“They say that death is the biggest orgasm, so I hope we will have the large pleasance of dying together”, wrote 1 of Jim Jones’ followers. shortly her dream came true. Over 900 members of the sect of the People's Temple committed suicide at the command of their guru. But did they take their own lives?
Jim Jones founded a very circumstantial Protestant sect. At first glance, surviving in the Jonestown Colony in Guyana She seemed like an idiot. There was prosperity in the town, the needs of all residents were met with socialist prayer. Smiling settlers all around and in front of them told about their happiness and sense of fulfillment. This communist utopia that many have dreamed of before...
The fact about what actually happened there was much darker. Founded in the mid 1970s, the village became a mute witness to dramatic events. And that long before 909 members of the People's Temple committed collective suicide in Jonestown.
Socialist (anti)utopia
The past of an infamous group dates back to the 1950s. At that time, it was only 25-year-old Jim Jones, a candidate for priest of the Methodist church, dissatisfied with the church's racial divisions and discrimination, decided to set up his own organization. The People's Temple was officially called to life in 1956. As her “father” called “The large Jones” said, “I believe that we are the purest communists in existence.”
Jones' church rapidly became popular – mainly thanks to the charm of its founder. As described in the book “What happened in Jonestown?” Jim Jones Sect and the top Collective Suicide Jeff Guinn:
He had an extraordinary gift: erstwhile he met someone, he could immediately figure out what was crucial to him and convince her that he shared her interests.
During the highest period, the sect had about 30,000 members, and its assets were estimated at over $15 million. It was not the first better gathering of fanatics centered around a spiritual guru. The leader of the Temple was given widespread respect, while the community had beautiful socialist values of economic, racial and social equality. At least that's what it looked like from the outside.
In time, the information about how members of the sect were actually treated gradually began to leak to the light – many prohibitions (such as drinking advanced drinks), coercion to work and abuse of the faithful, intimidation of erstwhile members, and financial crimes committed by the “Velvet”. There were critical articles in the press, which came down to the question: “Why should an investigation into Jim Jones be initiated?”
During the highest period, the sect had about 30,000 members, its wealth estimated at over $15 million
The founder of the sect considered it persecution—and along with a group of followers... he slavishly escaped. In 1974, members of the sect settled in Guyana. In the mediate of the jungle, on a priceless acquisition of land, Jones established a city he named Jonestown in his own honor. It was expected to be a utopian, socialist colony, but its leader rapidly began to introduce the same principles that he had previously been criticized for.
Fornication Not for All
Jonestown residents had restrictions not only on alcohol consumption. As Jeff Guinn says in the book “What happened in Jonestown?”:
As pastor of the People's Temple Jones wished to know all aspects of the sex life of his followers and told them who should sleep with whom. He was only 1 step distant from completely prohibiting faithful sex.
Of course, his own sharpening was no longer involved. The guru of the sect enjoyed the privileges without restraint – and in case of that, he relied on his authority of the “Male”. Jeff Guinn describes:
The conviction of his own sexual appeal was so large that he believed that all women, regardless of their age and what they might say, feel attracted to him. ... He began to make occasional sexual relationships, more of a whim than a short - word crush. Consciously or not, Jones confined himself to young women who were personally devoted to him, or so insecure of themselves that they felt overwhelmed and subordinate.
He didn't take no for an answer. If any of his “chosen ones” resisted, he would usually rape her in the world. This was the destiny of Debbie Layton, who was forced to have sex by the sect's guru, explaining that he was doing it “to aid her”, and 19-year-old Shanda James (he drugged her with drugs and then took her half-conscious to the hut where, as 1 of his fellow believers described, Tim Tupper: “he fucked her erstwhile he wanted to).
In his debauchery, he besides went for homosexual and even pedophile acts! He besides fed others his “wants” – he paid himself respective 1000 dollars from the Temple's cash registry for private expenses and took more and more painkillers, as well as calming and stimulating. He yet became addicted to them (the abuse of amphetamines led to paranoia that sealed the tragic destiny of the sect).
Jim Jones – founder of the cult “People's Temple”Death for $8
With the progressive fall of “The large Jones”, the full People's Temple was degrengolade. The group members began to rebel against the full control of the guru, who looked in their pants and in their plates and constantly snarled at imaginary enemies.
