Year: 2024

Introduction
Camila Soledad Cabello

This paper is an attempt to understand how Jim Jones gained and influenced
his followers. Also, taking into account the ideology on which he based his faith,
I will try to explain the facts that led his supporters to end up in a Massive
Suicide in Guyana. In addition to that, it is important to establish how he took
advantage of their vulnerability and drag them into an isolated environment
were individuals became a community without rights.

Through history, the world has seen endless religious leaders, who carried out
countless actions, on behalf of those that cannot stand by themselves seeking
some kind of utopian word with economic and racial equality. There have been
exceptional guides who aid their community. On the contrary, Jonestown had
an extremist religious cult where a number of different crimes had been
committed, while their leader was representing his ideology, which was self-
build and modified to accomplish their religion’s interest. Where beyond having
faith, they have taken religion to far left party’s theory.

Background
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Camila Soledad Cabello

Jim Jones, was born in May 13, 1931 Indiana. In his childhood he was a regular
churchgoer, with his mother working and his father frequently feeble because of
health weakness. In his youth the studied at Butler University; after that, he
chose to go into the ministry. The church formed part of his life as a refuge and
through it, he was able to accomplish his commitments.

Since 1950s in Indianapolis, Jones started to gain a fame as a charismatic man.

This characteristic helped him to accomplish the creation of a so call reputation
in the religious world among Christian, which started to provide him with a large
amount of money

Not only did he claim having a special ability of miraculously heal the sick ones,
but also made pilgrims believe he had special psychic power such as a God-
given capacity of foreseen the future. Furthermore, James leaned toward racial
integration, which help him to increase his followers. The result of this non-racial
attitude helped him to get hundreds of worshipers which grew up in number day
by day and most of them were black people.

In 1955, he created a Pentecostal church, later the Peoples Temple. In this

period, Jim dedicated to homeless work; after that, he was director of
Indianapolis’s Human Rights Commission. At this point, Jones had been
immersed in drugs and alcohol, which increased his paranoia about a nuclear
attack. Moreover, he seemed psychotic and because of that he relocated his
church to northern California in 1965. The first Peoples’ Temple was
established near Ukiah, later they moved to San Francisco in 1971.

Ruling over others made him feel powerful; having such an experience led him
to name himself “the Prophet” that is why he became obsessed of being all-
powerful. Violence and abuse, whether physical or psychological, were used to
control devotees. James transformed himself into a victimizer, when pilgrims’
relatives made allegations against him because different violence
circumstances as well as embezzling their properties. The Legal system started
an investigation, which made Jim and his follower run away from North America
to Guyana.

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Camila Soledad Cabello

Jonestown

Peoples’ Temple of Christ was established in 1977 in Guyana, South America.

Jonestown was prepared in advance by James. His paranoia prevented him
from keeping control over his pilgrims and for that reason, he implemented a
series of actions like taking their passport and money. This was accomplished
by mistreatment, humiliation, beating and blackmailing to members; there was a
somewhat brainwashed over them.

Before going to Jonestown, Jim had already taken parishioners’ belongings like
their homes and any kind of income from them. Once they arrived to the
Southern country, their passports were taken as well as their money; the
explanation offered was that no personal belongings/possessions were needed
in an agricultural commune dedicated to God.

Not only did James threat his members with their relatives’ security and welfare,
but also blackmailed them using each believer as a close watchful, who would
immediately tell their leader. Furthermore, being beaten was quite usual for
Jones as well as manipulating everyone until they could betray among them.
Peoples’ Temple of Christ brainwashed its worshippers up to the point they had
made practices of bizarre rehearsals for a ritual mass suicide.

This situation occurred because of the vulnerability they were going through at
those years; the majority suffered from segregation due to the political
atmosphere of the time. Loneliness was upon them and Jim Jones’ charisma
helped him to take control over their minds. As a result of this practice, Jim got
his followers’ commitment to gather together waiting to have a bliss afterlife in
another planet. Finally, Peoples’ Temple of Christ ended up giving their lives by
drinking cyanide with juice.

Liberation theology

People felt inspired by the utopian ideal of a more equitable society which would
overthrow racism and poverty that Jim Jones made up for them. The bases of
this “Apostolic Socialism” came from the Marxist Liberation Theology,
which grew in popularity among some clerics in South America in late 20 th
century.

