Q1054-2 Transcript

(Editor’s note: This tape was transcribed by Georgiana Mamlakah. The editors gratefully acknowledge her invaluable assistance.)

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Listen to MP3 (Pt. 1Pt. 2).

Part I

Jones: What we want to get done is the youth to go there and I– Uh, how many of the youth are in the File Committee?

Inaudible

Jones: I’d like to see a– a new program enhanced there as a model kind of city, model community, to make one of you the treasurer of that group. Turn all your income over that– over– over to the one treasurer, then decide what each one needs as good comrades for their minimal expenses. Then turn all that into the central fund and channel all your expenses through the central fund, so that we can see what one apostolic home can do. We have a lot of things to consider these times. We’re a thinking people. I’m reading a magazine and hear it from Africa, saying that Americans of every variety, the rich blacks are making investments in Africa, knowing what’s ahead. Well, we should have something there. We have to carry on our work here, and we have to carry it on in the Bay Area. But we have to be prepared for every situation, and there’re better ways to making money than we’re doing. And it would be good for us to set up these cooperatives very soon. I– I was thinking that there’s two lots down there. If we don’t uh, find some emergency this election, we should undertake a building program probably and bring people into a common community, make this the dining room during the day, so that all income could go into a central fund. And I can assure you, that if we would try this kind of work, we would amaze everyone what we could do.

Voices in Congregation: (Quietly) That’s right. Amen. That’s right. Amen.

Jones: You give structure for children, certainly, and structure for adults. At least let’s make a good start over here in this home. Let’s utilize every bed that can be utilized without hampering the fine workers that’re going to make the project.

Voice in Congregation: (unintelligible) Maxine about getting a place over there.

Jones: Un-hmm [Yes]. Well, I don’t know– don’t know (unintelligible phrase) and put, as I say, as many in as you can without hampering yourself, but really make a go with this. I don’t know uh, what’s your common feeling is about the treasurer back there of the group. How many are going in over there– uh, the youth– how many youth are going in?

Voice in Congregation: (too quiet)

Jones: Yes, you oughtta be over there, Judy, if you can. (unintelligible word) Oughtta be with– oughtta be able to have some way to do more than that. Can we get some others that are free to try this and put some income into this situation and some cooperation building that– finishing that file room off. (Pause) Very well. (Pause) Uh, it is my suggestion that you decide on a treasurer amongst yourself– amongst yourselves and let me know tonight who it is. If I don’t approve– I can’t imagine that happening, but if I don’t, I’ll let you know. But the best budgetarian, the one that’ll be the most careful, get– get right now. Get st– let’s get started, ‘cause if we put our combined income– What does your combined income represent there? Now, the few that are in it already.

Male: (unintelligible) 38 members.

Jones: Um-hmm. (Pause) And of course, you’ve got driving expenses. work expenses, (clears throat) but I’d like to see you set an example for the rest for this– this– this family. By cutting cost to the– the barest to show what we’re going to have to do. (Pause) I wish we right now had a million dollars in Africa. You say, well, you talk about here and you talk about it there. Well, you gotta s– you got to have businesses like that before you can do anything anyplace else. You’ve got to have a financial base. We’ve got some money that is in readiness for such an endeavor. (Pause) I would like also tonight in the matter of business, the Mill College, saying (unintelligible word)–

Several in Congregation: Mills College.

Jones: Mills College is planning a trip to Africa. Behind it some of this planning is– it’s in January, 28 days. And I think we need to have some to go, if I cannot go myself. I don’t know uh, who’ll go. We’ll– we not decide that tonight in a minute. I think we need to ma– we make– it’s a 28-day trip for around 600 dollars, and it’s not enough to talk about any tr– any pleasure trip. We’re talking about someone to go over there and see– There’re three or four countries being visited during that 28 days. And I think we oughtta plan as a church to have some representatives to go. Let’s be thinking ahead. You’ll be guests in African homes, and uh, you’ll learn the habitat, the lifestyle of each of these countries. You’ll be right in contact with the mainstream of the people, and certainly we want to make that on our agenda. And uh, someone from San Francisco, one of the secretaries should see me to pursue more information on that trip tonight. Is any of the secretaries here? I didn’t uh– I didn’t notice any secretary. Hm? Leona [Collier]? Yeah, good, well, it’s good to have her home.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: Good to have her home. (Pause) She didn’t want us to bother her while she was there. She didn’t want us to take our time to do so, which was tremendous dedication. But we– we’re so tempted so many times to do so many things in her direction, but she was adamant about that. So we’re glad to see her here in the assembly. Well, what we want to know is something about Mills College program to Africa January 1 to twenty-eighth, I think. Tonight we will take our offering, I think, at this– at this particular junction. We have run into another opportunity in the Bay Area on this building. We can get the mortgage, but it’ll require a little bit more cash if we move. We can buy out from under the realtors, and get the building for just what’s owed on it, which is about half what the people paid for it. And so we– we’re forced to take that kind of an opportunity. Certainly don’t want to pay 150,000 for a building, when you can pay 90,000 for a building, and a building at 90,000, if we can get it, that would uh, seat all of our people, and we’ll build a community there. You that are vol– we have those already that are volunteering to live in the apartment of this building that we’re negotiating in San Francisco, and to convert other rooms to make it a commune of the same type of thing, a common treasure. Jane Mutschmann, I remember, uh, Lorraine Smith, (unintelligible first name) Flowers, Sheila, Bea Morton, to name some that are wi– willing to go together. It’s vital that we do it. (Pause) And I got some of the minutes of the caucus of the Democrat convention today, and it made me rather disturbed to see how many of our own people even sell us out. (Pause) Our own leaders, how they sell us out, every one, practically. The only one that didn’t sell out– it wasn’t a sell-out in the actual process of the convention, according to this writer, a white writer, was [U.S. Rep. Ron] Dellums. But even he– they weren’t– they weren’t too sure what he was doing behind the scenes. Doesn’t make one too happy. What I’m saying in so many words, if we don’t look after ourselves, then nobody going to look after us.

Voices in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: Now what I want you to do is to stand up, each of you, and tell what you’re going to give right now.

(Tape edit)

(Long pause)

Jones: (speaking foreign language, or glossolia) (Scats a short tune) Just a moment, brother, I’m trying to get– to get a honkey on the road. (Pause) (speaking glossolia or possible Romance language)

(Tape edit)

Jones: (singing) By and by when we gather home, when all the honkeys are– all are gone (laughter)

Organ plays, congregation sings “By and By”

Jones: (Singing)

I say/
By and by, when the morning comes/
When all the niggers are surely gathered home/
We’ll tell the story when all the honkeys are gone/
We’ll understand it better by and by/
Oh yes, it’s by and by/
When us niggers are home/
Tell the story/
W hen all the honkeys are gone/
Yes, we’ll tell our story/
How we’ve overcome/
For we’ll understand it better/
By and by/
We’ll understand it

(tape edit)

Jones: –the old saying about mixing oil with water. Your chances of mixing somebody– you’re going to tell her– you can tell her– you can tell a honkey. What is a honkey? A honkey is a bigoted white soul. Or a Uncle Tom–

Voice in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: – Black soul.

Voices in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: But pretty generally it’s a blanchee, and when I say blanchee, that means white, or Prayto [phonetic], that means white and uh, Honkey or Mickey Mouse, or something else, you know. Old Faye, Charlie, (chuckles) the Man. I– I ca– I want to have peace when I come to the assembly tonight. I don’t want to see folk I’ve been looking at. They’ve been putting their boot on the neck of people that’ve been poor, or poor whites, black or brown. I don’t want to see them. I don’t want to see them. There’s no respect of persons in God, and I don’t want to see people that are prejudiced when I gather together.

Nearby Voice: (Quiet)

Jones: I don’t– Now you be sure you get– you get us to understand what you’re doing when you bring people here. If there’s somebody wants to vouch for any– any honkey, you do so. You vouch for him right now, and we’ll receive him. You vouch for them that they will let my black son [Jim Jones Jr.] grow up and marry their daughter, if he wants to. He’ll probably won’t. I want you to vouch for ‘em, and then we’ll let ‘em in. Until I know something about them, we’re not letting ‘em in. You understand that? You make that quite clear. One thing about us, we’re not poor niggers over here. We’ve got enough to make us get along, we don’t need any honkeys offering unless they’re one of us.

Voices in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: [You] Say, I don’t understand your talk.  I’m talking Bible, Americanized version.

Congregation: Calls and applause.

