Jonestown revisited - 30 years later

[ramesh]

It's thirty years this month since the infamous events at Jonestown, Guyana where 900+ souls lost their lives at the hands of cult leader Jim Jones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones) in one of the biggest massacres of all time. For those of you too young to remember the events of November 1978, you can find the details on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown

The vat in the Time Magazine cover (2nd image below) contains the poisoned Kool Aid members of the cult drank in their suicide pact, the ones that chose to remain with their leader Jim Jones. Warning: the images may be a bit too much to handle.

http://js3334.k12.sd.us/Event/Dead%20bodies%20at%20jonestown.jpg
http://thesituationist.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/jonestown.jpg
http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/photos/11-03-06/jonestown.jpg

[mead]

I remember seeing a documentary some months ago on National Geo about Jones Town, the Branch Davidians and other cults. I was shocked to see how easy it is to use religion to brainwash even educated people into doing anything, from handing over their under age daughters to be sexually abused to even killing themselves.
I know of some established churches taking money from people to "pray for them" so they can get a job or a US visa. I thought it was the obeah man who you go to for this type of service :eusa_doh:.

[ramesh]

They had a documentary on the Jonestown incident this week on MSNBC including interviews with the survivors and old footage shot during and after the massacre. They may show it again this month.

I remember the headlines after the incident. The Jamaica Star (it wasn't as bad in terms of news reporting then as now) had the headline "Jonestown Massacre" and the Time article (image in my previous post) were stuck in my mind and many others for quite some time.

[Twinkie]

Scary, and it appears we may have other cults on the rise in our very own JamDown. I mean even if they were here all along, they're making their presence known, and it's casting fear on the country and in the hearts of these poor innocent kids. I fear for my own life daily when I transport them.