The
influence of religion on the people has been on for centuries, the
story of a Reverend with a large congregation who ordered his members to
drink poison will shock you.
Rev. Jim Jones
The Rev. Jim Jones started his Peoples Temple in the 1950s in
Indianapolis. In 1965, he relocated the group to northern California,
where he was able to attract more followers, establish temples as far
south as Los Angeles, and earn the respect of liberal political leaders
in the San Francisco area.
Jones preached the values of communism in the context of
Christianity, calling for a tight-knit community of equals who were
willing to sacrifice for the greater good. He attracted members through
the promise of miracles, such as curing cancers and blindness, which he
staged in elaborate services. He established a psychological hold over
many members through isolation, intimidation, humiliation, spying and
brainwashing.
In 1974, as word of Jones’ abusive practices began to leak out, he
began to prepare to move his congregation to an agricultural commune in
Guyana, a socialist country in South America. In August 1977, a damaging
article written by former members of the Peoples Temple appeared in New
West magazine, prompting Jones to make the move.
More than 1,100 temple members traveled to the commune, known as
“Jonestown,” where Jones’ behavior became more erratic and cruel. He
split up families, ordered members to perform manual labor for long
hours, and continued to brutally interrogate and sexually abuse members.
He cut off members from the outside world, and told them that there was
widespread violence and chaos in America.
There were several “White Nights,” where Jones claimed that the
commune was under attack. Temple members would arm themselves in
preparation for an attack, and Jones would present the possibility of a
mass “revolutionary suicide.” He would order his people to consume what
he claimed to be a poisoned drink in order to prove their loyalty.
Families of temple members began to petition the government to
investigate. In November 1977, San Francisco-area Congressman Leo J.
Ryan traveled to Guyana accompanied by journalists and several relatives
of temple members. Three days later, the group spoke with Jones and his
followers at Jonestown.
The scene of the incident where over 900 died
A number of Jonestown members indicated that they wanted to leave
the commune. Ryan arranged for 16 members to return to the U.S. with his
group. On Nov. 18, as the group prepared to leave the country from an
airstrip in Georgetown, armed Jonestown guards attacked and killed Ryan,
three journalists and one defector.
Soon after, Jones delivered his final address to his congregation.
He told them that Ryan’s plane was going to crash, which would attract
government attention and threaten their way of life. He said that it was
time to commit suicide. Temple member Christine Miller pleaded with
Jones not to do it, but she was shouted down by other members.
“So my opinion is that you be kind to children and be kind to
seniors and take the potion like they used to take in ancient Greece and
step over quietly because we are not committing suicide; it's a
revolutionary act,” Jones said. “We can't go back; they won't leave us alone.”
At about 5 p.m., Jones distributed a flavored drink poisoned with
cyanide. More than 200 babies and young children were forced to drink
poisonous cyanide first, and then the rest of the population followed.
Armed guards threatened those who were reluctant to drink.
Nine hundred and nine people died, all but two from the poisoned
drink. Jones was killed by a gunshot, though it is unclear whether he
committed suicide or was killed by somebody else. Just four people in
the camp at the time survived: two elderly residents who slept through
the suicide and two who hid.
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