At the same time, the financial situation of the sect—which the ranks could not know—was deteriorating overnight. Jonestown had a monthly deficit of at least $100,000. Although the founder of the settlement had “savings” estimated at over $30 million, he realized that even that money was not adequate to cover his losses long adequate to avoid having to worry about the future. Initiated (with Jones at the head) even had plans to make a network of nightclubs in Guyana, but it was estimated that this and respective another intratious interests would not bring adequate income. Moreover, the ideological issue remained. After all, the People's Temple was a socialist group, but it was either for it or not for capitalism? The only thing that could be hoped for was support from the USSR (guru convinced the believers that he would decision the full colony to Russia). However, this – although alternatively improbable to surprise anyone – never came.
There was another problem, however, with the refugees from Guyana, as well as members of the household of believers and activists associated with the group of afraid Relatives beginning to publicize the fact about the disturbing events in Jonestown. The media received information about the lies of the guru in the settlement of panic (the believers could not leave the colony or contact their loved ones; the disobedient were punished with public humiliation, flogging or electroshocks) and the slave work that the “Velend” forced his “sheep”.
Over time, Jones' drug-induced paranoia intensified, who felt that the U.S. authorities wanted to enslave children from the settlement and the aged to murder. Eventually, it would lead to tragedy. Jeff Guinn in the book “What happened in Jonestown?” refer:
Faced with all current events, Jones felt it was advanced time to look at the most convenient ways to make the act he had been referring to for a long time. Phyllis Chaikin suggested that everyone should be shot, Jones preferred poison. At Jones ’ command, Larry Schacht ordered a pound of sodium cyanide, adequate for 1,800 lethal doses. The acquisition cost $8 and 85 cents.
Jones explained: “In my opinion, we gotta take care of our children and take care of our elders, give them the potion, as they did in ancient Greece, aid them leave peacefully due to the fact that we do not commit suicide. It is simply a revolutionary act.”
This revolution took place on November 18, 1978.
White Night
The direct origin of the dramatic events that took place in Guyana at the time was a visit by Congressman Leo Ryan. The politician, initially bewitched by the colony, was brutally brought to earth by a group of group members who begged him for rescue. He demanded that Jones release the volunteers and let them return to the United States. And so it did, but just before the plane with the rebels and Ryan on board, the sect fighters opened fire on the machine. 5 people (including a congressman) died, respective more were injured.
Scared of the possible consequences of the assassination, politician Jones decided to put a murderous plan into practice. The details of this tragic evening, called “white night”, we know from the accounts of a fistful of surviving witnesses – and the movie tape on which the shooting was recorded at the airport and the last minutes of members of the sect. In the book “What happened in Jonestown?” Jeff Giun describes:
Jones wanted babies to go first and later smaller and older children. "It's easy, it's easy," he calmed his parents. No 1 is left to choose.... Jones told men with guns to let parents who wanted to die with their children, get in line with them (...).
When nurses gave the smallest children poison right into their mouths, many parents standing next to the children began to hesitate, especially erstwhile the small ones started choking on foam and shaking in convulsions.
Contrary to what the sect guru said, death from cyanide was not painless. This poison causes slow asphyxiation, depriving cells of their ability to absorb oxygen. Convulsive and bloody vomiting have been reported in fresh minutes. The victim is inactive desperate to get any air. He's yet unconscious and dying.
Biggest suicide or mass murder?
Meanwhile, Jim McElvane, who replaced Jones with a microphone on phase so that he could watch the agony of his followers in peace, exclaimed: “It is good... You have never felt so good before.” Maria Katsaris, on the another hand, calmed her parents afraid about the failure of the dying small ones with the words: “This is not a cry of pain. This mixture is simply a bit bitter.”
However, not everyone took the poison with meekness – it was injected by force. It is not known how many of the faithful are thus "involved" to participate in the collective suicide. According to estimates, it was 20 to even a 3rd of the people who died in Jonestown. But there were 909 bodies (including about 300 children)... So much indicates that the top collective suicide in past was actually a mass murder!
Interestingly, Jones himself did not die from cyanide, but from a gunshot to the head. Did he chicken out erstwhile he saw the suffering of his “flocks”? Or possibly 1 of the survivors helped him part with the world? We'll most likely never know.
Despite the tragedy and ongoing FBI investigation, the People's Temple itself survived for over a year. A fistful of followers held on until the full property of the sect – from land to printing machines – was confiscated and auctioned (from these money they wanted to cover the costs of investigating and identifying the corpses, as well as compensation for relatives of victims and erstwhile members of the group).
The last mass, attended by only 30 people, was held on December 3, 1979. 3 days later, the faithful applied for a formal dissolution of the organization. That's how Jim Jones' church shared the destiny of its founder...
Tom Zwk
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