International Journal of Cultic Studies Vol. 4, 2013 53
personification of Socialism,’”113 and compared
himself to Jesus. As religion scholar David
Chidester explained, “The real Jesus was an
incarnation of socialism, a militant
revolutionary, a black liberationist. The same
Principle of socialism, revolution, and black
liberation, Jones insisted, was incarnated in Jim
Jones.”114 Jones is almost a mirror image of
Engels’ Thomas Münzer both were devoutly
committed to communism and Christians (at
least superficially), and both were completely
delusional.115
To summarize, these groups all struck out
against the social order of their time. They all
represented the poorest and most oppressed
members of society. The Essenes primarily
consisted of people who had become
disenfranchised by the Temple authorities.116
The Anabaptists attracted throngs of homeless
and poor peoples to Munster in hope of a new
social order.117 The population of Jonestown
was 70 percent African-American, many of
whom grew up in the ghettos of southern United
States, and all of whom were looking for a better
life.118 Therefore, these communal religious
groups provided people with a chance to achieve
equality. The rub became whether this equality
would come to fruition in the material world or
in the afterlife.
113 Cited in Chidester, p. 57.
114 Chidester, p. 60. In addition to Jesus, Jones exclaimed that he
would “become” like Moses and Lenin, as well (Chidester, p. 62).
115 Engels had a deep attachment to Münzer. He viewed Münzer as
providing an early example of modern speculative understandings
of the Bible. He stated that Münzer’s views of religion, although
“cloaked” in Christianity, were pantheistic and, at times, even
atheistic (Engels, “The Peasant War in Germany,” 1850, p. 212).
Engels understood that “reason,” not scripture or doctrine, was
paramount for Münzer: “To hold up the Bible against reason,
[Münzer] maintained, was to kill the spirit by the letter, for the
Holy Spirit of which the Bible speaks is not something that exists
outside the Holy Spirit is our reason” (Engels, 1850, p. 212). He
also commended Münzer for his belief that the salvation must be
sought on earth, not in the afterlife (Engels, 1850, p. 212).
Politically, Engels found an even stronger attachment to Münzer:
“Just as Münzer’s religious philosophy approached atheism, so his
political program approached communism” (Engels, 1850, p. 213).
Münzer’s Kingdom of God would have no private property, no
class differences, and no state authority separate from the
immediate community (Engels, 1850, p. 213).
116 Crossan and Reed, pp. 234–235.
117 Cohn, p. 266.
118 Reiterman with Jacobs, pp. 246–247.
Reification
After each of these groups rebelled, there
followed a period of time during which they
were able to implement and enforce their
ideologies to some degree. Bernstein observed
how Judeo-Christian communal sects tended to
identify themselves as Israelites.119 For
example, like the Essenes in their Dead Sea
communes or Jonestown in Guyana, they drew
on themes from the Exodus story relating to the
Israelites’ 40 years of wandering through the
desert in Sinai. Also, some groups, such as the
Anabaptists in Munster, actually claimed to be
God’s chosen people they claimed to be new
Israelites building a New Jerusalem.120 In fact,
Bernstein believed that communes could exist
only when they had some sort of religious
ideology as their base. Religion, he thought,
was the central component of their solidarity.121
Additionally, Engels felt that working-class
movements of this type were impossible in
larger centers however, he believed they could
gain some limited success if they were to take
place in remote enough areas.122
Both Bernstein and Engels’ thoughts help
explain these groups’ tendencies toward
identifying with the Israelites. The Israelites,
according to the biblical myth, used their time in
the desert to solidify doctrine and social
relations. For example, the biblical texts state
that the Commandments, the basic structure of
the Temple, the social relations associated with
the Temple, and various other social and
religious requirements were created and
enforced at this time.123 In the desert, the
Israelites were transformed from persecuted
Egyptian slaves to God’s chosen people.