Jones: Says you cannot love God whom you have not seen. You love not your brother whom you have seen. And God’s no respecter of person. Out of one blood made all nations to dwell on the face of the earth. That means together. That means for the blood to flow together, and for them to integrate and amalgamate and assimilate– assimilate all the characteristics of every group. And I want to find out where people are. When you come in here with anybody that is of light complexion. I want to know who they are. Some of them here they uh, uh, they just want a little nookie, and uh, bald on the top. (Pause)See, at times you pray– When you’re– When you’re a prophet, you see too much.

Voicse in Congregation: Assent.

Jones: You sure do. I– No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. They want to find each other, let them find each other. (Pause) Anybody got any questions? Now what we’re saying is in so many words, darling, is there’s some black folk here got some white folks out there, and those white folks are out there until the black folks stand up and tell us who you are. And when we find out you’re free, then we’ll let your white folks in.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: Does that make clear?

Congregation: Scattered applause.

Jones: You got somebody taking a tour, and they’ll be touring around there till they meet you after meeting. If you– (Laughs) If you want to identify them now. There Sister standing over there that was light-complected, she’s outside until we know something about her. Do you know something about her? And, if you know something about her, we want to know something about you. If we decide we know enough about you, that you know enough about her, and we know enough about you, we’ll let you all stay.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: Shhh! This should be another night, but it is– It happens to be a midweek service, and I’m not in the mood for a midweek service.

Voice in Congregation: Laughter.

Jones: I’m in a Tuesday night mood, for– Wednesday night’s here. I don’t know what you do about that.

Congregation: Scattered applause

Jones: I’m trying to get myself in gear for Wednesday night, but I’m still in gear for Tuesday night. And I’ll– I’ll work on it little bit.

Voice in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: Now somebody gonna claim that woman out there, or she’s going to wander around through our aged homes all night.

Congregation: Murmurs

Jones: What’s that?

Woman: (Inaudible)

Jones: Ahh, I don’t know– You know her?

Female: No, (inaudible)

Jones: Somebody in here knows her.

Woman: (Inaudible)

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: Well– Shhh! I– I know you would, Jamaica, and sit down. (Pause) It’s sweet. I was taking offering until I saw the other fellow. (laughs) (shouts) Hey, did you understand the mystery?

Congregation: Calls.

Jones: Some of you didn’t understand the mystery. I said I was taking offering until I saw the other fellow. Nothing. I can conquer land and tempest-tossed sea. I can ride through many a storm. There’s nothing that gives me such a nausea as seeing the other fellow. (Pause)Children, you’re not– you’re not embracing the mystery.

Congregation: Calls

Jones: You’re not embracing the mystery, Love Life [Lowe]? Huh?

Inaudible

Jones: (Laughs) No, she does not understand. Well, I’ll tell you. Who– uh, who– who would you think would be the other fellow in America today? Would he be blue, green, red, or white? I give you one guess, and it’s towards the end.

Congregation: Laughter.

Jones: (chuckles) Nobody in here– There ain’t nobody in here but niggers, are there?

Congregation: Cries out.

Jones: And that old coot over there hunting for a girlfriend.

Congregation: Scattered laughter.

Jones: It’s wonderful.

Congregation: Calls.

Jones: God addresses himself to the matters that it pleases him.

Voice in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: Hold your– Hold yourself firm in there, precious love, and give that baby its nurturing milk, ‘cause Father’ll take you through. He’s talking a little different since he come West, but he’s still the same spirit. (laughs)

Congregation: Scattered calls.

Jones: It’s wonderful.

Congregation: Calls.

Jones: Now my blood pressure is healed, now I’ll work on healing the rest of you, you see.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: I truly say this, and I mean this. We’re– Everyone’s welcomed here that loves all people. And we don’t know anybody that loves all people, unless you make better record of their testimony. I don’t want to have to discern their situation. I don’t want to have to discern their situation. You let me know. I’m saying– anybody want to claim that– that light-complected sister to the right. She was standing there a while ago, till I sing “By and By When the Morning Comes.” Now if anybody here wants to claim her, then we’ll– we’ll go over there and convert her on her own, but if anybody wants to claim her– Now she’s supposed to be here with some black people. No black people got a white folk out there that’s lost.

Voice in Congregation: Mighty God.

Jones: S’all right, that’s what– That’s right. Mighty God. Well, if she says what she– uh, she don’t know where she’s at, and you don’t know where she’s at, and Love Life don’t know where she’s at either. But it’s all right anyway, Love Life. (Pause) I read some of the ridiculous schemes uh, afoot this afternoon, some communiques that are not readily available to other people, uh, to harm my little ones not here particularly, but all my black and precious golden brown and yellow little ones. And I read too many schemes, (Pause) and I’m tired of the insensitivity to– to our people. And I’m opening up this ark to those that are truly niggers, in the sense that they have become identified with the suffering of all fellow men. If you are not identifying, if you feel that you’re somebody, then you’re nobody here.

Congregation: Scattered calls.

Jones: And if you think you know something, you don’t know anything like you ought to know it. And if you feel like you’re content in what you have, you’re in the wrong place. Because there’re people that’re suffering, they’re all around this land today. And we want only the people here that are touched by the feeling of their brothers’ and sisters’ infirmities. And that word means– that– that one of the words we’re using in a good sense. We’re– I’m making a conversion of the word “Nigger.” It means the oppression that’s around us. I’m converting that word. See, God can convert a word if he chooses. He can use the words that pleases him. God is God, you have said. And if you didn’t say it, he is.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: If I’m privileged or allowed by you to raise the dead, if you permit me, as you did last Sunday to raise the dead, and to heal every known disease and the cancers to be spit up all around us, and a man crippled by a truck, he couldn’t move his hand, to be relieved of pain so he could move his hand. If you permit me to do that, if you permit me to stop the accidents, stop people by two minutes from being run all over the highway with seven or nine people laying dead, if I’m permitted to do that, then I’m permitted to take a word that I wish to use, and make it for a good purpose, even though you’ve known if for a bad purpose. I’ll take that word and use it as it pleases me.

Congregation: Stirs. (Pause)

Jones: It’s sweet. Now we’re– we’re– Did we pass those plates of offerings? Did they all get passed? Did everybody get their offering in it? As quickly as they might? Now just here a breather of last Mon– uh, Sunday morning sermon. Everybody, give us– all the change you can, will you please? (Pause) Now I– I knew I had a reason to stop these folk. Idon’t want no Jehovah Witnesses in here. I just broke– I just broke– I just broke this wi– spell of witchcraft on this woman that was put on by a Jehovah Witness. I knew what I was doing.

Voice in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: When I get indignant, I got reason to be indignant. Grace can tell you– Grace Love can tell you, I knew what was in her drawer that was causing such pain, and it was put there by a Jehovah Witness. Now I’m not– I’m not wanting no– nothing to do with you folk. I’m not wanting– I don’t– I mean that– That goes for you too with the black Jehovah Witness and that goes for the white Jehovah Witness, you Uncle Tom, Aunt Janes.

Voice in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: They told my Birdie [Marable] that is the head of my nursing home uh, in the city, those Jehovah Witnesses told her they wanted to get her converted, but she couldn’t go to the whiteJehovah Witnesses, she had to go out to the black Aunt Jane Jehovah Witness out here in Redwood Valley. So who you– ever you are, scooch or shoots, you better take a walk.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: I don’t want you here.

Congregation: Scattered applause. (Pause)

Jones: I know– Do you say, do you behave this way often? No. Very seldom I ever stop somebody at the door and say they can’t come in. But if I do, I got good reason to.

Voices in Congregation: Assent.

Jones: (claps hands once) (side talk) Monty, you’ve got– I need you to music. Monty! (Back to microphone) Come a walkin’ here, you’ve got a lot of nerve. What do you think if all of us went down and walked in that old racist Jehovah Witness church, we all walked in on you? You haven’t got room for one run– one– one section of us. We oughtta just go walkin’ down there tomorrow night. We all go walkin’ in, singin’ “Sing, little children, sing,” you go crazy.

Congregation: Scattered applause.

(Long pause)

Jones: I– I tell you one thing, folk got a lot of nerve these days, (Pause) railed on me to Birdie till she couldn’t even rent the business, spoke against me blasphemously, and then come in here. You better think twice before you come back. ‘Cause I– I– I’m able to call rattlesnakes out of people’s houses. I’ll call one of them in yours.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: You can testify in this room the other n– uh,  twice– twice now, in the last few days I’ve called rattlesnakes out. Just lifted up the phone the other night, here you were  in the meeting when a rattlesnake got in the house, and I said, it’s all right, you’ve done your work now, they’re on their way to church. You go on. And the rattlesnake listen to the telephone and went. They threw the rattlesnake down to his ear, down on the floor and the rattlesnake went out the window. Now I’m going to tell you, some of you folk come in here and tryin’ to spy out my liberty. You– you honkeys gonna come in here, tryin’ to cause division, you gonna bring your racism in these doors, I’ll s– put a rattlesnake in your bed.

