56 International Journal of Cultic Studies Vol. 4, 2013
psychotic Jones.154 Their story became a deviant
case, which society in general, and the media in
particular, used to set an example for the rest of
society. Consequently, Bax and Bernstein’s
theoretical insights come short of explaining the
events in Jonestown.
Marx and Engels, however, can help us explain
the Jonestown tragedy. In Engels’ analysis of
Christianity, he affirmed that both socialism and
Christianity offered salvation to their adherents
and relief from bondage and misery. Socialism
offered salvation in this world Christianity
offered emancipation in the afterlife.155 Jones
referred to his mass-suicide ritual as
“revolutionary suicide.”156 In his last recorded
words, Jones stated, “‘Take our life from us.
We laid it down. We got tired. We didn’t
commit suicide. We committed an act of
revolutionary suicide protesting the conditions
of an inhumane world.’”157 Therefore, the
understanding that Jones and some of his people
considered their deaths a protest, that they were
killing themselves for socialism, was far from
accurate.
As Engels explained, Marxist materialism does
not provide for salvation in the afterlife—
religion does. Thus, it was not the socialist
aspects of the Peoples Temple that drove them
to mass murder/suicide rather, it was their
religious belief in an afterlife and religious faith
in and fear of their charismatic leader.158
Furthermore, Judeo-Christianity provided a deep
tradition of mass suicide for Jones to draw on:
the Sicarii in Masada,159 the Jews in Mainz,160
154 Hall, p. 291 One academic has argued that Jones actually
suffered from delusional disorder complicated by substance abuse
(Lys, “The Violence of Jim Jones”).
155 Engels, “The History of Early Christianity,” p. 217.
156 Hall, p. 136.
157 Cited in Hall, p. 287.
158 Scheeres, p. 250. An analysis of Max Weber’s charisma would
certainly be useful in this framework. The leaders of these groups
perform an important role in the development and degradation of
each movement. In order to maintain a strictly Marxist
perspective, however, I have elected to omit him at this point.
159 The Sicarii were a group of Jewish Zealots who took control of
the fortress of Masada in 66 CE, during the Jewish Wars. The 960
members of this group committed mass suicide rather than be
captured by the Romans (VanderKam, p. 169). Moreover, one ex-
member of the Peoples Temple believed that the events at Masada
did weigh in Jones’s mind:
He thought they would find him dead with hundreds of dead
followers around him. I think that he probably had the Masada
incident in mind. He never mentioned it, but I think that
and, of course, the biblical account of Jesus
Christ on Calvary. The latter, by allowing
himself to be killed on the cross, provided what
was possibly Jones’ best example of
“revolutionary suicide.” Jesus died to save the
world Jones and his people died in an attempt to
revolutionize it.
Nevertheless, Jones was not faced with the same
circumstances as the groups mentioned above,
such as a Roman legion and a throng of hate-
filled crusaders. Rather, Jones constructed his
own enemy at the gate. He convinced himself
and his followers that there were immediate
threats to Jonestown. Jones proclaimed that the
only way to preserve peace was to die today and
be raised up tomorrow.161 Death in this way was
a decisively un-Marxist action.
Marx argued that the religious aspects of
Christian socialist groups would steer them
away from the material world.162 Therefore,
from Marx’s perspective, religion kept the
Essenes of Qumran from fleeing from the
impeding Roman attack.163 Religion was what
drove the Anabaptists to remain in Munster to
the brink of starvation, holding out for the
millennial events prophesized by their leaders.164
And religion, a lack of understanding of the
material world, allowed the suicidal in
Jonestown to drink the cyanide-laced Flavor-Aid
and legitimized the actions of others who forced
many in the community to drink Jones’
concoction.165 Religion left these groups ill-
equipped to deal with their material world the
reaction caused by their social, political, and
religious rebellion was far more than they could
bear.
probably was in the back of his mind: how marvelous the event
would be! (Mills, “Jonestown Masada,” p. 170)
160 This inclusion alludes to an incident in Mainz, Germany in 1096
in which more than a thousand Jewish men, women, and children,
taking refuge in the courtyard of an archbishops palace, committed
mass suicide to avoid being captured by the impending crusaders
(Carroll, Constantine’s Sword, p. 261).
161 Hall, p. 283–284 Mathews, p. 14.
162 Marx, “Towards a Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right,”
p. 72.
