Updated: November 18, 2023 marked the 45th anniversary of the “Jonestown Massacre”. This tragedy took the lives of over 900 people (mostly African Americans). African Americans made up 70% of the Jonestown population. 45% of Jonestown residents were Black Women. May we reflect upon this story, thank God for His Grace and pray for the families of those who were lost and for our nation today.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge -Hosea 4:6
I’ve been watching what’s going on. The news is exhausting, especially when you feel helpless as if what is one little voice not backed by tons of people can do. But at this point, that doesn’t matter. I frankly am tired of being a victim. I’ve learned that I don’t want to continue to allow this label to be placed on me, it is not a space I want to be in. It’s not the way I want to think. When I continue to focus only on the pain that has happened in my life, I make it rather difficult for myself to move on to healing. A sense of dependency is developed between me and my emotions and I never fully feel FREE. Each step I take, each thought I make is decided by my emotions what I feel at that specific time. Nothing else matters. This pattern of self-enabling oppressive thinking progresses. I feel helpless to fight it. The outcome has been defeat every single time; a cycle filled with similar scenarios that end with the same results. When I finally take steps to look at the big picture, that I have options; that i’m not defined by my circumstances; that I have a God that can step in even in times when I’ve checked out, clouds turn to sunshine, and all the rain into rainbows. It’s as if a paradigm shift begins to occur. My view is different. My vision becomes so much clearer when I shift my focus. Then comes the question I ask myself “why didn’t I do this before”? Who knows, and who cares. I’m just glad that I can see and move on! Blessed with the chance to learn from my past mistakes so that I wont repeat them.
I see a lot of people hurting lately but then I see a lot of people also talking about history, black history with people telling everyone else what should and should not be remembered. There’s a lot of people representing me or other people that look like me but no one asked me nothin’ personally. And the stories I believe that as a Christian, a Woman, a Black woman that should be known and learned from are forgotten and buried. When we look at our current times and this event for instance that happened years ago, I see so many similarities. This tragedy that occurred in Guyana over 40 years ago is hard to look at but I find that each time I read about it there’s something new that I learn, not only about history but myself as well. This isn’t just a story about people who lost their lives. It’s a story about race, gender, inequality on all sides, manipulation, blindness, idolatry (human worship in this case), abuse and so much more.
This is history. This is Black history too. This story needs to be remembered so the same mistakes don’t happen again.
I have followed the story of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple for years since I was a little girl. When I first saw the movie Guyana Tragedy, The Story of Jim Jones, I immediately became intrigued. As a young black girl, I loved history and wondered how so many people that looked like me followed this white man to another continent based off promises of peace and equality but ended up dead. As I got older I also began to study this story as it pertains to Christianity and the black church. I wanted to learn more about the black community and the ways and/or tactics it is so easily targeted often gravitating to charismatic well-liked leaders filled with promises of hope. Often times reputable well known organizations founded by minorities will join these leaders and promote beliefs that often have a powerful influence on minority filled communities.
On November 18, 1978 over 900 members of the “People’s Temple” lost their lives by completing suicide upon submission, guidance and force by their leader Jim Jones. Both men, women and children perished during this massacre.
Most of these people were minorities, many Black people sick and tired of being sick and tired and those who could be seen as outcast or misfits from their families, social circles or norms of the times. Jim Jones had the people’s ear. The civil rights movement was occurring. Riots were in abundance. People were dying. People were angry. People wanted justice. Why not, since their experiences in America were not what they understandably felt they deserved as human beings. They all felt mistreated and searched for a sense of meaning and belonging.
Jim Jones, a charismatic White pastor had emerged showing compassion and lending a listening ear. His congregation and notoriety grew largely due to his large backing from minorities, his speeches and the way he excited the crowd. He seemed to care about ending racism. He seemed to care about mistreatment of the elderly. He was for the people. He was revered by several organizations such as the NAACP and Urban League. He promised that he would lead his followers inevitably to a place where there would be equality and they would be free and happy.