Congregation: Calls and applause. (Pause)

Jones: And you think I’m playing, and I’m not playing now. (Pause) (tape distortion drops several words) He can see us. We don’t owe anybody a bill. We’ve got a good record of payments. Never have an outstanding bill. Smart aleck, Jeremy Griffith. See what I can do for you, brother.

(Tape edit)

Jones: (cries out) (unintelligible fragment) because I am not having time to take up that problem. And it’s gone around me. (Moderates, then builds throughout) My home could tell you of th– hundreds of times when things would hit the home from the top to the bottom, I said, I can’t afford to be sick. Temperature’d be 104, 105, according to (stumbles over words) my wife [Marceline jones], she’s even registered it at 108. And I said I am needed, and I’d walk out of that house and come down here and preach for four hours. And I feel just like you feel. I have pain, just like you have pain, and a little bit more, because I take your pain into my body. I bear your burdens. I take upon me your infirmities, so I feel more than you feel. And I have no tolerance for people that cannot endure a little good summer weather in America while our colored brothers are dying with napalm jelly in Vietnam.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: (Calms) So if you’re a true follower of mine, act like it. I thank you.

Congregation: Scattered applause.

Long pause. Tape edit.

Jones: (Voice rises) I wouldn’t– I– I’m– I’m addressing younger people. If it were senior citizens, it’d be one thing, but younger people here. Senior citizens here that are 95 and 88, they’re having no trouble with the heat. I have lived centuries, carrying the burdens night after night without sleep, and I’m not bothered with the heat, and this is the hottest place in the room. (In full throat) If you have your mind and your spirit straight on me, you will not have any trouble with the heat.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: (Voice moderates, then builds) That’s all I’m saying to you, as you think in your heart, so are you. If you’re bothered by the heat, you might as well take a walk, ‘cause you’ll never see me in a thousand years. If in my atmosphere you’re bothered by anything, you do not know me aright. (Voice drops)I made that it go– unequivocally clear. Sister Lowe, who was healed in the hopera– in the hospital, said she saw me as God, and didn’t have to have an operation. And she said, one of my aptitudes is that I speak it straight, and I’m speaking it straight right now. I’m annoyed by people waving their– their hands, and worrying and wiping their face. Why don’t you rise up a little bit above mortality. It shows you don’t know who I am from your own hind leg. (Pause) (Voice rises) I have a propensity to say it as I feel it. It’s all right. Go to an old church, go to the old churches, where you feel heat and where you think and– in the terms of mortal mind. Go over there. That– that’s the place to be. But here, if you see God, you’re not going to be troubled by all those conditions. I tell you, if you see God, you’ll lift yourself up above those conditions. (Pause) And if you can’t, you never will find me in a million years. You’re too bogged down in capitalism. You’re too bogged down in self-centeredism. Some of you are too egocentric to ever find the freedom that I enjoy. You’ll never know it, and you might as well go on and make your bed in hell, because you’ll never know me, if I was here three million years. You’ll not know my mind nor spirit. (Moderates, then rises) Selfishness cannot possibly endure in this atmosphere. And that’s all the word I’ve got to say about it. And don’t ask me, does it mean me? Does it mean you? If you think it means you, it does. (Pause) (Moderates, then rises) Sweet. Now usually I say, if I think it means you, I’ll say it, but if you think tonight it means you, it does. So you have goals to make. Ninety percent of you in the room think it’s you. Well then, you need to lift yourself up in a higher dimension. I have not come here to stand and be praised and be glorified. I have come that you might copy after me and be what I am.

Congregation: Calls.

Jones: (Calms) This is the third night without sleep. Raising the dead all week long. Mental and spiritual and physiological and physical conditions. Crisises averted, catastrophe stopped, accidents prevented. This massive truck wr– wreck that you saw south, brought one of them through, one of the very few that came through. You heard the testimony. All the cars scattered over the road, but only our person walked away.

Congregation: Scattered calls.

Jones: I have not got time to just be an end that you look at. I want you to look at me and copy me, and be as strong as I am in my strength, be as compassionate as I am in my areas of love. Get whatever wisdom there is in me. And one thing that bothers me – and I’ve never said it before – it’s people so co– concerned about their appearance and co– so concerned about inclement conditions. I’m telling you to repent tonight or never return in my face. (shouts) I said, repent or perish, and I’m talking to you over there.

Congregation: Scattered calls.

Jones: (Voice rises) Repent. You are– you are hindering the Spirit. Take a walk in the air. If you don’t feel the hair of God, take a walk outside. Move on out, but in this Spirit and consciousness, no matter what you feel, you know that God is ever-present, (moderates slowly) and is temperate and moderate, and that moderation will solve every problem. (Pause) (Quiet) Very well. And the honesty is, I’ll do it during an offering, but the truth is the truth. If you’ve got enough principle you won’t be bothered by this heat. I’ve been in the hot– the hottest places of the Amazon area. And I did not get concerned about the heat, and I’ve been in the coldest places of the world, and did not get concerned about the intemperance of the cold, without– with nothing but a shirt on. Didn’t catch a cold. (Voice rises) People that know me back in Indiana in the mid– in the winters, I never wore a coat.

Voice in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: Never wore a hat. Never wore earmuffs or gloves, because– and you say, well, you’re God. (In full throat) I am you and you are me. You’re copping out. You can do what I’m doing, if you want to do it. You may not have all the metaphysical things that I have, but if you look at me and watch how I discipline myself, and how I love people and how I stand for revolution and consistently for change and progress, if you start living like me, you’d have the power that I’ve got.

Congregation: Calls

Jones: (Moderates, then rises throughout) I’m a living miracle, ‘cause I speak without the ordinary pro– processes of my voice box. They’re gone. Cancer came, because I took so much cancer on me. I took everyone’s cancer that I could take. And I’ve taken that cancer and learned how to speak through my own chest, and to project words through my mouth without the o– usual instruments that you have. You can do what you want to do. You can stay alive when there’s no way to stay alive, but through the Spirit of universal God, good socialism, you can find a way when you’re sick to rise up and say (calls out) I am well.

Congregation: Cheers.

Jones: (voice rises throughout) Say you talk very strongly. Because I’ve been there. I’ve been there. I don’t have part of my vocal cords. They’re gone. Cancer came to ravage me, but I said, cancer, I shall not be moved, and I will not be moved. Hell, heaven, and all Bibles and religion will pass away, but I will not stop speaking. You’re not going to shut my mouth, because I have a will to speak and I will speak on. (Moderates) And some of you don’t have enough faith to believe it. That’s just how little you know what Jim Jones God socialism is. (Claps once)

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: (Voice climbs throughout) Two long years ago that happened. This is the first time some of you knew about it except Marshall and Eva Pugh and some of the uh, officials. Two long years ago, I’ve been speaking on nothing but breath, because I take out cancers every day. And every now and then, it may get a little froggy, but you can hear what I’ve got to say. And when I need to say something, sometimes it’ll come through crystal clear. And when I have to sing, because they’re no singers, I can still sing. Even though they said I’d not be able to talk, I can still do what I have to do, because nothing more than will in this nigger body. I’m just a nigger body just like you.

Congregation: Scattered applause.

Jones: (Moderates) Downcast. Oppressed. Had no food, had no clothes, had no shelter, but I said, I have waited too long on the Skygod. When I decided not to wait any longer for the Skygod and looked to the God within, I’ve had no trouble since then. I have found a sufficiency for every problem. Everybody’s tried to put this thing out of commission. We’ve had every kind of agency from the CIA, to the DIA, on up, down, whatever. They’ve come to try to put this out of commission, and we’re still standing, and we’ll continue to stand, because I have a will to stand as some of you (tape garbles) [have a] will to stand.

Congregation: Applause.

Tape garbles

Jones: Say, Father can do it. What you need to be saying is I can do it, because Father already has done it.

Voice in Congregation: Yes.

Jones: He’s shown me that we can do it, and I will do it. So I’m not hot. I feel good. I’m not tired. (tape distorts) I can do it.

 

Part II

Music

Male: (unintelligible fragment) –need him to be to you. You’ll be that and more, but I see him to be the personification of Christ on earth.

Congregation: Cheers.

Male Voice: Hallelujah. Jim Jones. Going to ask everybody on the stage if they’ll go down here please, and take your seat. He wouldn’t have it that way today.

