JONESTOWN

What was the Peoples Temple?

Peoples Temple began in the 1950's in Indianapolis, IN under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jones and his followers engaged in numerous activities to help the poor. In addition, they made racial integration central to their work mission. In 1959, Jones affiliated his congregation with the Christian Church(Disciple of Christ) naming it the Peoples Temple Christian Church Full Gospel.

After reading an article entitled "Nine Places to in the World to Hide," Jones relocated his family and some 70 followers to northern California thinking that in the case of a nuclear war, they would be safe. There, the church became known as the Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ.

The three populations within the Peoples Temple included:

-people, predominantly Whites, who joined primarily in family groups in the Christian sect in Indiana

-young, college-educated Whites who joined Peoples Temple beginning in 1968 in California

-Blacks who joined in the early 1970's when the Peoples Temple began urban ministries in California

Peoples Temple can be categorized with in the church-sect-cult division. The "church" within Peoples Temple can be identified as the majority of its members, who were African American, urban, and generally Christian in background and upbringing. The "sect" was the group of 70 or so white members who followed Jones from Indiananapolis to California. The "cult" within Peoples Temple comprised idealistic young whites who sought to change the world within a deeply committed, utopianist group. he leadership of the organization tended to come from this group, belying Jones' commitment to breaking down racial barriers. All three groups shared a belief in racial justice, the need for radical sharing and re-distribution of wealth, and the imperative to work to make the world a better place for all. In short, they were idealists trying to create the perfect society. In one respect they succeeded: the community at Jonestown was interracial, intergenerational, and more or less classless.

The pressures on Peoples Temple in California prompted preparations to move to Guyana. The first news stories critical of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple began to appear in 1972. And, in 1973, Peoples Temple relocated to Guyana, to establish an agricultural settlement. By 1975, there were about 50 residents in Jonestown.

In 1977, over 1000 Peoples Temple members including Jim Jones moved to Jonestown, their promised land in the Guyanese jungle. During that year, the deterioration of their leader and changes within the small society at Jonestown hinted towards a troublesome future. Jones became paranoid that Jonestown was under attack and the preparation to commit a revolutionary mass suicide began. The end of Jonestown came on November 18, 1978, and the tragic loss of over 900 lives occurred.