Pastor Jim Jones was 21 years old when he started his career in 1952 as a Methodist preacher. Jones also participated in a local Pentecostal Church. In 1954, Jones founded a small church named Community Unity. On February 5, 1956, Jones became an ordained minister with the Independent Assemblies of God. Jones eventually distanced himself from traditional Christianity. In fact, he criticized traditional Christian beliefs. His church would take the infamous name, “Peoples Temple.” At the height of his career, Jones had accumulated over 3,000 members for the Peoples Temple. The church eventually received heavy pushback from the general public. Pastor Jim Jones had become a controversial figure. Jones decided to flee the negative feedback. He moved the Peoples Temple to Guyana in 1974. The town would be named Jonestown. And on November 18, 1978, Jones took his own life along with 917 other lives in what is considered the worst mass-suicide / murder scene in history.
How does an individual have the capability to exploit an entire population into a perverted gospel that is sugarcoated with the name of Jesus Christ? One man who did such was that of Pastor Jim Jones. He was one individual who is blamed for the mass murder-suicide of 900 people. Among those deaths were that of 304 children. Pastor Jim Jones used the name of Jesus Christ to cover the true image of his own church – which was called the “Peoples Temple.”
People consider Jim Jones as a critic who swayed a public image. A critic is a person who expresses an unfavorable opinion of something. It’s commonplace for society to declare the best critics take public image and turn it upside down. It’s convincing the public of a blatant lie — all for the sake of looking witty. The bigger the lie, the wiser you look. It’s highly unethical. In such a case, the cunning lies by Jim Jones was that of a immoral critic.
Bad things happen to the people you love,
And you find yourself praying up to heaven above.
But honestly, I’ve never had much sympathy,
‘Cause those bad things, always saw them coming for me.
How does a vulnerable child escape a dangerous situation? In a way, we all can be considered vulnerable children. We are like a tree in the wind – our branches are swayed to bend this and that direction. Likewise, we as Christians are forced to live in a fallen sinful world. Nonetheless, we as Christians must stand our ground when it comes to defending the values of Christ. It’s to our benefit that Christ is the one who allows where the wind may blow. May we find steady ground when storms darken our sky.
To be a Christian who strengthens our endurance means to reduce our overall vulnerability. The book of Proverbs witnesses this fact when it encourages the reader to gain knowledge. As it says in Proverbs 24:5, “A wise man is full of strength. And a man of knowledge enhances his might.” Knowledge gives us strength. Strength gives us invulnerability. Therefore, we are no longer as vulnerable as children. To gain in knowledge and strengthen our faith means to be free from being “swayed by the wind.”
How do we do this? There exist universal truths that apply in our everyday life: (1) We are to encourage self-honesty. (2) We are to see the pain of others, which motivates us to help those in need. (3) We are to acknowledge that truth is sometimes what we don’t want it to be. (4) We are to acknowledge that God loves us – and that love surpasses our ability to understand. Furthermore, there are three universal truths regarding God’s love: (1) God loves us. (2) God can take our failures and make something beautiful. (3) God’s love is pure, charitable, and holy – there is no blemish. These are not the only universal truths that exist, but they still function as ways to reduce our vulnerability. Thus, we grow stronger in our relationship with Christ.
Remember this: The most effective way to apply these universal truths in our lives is not to take my word as gospel. Take my experiences and make them your own…
It would take some time just to see me shine,
For the whole world to see me here with all of my light.
But honestly, I’ve given up on all those fights,
So that one day, I’ll have you all wrapped up in my light.
Let me say it again: Take my experiences and make them your own. There is such a thing as authentic living. There is also such a thing as a heartfelt desire to know Christ. Pastor Jim Jones gaslighted his own congregation with “miracles and healings.” The healings proved to be false. Did subjects truly believe they had a diagnosis? Yes. Did the subjects truly believe Jones had healed them? Yes. Did Jones maneuver behind the scenes? Yes – whether it be with drugs, fake diagnosis, or even crowd conformity. Nonetheless, Jones built a loyal following by means of exploiting his congregation’s deep desire for health and safety.
Discovering heartfelt values and beliefs is a healthy practice in becoming who God meant for us to be. In contrary, submitting to crowd conformity is to submit to being whom others say we are. But may we remember both universal truths: The values of self-honesty and the acknowledgment that truth is sometimes what we don’t want it to be. May we put aside the exterior and societal pressures that tell us what we experience. May we value our own internal experiences.
Bad things happen to the people you love,
And you find yourself praying up and to heaven above.
But honestly, I’ve never had much sympathy,
‘Cause the next time, they’ll probably be coming for me.
We matter. We are to value ourselves. We are to find the love and freedom that is freely offered to us by God. That is the method that prevents us from blindness. It’s not about external or societal experience. It’s all about internal experience. Don’t trust what you see based on others. May you see things with your own eyes…
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:21
Credit: “Bad Things” by Cults