Introducing: CONSPIRACY THEORIES, CULTS, AND CRIMES

And That's Why We Drink

Christine Schiefer, Em Schulz | Para Pods

Society & Culture, Comedy, True Crime

4.8 • 23.7K Ratings

🗓️ 18 August 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate, to the Octopus Murders and the Waco Siege, the world is full of deception, manipulation, and destruction. Listen to Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes every Wednesday as we explore the real people at the center of the world’s most shocking secrets and nefarious organizations. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes is a Crime House Original powered by PAVE Studios. Follow the show now so you don’t miss a single story. Listen and follow here: https://link.podtrac.com/ty4bsdul Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Christine from And That's Why We Drink. And if you are enjoying our show and looking for your next listen, I've got just the thing. It's a brand new podcast from Crime House called Conspiracy theories, cults, and crimes. Each week, Vanessa Richardson will uncover the true stories behind the world's most shocking crimes, deadly ideologies, and secret plots, from mass suicides and political assassinations
0:22.1	to secret government experiments and UFO cults. If you love mystery, madness, and diving deep
0:27.4	into the world's most unbelievable true stories, you won't want to miss this show. We have a clip
0:32.4	here from the first episode about the Heaven's Gate cult, which is out now. If you like what you
0:36.3	hear, don't forget to follow conspiracy theories, cults, and crimes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen.
0:45.8	Sometimes the most shocking stories have the most ordinary beginnings.
0:50.8	That was certainly the case for Heaven's Gate and its leader Marshall Applewhite. Born in
0:56.3	1932, in the small city of Spur, Texas, Marshall had a typical all-American upbringing, and religion
1:03.8	was a very important part of his childhood. His father was a well-known Presbyterian minister
1:09.6	in the area, and he encouraged Marshall to live a life of virtue,
1:13.9	one that his family and God would be proud of.
1:18.0	Marshall was eager to please.
1:20.1	Growing up, he attended church regularly and wanted to become a minister just like his father.
1:25.4	But while Marshall was a staunch Christian, he was also interested
1:29.5	in looking elsewhere for the answers to life's biggest questions. So when it was time for him to go
1:35.9	to college in the late 1940s or early 50s, Marshall decided to study philosophy at Austin College in
1:43.4	Sherman, Texas. And he made a splash on campus
1:47.1	right away. Classmates remembered Marshall as an extrovert with a magnetic personality. Along with
1:54.0	joining the association of prospective Presbyterian ministers, Marshall was a talented singer who
2:00.5	led the school's acapella group. It seemed
2:03.3	like whatever Marshall set his mind to, he would achieve it. And when it came time to graduate in
2:09.5	1952, the 20-year-old decided to follow in his father's footsteps. That year he enrolled at Virginia's
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