I believe in guns because of Jim Jones. I believe in the ineffectuality and haphazardness of government because of Jim Jones. I believe in being a Discerning Believer because of Jim Jones. One of the more fun things about ideas is being able to trace the growth of one of your deeply-held beliefs to the source. I’ve been able to do that more in recent years as pop culture digs up “nostalgic” events from my childhood.
Last week’s American Experience documentary on Jonestown unearthed the source for a lot of my politics. How does a Mennonite from Indiana fold a belief in Gun Rights and Individualism into her faith? And why would that be so important? In my case the answer can be largely distilled down to two words. Jim Jones.
The Jonestown Guyana Tragedy happened when I was eight and a half years old. Because Indiana is often a very large small town, and because Jones started his People’s Temple in Indianapolis, the local news had a field day with the story. There were several Indiana-bred church members who drank the cyanide punch, and several Indiana families who lost friends and loved ones. So even though I was eight and a half, I was very attuned to the story. I read every book about Jones and Jonestown that I could get my hands on, and for awhile knew most of the survivors’ stories by heart. As I watched them narrate their personal stories on the PBS documentary last night, the bits and pieces of their survival came back to me. “Oh, he’s the one who held his wife and baby as they died and then had to escape from the gunmen into the jungle.” “Oh, he’s the one who passed the note to the journalist.” And it got me thinking about where these ideas about my politics were born. And how many of them were born out of Jonestown.
- Gun Rights
Those men and women moved their families to Guyana to build a peaceful community, following others they believed to be right and good. A thousand people carved a utopia of peace out of the jungle. Then as one of the survivors said last night: “I remember thinking ‘where did all these f—–g guns come from?'” That man was later forced to watch his wife and child die and then had to flee for his life from armed gunmen. Meanwhile, miles away on the airstrip a band of armed guerillas dispatched by that Community of Peace gunned down the unarmed people trying to flee. Since no one could shoot back, they had free reign of terror and ended up killing five human beings. Had there been armed guards at the airstrip, it’s possible that Jones wouldn’t even have sent the guerillas at all. It’s probable that there would have been an exchange of fire which would have wounded or killed some of the guerillas, preventing them from killing the innocents who were trying to flee Jonestown.
- You Can’t Trust The Government To Protect You
The Jonestown Massacre began because a well-meaning Congressman (the late Leo Ryan)
thought it would be a good idea to go down to Guyana on a “fact-finding” mission. He took with him a few journalists, aides, diplomats and relatives of People’s Temple members. During this trip he assured those with him that they were under a “Congressional Shield of Protection.” One of those under this Magic Shield was shot dead, even though his camera kept rolling.
- You have to think with your head, even as you believe with your heart
Did the 909 dead at Jonestown commit suicide or were they murdered? Jones cajoled them all into to drinking cyanide so they could “die in peace.” Many pleaded with Jones to pursue other alternatives, but were ultimately shouted down by a defeated and bewildered congregation. How do people get to the point of surrendering their reason to a madman? I think it almost always starts with the fatal combination of a dream and some good intentions. Jones preached integration, tolerance, socialism and an activist gospel. Those are all valid philosophies with many global adherents. Those who followed Jones began their journey believing in the parts of his message that were of the good. As they began to have doubts about the rest, they held their tongues, accepted beatings and carried on. By the time November 18, 1978 rolled around, they had surrendered their own capacities in favour of Jones’ magical thinking. As a Christian that’s a valuable lesson to hold dear. Faith is good. Belief in something larger than yourself is good, too. We are always to strive for change and live in service to one another. Yet God gave us all the capacity for reason and discernment. If we don’t use those tools, we run the risk of losing everything.
Who knows. Maybe if there hadn’t been a Jonestown, I would be gun-control advocating hippie right now. But there was a Jonestown, and I did take away these lessons. Is that a good or bad thing? I’m not sure. I’m still thinking.
Kat,
I remember Jim Jones, too. A couple of years ago, another blogger asked bloggers to name the ten worst Americans of all time. Jim Jones was #1 on my list. I think I was the only survey participant to list Jones. I am glad that you haven’t forgot him. By the way, not too long ago, the History Channel aired a documentary about the Jonestown Massacre.
I remember it very well also. Wish I’d know that was on television…I’d have taped it.
Same here, deb. That event was one of the first major tragedies I can remember, where I understood what was really happening.
Kat, this is such a great post. There would be nothing for me to add except just to say thank you for writing such a thoughtful post.
While I agree with you generally on your viewpoints, Jonestown to me is not so much an endorsement of guns rights and Libertarianism, but a shocking revelation of how easily we can be manipulated. I do not know of any form of Government that would attempt to and be able to protect their citizens from such a group, except perhaps Chinese communisms attacks on Falun Gong (in the attempt part). I am still amazed that anyone in the US government even got involved trying to investigate Jonestown.
Yet God gave us all the capacity for reason and discernment. If we don’t use those tools, we run the risk of losing everything.
Government, properly applied, is a tool.
I would be gun-control advocating hippie right now.
I thought I might point you to a thread from yesterday wherein you decry the use of inflammatory rhetoric.
Those who followed Jones began their journey believing in the parts of his message that were of the good.
And yet, chose to flee this country, apparently believing the steady barrage of “Govt is dangerous” and promptly landing in a remote area that offered little or no structure and definitely no safeguards against a madman.
I find it very difficult to muster sympathy for those that left the fight here to follow a messiah to the jungle. Of course, I don’t mean the children who had no choice.
Government, properly applied, is a tool.
I’m laughing at this. Because I’m agreeing with you, but using a different definition for the word ‘tool’. See how we can both be right?!?
And yes, I’m not an anarchist, so I’m pro LIMITED government. I just don’t like the idea (which many people seem to share) that government will take care of you, protect you and meet any of your unmet needs. The government is not your daddy. It’s the organisation we have to defend against aggression.
I thought I might point you to a thread from yesterday wherein you decry the use of inflammatory rhetoric.
And I would point myself to another thread where I said I needed to use more emoticons because people don’t get when I’m being funny. All that aside, I don’t consider “hippie” a perjorative. I spent years following the Grateful Dead and consider myself a hippie after a fashion. Of course, other hippies would disown me, but whatever.
I find it very difficult to muster sympathy for those that left the fight here to follow a messiah to the jungle.
I go back and forth on this, honestly. Having read all the books on it, I know that by the times members of the Temple left for Guyana they had been through some pretty intense brainwashing techniques. (Many of them had spent as long as four years deprived of food and sleep, beaten for any dissent. One man’s testimony is that he never slept more than two hours a night for four years, and often less.) But I’m just too independent to go to any church where I’m not allowed to talk to my fellow parishoners or question the minister. So I don’t get why people fall into cultic scenarios. And don’t leave. The first time I saw an old woman beaten in front of the entire congregation I’d be out of that building and down and the police station filing a report so fast I’d leave scorched earth in my wake.
I am still amazed that anyone in the US government even got involved trying to investigate Jonestown.
I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but I think Ryan was woefully idealistic. He went down there with his gladhanding ways, thinking that his aura of Congressmanship would be enough to protect people. There was no clearly thought-out plan to address what they would do if anyone wanted to leave, what they would do if they were attacked. And they WERE warned by family members and ex-Temple members that the likelihood of attack was pretty high.
Ryan believed wholeheartedly in the myth of Government Can Protect You. And it got a lot of people killed.
I don’t know if you are aware or not but Jim Jones and his congregation were self-described “Communists” and “Socialists.” I wonder why I have never heard about this factoid in the press. I didn’t know myself until I listen to some of the audio tapes from Jonestown.
Just sayin’