To:         The Dallas Morning News
Date:      March 31, 1997
Subject: Cult that committed suicide on way to planet Sirius
Result:   not printed due to limited space

Dear Editor,

As strange as the beliefs of the 39 cult members who recently committed suicide may seem, the fact is, they are no different from any other metaphysical beliefs. The possibility of going to planet Sirius, whether via a spacecraft or from a direct evolutionary connection, is no less real and verifiable than the possibility of going to Heaven when we die.

And certainly no belief can be any more fantastic than the idea that God changed his otherwise immutable laws to enable the resurrection of Jesus.

One gentleman interviewed for an article in the Dallas Morning News suggested that cults appeal to people because there is a "collapse of our belief systems." The reason such belief systems are so fragile is because they are based on otherworldly concepts and values that we cannot see, and faith can only go so far in the face of cold, hard reality.

Thank you, John Vehon