Jonestown
Do you know who was behind the largest mass suicide in recorded history? It was a charismatic
man called Jim Jones. He was born in Crete, Indiana. Since his father had been injured in World War I
and was unable to work, Jim's mother supported the family. Neighbours considered the family a little
odd. Childhood playmates remember Jim holding mock church services in his home, many of which
were funeral services for dead animals. Some questioned where he kept "finding" so many dead
animals and believed he had killed some himself.
After leaving school, Jim started working in a hospital where he met Marceline Baldwin.
The two were married in June 1949. They had one child and adopted several children of various
ethnicities. Jones was proud of his "rainbow family" and urged others to adopt interracially. As a young
adult, he wanted to make the world a better place. To realize that idea, at first Jones trained
to be a pastor at a local church. However, he soon quarrelled with the church's leadership. Jones, who
was against racial segregation, wanted to integrate the church, which was not a popular idea at that
time.
Jones soon began preaching to African Americans, whom he most wanted to help. He often
used "healing" rituals to attract new followers. During these events he claimed he was able to heal
people's illnesses like eye problems. Within two years, Jones had enough followers to start his own
church. By selling imported monkeys as pets, Jones had saved enough money to open a church in
Indianapolis in 1956, which he called the Peoples Temple.
The Peoples Temple was open to anyone regardless of their race. At a time when most
churches were segregated, the Peoples Temple offered a very different view of what society could
become. Jones’ vision was socialist in nature. He believed that American capitalism caused
an unhealthy imbalance in the world, where the rich had too much money. Through the Peoples
Temple, Jones promoted activism. Although it was a small church, the Peoples Temple established
soup kitchens and homes for the elderly and mentally ill.
When the Peoples Temple became successful, Jones’ healing rituals attracted the authorities’
attention. As a result, an investigation into his practices began. This convinced him it was time
to move. In 1966, he moved the Peoples Temple to California. Jones picked that place because he had
read an article that said it was one of the top places which were least likely to be hit during a nuclear
attack. About 65 families followed Jones from Indiana to California. On arrival, their new home seemed
much more tolerant than Indiana.
People trusted Jim Jones, yet many did not know how unbalanced he really was. After the move
to California, the church transformed into a cult. Members had to be loyal to Jones and give him all
of their money. He also took large quantities of drugs, running up huge debts. In time, the drugs caused
his health to deteriorate, and it made him paranoid. He did not care about the local police, but
he started believing that the CIA and FBI were after him. His paranoia got worse when Jones learned
that an article was about to be published about him. It included interviews with ex-members of his
church. The night before the article was printed, Jones and several hundred members flew to Guyana,
where he established a community called Jonestown.
The utopian community in Guyana, however, turned out to be a nightmare. The living
conditions were horrible and the work hours were long. When U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan heard
reports of bad things happening in Jonestown, he decided to go there. He took along his adviser and
an NBC film crew. At first, everything looked fine and all the people they talked to seemed happy.
However, during a formal dinner, someone secretly passed a note to Ryan with the names of a few
people who wanted to leave the community. It then became clear that some were being held there
against their will.
The following day, November 18th 1978, Ryan and those who wished to return to the U.S. went
to the airport. While they were waiting for a plane, a group of Jones’ men turned up and opened fire,
killing 6 people including Ryan. Meanwhile, back in Jonestown, the guru prepared a poisoned punch
containing cyanide and valium for his followers to drink. As a result, 912 people lost their life. Jones
died of a gunshot wound to the head. Even today there are doubts as to whether or not he committed
suicide.