Mass Suicide at Jonestown
Mass Suicide at Jonestown Two parrots sit on the fence of Jonestown, the ideological community of the Peoples Temple religious organization, where more than 900 members of this sect committed suicide, 1978. The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, originally Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church and commonly shortened to Peoples Temple, was an American new religious organization which existed between 1954 and 1978. Founded by Reverend Jim Jones in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Peoples Temple spread a message that combined elements of Christianity with communist and socialist ideology, with an emphasis on racial equality. After Jones moved the group to California in the 1960s and established several locations throughout the state, including its headquarters in San Francisco, the Temple forged ties with many left-wing political figures and claimed to have 20,000 members (though 3,000–5,000 is more likely). The Temple is best known for the events of November 18, 1978, in Guyana, when 909 p...