Bax described how communal religious
movements tended to set up a primitive form of
communism based on the “communisation of the
economic product,” instead of the
“communisation of the means of production.”124
Consequently, the return to mediaeval
communism the Anabaptists and related groups
119 Bernstein, Cromwell and Communism, p. 105.
120 Cohn, p. 262.
121 Bernstein, The Preconditions of Socialism, p. 131.
122 Engels, “The History of Early Christianity,” p. 221.
123 Ex. 20–40.
124 Bax, Rise and Fall of the Anabaptists, pp. 389–390.
personification of Socialism,’”113 and compared
himself to Jesus. As religion scholar David
Chidester explained, “The real Jesus was an
incarnation of socialism, a militant
revolutionary, a black liberationist. The same
Principle of socialism, revolution, and black
liberation, Jones insisted, was incarnated in Jim
Jones.”114 Jones is almost a mirror image of
Engels’ Thomas Münzer both were devoutly
committed to communism and Christians (at
least superficially), and both were completely
delusional.115
To summarize, these groups all struck out
against the social order of their time. They all
represented the poorest and most oppressed
members of society. The Essenes primarily
consisted of people who had become
disenfranchised by the Temple authorities.116
The Anabaptists attracted throngs of homeless
and poor peoples to Munster in hope of a new
social order.117 The population of Jonestown
was 70 percent African-American, many of
whom grew up in the ghettos of southern United
States, and all of whom were looking for a better
life.118 Therefore, these communal religious
groups provided people with a chance to achieve
equality. The rub became whether this equality
would come to fruition in the material world or
in the afterlife.
113 Cited in Chidester, p. 57.
114 Chidester, p. 60. In addition to Jesus, Jones exclaimed that he
would “become” like Moses and Lenin, as well (Chidester, p. 62).
115 Engels had a deep attachment to Münzer. He viewed Münzer as
providing an early example of modern speculative understandings
of the Bible. He stated that Münzer’s views of religion, although
“cloaked” in Christianity, were pantheistic and, at times, even
atheistic (Engels, “The Peasant War in Germany,” 1850, p. 212).
Engels understood that “reason,” not scripture or doctrine, was
paramount for Münzer: “To hold up the Bible against reason,
[Münzer] maintained, was to kill the spirit by the letter, for the
Holy Spirit of which the Bible speaks is not something that exists
outside the Holy Spirit is our reason” (Engels, 1850, p. 212). He
also commended Münzer for his belief that the salvation must be
sought on earth, not in the afterlife (Engels, 1850, p. 212).
Politically, Engels found an even stronger attachment to Münzer:
“Just as Münzer’s religious philosophy approached atheism, so his
political program approached communism” (Engels, 1850, p. 213).
Münzer’s Kingdom of God would have no private property, no
class differences, and no state authority separate from the
immediate community (Engels, 1850, p. 213).
116 Crossan and Reed, pp. 234–235.
117 Cohn, p. 266.
118 Reiterman with Jacobs, pp. 246–247.
Reification
After each of these groups rebelled, there
followed a period of time during which they
were able to implement and enforce their
ideologies to some degree. Bernstein observed
how Judeo-Christian communal sects tended to
identify themselves as Israelites.119 For
example, like the Essenes in their Dead Sea
communes or Jonestown in Guyana, they drew
on themes from the Exodus story relating to the
Israelites’ 40 years of wandering through the
desert in Sinai. Also, some groups, such as the
Anabaptists in Munster, actually claimed to be
God’s chosen people they claimed to be new
Israelites building a New Jerusalem.120 In fact,
Bernstein believed that communes could exist
only when they had some sort of religious
ideology as their base. Religion, he thought,
was the central component of their solidarity.121
Additionally, Engels felt that working-class
movements of this type were impossible in
larger centers however, he believed they could
gain some limited success if they were to take
place in remote enough areas.122
Both Bernstein and Engels’ thoughts help
explain these groups’ tendencies toward
identifying with the Israelites. The Israelites,
according to the biblical myth, used their time in
the desert to solidify doctrine and social
relations. For example, the biblical texts state
that the Commandments, the basic structure of
the Temple, the social relations associated with
the Temple, and various other social and
religious requirements were created and
enforced at this time.123 In the desert, the
Israelites were transformed from persecuted
Egyptian slaves to God’s chosen people.
Bax described how communal religious
movements tended to set up a primitive form of
communism based on the “communisation of the
economic product,” instead of the
“communisation of the means of production.”124
Consequently, the return to mediaeval
communism the Anabaptists and related groups
119 Bernstein, Cromwell and Communism, p. 105.
120 Cohn, p. 262.
121 Bernstein, The Preconditions of Socialism, p. 131.
122 Engels, “The History of Early Christianity,” p. 221.
123 Ex. 20–40.
124 Bax, Rise and Fall of the Anabaptists, pp. 389–390.
