Jim Jones Cult Beliefs

Leaders have the need to monitor member's every single move, making sure they are living life the way the leader wants them to based on the cults beliefs. They prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, how to discipline children, and so forth. Cult members typically live in small communities with one another, creating their own society. This community operates almost independently like a small town or village. Members trade amongst each other, while all having a specific job that is crucial to the community (Lalich and Langone). Jim Jones forced his group, the People's Temple, to move to Guyana and develop an area called Jonestown. Jim Jones assigned jobs to each member in order to accomplish his utopian dream where everyone …show more content…
Typically, the leader can start with normal religious view, but as time goes on radical beliefs are added on (Tabor). Jim Jones is a great example of this. Jones' main beliefs were traditional Christianity, but with a focus on socialism and social justice. As the group gained more members and popularity, their beliefs turned rapidly against the government. They believed the government was out to kill them, which lead to their migration to Guyana (Gritz). Another way cults can be developed is by starting with very radical beliefs and going even more extreme from there. Charles Manson, leader of the Manson Family, is considered to have had heavy psychopathic qualities from the very beginning. Manson and his “family” (group of hippies with no real family relation) believed a race war was imminent and they must stock up and hide out in an underground world only accessible via a hole underneath the desert while the war took its course. They believed blacks would win the war, but would be unable to run the world due to lack of experience. Once the blacks gave up, the Manson Family would come out from hiding and save the world from chaos