"What you need to believe in is what you can see. If you see me as your friend, I'll be your friend. If you see me as your father, I'll be your father. If you see me as your savior, I'll be your savior." These are the last words spoken by Jim Jones to his following before all 909 of them joined in on an act of revolutionary suicide.
Jim Jones was born in 1931 rural Indiana. He was a megalomaniac that suffered from various mental disorders and drug addiction. In the 1950s he worked as a self ordained Christian minister and aimed to start a church of his own. In the mid 1950s he had opened People's Temple Church, a racially integrated church, which was unusual for churches of the time.
Jones was influenced by Unitarian Humanism, Father Divine …show more content…
The town became overcrowded and people were not getting enough food. White Nights, a term that was coined by Jones, were a series of mock suicide drills that could occur at any moment. Citizens were required to participate in these mock drills, where they would have to drink liquid which was supposedly poisoned. Afterwards, they would be told that there was no poison in the liquid and that it was only to test their loyalty towards Jones. In 1977, Jones threatened mass suicide to force the Guyanese government from taking action against him and his …show more content…
Large vats of grape flavor drink mixture were created and cyanide along with Valium was added to the mixture. Mothers were forced to drop the mixture into their children's mouths. Children died first followed by their mothers.
Adults had lined up to drink the mixture under the watch of armed guards. They were threatened with guns and crossbows if they refused to drink the mixture. It took approximately five minutes for each person to die. In total, there were 910 dead citizens, of which 276 were children. Jones died by a single bullet wound to the head. There were only 8 survivors who managed to escape into the jungle or hide within the compound. When the bodies were found the following day by Guyanese authorities, many of the victims had died with their arms around each other.
Everyone who was responsible for the massacre died, and nobody could be held accountable by the US or Guyanese justice systems. The 408 unidentified bodies were buried in a mass grave in California where a memorial is held every November 18th. Soon after the massacre, the temple declared bankruptcy and collapsed after majority of the members
Jim Jones was born in 1931 rural Indiana. He was a megalomaniac that suffered from various mental disorders and drug addiction. In the 1950s he worked as a self ordained Christian minister and aimed to start a church of his own. In the mid 1950s he had opened People's Temple Church, a racially integrated church, which was unusual for churches of the time.
Jones was influenced by Unitarian Humanism, Father Divine …show more content…
The town became overcrowded and people were not getting enough food. White Nights, a term that was coined by Jones, were a series of mock suicide drills that could occur at any moment. Citizens were required to participate in these mock drills, where they would have to drink liquid which was supposedly poisoned. Afterwards, they would be told that there was no poison in the liquid and that it was only to test their loyalty towards Jones. In 1977, Jones threatened mass suicide to force the Guyanese government from taking action against him and his …show more content…
Large vats of grape flavor drink mixture were created and cyanide along with Valium was added to the mixture. Mothers were forced to drop the mixture into their children's mouths. Children died first followed by their mothers.
Adults had lined up to drink the mixture under the watch of armed guards. They were threatened with guns and crossbows if they refused to drink the mixture. It took approximately five minutes for each person to die. In total, there were 910 dead citizens, of which 276 were children. Jones died by a single bullet wound to the head. There were only 8 survivors who managed to escape into the jungle or hide within the compound. When the bodies were found the following day by Guyanese authorities, many of the victims had died with their arms around each other.
Everyone who was responsible for the massacre died, and nobody could be held accountable by the US or Guyanese justice systems. The 408 unidentified bodies were buried in a mass grave in California where a memorial is held every November 18th. Soon after the massacre, the temple declared bankruptcy and collapsed after majority of the members