Jim Jones

Jim Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American cult leader, political activist, and preacher. He is best known as the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement that originated in the mid-1960s in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Jones is infamous for the November 18, 1978, mass murder-suicide event at Jonestown, Guyana, in which 918 people died, including Jones himself.

Early Life

Jones was born in Crete, Indiana, to James Thurman Jones, a World War I veteran, and Lynetta Putnam. Jones was of Irish and Welsh descent. He grew up in a shack without plumbing, in the midst of the Great Depression.

Peoples Temple

In the 1950s, Jones began the Peoples Temple in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Karl Marx, and Father Divine to create a "church" that combined elements of Christianity with socialist and communist ideologies. The Peoples Temple was racially integrated, a rarity for the time, and focused on helping people in need.

Jonestown

In the 1970s, Jones and his followers moved to Guyana, where they established a commune known as Jonestown. Jones promised his followers a utopia, but the reality was far from it. The residents of Jonestown were subjected to physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. They were also forced to participate in drills for a mass suicide event.

Death and Legacy

On November 18, 1978, Jones ordered a mass suicide at Jonestown. The event resulted in the deaths of 918 people, including Jones, who died from a gunshot wound, in what is known as the Jonestown Massacre. This event was the greatest single loss of American civilian life in a non-natural disaster until the events of September 11, 2001.

Jones's life and the tragedy at Jonestown have been the subject of numerous books, films, and documentaries. Despite his horrific actions, Jones's early work in the civil rights movement and his push for racial integration are often noted in discussions of his life.

See Also

• Cult
• Peoples Temple
• Jonestown Massacre

References

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  William M. Branham

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  Father Divine

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  Jim Jones shakes hands with Cecil Williams

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  Members of Peoples Temple at anti-eviction rally

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  Jonestown brochure