Jim Jones, the founder of The Peoples Temple, was originally a student pasture of a Methodist church. He formed his group after he was perceived to be a prophet, and he staged many alleged healings of which 90% were fake. He formed his sect amongst the black community of San Francisco, many of its members had lived on the streets. Jones believed that there would be a nuclear attack on America and so he began looking for a secure place where he could take his flock and protect them.
Guyana was the chosen spot, and 1974 Jonestown became the home of over 900 members of the Peoples Temple. Jones had convinced his followers that the outside world was a dangerous place and that the ethnic minorities were safer in Jonestown, in the community he called the "Rainbow Family".
Jones became scared of the group known as "The Concerned Relatives" who were trying to contact family members within Jonestown. This is when Jones started to crack, he had been prone to drug dependency and now it was driving him mad. There were guards with guns that guarded the perimeter of Jonestown, but not only to protect the community within from the "dangers" of the outside world, but also to prevent anyone from leaving.
There are many shocking stories that have been told by surviving members about the atrocities that took place in the jungle. A lot of medication was ordered by Jones, and it is believed that these drugs were used to sedate people to prevent them from leaving. It has even been said that as a punishment naughty children were left down wells for a few days, until Jones felt they had learnt their lessons. When I think of Jonestown I get this claustrophobic feeling, this idea of being trapped with your life in the hands of Jim Jones, a perverse and disturbed man. But there are many different stories, and I'm willing to bet that some of them might be slight exaggerations, but I guess we'll never know.
In November 1978 the members of Jonestown committed suicide (though it is clear that some were murdered) at the orders of their leader, Jim Jones. A congress man and his party had been killed whilst investigating claims of violence in Jonestown and now Jones ordered his followers to commit suicide because they would never know peace on earth. Over 900 people died, including 240 children. Some members committed suicide with a deadly drink of cyanide, the children were given their fatal juice by adults with syringes, but many had been injected against their will. A few people had been shot, including Jones himself.
Unlike the group Heaven's Gate which was a clear cut suicide, and almost peaceful, the Jonestown mass deaths are a chaotic mess of suicide and murder. Many members were held at Jonestown against their will, unlike the members of Heaven's Gate who were free to come and go and make their own choices. This is the worst example of a cult, although Heaven's Gate disturbed me because of its beliefs, the Peoples Temple disturbs me because of its actions.
For more information on the horror that was Jonestown I recommend John R. Hall's book again at ...
Natalie watkins - 0604967
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