1. Jim Jones
Can you remember the Peoples Temple? If this doesn’t ring a bell, what about the Jonestown Massacre? This is one of the most infamous mass murder-suicides in history, and all of it was led by no other than Jim Jones, one of the cult leaders who orchestrated one of the strangest and, at the same time, darkest events in American history.
The Peoples Temple started as a religious cult formed of people who were mesmerized by the “powers” of the Crete, Indiana, native Jim Jones. He was well known in this circle as a prophet who had mind-reading abilities and was also able to perform successful faith healings.
The mission of this cult was to create an egalitarian society that had no problems of class or race. This discourse became incredibly popular before the early 1970s in the left-liberal circles of California, and as you would expect, the number of the People’s Temple’s followers rose.
But more followers meant less crowd control, and the strategies of Jim Jones to keep its flowers in line became more and more concerning. From blackmailing and signing over their possessions to members getting beaten, he tried everything to keep them tied to the cult.
When his cult sparked the curiosity of the media, Jones decided that it was time to leave the States and find a more successful place. Guyana was his place of choice, and after a few altercations with California congressman Leo Ryan, who tried to uncover the truth about the Peoples Temple, the November 18, 1978 massacre took place.
Over 900 people drank a cocktail made from sedatives and cyanide and were killed. Some of them refused to do so, but they were forced. Jones, himself, was a casualty of the massacre after he took a gunshot to his head.
2 Responses
You need to add Donald Trump’s cult.
“… a few altercations with California congressman Leo Ryan …”
Altercations? His henchman murdered Mr. Ryan and his staff when the came to Guyana to investigate. Quite a detail to omit!