The mass suicide of the Heaven’s Gate group in San Diego last week has again highlighted the importance of Apocalyptic visions in the social and political landscape of America. From the Christian Identity Movement to the Freeman of Montana, the idea that the end of the world is near — or that a much better world is at hand, whether at some vague higher level or through the return of Jesus Christ — appears to be growing as we get closer to the year 2000.

Here to discuss the Heaven’s Gate group and the growth of apocalyptic groups as we approach the millennium is Chip Berlet, of Political Research Associates, a Massachusetts-based group that monitors the US political right.