Piano playing, applause, inaudible side conversations

Jones: Times there are discussions as to who should be on the platform, and who uh, shouldn’t be on the platform. Well, if we had discussions as to who should and who shouldn’t, we’ve just have none, and that’ll take care of it all.

Congregation: Cheers and applause.

Jones: I would not be on the platform if it were not necessary.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: But I looked out over the sea of time, and I saw that man and womankind was in need, desperately in need of a comforter. And I looked in my heart and said, I’m ready, and so I’m here.

Congregation: Cheers and applause.

Jones: The Holy Ghost has no tangible meaning, unless someone is willing, as Jesus was willing, to considerate it not robbery to be equal with God. It is written that Jesus was in the form of a slave or a servant, but he considered it not robbery to be equal to the task of being God. And I looked out over the horizon of time, and I said, I shall become an epistle written and known of all men. I shall incarnate all that people need as desperately as I can. I shall fulfill the Word made flesh, and that I’m doing, making the Word real.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: I come to some, and they’re immediately healed as one today, the sister, Helen  Price. And then there was another Sister Price, how beautiful it was, she uh– she spoke that uh, meeting, I called her out a year ago, told her to go to a doctor, that what she had been told by the doctor was wrong, that when she went back, she’d find it was not so, and so she did, and then, exactly as it was spoken, that was the case. She’s probably in the room someplace now. Yes. Bless you. And so it was, that when she went back, the doctor said, “Well, you don’t have what I thought– Heart trouble, the heart trouble is not there.” Now some today I come to in that manner, and they receive me, as the one there did, and receive me in faith and know that I have come in the name of Jesus, in the name of God, all of the great supreme bon homme ideals. And thus what happens when you do? You reincarnate the same spirit. Others I came to today in love, and they were unfriendly, they were cold and indifferent. When I gave them an offer of help, they would not receive it, and even lied to me. I may not act like I know what’s going on in you, but I know what’s going on in you.

Congregation: Boisterous applause.

Jones: And when I come, you can receive me, ye shall receive the Father.

Voice in Congregation: Yeah.

Jones: You can receive me, and you’ll receive Christ Jesus.

Voice in Congregation: Yeah.

Jones: If you reject me–

Voice in Congregation: Yeah.

Jones: You reject the one that sent me.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: No matter what you want to do, or how much you want to hold to some little creatures, that are way– who’ve never manifested love and drive around in Rolls Royces and Cadillacs and come into the country with gold and silver and monies, while the people starve, no matter how much you want to look to them, I have come offering you a high dimension of salvation, and you would have the audacity to try– (Quiet) to try to criticize.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: It’d been better for you, if you had not been born.

Congregation: Cheers and applause.

Jones: It’s sweet to be here. It’s good to know Christ, isn’t it?

Congregation: Calls

Jones: (sings) Reach out and touch your God as he passes by/ you’ll find (unintelligible word) to hear your heart’s cry/ He’s passing by this moment, you need to (unintelligible). (Tape edit) (Speaks) ‘Cause we do care about you. I care so much that I’ll never see you go hungry. I’ll never see you without a home. I’ll be in the courts, if you ever need me there.

Congregation: Calls

Jones: There– Wherever you make your bed, there I’ll be with you.

Congregation: Calls

Jones: Though you make your bed in hell, I’ll go down there and rescue you.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: [You] Say you make claims. I don’t make claims. I just tell you the facts. If you’ve been around, it’s not claims anymore. We’ve seen in these rooms, this year in 1972, is not yet finished. We’ve seen fifty-two times people die, and not one time have they been left dead. I have restored them. Said, you restored them? Yes, Irestored them.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: You say, well, I believe in giving God the credit. I am indeed giving God the credit.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: Perhaps now you’re beginning to see the mystery. When I speak about who came down and healed them, it was none other than that which you have looked for and desired to see. Some of it often has been portrayed by the media and by man and his traditions and the system and Mickey Mouse has been portraying something that you could never identify with. And so when he came, he came to his own and his own received him not. But I’m not going to uh, start lying to you, just because you’re not ready to accept the facts of the matter. I said, I came down and I healed them. You’ve seen them in their wheelchairs here, when their bones were like pretzels, turned and crippled. You’ve seen them bent over, and you’ve seen them raised. You’ve seen the blind eyes. As one sister lot– long ago on the aisle, right down in the front, right here in Los Angeles, just a few weeks ago, blind from birth. You have seen that, and I said I healed her. And you say, give God the glory. And I said I just did.

Congregation: Calls and applause.

Jones: In natural affairs, you’ll find me very easy to get along with and very honest and very cooperative. And I’ll listen to you in every matter, listen to you very cooperatively. And I don’t think you’ll find anyone that’ll say that I’m presumptuous in discussions. People disagree with me on matters of the temporal and earthly things. We have a very good interchange and exchange of views. But I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’m here representing something, when I am that something.

Congregation: Boisterous applause.

Jones: As certain as I’m looking in your faces – and I would not lie to you – as certain as I’m looking in your faces, and I would not lie to you. When I come here in this situation, I find myself integrally a part of all that’s beautiful. Just as I said this week, and all of you know, and the people– I said when we come, it’ll be a sunny day, and it rained bullfrogs, cats and dogs last night, and I said there’ll be no smog today, because I said the word in me has spoken it.

Congregation: Calls and applause

Jones: And so the people, as we came down the bus– down the bus route, they were not surprised to see the skies clear and the beautiful wind that blowed away the smog. Never has been smog up until this time. In all these long periods of months and months that we’ve come, not once has there been smog when we’ve been here. Now do you think that somebody representing something can do that? Somebody has to be in contact with the laws and cosmic forces of nature.

Congregation: Calls and applause

Jones: Someone has to be in harmony with everything that is created. I would be glad to tell you that it is not so, because it’s a great responsibility, and it causes great wrath and persecution. But I’m not here to tell you I’m representing anything. I’m here to tell you I am that something.

Congregation: Boisterous applause.

Jones: And when you’re able to receive it, as you heard the sister– that Sister Reverend Davis, the Pentecostal ministry that just testified. She said I looked out on the ocean, along with others, and she looked out there and then in Mexico where we took our vacations together, and in Canada where we took our vacations together. We always do that, because I am one with you. There I sit and here you stand. We are one. We are in the creative nature of God – (aside) It’s all right. I don’t need it, thank you. Very sweet of you. (Returns to congregation) We are one spirit. We’re not going to be uh– we’re not going to be divided. The pure hearts– blessed are the pure in heart, for they see God.

Voices in Congregation: Yeah.

Jones: We came down to Mexico, and some have never had a vacation. Every year I take our people on a vacation. They– They’d never seen a vacation, never been in the ocean. And the sharks were everywhere. Just– Shhh! Just as rampant as they could be, floating up and down, right up near the shore. Almost as if it seemed they were right in the sand. Just taking over the whole beach. And I said, this cannot be. And so a little bit later, people looked out and they saw me out on the water.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: I did not– I did not personally use any kind of raft or device – I did not need to – because I was so deeply in love with my people at that moment, and they so deeply believed in what I am– and that’s the key – that I was able to go out on the waters, and people saw me literally walking out on the water above the ocean waves, above the surf. I lie not. I tell you the truth. Those that you just heard, you heard Reverend Davis say it, it’s the truth.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: And our people can tell you that there were no sharks. There were no sharks all those three days. They stayed completely away until we left. And after we were packing up the camp and beginning to roll our buses away and packing our tents and our knapsacks, they came back, almost as if it were to say farewell, until we see you again.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: There are some in this audience that not prepared to see that kind of a manifestation. That’s perfectly all right. You’ll keep waiting, and you’ll wait till you’re sixty or seventy, and die, ‘cause you have to have it in that way. You’ve got to die to go to heaven, to stand before a throne and see Jesus. That’s what you’ve been taught, that’s what you wish to believe. And I’m not going to argue with you, I’m not going to struggle with you, because if you wish to die and go to heaven to see Jesus, that’s your privilege. But to those that want to hear the word of God and live, he said (calls out) blessed are the pure in heart.

Congregation: Calls.

