Jim Jones

James Warren Jones was an American cult leader, preacher and self-professed faith healer. He launched the Peoples Temple in Indiana during the 1950s. Jones and his inner circle orchestrated a mass murder-suicide of himself and his followers in his jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978.

Today, we will try to present you a very interesting topic and an area that is very interesting which will give you some new information. We will also present a very well-known person in western history.

Today, we will talk about Jim Jones, a man who has left a great mark in America religion but also politics and has managed to make different things in life. Different opinions were spoken about him in online sites, but the fact is that while he was in the mayor’s role he was very good in that job and he helped many people in that city. During his life and career, he managed to achieve many different goals and managed to get a large number of followers.

Where was Jim Jones born?

Recalling his early life, Jim Jones was born in Linn, Indiana, USA. He grew up in an environment of racial segregation and Christian fundamentalism. His father James Jones was ill with the gases that he breathed into the trenches in World War I. His mother Lynette Jones was a worker who gives all the love and care for her son and she always was a good mother.

Source: @en.wikipedia.org

Regarding his education, Jones graduated from Richmond High School early with honors. Later, he attended night school at Butler University, earning a degree in secondary education in 1961. Then, he enrolled at Indiana University.

What was the profession of Jim Jones?

  • The year 1951 can be regarded as the start of his career when he started attending meetings of the Communist Party in Indianapolis. He was agitated by open communists in the USA. He asked himself, “How can I demonstrate my Marxism? The thought was to infiltrate the church.” The harassment and frustration had provoked him to do so.
  • A Methodist superintendent helped him get a start in the church. In 1952, he became a student pastor in the Somerset Southside Methodist Church. There, he observed that people with money are attracted to faith healing and such services and these financial resources can be helpful in his goals.
  • He arranged a huge convention from June 11 to June 15, 1956. Thereafter, he launched his church, changing names until finally, it got to be known as the Peoples Temple Christian Church Full Gospel which was open to all races.
  • In 1960, he was appointed the Director of Human Rights Commission by Democratic Mayor Charles Boswell.
  • He started integrating police stations, Hospitals, churches, restaurants, etc. He started setting stings catching restaurants refusing to serve black customers or hospitals refusing black patients. Political pressure from Jones made quite a few hospitals desegregate the wards.
  • White-owned businesses were critical of him. As a result of this, a dead cat was found thrown in his house, a swastika was drawn at the church, dynamite was thrown in the coal pile at a temple and many such events occurred.
  • He then adopted 3 children of partial non-Caucasian ancestry and called it the rainbow family.

Source: @biography.com

  • In 1963, he moved to Brazil. He didn’t portray himself as a communist. However, he started his work with the Rio de Janeiro slum areas and explored local Brazilian syncretic religions. However, the guilt of leaving behind the Indiana struggle of civil rights made his return.
  • The temple was then moved to California. In the next five years, it gained much growth spawning branches in cities like San Fernando, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
  • After being scrutinized by the media, he along with many other members shifted to the temple’s compound in Guyana. Jones then named this settlement after himself, calling it Jonestown.
  • Jonestown was a means to create a paradise for socialists and a place far away from media scrutiny. Around 68 percent of the residents were black.
  • After Jones’ departure, most of his followers broke ties. But, some didn’t.
  • Willie Brown was one of them. He kept defending Jones regarding him as a man of the highest character and even wrote a letter to President Carter.
  • After facing increasing scrutiny within the temple itself, Jones hired Mark Lane and Donald Freed to help make the case of a great conspiracy by intelligence agencies against the Temple.
  • In 1978, Leo Ryan along with other congress delegates attended a party hosted by Jones. However, after an attack on Ryan, the delegation left abruptly, taking with them 15 members who agreed to leave the Temple.
  • After the delegation left, Jones’ Red Brigade armed guards opened fire on them and managed to kill Ryan and 4 others.
  • Later that same day, 909 members died due to some sudden poisoning.
  • He explained his suicide as a revolutionary act condemning the inhumane world. This was known as the Jonestown massacre.

Source: @history.com

Who was Jim Jones married to?

Reflecting his personal life, Jim was a married man. He married Marceline Baldwin Jones in the year of 1949. The information about when they met and how they tied the knot is still in the mystery. The couple had their first and only biological child, a son named Stephen Gandhi Jones in 1961 after 12 years of their marriage.

Similarly, The couple adopted several babies from different ancestry. They are Lew, Suzanne, Stephanie, Agnes Jones, James Warren Jr., and Tim Jones.

Further, the book ‘The Road to Jonestown’ by Jeff Guinn states: “Jones had occasional sex with male followers” but “never as often as he did with women.” It states he was most likely bisexual, but his main physical and sexual attraction was towards women.

What was the reason behind Jim Jones death?

Following the mass murder-suicide, Jones was found dead on the floor; he was resting on a pillow near his deck chair, with a gunshot wound to his head that Guyanese coroner Cyrill Mootoo stated was consistent with suicide. His body was later dragged outside for examination and embalming. The official autopsy conducted in December 1978 also confirms his death as a suicide.

Jones’ son Stephan believes his father may have directed someone else to shoot him, but that is just speculation. An autopsy of Jones’ body also showed levels of the barbiturate pentobarbital, which may have been lethal to humans who had not developed physiological tolerance. A sign could be seen hanging above Jones’ deck chair. Jones had borrowed a quote from George Santayana: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

How much net worth did Jim Jones own?

As a political leader, Jim earned the sum of good amount of money from his political career. As of now, we have no information about his net worth and salary. In the case of an update, we will let you know.

What were Jim Jones Body Measurements?

Before his death, Jim stands a height of 5 feet 8 inches tall and he weighs around 90 Kg. His other body information is yet to be disclosed. In the case of disclosed, we will let you know.

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