Instead of keeping their eyes on God, the Real King and reading and abiding by His word, more frustration and hurt surfaced and the people began to follow Jim Jones more and more. They likely shouted many times out of frustration, “Why would God allow us to be treated like this”, “Why are we in pain”, Why is there inequality, “When will our time come”! Those followers believed in him. He often used manipulative tactics by mixing catchy phrases with scripture versus having many believe he was sent from God or the embodiment of a modern day Jesus at that time. Jones fed them a dream they felt they wanted to see come true and believed that Jones would be the man to make it come to pass.
The people’s king was now Jim Jones, and his vision that was formulated based upon everything they wanted to hear.
It has also been noted that Jim Jones studied other leaders such as Father Divine and Adolph Hitler to learn how to manipulate members of his congregation which is now well known as a cult.
They one man was followed to another country based off his promises and soon they found out they were amidst turmoil, danger and assault. All marriages were void, men and women were separated, parents separated from their children; everyone had to call Jones “Father or Dad”, people were drugged to keep controlled, passports were taken, all monies and and properties were forfeited, Jones made his own laws and punishment, sexual acts had to be determined by Jones and his approval. They became captives to their new kings rules instead of continuing to be captivated by his greatness. There was no more of the racism they were tired of in the States, but somehow they still became slaves who could not think, speak or eat without being told. Those promises turned out to be false and in many instances frightening, adding to their eventual destruction.
I recall the story in the book of 1 Samuel 8. The people of Israel were displeased about how things were going and demanded a King; an earthly king.
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them. So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
In the end, they still didn’t look like the other nations. They still weren’t accepted by everyone and they still looked different. Because they were!!!!!!!! They didn’t realize their uniqueness and ability to build and create was all predestined by God. The followers of the Peoples Temple were cunningly all forced to look the same because they thought their differences were a setback and they wanted to be seen as the same and equal. They thought this would change everything. But it didn’t. Their skin color wasn’t the problem. The problem was running away became their one and only solution. The problem was they stopped reading the word of God for themselves. Their problem was they saw their skin color as a handicap. Jim Jones saw weakness and they became his prey. He made them believe he understood their issues and was in the same boat as them but the first chance he got and then finally in a space of seclusion, he used the power that let him gain to overrule them all.
I sit and wonder, did they not read 1 Samuel 8 or the Bible at all? When did he become walking scripture. When did God stop being enough and this one man become ALL?
There will always be people who claim to be a solution and have pity on those that feel weak and hurt. They swoop in on the victims and look like mini saviors for a short time but still no in depth change except for the increased dependency on their words. Perhaps this is because no man can accomplish anything without God at the center, not the god of skin color or the god of emotions. This lady means Jesus! If He’s not in it, it wont work. Those words remain just words.
So I have a lot of questions. But the main ones are Why were most of these people Black? Could this happen again?
If emotional intelligence was exercised and time was taken to study the law, business etiquette, politics and history from ones own volition perhaps under marginalized communities couldn’t be so easily targeted.
If the music was turned off and we refused to dance and said “the music, the clothes, the words don’t excite us no more, show me the facts” or “I’ll read it on my own instead of being read to”, this will be a true awakening.
I got this grand realization that yes my skin color is dope, but not weak. It doesn’t rule over me that much where I will allow anyone to tell me what I should think, feel or believe.
Bottom line: I’ve decided to follow God and His word first, not what’s hot at the moment, not an organization if it doesn’t align with the word of God, not a good song and not only those that look like me. I don’t want to end up like the members of the Peoples Temple and I desperately don’t want to see millions of people walking on a path of deception in the same way.
Let a Sista think for herself.
Dear God, We humbly come before Your Throne. We pray for this country. Thank You for allowing us to see another day. Thank You for the privilege to say we are Christians. Thank You for the privilege of having Bibles and being able to read Your word. May we not take it for granted. We proclaim that there are still believers who worship You and Your Name. Your word says that if my people seek my face and humble themselves and turn from our wicked ways, You will hear from Heaven and heal our land. This nation needs healing Lord God. You have covered and protected us, yet we’ve turned away from You. We ask for forgiveness and in all humility we bow before you remembering the undeserved grace You have provided thus far and the fact that you are King and King Alone. Let us open our ears to hear the Truth that honors Your word and nothing else and proclaim Your promises to all. In the name of Your Son Jesus Christ Amen.
With Love,
–Missy Anne”