Jones: (Calls out) Didn’t say tomorrow, but he said, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. And they shall know their God and do exploits. (calms) Jesus said all things may change but Jesus never. I’m the same today, yesterday, and forever, the God that changeth not. He said, Lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you, not even unto the end of the world. That’s what he said. And if he’d left you, he’s a liar. If there’s ever been a time that Jesus hasn’t had a body, he was a liar, because he said will never leave you and I will never forsake you, not even unto the end of the world.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: Solomon looked out and saw him, and said his hair was as black as a raven. Described his own personal body, and said he had hair as black as a razor [raven]. Isaiah 7:20 said in the last days, he would come and God would manifest himself. And said God would s– after that day, shave with a razor just like you. He said in that day, God said. God, the body of God would shave with a razor. Don’t think it’s in the scripture? Don’t look so puzzled, Sister. Isaiah 7:20– Isaiah 7:20 says, after that day God will shave with a razor. Don’t u– don’t– don’t question it until you read it. Ahab saw him, (unintelligible) saw him, Moab saw him. Manoah and his wife saw him. Nebuchadnezzar – a evil racist king – saw him open the furnace door and looked and he said, “I put three in there and now I see one as is two, the form of the son of God.” He said I put three in there, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,and now I see Jesus Christ in there.

Congregation: Calls.

Jones: (full preaching mode) Do you think blessed, blessed black people, blessed Jewish people, blessed poor people, blessed white, the poorest of God’s creation, that’ve suffered so much, that you’ve given up so much, do you think an old evil king Nebuchadnezzar is going to have the privilege of seeing Jesus Christ, and you’re not going to be able to have that same privilege? Do you think that Solomon is going to be able to look out with all of his regal spender, and all of his wealth, and all of his kingly estate, do you think Solomon’s going to be able to look out and say, I saw God, I met God today, and his hair is as black as a raven. Do you think that God is going to do something for an old king Nebuchadnezzar that he’s not going to do for you? No, if you’ve got a spiritual eye, you’ll open them this morning, you’ll open them this afternoon and (cries out) you will see God.

Congregation: Applause and cries

Jones: (Calms) You say I’m afraid. Man wanted you to stay afraid. The systems wanted you to stay afraid, because these piker representatives up and down the streets, they want to be able to represent God. Know nothing, can’t heal the sick, can’t discern a spirit, can never tell you what’s in the thoughts of the mind. Every week, every day, I tell you the intents of the heart, tell you your thoughts, go back to the time you were born, as we did with one sister last night, healed her of cancer, pain went away instantly.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: You want to be represented by the real, or you want somebody that says, I’m telling you a history book? I’m going to give you a story. I’m going to tell you what’s going to be, and they never give you any proof that they know anything.

Voices in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: They tell you that Jesus is getting ready to come soon, and outside they got a Cadillac parked in the space, or they’ve got a Lincoln Continental or a Rolls Royce, and after the service is over, those preachers that say they’re representing God, they go driving off to the bu– the hills someplace, to Beverly [Hills] or something beyond that now, way above the smog. And they say Jesus is coming soon. You don’t have any proof. They don’t act like Jesus is coming soon, ‘cause they’re gettin’ more money and gettin’ more clothes. The robe I have on is just a used robe, given to me this weekend. I don’t have any new clothes, never buy any. Don’t own a car, never bought a new pair of shoes in my born days. And I’m nearly a great grandfather, I’m a grandfather, won’t be too long before I’ll be a great grandfather. Never have I ever bought a new pair of shoes. I tell you nothing about Jesus’ coming, I tell you that God is here, Christ is in you, the hope of glory.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: (inaudible side conversation with Marceline Jones, return to congregation) So at least you oughtta be someplace where, if they tell you Jesus is coming, if Jesus is coming, what does a preacher need with a Cadillac and a Rolls Royce?

Congregation: Responds.

Jones: What’s you need with all that stuff? He tell you, he’s coming soon. And they tell you to give your money and give your money, and they come dressing up in the finest suits and the best clothes, and drum– drum up all the money, so that they can have nicer homes. One of the homes of a preacher in San Francisco in the Bay Area, one of these holiness preachers, he’s got 50,000 dollars’ worth of antiques, came out just recently. Fifty thousand dollars antiques – he mentioned on his radio broadcast – 50,000 dollars’ worth of antiques, said God had blessed him with. What do you need with antiques if you’re going to see Jesus?

Congregation: Laughter and applause.

Jones: Yeah– See, they lie to you. And I tell you the truth, and you’re so used to hearing the lie, that you can’t believe it. What reason would I have to tell this? Because I’ve been– that’s why everybody’s persecuting me, because I tell the truth. And the– the good scriptures tell you that they live in that principle, godly in Christ Jesus, they will suffer persecution. They say, all manner of things falsely against him for their namesake,  persecute them, revile them, deliver them before the council, the synagogues, and even finally kill them, thinking they do God a service. Surely we’re getting all this storm because I declare the truth. And who wants to tell the truth, other than the truth demands that it be told. I don’t like the responsibility of being what I am, but I am what I am. I am what I am.

Congregation:Cheers and applause.

Jones: And the fruits of my work show what I am, and the fruits of those that tell you Jesus is coming soon, show you that they’re liars. Because if Jesus was coming soon, they would do like Ido. They would adopt, as I have, seven babies and reared thirteen. They would take in every stranger, they would ease the heavy burdens on everyone’s back. They would never tur– turn away a senior citizen. And I never do, not a one I don’t take in. There’s not a person in prison, I don’t re– go and rescue, or attempt to. I minister to everyone in jails or out of jails, wherever they are. I send my workers, my ambassadors, my emissaries. There’s never– never a time when we’ve said there’s no more room in Redwood Valley. Never. We always find a way to squeeze a youngster in, particularly. Never turn away a child. Because we believe that Jesus is not coming soon. He has arrived.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: But you say, those that believe he’s coming soon, they ought to act that much more, if he’s really coming soon. They ought to act like it in deeds and actions and do the work of the people, instead of taking the money for houses and lands and fine clothes and jewelry. I do not own a watch, I do not own any jewelry. I do not even own a wedding band. The one that I had was a stone of offence to someone. It cost one dollar and ninety-eight cents, and I gave it up, because it bothered someone. And if it– anything on me tonight bothers you, I’ll take this off, but remember, this was used, as I said. These things here were just given. But if they bother you, I’ll take them off. If it bothered enough, I would come in gunny sacks, because I wish you to see Christ. And I would be glad to tell you that I’m the other fellow, but that would be terrible because then you wouldn’t have faith to have any great works done. I’d be glad to say I’m nothing, but if you see me as nothing, you will register a great big fat zero.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: If I tell you I’m nothing – I’ll be glad to do that – but you’ll be nothing. But if I tell you what I am, then you can be what I am, and if you take a picture of what I am, you can become (calls out) greater than what I am, because that’s the nature of God. He said these things shall you do and greater, because I go to the Father. That’s the nature of God every time he comes on the scene. This is a greater day in Jesus. Jesus said it was. He said these things shall you do and greater, because I go to the Father.  And so it is with me. Take a picture of me – and I hope you will – take cognizance of my teachings, reproduce my spirit, and you’ll become greater than what I am. That’s my ambition for you. If I told you I was nothing, I would not only be a liar, but I would deprive you of liberty. I’m telling you, that I am that which was and is to come. I am the Alpha, I am the Omega, I am the Beginning, I am the End.

Congregation: Scattered applause.

Jones: Certainly you’re quiet, because you’re not used to it. You’ve been told that the Bible said this and the Bible said that, that people would come and say they were this. (Pause) You better be sure you know what you’re reading.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: You’d better read this. (Conversational) I do not often write, but occasionally I do, and I put this [The Letter Killeth] together for honest people that want to know the truth. You’re going to have to have the truth, or you won’t be set free. Without the truth, you are finished. Now you see, even though I will not be personally taking anything from this offering– It’ll all go for our children, our beautiful children’s home on 40 acres that we’re paying for monthly, or our senior citizens homes, four of them, or our convalescent homes that are the most beautiful places you ever wanted to see.

Voice in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: And our four college dormitories, and 109 students that are being educated, or 200 children that we gave shoes, that were starving, that had no food until I fed them in an orphanage. Yet I’m not taking any offering yet. I’m giving you the truth first because I want you to know what you’re supporting. I will not ever– (Tape edit, slight repetition) I’m giving you the truth first because I want you to know what you’re supporting. I will not ever give you a misrepresentation. No one can ever say I’ve ever lied to them. I’m not a liar, I’m a truth bearer. I’m the truth, not only in the morning, but the truth at noon.

Congregation: Scattered cheers.

