Jonestown Documentary

*Warning! explicit language

• “Some people see God in me”
• A Community like the Promised Land
• Tells followers, “Don’t be this way”
• Carrying on Adulterous relationships
• No tears in repentance
• “I represent Divine principles”
• From a dysfunctional family
• Targeted Blacks and became Pastor of a Black church
• Hated and despised in the White community
• Started out in the Revival circuit or era
• The government is wrong
• Tried his ‘craft’ in California
• Sell all and give to ‘this church’
• Travelled USA spreading his beliefs
• All needs provided for people by Community
• Their personal homes are not elegant
• Made to feel guilty for taking luxuries [Sleep deprivation]
• Tells followers, “You don’t think for yourself”
• Followers gave up their rights to him
• Certain people believed “The man got power”
• False healings [or: past Unverifiable Stories]
• People running around the isles, hollering
• The Bible isn’t where the power is, it’s in the anointed man
• “Did you see any lightning come from the sky and strike me dead?”
• “You need to believe in what you see. If you see me as your God I’ll be your God”
• Followers lifted him up to a level of adoration
• Admired, loved, excused
• Homosexual acts
• “You’re all homosexuals”
• “Sexual relationships are very selfish”, yet was involved in many sexual affairs himself
• Not monogamous
• What he preached was not what he did
• Forbids followers to speak with one another
• ‘Feelings’ are bad, “Quit you like men”
• Followers loyalty tested
• You are to obey any and every word from him – without question
• Political power
• Had people that would ‘take a bullet’ for him
• People are always Threatened or feel threatened
• Tells followers, “You’re not diligent enough”
• A paranoia that ‘those on the outside’ are enemies
• The community was to be free of the government oppression, to live as God wants us to
• People loved to be in the ‘Community’ … at first
• Forced confessions (testimonies)
• Beatings [Jones: physical; Other cult leaders use: verbal, mental, spiritual]
• Sexually motivated
• Talks about Sex explicitly, often
• Bussed in the congregation for public meetings to show off
• Isolates followers from their families
• Had ex-members, people left him
• Told them the world would treat them badly
• They could never leave ‘the Church’ (Community)
• Followers subject to integration
• Used his ‘platforms’ as fronts
• The community was ‘lighter’ when he was not present
• Speaker system going 24/7 with his voice anywhere you were
• He would interpret the news events over his ‘broadcasts’
• A pervasive sense of being under attack, things are getting worse in the world
• In the end, he was getting more frantic and insane in his ramblings
• Followers subjected to Loyalty tests
• No freedom to express to others what was going on (keep your mouths shut)
• Took it as a betrayal to himself and the cause if someone left
• “It’s blasphemy to talk about leaving without approval”
• The community was spartan but very impressive
• Food stored on the Community
• People thought it was the best thing that ever happened in their lives, at first
• People found it hard to find a way to leave (their money, houses, family, & friends were all taken from them)
• Would say, “People lie on me/us”, “Just leave us alone”
• Said ‘you can leave if you want’, but made them believe they were betraying him if they did
• Often told, “Everybody report to the ‘tabernacle’ for a meeting”