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Jonestown Massacre Research Paper

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The Rabbit Hole “Belief is a powerful force” (Moore, Alt. Considerations). It is what lead the Israelites out of Egypt and what inspired Michelangelo to paint the “Creation of Adam.” It is what encouraged the pilgrims to move to America, but belief has also lead to wars. It is belief of superiority that fanned the flame of the Holocaust and the KKK. It is what that killed seventy-nine people in the Wacco Siege and it is what that killed 909 men, women, and children in Jonestown. The Jonestown Massacre has played a very big part in the history of cults and radical belief. People wonder how these people were manipulated to do terrible things. But perhaps it is not belief itself that is terrible, but how people use it. The Peoples Temple was started by Jim Jones …show more content…

Jones turned families against each other. A man who may express a desire to leave could be turned in by his wife, or his own child. Paranoia and tension were high in Jonestown. There were armed guards to protect them from intruders, but there was the cold and silent knowledge that they were also there to keep anyone from leaving. Members would be punished for little things, such as not paying enough attention to one of Jones’s sermons (Latson, “The Jonestown Massacre”). As a form of punishment, members could be beaten or publicly humiliated. There was a speaker where Jones’s pre-recorded speeches would be played all day, even at night. By then, Jones was exceedingly paranoid and on top of that, a drug addict. He confiscated medicine to use for himself, and people began to notice that his words were becoming more slurred. Back in the United States, ex-members and relatives of members were very anxious and worried as to what was going on in Jonestown. They received help from Congressman Leo Ryan. Eventually, Leo Ryan, a news crew, and several concerned family members were able to travel to Jonestown. Jim Jones held a celebration for their arrival, but it was to make it

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