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And even so, they resort to mass suicide only when they come under threat and have no other way out. Marshall Applewhite of Heaven’s Gate, for instance, had a terminal illness.

I'm unaware of Marshall Applewhite having a terminal illness when he convinced 38 of his followers to commit suicide.

He feared he might have cancer but an autopsy revealed he didn't have it, and I'm unaware of any evidence that says that was a motivating factor in the suicides.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Applewhite

Medical examiners determined that his fears of cancer had been unfounded, but that he suffered from coronary atherosclerosis.

Most people his age (65) suffer from coronary atherosclerosis and it's not considered a "terminal illness" like pancreatic cancer would be.

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/atherosclerosis-and-coron...

After age 40, about 50% of men and one-third of women can expect to eventually have coronary artery disease.




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