Jones: I’m the truth at night, and I’m truth when the sun goes down. And I’ll be truth when the sun rises. It’s a truth that’ll never fail you. It’s hard sayings, because sometimes I’ll tell you strong sayings. You come to my Wednesday night meetings in the church government meetings, some of you oughtta make a purpose to uh– Thanksgiving, by the way, we’re having a great rally up in Redwood Valley, and we want Los Angeles to try to make a trip so they could get up there Wednesday night, some of you. And be– on Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving, to be in the government meetings, because there you’ve seen a different kind of administration than you’ll see at any other time. Only members are permitted to come to that meeting. And we hope that the Temple family will come up for Thanksgiving. We’re going to have a lovely weekend on Thanksgiving, Wednesday night, Thursday, and Friday, and we’ll come back Friday night to San Francisco and back here Saturday and Sunday. And you’ll have free housing, good food. I’ll guarantee you– you– we won’t tell you have to wait to sit around the holy communion table, you won’t have to wait to feast on the manna up in heaven in a pearly white city. I’ll tell you, you’ll eat when you come to Redwood Valley on Thanksgiving. Without money or price.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: Last holidays, we had so many people they run out of meat. (Pause) This is the truth. May a lightning bolt strike me dead. May the (short laugh) breath that I breathe cease– How many know this to be the truth? – that the meat run out, and I said, there shall be bread and meat on my table of plenty. And they went back and great big roasts were sitting. (Cries out) Oh God, my God.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: (Excitedly) Great big beautiful roasts that looked like they had been planned in a vision, were sitting on the cabinet, filled from one end to the other. Roasts were sitting there, just as I said it would be. There would be meat a-plenty on my father’s table.

Congregation: Responds.

Jones: (Moderates) And we ate, and there was meat till the last person wished to have food to eat. And that’s the beauty–

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: –that’s the beauty, that’s the beauty of living in heaven now.

Congregation: Scattered applause.

Jones: Say, what are you doing? You’re taking people’s hope away. No, I’m coming to expose you that’ve told them to wait. I’ve come to expose you devils, you charlatans that’ve told them, you that– shenanigans you’ve preached, you told them to wait, and you took their money and you drive around in Cadillacs, and you belong to the finest yacht clubs, and you’ve got fine boats, you’ve got fine suits. Oh, I’ve come to expose you. I’ve come to tell you what you are. You are liars from the beginning. My people have no food, they have no housing, they live under the boot of racism. They’re not free. They live under subjugation, they live under discrimination, and you’ve told them to wait while you take their money and drive Cadillacs. (cries out) You’re the liar! I have come to give them what they deserve.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: While people are living in this country and having gout from eating too much meat, and uric acid problems from overabundance of food, and cholesterol, dying from too many of the sweets of life. In America, Indians and blacks– Some in this room before they came, some, as my son who stood and told you he was starving to death. You missed that, my young son. The one of my old– my oldest adopted son, Lew Jones. He was starving when I got him, because people were going around telling him, by and by, when Jesus comes, things will get better.

Congregation: Scattered response.

Jones: People in this room that never had a hope for a home. Now every member in this family, you will not be without a home. I have come pledging you that. That you will always have a home, that you will always have food, you will eat as long as I eat, and I intend to eat awhile yet.

Congregation: Scattered applause.

Jones: You say have come and taken away hope. You have taken away hope. You, the liars, you are the ones that’ve taken away hope. You told them to wait for something in the sky that never comes. You’ve always– Ever since I was a child, they’ve been saying it’s going to come soon, he’s coming soon, he’s coming soon. (Voice climbs) You’ve always been giving them that lie. And we’ve got more racism today, we’ve got more heartache today, we’ve got more poverty today, more homeless senior citizens than ever before, more hungry children, two out of three going to bed hungry every day, white, black, and yellow. And you keep telling them to wait? I say we shall wait no longer. (Calls out)Today is the day of salvation.

Congregation: Cheers and applause.

Jones: I’m sorry. I can’t go along with your lies. But don’t– don’t turn it around and say I’m the liar. You’re the liars. You that come along– The only reason I’m here today is because a king of England took the holy writ and misinterpreted the holy writ, took the words of God that I have always spoken in purity and justice, took the words that has been spoken by this spirit, the same spirit that is here since the beginning, the same spirit was there, the same spirit that is here today in Los Angeles at Alvarado and Hoover, is the spirit that said, let there be light and let there be dry land, the same spirit that was there when the (cries out) morning star sang together is here right now addressing you.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: (Calms) And along in England and even before, but the last major error that stirred my spirit. King James of England, a drunken alcoholic, took eighty other drunks like him and wrote the last interpretation of the Bible called the King James Version. Now you sit in now. You’re gonna get a little preachin’ before you get healed, and if you get what I’m saying, you will get healed. (Voice climbs) When you go out of here, if you get what I am saying, you will not be dead any longer, but you will be (cries) alive. You will not see death, but you shall live, if you hear what I’m saying.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: (Moderates) Nobody else will tell it to you, because they’ve got money, money they want to keep. They got Cadillacs they got to pay for. Child, I could walk out of here, and I could be in Redwood Valley tomorrow, if I needed to without any benefit of an automobile. (Voice builds) So I’m not worrying about keeping Cadillacs. You see, I’m in the place of pure spirit. Scripture speaks of this. There are truths in the scripture, but it says how can you hear without a prophet or a preacher, and how can he preach lest he be sent. It said faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. It didn’t say faith cometh by reading the Bible and (Calms) faith cometh by hearing the King James Version. But it said faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Well, you say, what isthe word of God? (Pause)

Congregation: Delayed applause, scattered cheers.

Jones: Just watch if somebody dies, as they have 52 times this year, see what the word does. What is the word of God? Hebrews 4:12. It’s a little misinterpreted, but it is reasonably accurate. Hebrews 4:12 says that the word of God will do what? It’s sharper than a two-edged sword. Already you’ve felt its sharpness. It’ll cut away your old foggy prejudices. It says it’s sharper than a two-edged sword. It’s mighty to the pulling down of strongholds, it’s quick and it’s powerful. It’ll separate the bone from the marrow, that it did last night and last week. A woman with four inches leg shorter than the other, and a moment– in the moment that I touched her, her leg came out and she was normal (unintelligible word)

Congregation: Light applause.

Jones: Hebrews 4:12 said that the word of God is quick and powerful. It will separate soul from spirit. Three people stood up in one of our meetings not long ago and rebuked and touched the anointed. They lied to me. (Pause)

Voice in Congregation: That’s right.

Jones: And I said, you must learn, you must learn your lesson. (Snaps fingers) I said, give up the ghost, and all three of them fell on their face dead.

Congregation: Scattered applause.

Jones: I went by a young man today, that he better watch himself, because he’s in here criticizing my spirit, and I’m trying to give him love. Iknow all about his nature. I know about his attitudes. I know about his feeling of threatening and insecurity, he wants to turn me off, because he wants to hold on to something he doesn’t have to deal with. He didn’t want to have to face me, head away, he wants to hold on to some little old guru.  (Pause)

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: He wants to hold on to some little old phony guru that’s using up the people’s money, while people in India starve. He wants to hold on to that, because it’s easier to go that way. But I got his number, and I want to love him and want to take him in as a child and care and show him the way to salvation, but he’s on dangerous ground.

Congregation: Applause

Jones: ‘Cause I’m aware of what you do. I’m aware when you speak or when you think. Nobody tells me anything as a person. I don’t have to. I ask them not to. Someone just came up a while ago, wanted to tell me something. No, just wait. Just wait. The spirit’ll take care of it. If it’s their day, if they know God, they’ll get their deliverance.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: Many people’ll go down the aisle, and say I don’t get anything. ‘Cause you’re not aware of what’s going on. I’ll go down the aisle. and you’ll say, the Lord bless me. (Pause) That shows you’ve got a limitation, you see. You tell the Lord to bless me. You see the mystery. First place, that’s a word that was put in by King James of England. It’s a bad word. “Lord” means the owner of slaves. “Lord” means the one that controls the manor, that controls the old feudal estate, that had the slaves under his control. I will not use such a term. I say God, good or Allah or Jehovah or Christ. Christ means “anointing,” but I will not use the word “Lord.” Only to suit us– to suit sometimes your need if you’re talking about, I won’t correct you, because there’s no use to it. You can’t teach some old dogs new tricks.

Congregation: Calls.

Jones: Can’t teach them. We’ve been given a slave mentality, and it’s very difficult to disrupt it. How do you suppose we got here? And it’s good that we’re here tonight in one way, but think about all the loved ones, all the precious loved ones. My people and your people that died by lynch mobs and in chains. Do you know who sent the first slave ship? Do you know who did it? That fellow you love so much, you’re holding between your arms back there. One of the sisters is squeezing onto it. That King James. He’s the one that sent the Good Ship Jesus to Africa to bring back slaves, telling them that they were going to go to school, telling them they were going to have a new life, and tricked them into chains and put them on the boat. But before he put the adults on the boat, he took our babies. Took our black babies, and had all of his henchmen, his army, his navy throw them down into the rocks to die. Pregnant mothers that could not travel across the Atlantic were killed, and you hold on to King James. It’s a shame in 1972, that we’re still so stupid as we are. King James did this. King James of England. The one that has taken the Scriptures and misinterpreted them. You say, what am I to do? What am I to do? What should you worry about what you’re to do, when God’s on the scene to tell you what’s going on.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: (Voice climbs) Just look. Just look. Just look. Look and live. Look and copy. Watch me. Copy me. Get around me. Let my energy come to you. (ministerial mode) Let my character and spirit spill all on you. Let my nature infiltrate you, and you won’t have any need of any books when you get through being around me a little while. You’ll lay your books aside, because you know you won’t need any book any more.

