Analayzing Jonestown; Suicide/murders

Jonestown Empire of Mind

Summary

In the case of the incident of Jonestown, Guyana, settlement members were led by their leader, Reverend Jim Jones, to commit revolutionary suicide. Prior to the revolutionary suicide, as Jones announced it, he organized a church called the Peoples Temple Christian Church Full Gospel built on Communist and Socialist Party views. Jones attracted new members of the church from disadvantaged groups consisting of the poor and minorities by promises of better lives. His new racially integrated church drew many members who desired change and improvement in their lives and communities. However, membership to the church was accompanied with numerous demands from Jones. These demands from "Father", as Jones cared to be referred as, only grew in time and escalated in severity. Unfortunately, after publicly related issues and trouble from the IRS, Jones relocated the majority of the Temple's membership to the South American outpost of Jamestown, Guyana in the late 1970's. During a visit from Congressman Leo Ryan and concerned relatives of members, some Temple members expressed their desire to leave the compound. As the congressman and his party were boarding a plane to depart back to the United States, members of the People's Temple ambushed and killed him and a few party members. As this took place, Reverend Jones gathered his members and committed revolutionary suicide by poison. Members of the Peoples Temple first forced their children to drink the poison and then drank it themselves, killing all but few of the compound settlers.

The analysis of Jonestown was an attempt to understand how the psychological influences of the few can lead to conformity of the many, regardless of the degree of action demanded by the few. This type of conformity, commonly opinionated as a cult, is thought by many members of free nations as eccentric. How can a leader convince followers to commit "revolutionary suicide" killing themselves and their children without force on the majority? With conformity, the growing practices, attitudes, and behavior to what individuals perceive as normal of their social group and culture can be used to persuade others into following those practices, attitudes, and behaviors. In Jim Jones's Jamestown, he was able to manipulate and control his followers by minimizing internal resistance and external influences. He cut off communication from the outside world by brainwashing members to support "the Cause". Anything that was against Jones was seen to be a lack of faith and punishable. He would steadily increase demands of members, escalating the severity, all while further convincing their rationality. Even after the events in Jamestown, Guyana, followers who left the church rationalized their actions and Jones's punishments. They could not explain as to why it took them so long to leave the church and why they did many of the actions demanded by their leader, Jones. He would go so far as to ask spouses to participate in extra-marital affairs, donate all of their belongings, and sign over custody rights of children to the church for support of "the Cause". The actions that Jones demanded and how he delivered his lessons in forms of punishment became so common that church members created a form of psychological euphoria for personal rationalization and acceptance of what he was teaching.

Discussion

In the discussion and analysis of the Jamestown incident, several criticism and comparisons came to mind. In the reading, many members residing in the Jamestown compound, but were absent on errands or appointments the day of the revolutionary suicide commented on the event that took place. Instead of rejoicing, many commented on the anger and disappointment that they experienced after missing the opportunity to commit suicide with the other members. An observer might ask, "What reason would anger and disappointment be experienced by members of the church for not dying, unlike