Compare And Contrast People's Temple And Branch Davidians

The People’s Temple and Branch Davidian groups are two very different entities. Jim Jones founds People’s Temple in Indiana under the banner of equality for all ages, races, and genders, and David Koresh takes control of the existing Branch Davidian group in Waco Texas and changes the group into a study on the Book of Revelation and the seven seals to serve his wants. Both of these groups hold different ideals for what perfect society should be like, but even though the utopian visions of People’s Temple the Branch Davidians are different, the way these groups go about achieving their goals during their times are extremely similar. Even though both groups are apocalyptic in nature with themes of death and catastrophe surrounding their ends,

That belief was the heart of People’s Temple, and it kept the church going even as its leader descended into madness. The Branch Davidian’s vision, in contrast, is completely rooted in The Bible. They envision themselves living in a heaven on Earth achieved after the second coming of Christ and the defeat of the beast. While these two views are similar in their want for peace, they have quite a few differences between them. To begin with, People’s Temple’s utopia draws a majority of its foundation from the preachings of Jim Jones and the beliefs of his followers while the Branch Davidians take their utopia straight from the pages of Revelation. This difference makes People’s Temple seem more like a community, drawing from human teachings to focus on preserving good for all mankind and the elimination of prejudice. This can be seen especially when compared to the more church-like view of the Branch Davidians, who see fit to help

One major similarity comes in the form of each group’s leader and the influence that they had on their group’s utopia. Jim Jones founds People’s Temple and leads the group throughout its history; during his leadership he gathers people around him who share his vision of a completely equal world, thus creating the utopia of People’s Temple. Similarly, David Koresh manages to overthrow George Roden and gains leadership of the Branch Davidians, whom he then convinces to study the seven seals in Revelation with him so that they all can be seen as true followers of the lord and live in peace with him after the great tribulation. Both leaders are manipulative, charismatic men who inspire a great number of people to follow them and believe that what they are saying is the way society needs to be. The way these leaders gathered followers is also a similarity these groups share en route to their ideal future. Jim Jones, using his fleet of Greyhound busses, travels with large groups of his followers to spread the vision of People’s Temple, and he invites people to come back to the mother church with his traveling group to share in their lifestyle. David Koresh, before gaining leadership of the Branch Davidians, travels to several places both inside and outside the United States spreading his ideas and beliefs with groups of evangelicals, asking