163 Crossan and Reed, p. 200.
164 Cohn.
165 Mathews, pp. 12–14.
psychotic Jones.154 Their story became a deviant
case, which society in general, and the media in
particular, used to set an example for the rest of
society. Consequently, Bax and Bernstein’s
theoretical insights come short of explaining the
events in Jonestown.
Marx and Engels, however, can help us explain
the Jonestown tragedy. In Engels’ analysis of
Christianity, he affirmed that both socialism and
Christianity offered salvation to their adherents
and relief from bondage and misery. Socialism
offered salvation in this world Christianity
offered emancipation in the afterlife.155 Jones
referred to his mass-suicide ritual as
“revolutionary suicide.”156 In his last recorded
words, Jones stated, “‘Take our life from us.
We laid it down. We got tired. We didn’t
commit suicide. We committed an act of
revolutionary suicide protesting the conditions
of an inhumane world.’”157 Therefore, the
understanding that Jones and some of his people
considered their deaths a protest, that they were
killing themselves for socialism, was far from
accurate.
As Engels explained, Marxist materialism does
not provide for salvation in the afterlife—
religion does. Thus, it was not the socialist
aspects of the Peoples Temple that drove them
to mass murder/suicide rather, it was their
religious belief in an afterlife and religious faith
in and fear of their charismatic leader.158
Furthermore, Judeo-Christianity provided a deep
tradition of mass suicide for Jones to draw on:
the Sicarii in Masada,159 the Jews in Mainz,160
154 Hall, p. 291 One academic has argued that Jones actually
suffered from delusional disorder complicated by substance abuse
(Lys, “The Violence of Jim Jones”).
155 Engels, “The History of Early Christianity,” p. 217.
156 Hall, p. 136.
157 Cited in Hall, p. 287.
158 Scheeres, p. 250. An analysis of Max Weber’s charisma would
certainly be useful in this framework. The leaders of these groups
perform an important role in the development and degradation of
each movement. In order to maintain a strictly Marxist
perspective, however, I have elected to omit him at this point.
159 The Sicarii were a group of Jewish Zealots who took control of
the fortress of Masada in 66 CE, during the Jewish Wars. The 960
members of this group committed mass suicide rather than be
captured by the Romans (VanderKam, p. 169). Moreover, one ex-
member of the Peoples Temple believed that the events at Masada
did weigh in Jones’s mind:
He thought they would find him dead with hundreds of dead
followers around him. I think that he probably had the Masada
incident in mind. He never mentioned it, but I think that
and, of course, the biblical account of Jesus
Christ on Calvary. The latter, by allowing
himself to be killed on the cross, provided what
was possibly Jones’ best example of
“revolutionary suicide.” Jesus died to save the
world Jones and his people died in an attempt to
revolutionize it.
Nevertheless, Jones was not faced with the same
circumstances as the groups mentioned above,
such as a Roman legion and a throng of hate-
filled crusaders. Rather, Jones constructed his
own enemy at the gate. He convinced himself
and his followers that there were immediate
threats to Jonestown. Jones proclaimed that the
only way to preserve peace was to die today and
be raised up tomorrow.161 Death in this way was
a decisively un-Marxist action.
Marx argued that the religious aspects of
Christian socialist groups would steer them
away from the material world.162 Therefore,
from Marx’s perspective, religion kept the
Essenes of Qumran from fleeing from the
impeding Roman attack.163 Religion was what
drove the Anabaptists to remain in Munster to
the brink of starvation, holding out for the
millennial events prophesized by their leaders.164
And religion, a lack of understanding of the
material world, allowed the suicidal in
Jonestown to drink the cyanide-laced Flavor-Aid
and legitimized the actions of others who forced
many in the community to drink Jones’
concoction.165 Religion left these groups ill-
equipped to deal with their material world the
reaction caused by their social, political, and
religious rebellion was far more than they could
bear.
probably was in the back of his mind: how marvelous the event
would be! (Mills, “Jonestown Masada,” p. 170)
160 This inclusion alludes to an incident in Mainz, Germany in 1096
in which more than a thousand Jewish men, women, and children,
taking refuge in the courtyard of an archbishops palace, committed
mass suicide to avoid being captured by the impending crusaders
(Carroll, Constantine’s Sword, p. 261).
161 Hall, p. 283–284 Mathews, p. 14.
162 Marx, “Towards a Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right,”
p. 72.
163 Crossan and Reed, p. 200.
164 Cohn.
165 Mathews, pp. 12–14.
