jones, jim

Why do we need to know about cult leaders? Because anyone can be manipulated by them. From the rich and famous to the poor and lonely, people believe in the worlds created by these extraordinarily charismatic and persuasive manipulators. But promises of a better life often lead to something dark, traumatic, or even fatal. Feature articles, op-ed pieces, and obituaries tell the stories of five of the most infamous cult leaders in American history: Charles Manson, Jim Jones, David Koresh, Heaven's Gate founder Marshall Applewhite, and Nxivm's Keith Raniere. Readers will learn about the people who sacrificed everything to follow them. Media literacy terms and questions deepen readers' understanding of reporting styles and devices.

In 1954, a pastor named Jim Jones founded a church in Indianapolis called Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church. A preacher with idealistic beliefs, he quickly filled his church with those eager to hear his sermons on social justice. As he became more idealistic his behavior became more erratic and his message, more ominous. His followers leaned on each other for the sense of equality they got from the church but increasingly Jones made it more and more difficult for anyone to leave. Soon Jones moved his congregation to a remote jungle in Guyana, South America. There authorities began to investigate allegations of abuse and false imprisonment. Soon Jonestown became a mass murder scene when Jim Jones deprived his followers of food, sleep, and hope, and ultimately forced them to commit "revolutionary suicide".

Survivors of the 1978 Jonestown massacre discuss what drew them to the People's Temple cult and the lasting effects of that fateful November day on their lives.

Tells the story of Jim Jones and People Temple in Guyana and the events that led to the mass suicide of 913 members of People's Temple.

Deborah Layton discusses what it was like to be a member of the Peoples Temple cult in Jonestown, Guyana, and explains how the cult's leader brainwashed the other members into a mass suicide.

Deborah Layton discusses what it was like to be a member of the Peoples Temple cult in Jonestown, Guyana, and explains how the cult's leader brainwashed the other members into a mass suicide.

Chronicles the events surrounding the mass suicides at Jonestown in November 1978, discussing how Jim Jones brainwashed his followers by promising to save them from the evils of capitalist society, and examines how the mass suicides influenced other cults and religious movements.

Describes the life of Jim Jones and the church he established, supposedly to help people find a better life, and recounts the events that led to the deaths of Jones and his followers at their compound in Guyana in 1978.