and me - but in fact, they deny us both." "I came to Earth some 2000 years ago from another physical, biological Evolutionary Level as the expected "Messiah,' or Jesus, and for this current mission, returned to this level, this planet and entered into a human body some 24 years ago, Earth-time," said the message. After preparing "disciples" for membership in the "NEXT WORLD, the Evolutionary Level Above Human," the writer said he would make his "departure via a "Next Level' mothership." Responding Internet users heaped ridicule upon the message. "Jesus Christ, it's you! How ya doing buddy? It's me, Cleopatra," wrote one. "This kind of stuff is embarrasing to those of us who have chosen a spiritual life," said a more serious writer in the same newsgroup. "Hey, person, please get some help ... medical, spiritual, whatever it takes." An Internet user named Steve said Thursday he tried to contact the group last year but never heard back. "What a sad end for so many young people," said Steve. "Throughout history we have cycles of doomsday suicides, we seem to be in the midst of another ... What a tragedy and waste." Online responses to the June message also were dismissive. "Ahh, Millennialism. I weep for the future," said a writer. But another reader who checked out the group's full "Heaven's Gate" site on the World Wide Web seemed less harsh. "Great site," he said to others in the alt.alien.visitors newsgroup. "It sure explains a lot! But requires people have an open mind, which is something I haven't seen much of in this newsgroup." Thursday, even chat rooms normally devoted to courtship set aside their prurient concerns to dwell on the deaths. On another Internet bulletin board, a San Diego student pleaded for understanding. "I feel these individuals did what they believed was right for them," said Paula McBride. "They followed their beliefs. We now have a responsibility not to make a circus of this and a mockery of them. ... Don't try to figure it out. It is OK. They harmed no one." (CNS reporter Frank Klimko contributed to this report.)