Challenges Faced by Jim Jones: Obstacles and Turning Points

A closer look at the defining struggles that shaped Jim Jones's life and career.

Jim Jones was an American cult leader who founded the Peoples Temple. He is infamous for orchestrating a mass murder-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978. Over 900 people, including Jones, died by cyanide poisoning, an event Jones termed "revolutionary suicide." The Jonestown Massacre significantly shaped public perception of cults and remains a stark example of the dangers of charismatic leadership and religious extremism.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1934: Eviction of Jones Family

In 1934, during the Great Depression, the Jones family was evicted from their home due to failure to make mortgage payments. Relatives purchased a shack for them in Lynn.

1952: Harassment from Government Authorities

During 1952, Jim Jones and his family faced harassment from government authorities due to their affiliation with the Communist Party, including Jones' mother allegedly being harassed by FBI agents.

1961: Jones warns of nuclear attack

In 1961, Jones warned his congregation of an impending nuclear attack on Indianapolis, leading to increased paranoia. He may have been influenced by William Branham's prophecy about the destruction of the United States in a nuclear war.

1961: White supremacist attacks on Peoples Temple

In 1961, Peoples Temple became a target of white supremacists due to Jones's integrationist views. Incidents included a swastika on the Temple, dynamite in a coal pile, and a dead cat thrown at Jones's house after a threatening phone call.

December 1963: Return to a divided Peoples Temple

In December 1963, Jim Jones arrived to find Peoples Temple in Indiana bitterly divided due to financial issues and low attendance. He was forced to sell the church building and relocate to a smaller building nearby.

1963: Return to Indiana

In late 1963, Jones reluctantly returned to Indiana after Archie Ijames warned him that Peoples Temple was on the verge of collapse due to financial issues and low attendance.

October 1971: Negative Press Begins

In October 1971, negative press began for Jim Jones when reporters covered one of his divine healing services during a visit to his old church in Indianapolis.

September 1972: Lester Kinsolving Articles Expose Jones

In September 1972, Lester Kinsolving ran a series of articles in the San Francisco Examiner targeting Jones and Peoples Temple. The articles reported on Jones's claims of divinity and exposed purported miracles as a hoax.

1972: Investigation by Indiana State Psychology Board

In 1972, the Indiana State Psychology Board investigated Jones's healing practices following a news report. A doctor accused Jones of "quackery" and challenged him to provide tissue samples of claimed cancer healings, causing alarm within the Temple.

December 13, 1973: Jones Arrested for Lewd Conduct

On December 13, 1973, Jim Jones was arrested and charged with lewd conduct for allegedly masturbating in front of an undercover LAPD vice officer in a movie theater restroom near Los Angeles's MacArthur Park.

1973: Investigation by Ross Case

In 1973, Ross Case, a former follower, began investigating Peoples Temple and uncovered evidence of staged healing, abuse, and rape by Jones. Case reported his findings to the police, but no action was taken, and Jones became increasingly paranoid.

1974: Allegations of abuse at Peoples Temple

In 1974, the Disciples of Christ leadership received allegations of abuse at Peoples Temple and conducted an investigation, but found no evidence of wrongdoing.

March 1977: Marshall Kilduff Publishes Story

In March 1977, Marshall Kilduff published a story in New West magazine exposing abuses at the Peoples Temple. The article included allegations by Temple defectors of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

September 1977: "Six Day Siege" Drill

In September 1977, one drill conducted by Jim Jones lasted for six days and was known as the 'Six Day Siege'. During the drill, community members would remain at the pavilion, and Jones told them that their community had been surrounded by agents who were about to destroy them. Jones led them in prayers, chanting, and singing to ward off the impending attack.

1977: Second investigation of abuse allegations at Peoples Temple

In 1977, the Disciples of Christ leadership received further allegations of abuse at Peoples Temple and conducted another investigation, finding no evidence of wrongdoing. Also, in 1977 Marceline Jones stated in a New York Times interview that Jones was trying to promote Marxism in the U.S. by mobilizing people through religion.

April 11, 1978: "Accusation of Human Rights Violations"

On April 11, 1978, the Concerned Relatives distributed a packet of documents, letters, and affidavits titled an "Accusation of Human Rights Violations by Rev. James Warren Jones" to the Peoples Temple, members of the press, and members of Congress.

June 1978: Deborah Layton's Affidavit

In June 1978, Deborah Layton, a Peoples Temple member who escaped Jonestown six months before the massacre, provided the group with an affidavit detailing crimes by the Temple and substandard living conditions in Jonestown. Layton's affidavit stated that Jonestown residents were being deliberately undernourished.

October 1978: Jones's erratic behavior and health issues

In late October 1978, Jim Jones's orders became increasingly erratic in Jonestown. He experienced symptoms related to prostatitis around this time and found it difficult to walk without assistance. However, these symptoms cleared up by the time Congressman Ryan visited.

November 1978: Congressman Ryan's fact-finding mission

In November 1978, Congressman Ryan led a fact-finding mission to Jonestown, Guyana, to investigate human-rights abuses. The delegation included relatives of Temple members, an NBC camera crew, and reporters, and arrived in Georgetown on November 15.

November 1978: Jones claims to have lung cancer and suffers health decline

In November 1978, Jim Jones falsely claimed to have lung cancer to gain sympathy, while abusing valium, quaaludes, stimulants, and barbiturates. Audio recordings from Jonestown meetings in 1978 revealed Jones complaining of high blood pressure, small strokes, weight loss, temporary blindness, convulsions, and grotesque swelling of the extremities.

1978: Deteriorating conditions in Jonestown

In 1978, Jonestown faced deteriorating conditions, with the community overworked, sleep-deprived, and subjected to constant sermons via loudspeakers. Jones promoted his concept of "Translation," promising a blissful afterlife through death. Punishments, such as confinement in an underground box, were used to control members.

1978: Jones Hires Conspiracy Theorists

In the summer of 1978, facing increasing scrutiny, Jim Jones hired JFK assassination conspiracy theorists Mark Lane and Donald Freed to help make the case of a "grand conspiracy" against the Temple by U.S. intelligence agencies.

1978: White Night Drills

Throughout 1978, Jim Jones utilized White Night drills in Jonestown, during which he simulated mass suicide by distributing fruit punch, claiming it was poisoned. This was a method of control, conditioning followers to accept suicide as an escape from the perceived threats of the CIA and the outside world.