The Jonestown Massacre

The Jonestown Massacre

Cults have been around since the very beginning of time. A cult is defined as a "system of religious worship with devoted attachments to the person, principle, etc." For the past 30 years, a considerable amount of religious cults have compelled tens of thousands of people to abandon their families, friends, their educations, and even their careers, for the reason of following the teachings of a false, misleading leader. Other opinions may vary as to why people are drawn to these persuasive cults. Psychologically, people who are drawn to cults carry the feeling that they are brushed aside and neglected by society. Stated in a U.S. News and World Report- "Cults are picking up on these people who feel their interests have been overlooked". Studies concerning cults and the members who join them have uncovered "that many of the converts are young people, often without strong family ties, who are unsuccessful in dealing with life's problems and are seeking instant solutions supplied by others" -U.S. News and World Report. A religious cult referred to as The Peoples Temple, founded and also lead by Jim Jones, was based in tropical Jonestown, Guyana. The converts who became part of Peoples Temple may have joined for several various reasons, yet the sole common bond, which they all shared, was Jim Jones. They loved, they feared, and they died for Jim. Jim Jones was quoted as "a self-proclaimed messiah in a polyester suit, a man who played God from behind mysterious dark glasses that gave his followers the impression that he was omniscient"

Throughout his sermons, Jones communicated his strong views in favor of integration. His views were to combine groups of people of different races, ethnicities, and religions, into one harmonious whole. These opinions pressed to make him a clear target for bigots. As the result of his intentions, Jones endured harassment not only verbally, but went as far as having dead cats thrown into his church. Soon after these incidents, Jones faced the fact that ‘there was no love' left in the Methodist Church. This revolution sparked Jones to institute his own congregation.

Peoples Temple was an organization founded in 1955 by Jim Jones, offering a few thousand members hope in desperate times. Jim Jones, the beloved reverend, shepherd of his flock, advocate for social and racial equality, his idea of Utopia was the solution to the people's financial problems, the solution to social inequality, and ultimately, the solution to their despair. His passionate ideas inspired both social and political leaders, transforming him into a highly esteemed figure in California. "I represent divine principles, total equality, in a society where people own all things in common, whether it the rich or the poor, where there are no racists, wherever there is people struggling for justice or righteousness,