Jim Jones Research Paper

1372 Words6 Pages
Jim Jones James Warren Jones is an infamous cult leader known for his leadership in his religious group The People’s Temple, and the famous term, “Do not drink the Kool-Aid.” (NPR) He was a known trouble maker, Jim himself even quotes, “I was considered the trash of the neighborhood.”(WGBH Educational Foundation) He was born on May 13, 1931 in Lynn, Indiana. As a child, Jones was a Christian, but his mother, Lynetta Jones, never really believed in a sky god. This led to arguments between the Jones family and his neighbors. On top of that, his father, James Thurman Jones was disabled in The Great War by mustard gas. So with all of this going on, Jim did not really have quality time with his parents. He felt unloved, we know this by his quote,…show more content…
He modeled the new facility after his inspiration, Father M.J. Divine. Father Divine created The Peace Mission, a civil rights religious teaching. (Pick Jones) Jones did not believe in God, but he believed that if he made the church associated with Christianity more people would want to follow his teachings. This plan was definitely a success; the church grew bigger and bigger rapidly. It had a soup kitchen and cared for the elderly. This drove people to the church as well. Although The People’s Temple was succeeding, he and his wife were constantly fighting over religious beliefs. (Jim Jones and the History of Peoples Temple) He told his wife Marceline that he did not believe in a God anymore and to stop praying in respect of him. She refused to do so since she was a devout Christian. Since she refused to do so, Jim was so upset that he threatened to commit suicide if she did not stop praying. He was also very controlling over his wife. He would not let her get attention from any other man but him. This strained his relationship with his wife causing him to be depressed. He got his happiness from his then newborn son, Stephan Jones. Although they were Father and Son, his son did not really respect him. This disrespect came from his father’s drug and alcohol abuse. In Stephan’s teenage years, his father’s actions affected him so much that he tried taking his own life. (Pick
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