move which met with much resistance and disapproval, not only from the bigoted members of the community, but also from the conservative affiliates of the church. Jones was not deterred however, and became even more determined to put a stop to this racism. His determination encouraged some of those who had initially wavered in their support to back him more fervently. As this support grew stronger, Jim Jones came to be seen as a leading figure in the fight for black people’s rights. His following soon became large enough to enable him to break away from his former church and set up his own, which he named ‘The People’s Temple’. It was a church for all races, and nobody was turned away. Jones prided himself on his bi-racial background and his Cherokee heritage. As a result, the area became a magnet for black people and the ethnic minorities of Indianapolis.
With the large majority of his congregation being black, Jim Jones turned to well-known, influential black preachers to guide him, and modelled his manner and performance on them. One of his mentors was Father Divine, a black preacher and faith-healer from Philadelphia. He asserted such influence over his flock, that they responded by bestowing gifts and luxuries on him. He led a very comfortable life based purely on donations and contributions from his followers. This opened Jim Jones’s eyes to what he himself may be able to achieve. He decided to put his own following to the test.
Over the course of a couple of weeks, Jones reported to the people of his church how the violence generated against him by the racists of the community and in particular, the Ku Klux Klan, was on the increase. He told them he had been attacked, his property had been vandalised, and his family were receiving threats. The stories appeared in the local press, leaked to them by Jones himself. Consequently, Jones was offered a job, fully paid, on the Human Rights Commission of Indianapolis and he received full support and backing by his followers in this role. Encouraged by the strength of this allegiance, not only of his own congregation but also of the mayor in offering him this role, Jones’s confidence grew. He soon seized what he thought would be an opportunity to test this commitment to the extreme.
J ONES D ISCOVERS G UYANA
America was in the throes of preparing herself for the threat of nuclear war, and millions of families were building themselves fall-out shelters. In a spoof article, a magazine responded to this nationwide panic by listing the top ten safest places in the world to be to maximise chances of survival in a nuclear war. Jones read the article in all seriousness, and his eyes fell upon Belo Horizonte in Brazil. He spoke to his congregation, telling them that he predicted wholesale nuclear destruction, but that he could lead them to a place where they would be safe. He went out ahead to explore the area, funding the trip entirely from the finances of the church. He did not like what he found though, and deemed the area unsuitable as a place to begin a new life and base his community. However, on the return journey he did stop over in Guyana for a couple of days.
To Jim Jones, Guyana was a much more viable option. A newly independent socialist democracy, it was the perfect place to live out his harmonious and socially equal ideal.
In view of this new and exciting discovery, Jim Jones returned home to an eagerly-awaiting congregation and told them that in fact, the threat of nuclear war had lessened and that consequently there was no immediate rush to move out to Brazil as he had originally planned.
Jim Jones continued his activities in The People’s Temple, embarking upon faith-healing to attract more followers to his church. News of his healing powers spread, and worshippers at the church witnessed those who claimed to have previously been sick and crippled, leap up in the middle of his sermons professing themselves to be cured of their illness or
With the large majority of his congregation being black, Jim Jones turned to well-known, influential black preachers to guide him, and modelled his manner and performance on them. One of his mentors was Father Divine, a black preacher and faith-healer from Philadelphia. He asserted such influence over his flock, that they responded by bestowing gifts and luxuries on him. He led a very comfortable life based purely on donations and contributions from his followers. This opened Jim Jones’s eyes to what he himself may be able to achieve. He decided to put his own following to the test.
Over the course of a couple of weeks, Jones reported to the people of his church how the violence generated against him by the racists of the community and in particular, the Ku Klux Klan, was on the increase. He told them he had been attacked, his property had been vandalised, and his family were receiving threats. The stories appeared in the local press, leaked to them by Jones himself. Consequently, Jones was offered a job, fully paid, on the Human Rights Commission of Indianapolis and he received full support and backing by his followers in this role. Encouraged by the strength of this allegiance, not only of his own congregation but also of the mayor in offering him this role, Jones’s confidence grew. He soon seized what he thought would be an opportunity to test this commitment to the extreme.
J ONES D ISCOVERS G UYANA
America was in the throes of preparing herself for the threat of nuclear war, and millions of families were building themselves fall-out shelters. In a spoof article, a magazine responded to this nationwide panic by listing the top ten safest places in the world to be to maximise chances of survival in a nuclear war. Jones read the article in all seriousness, and his eyes fell upon Belo Horizonte in Brazil. He spoke to his congregation, telling them that he predicted wholesale nuclear destruction, but that he could lead them to a place where they would be safe. He went out ahead to explore the area, funding the trip entirely from the finances of the church. He did not like what he found though, and deemed the area unsuitable as a place to begin a new life and base his community. However, on the return journey he did stop over in Guyana for a couple of days.
To Jim Jones, Guyana was a much more viable option. A newly independent socialist democracy, it was the perfect place to live out his harmonious and socially equal ideal.
In view of this new and exciting discovery, Jim Jones returned home to an eagerly-awaiting congregation and told them that in fact, the threat of nuclear war had lessened and that consequently there was no immediate rush to move out to Brazil as he had originally planned.
Jim Jones continued his activities in The People’s Temple, embarking upon faith-healing to attract more followers to his church. News of his healing powers spread, and worshippers at the church witnessed those who claimed to have previously been sick and crippled, leap up in the middle of his sermons professing themselves to be cured of their illness or
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