Peoples Temple was an organization founded in 1955 by Reverend James Warren Jones (Jim Jones) that, by the mid-1970s, possessed over a dozen locations in California. Peoples Temple is best known for the death of over 900 of its members that occurred in Guyana at the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project (informally called "Jonestown"), a nearby airstrip at Port Kaituma and Georgetown, on November 18, 1978. The tragedy at Jonestown was the greatest single loss of American civilian life in a non-natural disaster until the incidents of September 11, 2001. At the airstrip, Temple members murdered, among others, Congressman Leo Ryan, the first and only murder of a Congressman in the line of duty in United States history.^[1]

Philosophy

The Peoples Temple purported to practice what it called "apostolic socialism."^[2] In doing so, the Temple openly preached to established members that "religion is an opiate to the people."^[3] Accordingly, "those who remained drugged with the opiate of religion had to be brought to enlightenment -- socialism."^[4] In that regard, Jones also openly stated that he "took the church and used the church to bring people to atheism."^[5] Jones often mixed those concepts, such as preaching that "If you're born in this church, this socialist revolution, you're not born in sin. If you're born in capitalist America, racist America, fascist America, then you're born in sin. But if you're born in socialism, you're not born in sin."^[3]

Temple activities before Jonestown

Activities in Indiana

Before forming a church, Jim Jones had become enamored with communism and frustrated by harassment communists received in the U.S.^[6] This, among other things, provoked a seminal moment for Jones where he asked himself "how can I demonstrate my Marxism? The thought was, infiltrate the church."^[6][7]

Although he faced backlash for being a communist, Jones was surprised that a Methodist superintendent who he had not met through the American Communist Party helped Jones into the church despite his knowledge that Jones was a communist.^[8] In 1952, Jones became a student pastor in Sommerset Southside Methodist Church, but left that church because they barred him from integrating African Americans into his congregation.^[7] In 1954, Jones began his own church, at first naming it the Community Unity Church.^[7]

In 1955, he renamed the church Wings of Deliverance, and later that year the "Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church", the first title incorporating the name "Peoples Temple."^[7] In 1959, the church joined the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and Jones renamed it the Peoples Temple Christian Church Full Gospel.^[7] This affiliation was a successful attempt to both raise the dwindling membership and restore the reputation of the group.

Jones had previously witnessed a faith-healing service at the Seventh Day Baptist Church, observed that it attracted people and their cash and concluded that with financial resources from such healings, he could help accomplish his social goals.^[7] Jones and Temple members faked healings because they found this increased faith, which generated financial resources was to help the poor.^[7] These faked healings of newcomers involved using chicken livers and other animal tissue that existing Temple members and Jones claimed were cancerous tissues removed from the body.^[9] In addition, partly inspired by the eccentric preacher Father Divine, he began charity efforts with the goal of recruiting the poor.^[10]

The Temple's move to California

After traveling in Brazil, Jones returned to Indiana in 1963.^[7] While Jones had always spoken of the social gospel's virtues, before the late 1960s, Jones did not reveal that his gospel was actually communism.^[7] By the late 1960s, Jones began openly revealing in Temple sermons his "Apostolic Socialism" concept.^[7] During this period, Jones preached to new members that the Holy Spirit was within themselves, but that Jones' healing power demonstrated that he was a special manifestation of "Christ the Revolution."^[7] He also preached that the United States was the Antichrist and capitalism was "the Antichrist system."^[7]

Brochure of the Peoples Temple, portraying leader Jim Jones as the father of the "Rainbow Family."

Jones preached of an imminent nuclear holocaust, and that the surviving elect would then create a new socialist Eden on earth.^[7] In 1965, he predicted this would occur on July 15 1967.^[7] Accordingly, Jones preached that the Temple must move to Redwood Valley, California.^[7] Jones led approximately 70 families, half of whom were black, to Redwood Valley and officially opened church there in 1968.^[11] The addition of deputy district attorney Tim Stoen greatly increased the Temple's credibility in the area, quickly increasing membership.^[11]

In 1970, the Temple opened branches in San Francisco, on Geary Street, and Los Angeles, on South Alvarado Street.^[12]

Jones began deriding traditional Christianity as "fly away religion," and rejected the Bible as being white mens' justification to dominate women and enslave of people of color.^[7] Jones authored a booklet he would distribute in the Temple titled "The Letter Killeth,"^[13] pointing out what he felt were the contradictions, absurdities, and atrocities in the Bible, but also stating that the Bible contained great truths. Jones preached that the "Divine Principle" equated with "Love," and Love was equated with "Socialism."^[7] He stated that the Bible only contained beliefs about a "Sky God" or "Buzzard God," who was no God at all.^[7]