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Camila Soledad Cabello

In addition to that ideology, James was capable of self-building and adapting his
religion to this apostolic socialism by blending different characteristics
concerning to faith healing including political and civic affairs. This was what the
poor and oppressed needed to hear. Also, it highlighted a structure change into
a non-sin society where the actual one had an active participation on
socioeconomic structures that caused social inequities.

Calling himself a “Prophet” James supported and acted as a nexus among

capitalism and the oppressed, expressing their need because it was believe that
God spoke through them. Not only did the ones who followed this ideology-
established base communities that spread the Bible/word but also gave their
parishioner food, water and basic needs.

At a Bishop’s Conference, which took place at Colombia in 1968, they affirmed

that poor’s rights were being damaged for industrialized nations which enriched
themselves at the expense of developing countries. For these reasons, this
liberation theology movement got a major influence in Latin America. Wealthy
people became oppressors against a naïve group of paupers and poor, priests
were their staunch defender leaning on a leftist socialism

Jonestown Massacre and Representative Ryan

When the People’s Temple of Christ and his leader were in Guyana, their
relatives in the United States had already presented allegations against James.
Therefore, these indictments gave the families hope to rescue them because
Representative Leo Ryan was authorized by Congress to begin an investigation
of human rights violations on any American Citizen.
Representative Ryan along with some others went to the Southern Country on
November 17th, 1978. Jones was aware of what would happen if they
discovered the truth, but they were eagerly waiting to be saved in this one-time
opportunity. Meanwhile, the Representative was guided into this utopian village;
Jim had arranged some kind of play to be represented in front of the United
States Congressman. He was led around the facilities to persuade him that
nothing was happening in that heavenly, beautiful, and peaceful place.
Therefore, what the visitor saw was children playing, adults working as if it was
passionate for them to do so, and others dancing. Despite the priest efforts,

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Camila Soledad Cabello

Ryan received hand-written notes from several members who were asking for
help to leave the place.
On November 18th, Representative Ryan along with the ones who had asked to
be rescued, they were 15, went to the aeroplane runaway waiting to finally
leave this prison. Some had boarded an aeroplane but as there was not enough
space, the others were going to be sent in another plane. Suddenly a group of
Jim’s followers appeared on the side of the runaway, men with guns shot
against people on the plane and the ones who were standing. The American
Congressman, his party members and those who escaped from Jonestown
were killed. Also, those who could survive ran into the jungle; taking advantage
of this terrible situation a mother with her three-year-old son got into the
rainforest to save their lives.
After the Representative Ryan and the other members had left Jonestown, a
group of armed guards pursued them, they were ordered to kill them all. Jones
gathered his people around him and proceeded to brainwash his community
with suicide drills as he usually did

Not only did people in Jonestown were vulnerable enough for James to have
total obedience and control over their thoughts, actions, and decisions; but also
they were unable to fight against this new social environment where they were
isolated. Because of the former situation, James provided himself of a powerful
influence over them generating uncertainty for outsiders and new surroundings.

Fearing to be deprived again of a good treatment and equality because they

knew that traitors, who went with the Representative Ryan, would be the reason
for the army to come. They expected to suffer from mistreatment and
segregation, something similar to holocaust. Therefore, a horrible future was
painted in their minds which ended up convincing them that going together to
another world was the best option.

The poison drink had Cyanide and Valium, children and toddlers were murdered
by injecting it. Some adults were given this deadly drink mixed with juice and
others were either shot or strangled. Eventually, 918 People’s Temple of Christ
died in the largest “mass suicide” up to now.

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Camila Soledad Cabello

Conclusion

Usually, politics as well as religious sects’ all over the world have found a
common topic in paupers’ necessities promising a utopian world of economic
and racial equality, also they stand for poor’s right which are being damaged by
industrialized nations causing social inequities.

However, what they do is searching for people easy to manipulate and control
those who have been persecuted, and whished for safety, sanctuary and
belonging. Reading and investigating about what had happened led us to
believe that the former situation would never occur again, but people did not
notice that know a days there are leaders who deceive and control a countless
number of inhabitants offering a utopian country. Due to that, we as teacher
should teach students to have critic thinking in order to distinguish malicious
intentions.

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