Congregation: Responds.

Jones: (Moderates slightly) You say my grandmother held him a book. My granddaddy did. Yes, and so did your great granddaddy get fooled into coming over here on a slave ship too. Your granddaddy and mine listened to their lies, listened to their smiles, listened to them as they prayed from their black book, and listened to what they had to say, and followed them right into the slave ship. So I don’t care, just because your granddaddy did it. Our granddaddies did some pretty dumb things. (Pause) (ministerial fervor) I said our granddaddy shoulda stood up on their legs and resisted the devils and never come over here.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: (Calms) I don’t know what anybody going to be bragging about, all the things that their granddaddies and their grandmothers did. Sure, they’re precious and we love them, but don’t say that that makes them all right. We would live for them, we’d give our life for them, we’d feed them, we– we would never let them be without home or substance. Gracious day, no. Never. As one (unintelligible phrase)– One day you’re going to have to deal– deal with cancer. [Jane] Mutschmann, see that they’re talked to. One day it’ll– that’s what it’ll be, if they don’t get the help that they need. Better go out. Don’t let them, don’t let them, don’t let them, ‘cause they need this spirit. I’m the one that can give them help. Nobody else. You turn away from me before you’ve even heard me. You better listen to what I got to say before you reject me. (Pause)

Congregation: Murmurs.

Jones: Say well, it’s not– Couldn’t be a lie, couldn’t be held up for all these years. We surely couldn’t be lied to all these years. How long did you believe in Santa Claus?

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: You know it’s the truth, anyhow. A lot of you believe in Santa Claus, and your children believed in Santa Claus, and they still believe in that old white honkey coming around with his whiskers. They still believe him.

Congregation: Light applause.

Jones: And that honkey never come down anybody’s chimney. Little ole black children, my little Indian brothers and sisters, sittin’, lookin’ for him to come down their chimney. And now you say, well, he’ll come down sooner or later. Better be good, you better be nice. (Pause) They kept looking for Santa Claus who was coming to town. He never come to town even once. He never even once ever been seen by anybody, and for hundreds and thousands of years, everybody believing in Santa Claus, and he ain’t never coming, because he never been here.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: (conversational) So that shows you how long a lie can hold on. [You] Say, oh, I came here to get healed, Jim Jones. I didn’t come here to heal– uh, hear all these things. (slows, deliberate, then builds to ministerial cadence) I’m trying, child. I’m trying to heal you. If you’ve got what I’m saying today, I wouldn’t have to call you out. If you’ve got what I’m saying today, you would have the deliverance you want. You would have the life you’re seeking. You’d walk out like a free man and woman. The chains would fall off your back. You’d be free in mind and spirit. You’d be free in body and health.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: (preaching mode) If you’ve got what I was saying, I would not have to be on the scene. I would recall my body, and I could go back into the oblivion. And the only reason that I’m here is because you’ve got lies. I have taken upon myself a body.I have addressed you in the first person of God Almighty. (full preaching mode) I have come in the body and mind and soul of God to tell you the truth.

Congregation: Responds.

Jones: (Calms) Because of King James. His lies, his atrocious lies. (Pause) Get this little yellow book. Money won’t stand in your way. If you have problem, you just speak to a secretary. It tells you the truths in the Bible, but it also tells you the errors. If there were one error, my son, my daughter, it would be sufficient for you to listen to what I’m saying. But there are thousands and thousands. Take Matthew 1:16, and Luke 3:23. That tells you about the most important thing in all the Bible. Jesus’ birth. One of those l– chapters tells you– Both of them agree that Joseph was the father of Jesus. But from there on, you can’t make heads nor tails out of it. One writer says that Joseph’s father was Heli. The other one says it was Jacob. The other one says that Joseph’s great-grandfather was Jacob– yeah, Matthon rather. The other one says Matti– Matthon– Matthat – M-a-t-t-h-a-t, as opposed to M-a-t-t-h-a-n. Can’t even spell right. And then you’ll trace back Luke 3, and Matthew the first chapter, you trace Jesus’ birth back – it’s right in here – and you’ll see, as it takes him back to David and Abraham on one– One chapter has 15 more grandfathers than the other. Now if I come here today, and tell you that tonight, I say oh, my granddaddy was uh, (clicks tongue) Jeremiah, that’s one of my grandparents, and the other time, I’d– I’d say to you, John Thurman. You’d say what in the world is matter with that– that guy don’t know who his grandfather is. Well, you say maybe he’s tracing it through the mother, and maybe he’s tracing it through the father. Now better listen to me, (more deliberate) better listen to me close, better listen to me close, ‘cause everybody today– This is a very unusual sermon and you’ve got a grave responsibility, so chastise everyone to listen very, very closely. You can walk out on me, but if you do, I’ll meet you– I’m not talking about you. If uh– If I do, I’ll call you if I want you to– I’ll call your name like I did a while ago. Now don’t worry. If I don’t call you down, then I know what you’re up to. (Pause) Now I say– (Pause) If you don’t hear today, you’re going to hear it one day. If you don’t face me today, you’ll face me in that which you call the great white throne judgment.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: I’m making it plainer than I have ever– making it simpler, plainer than I’ve ever made it. If you reject me today, I promise you, you will hear me, me.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: When you come up before that great tribunal, you will not be able to find that fellow you wanted to see with long hair (tape distortion, dropped words?) and that fellow with the long white effeminate hands. You’re going to be lookin’ for somethin’, and when you get up there, and you thought [say], oh, I thought I got rid of Jones. You’re going to look him square in the (cries out) face again.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: Jesus, in the day of Hebrews, was the most common name. More people were named Jesus than anybody else. Did you know that?

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: More people named Jim Jones than anybody else, ‘cause I come to the commonest of people. I am one with you. I am average, Mr. Average Human Being. And that means that I’m what you can be, what you should be, and what you will be. And it’s not just an accident that I am named (deliberate) Jim Jones. Nor was it an accident that he was named Jesus, ‘cause Jesus was a common name, a people’s name. And I don’t know of anybody that there’re more of than the Jones’. (Pause) All right. Now as I said, if you cannot possibly, child, read the Bible and figure out who Jesus’ grandparents are, and you take it and read this, this’ll shock you. Then you’ll know, you’re gonna have to do some re-learning. I would think you’d be able to know it without that. (chuckles) You get all kinds of things in the Bible. Is it Judges 1, first chapter of Judges, the fifteenth [nineteenth] verse, it says, God was able to take care of the inhabitants of what? He was able to rid them– rid them in– in the self of the enemies, the inhabitants of the– the valley, was it? The mountain? You know that scripture? Where is that scripture? I’m not interested in it anymore. I’m tired of your fairy tale book, and I’ve laid it aside. I’ve laid it aside. I’ve seen so many fairy tales that I’m tired of them. Let’s see if we can find it here. (Humphs) It’s quiet in the house of Jones today.

Congregation:Stirs.

Jones: Someone have the book there? Judges, is it? Judges 1:19. I think you’ll find it. Judges 1:19. When I have to get it, I can get it, ‘cause I was there when it was put together. Judges 1:19. Somebody get it. Judges 1:19. Open up that book. Maybe it’ll be the last time some of you’ll open it (Pause) for a while. (tape edit) [You] Say, what am I going to read from now on? Read here, and I’ll tell you the truths, and– and I’ll tell you what truths that you can read. Say, how do you know? (tape distorts) You watch and see how I tell people things about their lives a little bit. Watch how I look into their minds and their thoughts. There goes one that needs to be warned, very badly. Very badly. Kidney problems, heart. She walking out on the truth, she better get herself back in here and sit down. (Pause) Read to me Judges 1:19. Read to me Judges 1:19. I’ll read the uh– Read it. (Pause) One of you on the floor. You got it? Well, read it. Read it, read it, Judges 1:19, read it. (Pause) Loud, Sister Jones, read it loud.

Sister Jones [likely Marceline]: Oh, I can read– And the Lord was with Judah, and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountains.

Jones: What was that now? The Lord was with–

Sister Jones: The Lord was with Judah and he drave out–

Jones: He what?

