Despite the promise of utopia, Jonestown was clearly no utopia. The organizational structure of the Temple was in fact a hierarchical with four distinct levels. Jones was at the top, followed by an inner circle known as “angels”. These angels dealt with the media and were responsible for Temple finances. They also served as the muscle. Underneath the inner circle was the planning commission, responsible for managing the Temple and enforcing some of the more simple rules. At the bottom was the general
The Jonestown Massacre The Jonestown massacre was a horrible tragedy, which took the lives of over 900 innocent people and could possibly be the most corrupt and horrific experiment the American government has ever done. To get to know about the massacre, you have to know a little about the man behind it all, Reverend Jim Jones. Jim Jones was the son of a Klansman and considered himself to be a reincarnation of both Jesus and Lenin. (Lenin was a Russian revolutionist who helped bring
The Jonestown Massacre is among the most brutal cult slayings in the history of America. However, what exactly occurred at Jonestown is ambiguous. Did the members of the People’s Temple unanimously agree to commit suicide by cyanide poisoning or were they forced with guns to give up their lives by drinking poison and receiving lethal injections? “The Black Hole of Guyana- The Untold Story of the Jonestown Massacre” by researcher, John Judge, and A Thousand Lives by journalist and nonfiction writer
Jonestown Massacre The origins of the Jonestown Massacre can be found in the foundation of the People's Temple of the Disciples of Christ in 1956. This church was founded by Jim Jones. Jones, who held communist values, began this church by buying a church building in Indianapolis. He created the church because he felt that his views on communism were looked down upon and also wanted to create a racially-mixed congregation. In order to gain popularity for his church, Jones used the method of faith
The Jonestown Massacre Two decades ago a strange series of events ended in the deaths of more than 900 people in the middle of a South American jungle. Though thought of as a "massacre," what occurred at Jonestown on November 18, 1978, was to some extent done willingly. This made the mass suicide more disturbing. The Jonestown cult which was officially named “The People's Temple" was founded by a reverend named James Warren Jones, also known as Jim Jones, from Indianapolis in 1955. Jones, who didn’t
something that others have told you to do or did yourself. This saying comes from the cult society led by Reverend Jim Jones, named Jonestown. Jonestown was a small community in the jungle of Guyana, South America. After getting word of people coming to investigate the society, Jones had committed a mass suicide by poisoning Kool-Aid and giving it to the people of Jonestown. A cult society is an organization that basically disguises itself as a religion. In a cult, they normally perform rituals. There
The worst mass murder suicide in history was the Jonestown Massacre. The Jonestown Massacre happened on November 18th 1978.More then 900 people were killed in the Massacre, 232 of which were children. The Massacre happened on a piece of land in Guyana that the People’s Temple, run by James Jones, had bought. The People’s Temple was a church run by James Jones who preached about diversity and racism. James was not a real preacher, all of his speeches were based on his opinions and theories of the
On November 18, 1978, followers of Jim Jones shot and killed United States Congressman Leo J. Ryan and four others traveling with him on a fact finding trip to Guyana. Ryan was there to investigate complaints about the community called "Jonestown," which was largely inhabited by his former California constituents. After murdering a United States congressman Jones knew the end of his rule was near. He ordered his entire following, some 914 people, to commit what he called "revolutionary suicide
The sign read “GREETINGS Peoples Temple Agricultural Project” It was white with black text, hanging at the entrance to Jonestown, the infamous location of the mass suicide of over 900 people, orchestrated by Jim Jones, their leader, father, and god. There is a lot of gray area when it comes to Jonestown, was it as it seems; A cult that ended tragically, or could it have been more? A CIA brainwashing experiment, or a way to smuggle Heroin into the the United States? Was the assassination of congressman
it comes to determining the most convening effects of how suspected reactions are pushed through especially through making a definite impact on how improved systems of determining social reactions is directed accordingly. In the case of the Jonestown massacre, the suicide of the masses specifically made a definite insistence on how mind-direction is used by a religious leader who has been noted for his power to affect the thinking pattern of his members, making it easier for him to insist on the