In 1972, Lester Kinsolving wrote the earliest public expose on the Temple, a seven part story that began to run in the San Francisco Examiner and Indianapolis Star.^[14] Kinsolving reported on several aspects of church dealings, the healings and that Jones would throw bibles down in church, yelling "This black book has held down you people for 200 years. It has no power."^[15] The Temple picketed the Examiner, yelled at the Examiner's editor in a car (seated between burly Temple "Red Brigade" security guards) and threatened both papers with libel suits.^[14] Both papers canceled the series after the fourth of the seventh installments.^[14] Shortly thereafter, Jones made grants to newspapers in California with the stated goal of supporting the First Amendment.^[16]

Temple expansion in the 70s

After Jones began a series of recruiting drives in Los Angeles and San Francisco cities, the membership in the Peoples Temple increased from approximately 700 in 1970 to 2,200 in 1972. Despite exaggerated claims by the Temple, one source claims its greatest actual registered membership was around 3,000.^[17] However, 5,000 individual membership cards photos were located in Temple records after its dissolution.^[18] The Temple also regularly drew 3,000 people to its San Francisco services alone, whether or not they were technically registered members. ^[19] Of particular interest to politicians was the Temple's ability to produce 2,000 people for work or attendance in San Francisco with only six hours notice.^[11]

By the mid-1970s, in addition to its locations in Redwood Valley, Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Peoples Temple had also established satellite congregations in almost a dozen other California cities.^[20] Jones mentioned locations in San Francisco, Ukiah, Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno and Sacramento.^[21] The Temple also maintained a branch and its own dormitory at Santa Rosa Junior College. ^[22]

At the same time, Jones and his church earned a reputation for aiding the cities' poorest citizens, especially racial minorities, drug addicts, and the homeless. Soup kitchens, daycare centers, and medical clinics for elderly people were set up, along with counseling programs for prostitutes and drug addicts who wanted to change their lives. The Peoples Temple made strong connections to the California state welfare system. During the 1970s, the Peoples Temple owned and ran at least nine residential care homes for the elderly, six homes for foster children, and a state-licensed 40 acre ranch for developmentally disabled persons. They had a college tuition and dormitory program at Santa Rosa Junior College. The Temple elites handled members' insurance claims and legal problems, effectively acting as a client-advocacy group. For these reasons, sociologist John Hall described Peoples Temple as a "charismatic bureaucracy",^[23] oriented toward Jones as a charismatic leader, but functioning as a bureaucratic social service organization.

Although some descriptions of Peoples Temple emphasize Jones? autocratic control over his followers, in actuality it had a complex leadership structure with decision-making power unevenly dispersed among its members. At its core, the Peoples Temple was ruled by Jones and his inner circle, but members of the Planning Commission also had much of the power. The Planning Commission, including approximately 120 members,^[24] were responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Temple, including key decision-making, financial and legal planning, and oversight of the organization.^[25]

By the Spring of 1976, Jones openly admitted even to outsiders that he was an atheist.^[26] Despite the Temple's fear that the IRS was investigating its religious tax exemption, by 1977, Jones' wife, Marcy, openly admitted to the New York Times that Jones had not been lured to religion because of faith, but because it served his goal of social change through Marxism.^[11] She stated that, as early as age 18 when he watched his idol Mao Tse Tung overthrow the Chinese government, Jones realized that the way to achieve social change in the United States was to mobilize people through religion.^[11] She admitted that "Jim used religion to try to get some people out of the opiate of religion," and had slammed the bible on the table yelling "I've got to destroy this paper idol!"^[11]

Mid-70s Temple political activity

Jones and the Temple enjoyed the support of a number of nationally prominent politicians. Jones and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone met privately with Vice Presidential Candidate Walter Mondale days before the 1976 Presidential election.^[27] Jones met First Lady Rosalynn Carter on multiple occasions, including a private dinner, and corresponded with Mrs. Carter.^[28][29]

In California, Jones and the Temple received the support of, among others, Governor Jerry Brown, Lieutenant Governor Mervyn Dymally, Assemblyman Willie Brown, San Francisco mayor George Moscone, Art Agnos, and Harvey Milk.^[30] After the Temple mobilized volunteers and voters instrumental in Moscone's narrow election victory in 1975, Moscone appointed Jones as Chairman of the San Francisco Housing Commission.^[31][32] Willie Brown visited the temple many times and spoke publicly in support of Jones, even after investigations and suspicions of cult activity.^[33][34]

After Jones and hundreds of Temple members fled to Jonestown, Moscone's office issued a press release stating the Mayor's office would not investigate the Temple.^[31] During this time, Harvey Milk spoke at political rallies of the Peoples Temple and later wrote a letter President Jimmy Carter after the investigations began praising Jones and attacking the leader of people attempting to extricate relatives from Jonestown as making "bold-faced lies."^[35][36]

Tragedy at the Temple's Jonestown agricultural commune

In 1974, the Peoples Temple signed a lease to rent land in Guyana.^[37] Former Temple member Tim Carter describes the reason for this move as "in seventy four (1974), what we saw in the United States was creeping fascism."^[38] Carter explained, "It was apparent that corporations, or the multinationals, were getting much larger, their influence was growing within the government, and the United States is a racist place."^[38] Carter said the Temple concluded that Guyana was "a place in a black country where our black members could live in peace", "it was a socialist government" and it was "the only English speaking country in South America."^[38]

The community created on this property was called the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, or informally, "Jonestown." It had as few as 50 residents in early 1977.