Sister Jones: He drave out–

Jones: He drave out?

Sister Jones: Hm-mmm [Yes].

Jones: They can’t even spell correctly. That– that– that– That’s not proper usage. He drave out? He drove out. That’s proper grammar. King James didn’t even know what he doing there. He drave out. Okay. Move on (stumbles over words) He drave out what– the Lord was with Judah and he drave out–

Sister Jones: –the inhabitants of the mountain–

Jones: He drave out the inhabitants of the mountain–

Sister Jones: –but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley.

Jones: The Lord was with Judah and he drave out– We can’t say it correctly, but anyway, we’ll go along with him. The Lord was with Judah, and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. Is that what it says?

Sister Jones: It’s what it says.

Congregation: Stirs.

Jones: Now I’m telling you, you worried with the God of the King James. He can drave out – he can’t even spell it or use it right – he can drave out the inhabitants of the mountains, but he couldn’t drave out (laughs)–

Congregation: Laughter.

Jones: He couldn’t drive out the inhabitants of the valley. (Calls out) The Lord. That’s what that verse says. Read it, Judges 1:19, ‘cause I know every– I used to know every word in it. I can get it now, like I did then, if I need to. I can get it. (Calms and slows) He drove out but he couldn’t drive out the inhabitants of the valley, (Pause) because they had chariots made of iron. Now there only one preacher I’ve met lately that I liked, that brother from Bakersfield that got healed, the only one that I like, ‘cause (tape distortion) he let the truth come out of him, and uh, that’s where I’m trying to bring you. It’s to let you become the living epistles, read and known of all men. I want you to become the Bible. I want you to become the Christ, because if you don’t, the world’s going to go on to hell. You’re going to have to become the deliverer. That’s all I’m trying to get you to do, is to get you to look at this book correctly. Now you know one thing, there no use for you to be here, if you’ve got a God like that God was just described by King James. If he can drive out the inhabitants of the mountain, and he can’t touch the inhabitants of the valley, ‘cause they got chariots made a iron, what you foolin’ with him for?

Congregation: Scattered applause.

Jones: That’s what the book just got through saying, he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots made of iron. (Ministerial fervor) What kind of a penny-ante little weak-kneed {sounds like} hackneyed God is that? What kind of God is it that cannot drive out a bunch of people, because they got chariots made a iron? You better give him up. No, I’ll tell you the God I serve, the God that I represent here, the God that I am incarnate and manifesting, he can do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that you are able to ask or to think. (Pause) (Calms) So why tell the people this? It’ll hurt them. Now, that’s interesting, I wonder how much of a more hurt we can be. Um-hmm [yes]. You look at the election on December– on November seventh, and you look where we’re going, you look at the mess that’s in this country. Man right down here in Los Angeles in jail, because he told the truth about the Pentagon Papers, how we’ve been lied to, that there never was a Vietnam attack [reference to Daniel Ellsberg]. We’ve been just lied to, and he ends up in jail for that. Newsmen being thrown in jail now, because they won’t give the sources of the news, and there’s censorship of the press. And in July they slapped another law on us. You know you can’t take your money across the line. If you take more than 5000 dollars across the line, you violated a crime, unless you report it to Big Brother.Do you know that every time you write a check now, that the government takes a photograph of your checks as of July. We’re in a mess. There’re all kinds of laws that are taking away our freedoms, while these bunch of jacklegs get up and say, well, it’s all right now, honey, just keep waiting on, wait on, ‘cause Jesus gonna come pretty soon and take us out of this mess. What I’m trying to say to you, nobody gonna take you out of this mess until (cries out) you do something about this mess you’re gonna stay in this mess.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: (Ministerial fervor) That’s why I say shocking things, like saying I’m God manifested. That’s why I shock you, so you’ll be able to shock yourself into seeing that you are what I am, that you have to be exactly what I am, or you’re not going to get out of your mess.

Congregation: Scattered applause.

Jones: (Calms) I– I– If I were not a friend, I might be able to tell you something less, but I’ve lived my life to save you, or I’ll die for you if necessary. And I don’t want to see you cheated anymore. You’re being cheated.

Congregation: Responds.

Jones: There’re people here– One of the young brothers that’ll leads a song, “Walk a mile in my shoes.” That brother, I– was in prison three years ago. I said, you will not go to prison again. I’ll go to courts. This time you’ll be free. Even though he was a three-time loser, and they said there was no hope, the District Attorney said there was no hope. He’s free. (Claps hands once) Up and down here they’re drow– drug pushers, criminals, murderers that are now converted, because I cared to go in and fight their battle. And one of them that was such a criminal, had been beat half to death as a child because of the color of his skin. He was abused, he was a foster child placed in a home, and they beat him merely because his– his color was different than the others. And they beat him, and beat him and that’d make a criminal out of anybody.

Congregation: Murmurs.

Jones: So I have been there to try to help people, and don’t think I would take up your time today, if I wasn’t interested in helping you. I wouldn’t do it, ‘cause I don’t have a car, and I don’t have any new suits, and I don’t have a new home. There’s nothing I want, but your freedom. I’m just here to get you free in mind and spirit.

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: Just take this, child, and read it. Read it closely. Then you’ll see what I’m saying. Every reason you’re judging me right now, is because of something you’ve been told. And it all comes out of King James. That’s where the myths and the history comes, out of King James. And it was King James that took our great-grandfathers and mothers, those wonderful people, and lied to them, and brought them in the Good Ship Jesus. Not only did he lie to them with a book, but he took the first ship that brought the people here in slavery was the Good Ship Jesus. Well, you say, I’m white. He didn’t do anything to me. Oh, yes, he did. The first white settlers, the first white settlers, the first ones were persecuted by King James. The Indians that were persecuted? King James, his armies, his legions. Don’t tell me. You’ve all been lied to by King James.

Congregation: Scattered applause.

Jones: And I know that there (tape edit) some of you out here, sitting in this room saying, I believe every word that’s in that book. (Pause) All right, do you now? Let’s see. Ephesians 6:5. Slaves? That’s the way it is originally, servants. Many of you are servants. You’ve been working as servants. We’ve been made servants. Says servants – originally it says slaves – be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trem– trembling in singleness of your heart. I can see some of you folk that are servants in house, are you going to tremble when you look at that master? Pause) You know better, and I’m glad you wouldn’t. That’s what it says you’re supposed to do. Any one of you work as a servant in the house? Oh, come on, now, I know you folk. Yeah, you’re just one like me, so don’t act like you– don’t act like you working on Wall Street. Iknow where you folk work.

Congregation: Delayed applause.

Jones: It says servants, be obedient to them, you that– your masters, according to the flesh with fear and trembling. It says whatever state you find yourself – in Colossians 3:22 – slaves, obey in all things your master according to the flay– the flesh, not with eyeservice but in a singleness of heart, fearing God  (Tches) Slaves, exhort slaves to be obedient unto their own masters – Titus 2:9 – and to please them well in all things. Always be faithful to them. Slaves – First Peter 2:18 – be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle– Aren’t you glad Harriet Tubman didn’t believe this? Aren’t you glad that Frederick Douglass didn’t believe this? Aren’t you glad that [George] Washington Carver didn’t believe this?

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: It says slaves be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the forward, for this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience towards God endure grief suffering wrongfully. Now I want to say, if we had listened to that tripe, we would still being– being lynched. We would still have no name. We would still not be able to have property. They could still come and take our children away from us, as they did our great-grandparents, snatched them away, and we never saw them again. Separate husband from wife. What a horrible, horrible thing. And there’re people today that say they believe it. You don’t believe that. Now some of you sisters in here– The brothers have been pretty open today. I haven’t had any brother looking nasty at me, but some of you sisters are really frowning out there. And I want to say, sisters, do you believe that– all the Bible? Yeah, I see you raising your hand all right. It says women, (enunciates each syllable) obey your husbands.

Congregation: Laughter and applause.

Jones: You women, you know– You take what you want, and you  leave what you want. And it says something else. It said you women– And you know, I’m glad you– you don’t do what this verse says, it says women– (emphasizes) women keep silence. In (draws out word) all the churches suffer not a woman to speak. Suffer not a woman to teach. Now what would happen if a woman shut her mouth. What would happen?

Congregation: Applause.

Jones: The world would be a much less blessed place. It’d be a much less free place, and it would certainly drive all the women crazy and the men too.

Voice in Congregation: Responds.

Jones: They couldn’t possibly be shut, you couldn’t shut your mouth. But that’s what King James says. Women keep silence. That means, honey, if you don’t understand plain English, shut your cotton-pickin’ mouth.

Congregation: Laughter.

Tape Ends