Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple By Katie Klassen

Early Life ● Born James Warren Jones May 13, 1931 in Crete, Indiana ● Parents: James Thurman Jones and Lynetta Putnam ● Only child ● Father backed KKK, mother supported progressive politics ● Parents separated in 1945

Marceline Baldwin-Jones ● Met at a hospital in Richmond, Indiana where he worked during high school. ● Married June 12, ● Had one son and adopted seven children of various races.

The Peoples Temple ● 1955: Began “Wings of Deliverance” ministry, later renamed “Peoples Temple”. ● Became ordained minister in 1964 through “Disciples of Christ”. ● Wrote “The Letter Killeth” in which he harshly criticized the Bible. ● Began calling himself “Jesus Chist,” “the Buddha,” and “Nikolai Lenin”. ● Followers referred to him as “Father”.

Jonestown Massacre ● “Jonestown”, Guyana founded in ● Harsh conditions for all cult members: 12 hour work days, crowded quarters, small rations. ● Members unable to leave. ● Members' families in US asked Congressman Leo Ryan to step in, which he did in ● Ryan and his party were attacked while returning to the plane after visiting Jonestown, Ryan and a few others killed.

Jonestown Massacre (cont.) ● Jones demanded that the entire town's population commit “revolutionary suicide” with him. ● Every man, woman, and child drank cyanide-laced “Flavor-Aid” either willingly or by force. ● Three people were found shot to death: Jones, one of Jones' mistresses, and an unidentified man. ● 914 bodies were discovered at Jonestown after the massacre on November 18, 1978.

Jones' Goals ● To spread Socialism through religion while at the same time degrading the orthodox Christian “God”. ● Integration of all races. ● The fall to Capitalist America. ● Jonestown.

How He Achieved Them ● Received a Bachelor of Education degree at Butler University in ● 1955: Began preaching his own ministry, “Wings of Deliverance” which he later renamed the “Peoples Temple”. ● 1964: Became an ordained minister through “Disciples of Christ”. ● Sold monkeys door-to-door to help finance his church.

How He Achieved Them (cont.) ● Wrote “The Letter Killeth”, which degraded the Bible's teachings. ● Claimed to be Jesus Christ, the Buddha, Nikolai Lenin, Arkhenaten, and “Father” Divine. ● Performed “miracle healings” which were rigged, to prove his “messiahship”.

His Success ● Over 2000 followers of his doctrine. ● Convinced over 900 people to die for their faith in him. ● The “Peoples Temple” had over $10 million in assets as of November 18, 1978.

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