In order to convince many people to follow his teachings wholeheartedly, Jim Jones made himself a prophet and manipulated his congregation through their vulnerability, which was their faith. Many false preachers and prophets actually today use many of the same tactics Jim Jones used to attract a healthy number of dedicated followers. As a perceived man of God, it was easier to believe what was being taught because as pastors, they hold a certain standard as very religious and proper representations of Christians. Claims of visions from God, miraculous healings, etc. are common acts that Jim Jones used for years to attract membership. Another factor that allowed him to gain a vast amount of members was the religious backgrounds of many of them. At some point or another, devote members were exposed to some form of Christianity earlier on in their lives. Jones used that as an advantage by using true principles taught in the Bible and twisting them to fit his narrative. He created a pseudo- Christian community among the people and demanded absolute loyalty. In a sense, God and Jesus were replaced by an authoritative figure and Jones even went as far as to say that he was in fact, an embodiment of Jesus Christ Himself.
http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27616
I agree with much of your analysis. People have used religion to justify their leadership since ancient times when kings would claim divine rule. It also seems much of the circular logic is being used by politicians today because there is so little overlap between various parties.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think that since people generally take religion very seriously and have very profound beliefs in it, it is unfortunately easier and much more cruel to manipulate them.
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