Jim Jones fooled the Peoples Temple congregation. He convinced his mostly Christian followers that God was speaking through him to deliver his\/God\u2019s messages. He also duped people into believing that God had given him supernatural powers (i.e., healing, foreseeing the future).<\/p>\n
I attended Peoples Temple once \u2013 but only once \u2013\u00a0with my sister, Melanie Simon. After she left me alone in my seat \u2013 she was working inside the church \u2013 a group of about three men approached me and told me this story of Jones healing someone and \u201cmagically\u201d putting out a fire. I don\u2019t remember the details, but I do remember the stare and stern look on their faces, trying to determine if I believed them or not. I felt extremely uncomfortable, and they knew by my expression that I did not believe them.<\/p>\n
But Melanie did. She would tell us how Jones would predict\u00a0that\u00a0past members would be involved in horrible car accidents and\/ or\u00a0seriously injured. In subsequent sermons, Jones would tell the members how the prophecies had come to pass. I think Jones intimidated the members into believing that if they left the church,\u00a0something bad would happened to them.<\/p>\n
Melanie and other church members had\u00a0large head-and-shoulder photographs of Jim Jones hanging in their homes, similar to a picture one would hang of Jesus Christ.
\nI believe the members did not think of Peoples Temple as a cult, but rather viewed Jones as having been given the gift of supernatural powers from God and doing God\u2019s will. Many Christians believe in God speaking through a person on earth. Jones took advantage of that belief and expanded on it to control his congregation.<\/p>\n