Reference no: EM133563794

Assignment:

The People's Temple: The Metamorphic Effects of Power

Jim Jones was the founder and minister of the People's Temple Full Gospel Church of San Francisco. Jones was a visionary, inspiring leader, who decried that racism, inequality, and spiritual emptiness of American society. Under his charismatic leadership the congregation grew to 8000 members, and Jones was recognized by many for his good works and moral fortitude - until rumors of improprieties and unusual practices began to circulate within the community. Former members reported that at some services, people were beaten before the congregation, with microphones used to amplify their screams. Jones, some said, insisted on being called Father, and he demanded absolute dedication and obedience from his followers. He asked members to donate their property to the church, and he even forced one family to give him their six-year-old son.

Jones, to transform their church into a collective society free from the interference of outsiders, moved his entire congregation to a site in the forest in Guyana, in South America. He called the isolated settlement Jonestown, and claimed that it would be the model for a new way of living where all would find love, happiness, and well-being. But the men, women, and children of Jonestown did not find contentment. They found, instead, a group that exercised incredible power of their destiny. Jones asked members to make great personal sacrifices for the group, and time and again they obeyed. They worked long hours in the fields. They were given little to eat. They were forbidden to communicate with their loved ones back in the United States. Then disaster struck when church members attacked and killed visitors who were part of a Congressional delegation from the United States who had gone to investigate charges of abuse made by people who had escaped.. Jones, fearing the dismantling of his empire, ordered his followers to take their own lives.

Authorities who first reached the settlement were met by a scene of unbelievable ghastliness. On Jones' orders, more than 900 men, women, and children had either killed themselves or been killed by other followers. Jones' body lay near his chair, where he sat beneath the motto, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it" (Krause, 1978, Reston, 2000).

This assignment is to practice integrating your reading with an actual case. Using the following questions as a guide and post a brief response to the following questions.

• Drawing on this week's readings in Levi, the NASA video and your research, explain some of the reasons why group members obeyed Jim Jones's order.
• Can you propose interventions that if used at any time up until the end could have prevented this tragedy?
• Can you identify any current situation(s) that show any of the same group dynamics. Provide evidence to support your ideas.