Jonestown

Kool-aid kills Exclusive, secretive, and authoritarian. These are three words that can be used to describe a cult. And in the 1970s, you could link all three words to Peoples Temple. Originally created as religious denomination, it soon started growing darker and darker, parallel to it’s creator, Jim Jones. Together, both creator and followers spiralled into madness until their mass suicide in 1978. And the one question their story makes you ask is: what causes people to willingly follow a mad men leading them to their known death? To understand question, you’ll have to endure this three page essay over the Jonestown suicides, how the project began, and the declining mental state of Jim Jones. First, let me get an obvious question out of the way; what the heck is Jonestown? A loaded question in my opinion and one with multiple answers. First off, it can refer to the agricultural project started by Peoples Temple. Second, it refers to the actual events of November 18, 1978, where a total of 918 people died (909 of which that died by a mass suicide). And lastly, it can be used to describe any new religious movement that has the potential to be violent. The agricultural project was established in 1974 by Peoples Temple in the west part of Guyana in the Orinoro River basin. Originally known as Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, it is unknown…

Jonestown Jim Jones was born in 1931; he was from Crete, Indiana. In the 1970’s Jones was a popular cult leader, and claimed himself to be the leader of the Peoples Temple religious cult. Jones promised a utopia to his followers that were dedicated disciples. “On November 18, 1978, in what became known as the Jonestown Massacre, Jones led more than 900 men, women and children to their deaths in a mass suicide by cyanide-laced punch.”(Editors).When Jim Jones promised a racially integrated…

On November 19, 1978, the nation and the world woke to the news of the tragedy of Jonestown, learning of the carnage of the suicide and murder of over 900 people in the jungle of Guyana. What happened has been painstakingly studied however the how and the why continue to be the subject of discussion more than thirty years later. The death tapes captured much of what transpired on November 18, 1978. Jones was heard to say,” “Die with a degree of dignity. Lay down your life with dignity; don’t lay…

what became known as the “Jonestown Massacre,” was the most deadly, non-natural disaster in all of U.S. history. James Warren “Jim” Jones who was the leader and founder of a cult known as Peoples temple in Indiana in 1970’s led this infamous event. Jim Jones started a racially integrated church with the pure intention to help others in need. The occurrences at Jonestown have been described in two different terms: as the “Jonestown suicides” and as the “Jonestown massacre.” The occurrence at…

Beliefs/Conformity Once the cult moved to Jonestown the members of the peoples temple believed that Jim was their god or an human representation of god. This made it easier for Jones to manipulate the members of the temple, he would abduct people who were struggling and give them “a better life” “Jones: I've tried my best to give you a good life. In spite of allI've tried, a handful of people, with their lies, have made our life impossible. If we cant live in peace then lets die in…

The History of the Jonestown Massacre Many different cults have existed for many years. Some cults are peaceful while other cults can be violent and intense. One cult that ended in severity was the Peoples Temple based in Jonestown, Guyana. This particular cult was led by a man named Jim Jones. Jones had strong views on equality and wanted to create a place where people of all ages, races, and sexual orientations could live together in peace, therefore he started the Peoples Temple. The…

with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority. Following the orders of authority blindly can have many negative effects. My Lai Massacre, Jonestown Massacre, Millgram Experiment and Nanking Massacre are some incidents that have caused negative consequences as a result of obedience to authority. My Lai Massacre took place in 1968. On the morning of March 16, 1968, soldiers of Charlie company, arrived in the hamlet of My Lai in the northern part of South Vietnam. Over the…

On November 18, 1978, in what became known as the “Jonestown Massacre,” more than 900 members of Peoples Temple Church died in a mass suicide-murder under the direction of their leader Jim Jones.Jim Jones used blind faith, promise of reward, and violence to shape the identities of his followers. His followers were following by blind faith and used that to get followers.He let any race be apart of the church. Let any race in his Peoples Temple Church and that brought more people in.Did great…

This paper is my reaction to the “Jonestown Cult Suicides - The True Story – Documentary” that published on YouTube May 21, 2014 and narrated by Paul McGann. It tells a story of a preacher named Jim Jones that created and lead a cult; Peoples Temple, in the late 1970’s. Ex-members of Jones’s congregation incriminated him of physical and sexual abuse, mind control, and coerced drugging. Jones and his members were the object of media frenzy. His church, the members, and his family of over 900…

A former member of the People’s Temple cult once said: “Don’t drink the Kool Aid”. You may not be familiar with this saying but this is in reference to the 1978 cult mass-suicide that took place in Jonestown, Guyana. Jim Jones, the leader of the group, convinced every single one of his followers to move to Jonestown. Later in the year he hosted a party for his followers where he then commanded his flock to commit a mass suicide by inducing a cup full of grape-flavored Kool-Aid which was laced…