Complete 7 page APA formatted essay: Jonestown (The People's Temple).Download file to see previous pages... In 17 November, 1978, Jones men killed Ryan and his party after they came to investigate the

Complete 7 page APA formatted essay: Jonestown (The People's Temple).

In 17 November, 1978, Jones men killed Ryan and his party after they came to investigate the allegations. After the killings, Jones initiated a revolutionary mass suicide in which 918 people died. He was found dead with a gunshot wound. The survivors are coming into terms with the incident and they have found means such as art to bring out something good out of the tragedy. Jonestown, the People’s Temple Introduction Jim Jones was the founder of the People’s Temple, which was composed of a congregation dedicated to the fight against racial segregation. Jones being the leader of the People’s Temple declared himself the Almighty God or the incarnation of Jesus. Jones was a good person until he began to mistreat the people he brought to Guyana. His character was further revealed in the eventual mass suicide in 1978 which claimed 918 lives (O’shea, 2011). The paper will highlight the history of Jonestown and how the community of Jonestown got to the point of mass suicide. The paper will further outline the effects of the Jonestown massacre on the survivors with special emphasis on Eugene Smith and Jones’ son, Stephan Jones. History of Jonestown Jim Jones established the People’s Temple, a congregation dedicated to the fight against racial segregation, in the 1950s in Indianapolis, Indiana. ...

However, when the group arrived in California, the organization changed and began to be more involved in local progressive politics. The group also became more socially active. Jones requested his followers to call him Dad or Father. He motivated members to live in communal harmony, to pool their resources, and donate them to various church projects. Jones began to view himself as a divine being by declaring to the congregation that he was the God Almighty or the incarnation of God or Jesus. He also claimed to raise the dead and heal the sick. Temple life in San Francisco was characterized by long hours of musical entertainment, corporal punishment, political activism, belly laughs, and self-criticism (O’shea, 2011). The group developed a new and non-racist collection of values. black meant goodness and white indicated bad, and this was in contrast to the outside view of blackness. Catharsis (mutual criticism sessions) expressed all the infractions that the members had committed. These violations included sexist remarks made by the members, being irresponsible in the workplace, stealing, being in possession of drugs, and being disloyal, (this was the worst of all the violations). The main purpose of catharsis was to let the group change the person without the need to use the society’s system of justice. The infractions had severe consequences on the physical and emotional well-being of the individuals (O’shea, 2011). In response to several events happening in the United States, the Temple started looking for an outpost abroad. In 1974, the Temple started clearing land in Guyana. Guyana was at that time the only country in South America with English as a common languge.