Jim Jones and the Democrats

[One Bad Pig]

Source: Seth Barron

Daniel Flynn in Cult City: Jim Jones, Harvey Milk, and 10 Days That Shook San Francisco

© Copyright Original Source

Link

Apparently, much of what I thought I knew about Jim Jones was flat out wrong.

[Cow Poke]

I'll have to check into this - I was always given the perception that Jones started out on the right path, but went nutty.

Thanks, Oh Great Porcine One!

[Mountain Man]

"Jim Jones's connection to mainstream Democratic politics has been suppressed. He and the Peoples Temple, which exalted racial diversity and social justice, have been cast as harrowing examples of Christian religious extremism, though Jones preached atheism and ordered his followers to use the Bible as toilet paper."

Interesting. I had never heard that before.

[Cow Poke]

"Jim Jones's connection to mainstream Democratic politics has been suppressed. He and the Peoples Temple, which exalted racial diversity and social justice, have been cast as harrowing examples of Christian religious extremism, though Jones preached atheism and ordered his followers to use the Bible as toilet paper."

Interesting. I had never heard that before.

Me too neither.

[guacamole]

Aw snap. Someone rattled the bars one of my favorite cages.

If you want to read a harrowing book, try this one:



The end of the book, which explains how the events at Jonestown were supposed to be an act of "Revolutionary Suicide," and how certain people saved lives are excellent.

If you want to freak out and see how easily the devil can quote scripture for his own purposes, check out the internet archive of the People's Temple literature, at San Diego State University. Don't be put off the by "Alternative Considerations" title. They're mostly trying to present primary sources and personal stories:

https://jonestown.sdsu.edu/

The document that gives an interesting snapshot in the seduction of an otherwise orthodox congregation this tract entitled "Pastor Jim Jones Meets the Reverend M. J. Divine"

https://jonestown.sdsu.edu/wp-conten...therDivine.pdf

That's a different cult leader who must have given him some pointers--the Reverend Major Jealous Divine--Coolest name for a cult leader by far.

Jim Jones was flat out an atheist. It becomes clearer and clearer as you read through his personal development. He kept it hidden for a long time but by the time he killed himself, he was flat out trying to create a communist/socialist utopia in Guyana.

fwiw,

Reverend Major Chunky Guacamole

Edited to add: But yeah. Major connections to liberal politicians, both in San Fran, where he ended his American "ministry" and in Indianapolis, where he was a kind of church father to the city. One of their tag lines, with respect to the social services that the Church provided, was "The Church that gives you something now."

[Sparko]

If he was an atheist, what was he promising his followers to get them to commit suicide?

[Mountain Man]

If he was an atheist, what was he promising his followers to get them to commit suicide?

Does it matter? The guy was clearly a nut.

[Sparko]

Does it matter? The guy was clearly a nut.

Well I don't see the people drinking poison koolaid unless he promised them something good would happen.

"Drink this and cease to exist!" "Yay!"

[Mountain Man]

Well I don't see the people drinking poison koolaid unless he promised them something good would happen.

"Drink this and cease to exist!" "Yay!"

He told them whatever they wanted to hear. That's how cult leaders get people to follow them, but they don't necessarily believe it themselves.

[Faber]

I vaguely remember that he tried to get help from the then Soviet Union, which ignored his pleas. After that he forced the masses to drink the poisoned Flavor-Aid (Not Kool-Aid).

[rogue06]

"Jim Jones's connection to mainstream Democratic politics has been suppressed. He and the Peoples Temple, which exalted racial diversity and social justice, have been cast as harrowing examples of Christian religious extremism, though Jones preached atheism and ordered his followers to use the Bible as toilet paper."

Interesting. I had never heard that before.

Jones was on record saying he was an atheist at least as far back as 1976 in a telephone conversation with John Maher of the Delancey Street Foundation (a San Francisco-based drug rehab program he founded)

From "Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 622" made available by San Diego State University's Jonestown Project:

Jones:

[rogue06]

Well I don't see the people drinking poison koolaid unless he promised them something good would happen.

"Drink this and cease to exist!" "Yay!"

IIRC, the vast majority had no idea that the Kool-Aid was laced with cyanide and those that resisted were shot.

[Mountain Man]

Jones was on record saying he was an atheist at least as far back as 1976 in a telephone conversation with John Maher of the Delancey Street Foundation (a San Francisco-based drug rehab program he founded)

From "Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 622" made available by San Diego State University's Jonestown Project:

Jones:

That sounds more confused than straight up atheist. Based on that clip alone, I'd peg him as an agnostic. As in a real agnostic and not these cowardly "new atheist" types who claim agnosticism as a rhetorical shield.

[Sparko]

He told them whatever they wanted to hear. That's how cult leaders get people to follow them, but they don't necessarily believe it themselves.

That's what I was asking. Did he pretend to be a Religious and promise them they would go to heaven? Above you posted he preached Atheism and told his followers to use the bible as toilet paper so it doesn't sound like he was doing that after all. So how did he get his followers to kill themselves?

[Sparko]

IIRC, the vast majority had no idea that the Kool-Aid was laced with cyanide and those that resisted were shot.

wow.