The 18th of November 1978 witnessed a horrible tragedy in the form of the well documented Jonestown massacre, where more than 900 people committed suicide after being directed to do so by their cult leader, Jim Jones. Jones led a cult called the People’s Temple which operated from Jonestown, Guyana. The followers of this cult had different reasons for joining it, but the standout common bond that they all shared was an acceptance to be led by Jim Jones, for whom they demonstrated both love and fear. Jim Jones claimed to be a ‘messiah clad in polyester suits’ capable of playing God while wearing peculiar dark glasses.
Jones’ dressing demeanor led to his ardent followers into believing that indeed, he was omniscient, and they labelled him ‘Father’. He proclaimed that some of his followers saw Christ in him, a hope of glory. He persuaded people to join his cult by appealing to several social and religious
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Jones’ philosophy of uniting people of all colors started receiving criticism and as a result, he decided to move his cult from Indiana, as it was too racist to be hosting a congregation with goals similar to the ones held by People’s Temple. The cult was moved to Redwood Valley in California where Jones oversaw a massive expansion in its membership. These new followers were of diverse color and background, and Jones gave them a feeling of having a purpose and importance, and that ‘there existed something which was bigger than them, and that they needed to be involved in it.’ During this time, many people sought for religious answers to their problems because they felt like outcasts in their societies which were denying them a feeling of community and belonging. They were a frustrated lot that had given up hope of the society fixing all the issues that they were going through. They were in dire need of