Increasing media scrutiny based upon allegations by former members placed further pressure on Jones in 1977; in particular, an article by Marshall Kilduff in New West Magazine.^[12] Just before publication of the New West Magazine piece, editor Rosalie Wright telephoned Jones to read him the article.^[39] Wright explained that she was only doing so before publication because of "all the support letters we received on your behalf, from the Governor of California (Jerry Brown)" and others.^[40] While still on the phone listening to the allegations contained in the article, Jones wrote a note to Temple members in the room with him that said "We leave tonight. Notify Georgetown (Guyana)."^[40]

After Jim Jones left for Guyana, he encouraged Temple members to follow him there. The population grew to over 900 people by late 1978. Those who moved there were promised a tropical paradise, free from the supposed wickedness of the outside world.

On November 17, 1978, the group was visited at Jonestown by Leo Ryan, a United States Congressman from the San Francisco area, who was investigating claims of abuse within the Peoples Temple. During this visit, a number of Temple members expressed a desire to leave with the Congressman, and on the afternoon of November 18, these members accompanied Ryan to the local airstrip at Port Kaituma. There they were intercepted by Temple security guards who opened fire on the group, killing Congressman Ryan, three journalists, and one of the Temple defectors. A few seconds of gunfire from the incident were captured on video by Bob Brown, one of the journalists killed in the attack.

On the evening of November 18, in Jonestown, Jones ordered his congregation to drink cyanide-laced Flavor Aid. It was later determined that Jones died from a gunshot, with a contact wound in a location and angle consistent with being self-inflicted. His body was also found to contain high doses of drugs. In all, 918 people died, including over 270 children, resulting in the greatest single loss of American civilian life in a non-natural disaster until the incidents of September 11, 2001.^[41][42][43] This includes four that died at the Temple headquarters in Georgetown that night.^[44]

Aftermath

At the end of 1978, the Temple declared bankruptcy and its assets went into receivership.^[45] A few Temple members remained in Guyana through May 1979 to wrap up the movement?s affairs, then returned to anonymity within the U.S.^[45]

Eleven years after the mass suicide at Jonestown, the building housing the Peoples Temple in San Francisco (at 1849 Geary Boulevard in the city's Western Addition neighborhood) sustained structural damage in the Loma Prieta earthquake.^[45] Since the owner was unwilling to reinforce the structure, the building was demolished, and the property remained undeveloped until the United States Postal Service opened a post office at the site in the late 1990s.

The Temple?s buildings in Los Angeles (1366 S. Alvarado St.), Indianapolis and Redwood Valley are intact, and some are used by church congregations.^[45] The Central Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church is currently located at the Temple's former Los Angeles building at 1366 South Alvarado St.^[46]

Temple insider Michael Prokes, who had been ordered to deliver a suitcase containing Temple funds to be transferred to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, committed suicide in March 1979, four months after the Jonestown incident. In the days leading up to his death, Prokes sent notes to several people, together with a thirty-page statement he had written about Peoples Temple. Columnist Herb Caen reprinted one copy in his San Francisco Chronicle column.^[47] Prokes then arranged for a press conference in a Modesto, California motel room, at which he read a statement to the eight reporters who attended. He then excused himself, entered a bathroom and fatally shot himself in the head.^[47]

According to various press reports,^[48][49] surviving Temple members in the U.S. announced their fears of being targeted by a "hit squad" of Jonestown survivors. Similarly, in 1979, the Associated Press reported the claim of a U.S. Congressional aide that there were "...120 white, brainwashed assassins out from Jonestown awaiting the trigger word to pick up their hit."^[50]

President Bill Clinton signed a bill into law in the 1990s mandating the expiration of secrecy in documents after 25 years. The majority of Temple documents remain classified, despite Freedom of Information requests from numerous people over the past three decades.^[51][52][53]

Prior to the tragedy, Temple member Paula Adams had engaged in a romantic relationship with Guyana's Ambassador to the United States, Laurence "Bonny" Mann.^[54] Adams later married Mann.^[55] On October 24, 1983, Mann fatally shot both Adams and the couple's child, and then fatally shot himself.^[55]

Defecting member Harold Cordell lost 20 family members that evening during the poisonings.^[56] The Bogues family, which had also defected, lost their daughter Marilee (age 18), while defector Vernon Gosney lost his son Mark (age 5).^[57]

See also

• Jonestown
• Jim Jones
• Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple

References

Further reading

• Klineman, George and Sherman Butler. The Cult That Died G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1980. ISBN 0-399-12540-X.
• Naipaul, Shiva. Black and White. London, 1980. ISBN 0-241-10337-1.

External links

• San Diego State University: Extensive site with source documents, list of dead, pictures
• Audio Recording of Jonestown Suicide
• Encyclopaedia Britannica, Peoples Temple
• Transcription of Suicide Tape

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