People's Temple

The People’s Temple, headed by Jim Jones, had many characteristics that made it resemble a cult. One of the characteristics is that the members of People’s Temple looked at Jim Jones as their ultimate leader, god, and decision maker. The based all of their decisions that they made by what Jim Jones would tell them. They did not make decisions; Jim Jones made decisions for them.

Whenever a member expressed feeling or emotions that went against what Jim Jones promoted he made them feel guilty without actually coming out and saying that they were wrong.

Jim Jones’ ideas brought forth new theologies. One of his ideas was the interracial congregations were okay. During the time period of People’s Temple anything interracial was looked down upon. Therefore, this idea challenged some norms. Another idea that he proclaimed was “heaven on earth” or a Utopian society. Jim had his members believing that they were living in Paradise and once People’s Temple ended, some survivors could not believe in heaven anymore.

In the beginning of People’s Temple, Jim Jones asked members to give up their homes and their possessions to earn money for People’s Temple. Not only were they giving up everything they owned, but everything that they loved. Jim placed a wall between his members and the rest of society, including their loved ones. He taught “his people” to have a feeling of mistrust towards outsiders. When the congressmen and reporters came he told his members that they were all liars. Jones would come over the intercom and say that he was going to have people pretend like they were going to leave Jonestown and it was their duty to turn them in. This was a loyalty test that turned family members against family members and friends against friends. Another loyalty test that took place was when he made them drink Kool-Aid and then later told them it was poisoned. After everybody panicked, Jim told them that it was just a test of faith and that is was not really poisoned.

This specific test of faith foreshadows what Jim Jones ultimate goal is and what he had in mind. His goal was for them to all commit a revolutionary suicide ad to die for a cause. Later the group does this by drinking poisonous Kool-Aid which was the same thing as the previous loyalty test.

Jim Jones’ constant services, speaker system, and guilt of leaving imprisoned his members in Jonestown. In his services he did not let anyone talk to anyone, punished the ones out of line, and preached leaving as the ultimate sin. Jim Jones’ voice played all day for 24 hours over the speaker system so that his members could always hear him.

Jim Jones was the ultimate leader nothing that he said or did could be questioned of challenged by any means. He claimed all divine powers and his people had to surrender their power and rights over to him. To Jim Jones “society was evil” and Jonestown was the best place to live.