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Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Jim Jones |
| Founder | Jim Jones |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Dissolved | 1978 |
| Political orientation | Christianity Utopian socialism |
The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, commonly known as the Peoples Temple, was a cult founded in the United States in 1955. At its peak, it had over $1 billion of assets. It relocated to Jonestown, Guyana in 1978 before its leader Jim Jones killed over 900 of his followers.[1]
History[edit | edit source]
Indiana[edit | edit source]
Jim Jones began preaching in a Black neighborhood in Richmond and claimed to be able to cure diseases and resurrect the dead. In 1955, he created the Wings of Deliverance church in Indianapolis. He staged false KKK attacks against his church in order to portray himself as a supporter of civil rights. The church, renamed the Peoples Temple, provided social programs to poor people in Indianapolis and served 100 meals a day.[1]
California[edit | edit source]
In July 1965, Jones moved the Peoples Temple to Ukiah, California. In order to gain support from revolutionaries, he criticized the CIA and protested against the Vietnam War. Jones relocated to San Francisco in 1971. He kidnapped Black children from Oakland and sent them to Temple-run foster homes and forced his followers to fight each other in boxing matches. He also raped many of his followers, both men and women. The FBI ignored reports of Jones's crimes.[1]
Jones became friends with many politicians, including Harvey Milk, Governor Jerry Brown, State House Speaker Willie Brown, Lieutenant Governor Mervyn Dymally, and Mayor George Moscone. Moscone appointed Jones to the San Francisco Housing Authority and Human Rights Commission. In 1976, Jones helped organize the turnout for Jimmy Carter's rally in San Francisco and met with future vice president Walter Mondale on his campaign plane.[1]
Guyana[edit | edit source]
See main article: Peoples Temple Agricultural Project
In the mid-1970s, the Peoples Temple bought and cleared land in the jungle of Guyana. In 1978, in order to avoid negative media coverage, Jones relocated his followers to the settlement and named it Jonestown.[1]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Jeremy Kuzmarov (2022-11-18). "Was the CIA Behind the Jonestown Massacre?" CovertAction Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-06-24.