Jim Jones was a notorious community and church leader during the 1960s through the 1970s until his tragic mass suicide. He was a church leader in California of The Peoples Temple Church which he founded. During the late 60s and 70s he gained a lot of followers with his passionate Pentecostal sermons, seemingly welcoming congregation and his openness to African Americans. He was also very committed and passionate about civil rights. He attracted the vulnerable local population to his church which would include minorities and low-income whites. Church members would often donate their entire salary to Jim Jones and spend the majority of their time working in the church and worshiping as well. What started as an uplifting organization became an obsession and publicly controversial group.
The Need to Believe
A cult is typically considered to be a radical group, possibly religious based, that has unorthodox or even illegal methodologies. Often within cults members are mind controlled to be subordinate and thus brainwashed into a certain of thinking. The term brainwashing is a translation from a Chinese concept referred to as xi-nao which means thought reform. This form of brainwashing can often happen against the follower’s knowledge or even against their will. Jim Jones preyed on the vulnerable who needed something to believe in with his promotion of diverse ethnicities. Low income impoverished discriminated against individuals who reached out for hope that they were valuable to society and to something bigger than them. Jim Jones full of charisma and aware of his effect on the vulnerable and trusting individuals manipulated the circumstances as if it was planned at the conception of his church.
Tortured Souls
Members of the People’s Temple were often worked so vigorously that they would fall asleep during church service on accident only to be awakened by a public beating. Jim was often referred to as father by the members again viewing him as God like. To solidify the belief in his supernatural Godly abilities he would stage fake healings of the handicapped during church service. During one service Jim had a secretary pose as a wheelchair bound handicap. Jim had his secretary come to the front of the congregation as he blessed her and commanded her to walk again and of course she did. The congregation would wildly roar, cry and praise Jim during these acts.
Trouble in Paradise
The local government became suspicious of Jones, and this began the journey and final destination to Guyana, South America. Jones took his group which was in the thousands including his family and staff to a secluded part of Guyana where they set up “Jonestown”. Here Jim felt the church could continue uninterrupted and he would remain in power. However, despite creating a productive compound and leaving America Jim’s paranoia continued and his health began to fade. He was constantly encouraging individuals not to ever leave and return back to America. People from the church began to come undone of the brainwashing and often wanted to go back to the USA. Though some groups were able to fly back home the majority stayed and families even separated as a result of this.
Eventually Jim Jones with his irrational mind control, paranoia and lies convinced the entire church to commit suicide with him and that they would be together in the afterlife. Many welcomed this but many fought this. The ones that fought the idea of suicide were forced to proceed anyway with armed guards. Jim Jones had around 900 people kill themselves some willingly and some by force. This event was considered by Jim Jones and his followers to be a revolutionary suicide. The weapon used was cyanide which is a poisonous chemical when consumed. Kool Aid was served with the poison to the congregation including Jim himself. However, Jim was mysteriously shot by an unknown shooter during the process and that’s what killed him. Over 900 people’s lives were cut short because of Jim jones incredible brainwashing abilities.
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