There are articles that ask the question, how did Jones convince people to move to this settlement in the middle of nowhere? It was a slow gradual change. There were many who stated with him from his first church in Indianapolis, but many did leave along the way. As Jones went on he gained more loyal supporters. He used religious tactics at first, preaching messages from the Bible but as he went on his message changed after he had convinced these people to stay with him.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Jim Jones slowly and manipulatively built his congregation through a recognition that he could capitalize on and exploit individual’s troubles in order to achieve, keep, and act out his authority. The social, religious, and economic climate of the 1960s combined with the chaos of the 1970s created the dependency, idealism, and rationalization that Jim Jones used to slowly yet blatantly manipulate his way to power and eventually create Jonestown. Jim Jones was born in rural Crete. Indiana on May 13, 1931, to Lynetta and James Jones. Early on Jones was different from the other children he grew up around.
THe members understood that they needed to create the “First African Church.” Most of the blacks favored the Episcopal Church, knowing the members had different religious views (Free African Society of Philadelphia). When the Free African Society was forced to segregate, most of the members did not agree with Methodism and wanted to worship at the Episcopal Church. Though Jones wanted to continue to be a Methodist, he caved and was the minister to the African Episcopal CHurch of St. Thomas. Jones and Reverend William White later agreed to ordained
The cult leaders Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite and Neville Cooper were highly charismatic men who proclaimed a compelling message of a better and different world, who as their followers saw as saviors, in part because of the way they portrayed themselves, with having the fixes for their frustrations. For Jones, his appeal was about his Christian approach to their social problems and his beneficial community work Peoples temple offered. With Applewhite his appeal was about giving purpose to those who joined, offering answers to their impossible questions and explanation for why they felt lost. Cooper uses the bible and Christianity to appeal to followers, having them believe this is only way to truly honor God and worship him, by following the rules Cooper set. The majority of the Peoples Temple members were African
In addition, to Jones’ profound curiosity in culture he was skilled in relating to people and building friendships. His interpersonal communication skills allowed him to influence great leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham, and Franklin D. Roosevelt to name a few. His kind disposition and authenticity truly reflected the character of Christ and drew people to the Gospel. Moreover, Jones’ possessed an acute ability to clearly articulate his message.
Jim Jones was religious cult leader who started the Peoples Temple and lead a group to Guyana, South America. He convinced people that he was God, but that changed when he started making them participate in dangerous practices. To see if the people of Jonestown were loyal to him, he would hold suicide practices, called "White Nights"where followers would drink a liquid that they believed was poisonous. Jim Jones gave members relentless punishments if they went against him and were forced to work strenuously out in the fields. Late at night, they were compelled to go to long, tedious meetings and guards kept them in the camp just like slave catchers.
Resocialization is defined by the dictionary as the process of learning new attitudes and norms required for a new social role. In essence, the members of Peoples Temple were certainly brainwashed and taught new values and beliefs that were in actuality the standards of Jim Jones. I believe Jim Jones appeared at a time where people desperately wanted to spread peace and love throughout their communities. He appeared at the lowest point of a lot of people’s lives like drug addicts and the less fortunate. Moreover, these people needed a clear path of guidance from a leader that could possibly grant them a miracle.
In July of 1856, Benson Lossing was influenced by the Foundering Fathers to construct a proposed a seal of the United States entitled “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.” The concepts of tyranny influenced American Revolutionaries because the American colonists did not want to follow the tyrant of England. The Biblical Imagery on the seal is similar to the experience of the Revolutionaries struggle with King George. The Founding Fathers used the motto, “Rebellion to Tyrants, is Obedience to God.” This quote defines tyranny because tyrants believe they are the highest power, but the Americans will rebel against the tyrant.
Last thing I can remember someone kicked me hard in my face and I was unconscious. I woke up tired up to what looked like a barn with smelling animal, waste and half dead bodies. Right away I started vomiting from the smell and the site of the emaciated bodies, Why god did you bring me to this place I asked? Then, out of nowhere I heard voices talking about what happen to lazy no good slaves. We are going to starve you to death or beat you ass straight to obedience.
These members yearned for bliss and happiness, but instead found themselves in terrible conditions. These members primarily concerned themselves with humanitarian efforts in the Peoples Temple’s communities. Hypocritically, Jim Jones treated his worshippers abusively. Jim Jones used a technique called self-incrimination to punish members of the cult. Jones taught followers to give him “written statements about their fears and mistakes and then, if they disobeyed him, he used that information to humiliate them or subject them to their worst fears during public meetings.”
The People’s Temple was a religious movement founded by Reverend Jim Jones in the mid 1950’s. Reverend Jones initially came from a humble begining living with his poor family in Indiana. As Jones grew older he began attending meetings and rallies for the U.S. communist party. Due to ongoing fear of the spread of communism in the U.S. Jones was often harassed and ridiculed by both the government and the public for his political leanings. It wasn 't until the early 1950’s when Jones became increasingly involved in the sommerset southside methodist church in Indianapolis, Indiana when his real intentions began to take shape.
You must have reason to think about the five ways and you must have faith to know true motives of credibility.” HUME: “No, this is why you must not believe anything that is not a definition. You must be skeptic of everything or you may end up just like the People’s Temple.” About a year after the death of Jim Jones, all of the surviving members of People’s Temple stopped believing in their self-proclaimed prophet.
In Fromm 's essay "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem" he talks about the reason why people are obedient. Fromm states that they are obedient because most people do not have enough courage to be alone. Whey they are obedient, it makes them feel secure because they are accepted by society. On the other hand, disobedience is not accepted by society, so if people disobey, they become an outsider. For instance, if a person is raised to think that stealing is wrong, they have also witnessed how others who do steal are treated by society.
Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple Cult “Jim Jones of the Peoples’s Temple began as a sound, fairly mainstream Christian minister” (Sects, ‘Cults’ & Alternative Religions). Before all the madness Jones seemed like a caring person, that wanted to bring peace to a town he made, Jonestown. Instead it turned into something more horrific. Jim Jones was the manipulative mastermind behind the traumatic events that happened in Jonestown, Guyana, this essay will discuss interviews by people who are survivors of the mass suicide, and dive into the crazy conspiracies that have emerged, and finally conclude with the death of the Peoples Temple.
The Death Penalty: Should We Keep the Death Penalty or Dismiss It? Terrorist, murders, the sum at the bottom of the barrel. That is what represents those sentenced to capital punishment. Although the people on death row are there for serious crimes, like Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was charged with terrorism in the Boston Marathon, some people are put on death row for crimes they did not commit.
