Flying High-The Jim Jones Story
By: Kanisha Smith-Heard
I bet you thought I was talking about the rapper Jim Jones didn't you? Well actually I was talking about James Warren Jones. James was the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, known for the November 18, 1978 death of over 900 Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana.
Jones was born in Crete, Indiana May 13, 1931 and started the Temple in the 1950's. Jones and the Temple moved to Ukiah in Northern California because of A nuclear war and then later moved to San Francisco and Los Angeles. After suspicions of illegal activities in the Temple, they resettled in Jonestown, Guyana.
Originally the Temple was an interracial mission for the sick, homeless and jobless; preaching of a 'social gospel' of human freedom, equality and love. However this gospel became too controlling. Hypocrisy of white Christianity was ridiculed while this 'apostolic socialism' was preached.
Later Jim Jones developed a belief called Translation, which meant that he and all of his members would die together in peace, and would 'move on to another planet for a life of bliss'. He called it a Revolutionary suicide. He protested the conditions of an inhuman world.
Some denied and others wanted to follow. So together for those who wanted to follow started to create options on how they wanted to go through with this process. They reached a decision to commit group suicide. Most appeared to have committed this suicide by drinking grape flavored Kool-Aid or FlavorAid. The drink was laced with cyanide and a number of sedatives which is a substance that reduces irritability or excitement. These included liquid Valium, penegram and choral hydrate. Those who denied where injected with the poisons and others were strangled or shot.
All together 914 people died; 638 adults, and 276 children. When the bodies were found they were extensively decayed. The decay was so extensive that investigators were unable to perform autopsys on the corpses. The disturbing images collected by a TV station showed the vast amount of dead and showed that they were all forced to commit suicide. Jones was also found dead in a deck chair with a gunshot wound to his head on November 18, 1978; the same day this massacre happened.
To find more information on the Jonestown Massacre:
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