leader into dictator. C. A hunger for power and money leads to corruption and the abuse of power II. Body-Examples of power abuse within our society A. nonfiction-The Jonestown massacre 1. Corrupt leaders in society can “brainwash” their followers a) Mass suicide (1) The Jonestown massacre that took place in Guyana (2) it was evident that the people were "brainwashed" (3) The constant re-occurrence of elected officials 2. What causes us to pass off our
On November 18, 1978, Jim Jones led his congregation, Peoples Temple, in a mass murder-suicide while in Jonestown, Guyana. Over nine hundred men, women, and children died. After this horrific event occurred, it seemed to be a mystery as to how Jim Jones was able to manipulate such a large number of people from such a wide range of social and religious backgrounds into committing a mass suicide. How Jim Jones came to command such enormous influence over his followers' thoughts and actions and in such
needs. In 1973, he leased some land to the Guyanese government and had workers begin clearing it of jungle.” However, the construction of the new compound was rather slow, due to the fact that “all building supplies needed to be shipped in to the Jonestown Agricultural Settlement.” At first, there were very few people living in the new settlement, but as soon as an “exposé article” was printed, “Jim Jones and several hundred People’s Temple members flew to Guyana” (Rosenberg). Upon a... ... middle
mindful and accommodating to those who choose to worship in a manner that is different than our own. Works Cited "Heaven's Gate Cult Members Found Dead." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. "Mass Suicide at Jonestown." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Guyanese territory, but ten years later an international tribunal ruled the land belonged to British Guiana. In 1978, the country gained worldwide attention when Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones and 900 of his followers committed mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. (http://www.infop... ... middle of paper ... ... to die. (http://history1900s.about.com,1). On that day, November 18, 1978, 912 people died from drinking the poison, 276 of whom were children. Jones died from a single gunshot wound to
On November of 1978, the town of Peoples Temple in Guyana was the home of one of the most shocking tragedies outside of wartime. Jonestown, the community/communist cult, created by Jim Jones was involved in a mass murder/suicide in which the lives of the more than 900 inhabitants of the compound were lost. Although the catastrophic incident is catalogued as the non-natural second biggest loss of civilian lives in the United States after 9/11, very little information is known or written about the
Essential Question: How did the Peoples Temple and Jonestown settlement start? James Warren Jones, well known as Jim Jones was born on May 13th 1931. As a young child, Jim Jones was neglected by his parents; this neglect caused many evident problems in his upbringing that would affect his life and the lives of many others. To his own congregation Jim Jones once stated, “I didn’t have any love given to me, I didn’t know what the hell love was”(PBS). As a person without love given to him
explained from a sociological perspective. By looking at how the group dynamics played into the outcome one gets a better idea of the whys? of the massacre. The sociological explanation is but one way to explain this horrific event. It is , however, the only one explored in this essay for reasons of concision. At one level, the deaths at Jonestown can be viewed as the product of obedience, of people complying with the orders of a leader and reacting to the threat of force. In the Peoples Temple
Society strives to feel a sense of belonging. We want to be a part of something that shares the same beliefs as us. We spend our time trying to place ourselves in a group to satisfy these needs, whether it is in a hobby club, a group of friends, or religion. Some people go to more extreme measures and find this in what we call a cult. According to Henslin, a cult is a new or different religion whose teachings and practices put it at odds with the dominant culture and religion. (2013:405) Cults are
The film “Jonestown: The Life and Death of People’s Temple” goes beneath the surface of the infamous religious cult created by a charismatic man by the name of Jim Jones in the 1970s. He is a higher power in his own sense and makes his followers believe that he can save them. A prime example would be the incident where he gave a woman in a wheelchair the ability to walk again, but come to find out it was a mere set up. The people living in this era are in search for answers to their problems, so