How to Be a Critical Consumer of Knowledge and Information CULTS 101 How to Be a Critical Consumer of Knowledge and Information DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

You will be responsible for… Forming your own opinion Thinking critically Reflecting on the ideas presented DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Cults The word cult usually refers to a new religious movement or group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. Cults generally have a charismatic leader who uses techniques of manipulation and brainwashing to persuade followers. Cult leaders often target vulnerable potential followers. They persuade them to leave their friends/family and sink their life savings into the cult. DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

The Psychology Behind Mind Control Why are cult leaders able to manipulate their followers? Victims are often in physically or emotionally distressing situation (i.e. ex-convicts, former drug addicts, etc.). They are promised unconditional love, acceptance and attention from their leader. They receive a new identity. They are isolated from friends/family. DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Heaven’s Gate American UFO religion based in San Diego, California Led by Marshall Applewhite March 26, 1997: Police discovered the bodies of 39 members of the group who had committed suicide They wanted to reach an alien space craft which they believed was following the Comet Hale-Bopp Preached about salvation and the apocalypse Applewhite believed he was directly related to Jesus meaning he was an “Evolutionary Kingdom Level Above Human” DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Belief System Heaven’s Gate members believed that the planet Earth was about to be recycled and the only chance to survive would be to leave it immediately They believed to do this they must “leave” their human bodies, which they called “vessels.” Discussion What are your ethical values regarding this? Why were these members so easily manipulated? DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

The Jonestown Massacre Jim Jones founded the Peoples Temple in Indiana in 1955 Focused on helping people in need Moved to Redwood Valley California in 1965 Communist society Everyone would live together in harmony Worked for the common good Everyone was equal No one was better off than you Jones dreamed of establishing a compound under his control Jim Jones brochure of the Peoples Temple by the Jonestown Institute, CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), Wikimedia, last modified April 6, 2012, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jim_Jones_brochure_of_Peoples_Temple.jpg DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Guyana map by Directorate of Intelligence, CIA, public domain, Jonestown They settled in Guyana (a remote location in South America) in 1974 Guyana map by Directorate of Intelligence, CIA, public domain, Wikimedia Commons, last modified August 19, 2013, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guyana_map.gif South America by Directorate of Intelligence, CIA, public domain, Wikimedia Commons, last modified January 9, 2005, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_america.jpg DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Things went horribly wrong… Jonestown was supposed to be a utopia There were not enough cabins for housing Overcrowding Segregated by gender Married couples were forced to live apart No one was allowed to leave Heat and humidity was stifling Members were forced to work long days in the heat (11 hours/day) Jones talked endlessly on a loudspeaker that broadcast through the compound Compound was surrounded by miles and miles of jungle and armed guards DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan A U.S. congressman, Leo Ryan, visited Jonestown in 1978 At first things appeared OK Then someone passed him a note saying they wanted to leave desperately The next day at the airport, as they were getting ready to leave, five people were shot down including Ryan Jones did not want members leaving his community Nor did he want the congressman to divulge any information about his cult to the press back home in America DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

The End: Poisoned Punch Because of the incident at the airport, Jones told member they were not safe He told them that the only solution was to commit a revolutionary act: suicide In a hurry, they filled large kettles with Kool-Aid They added cyanide and valium, a lethal concoction 909 people died, including 303 children Only a handful survived by hiding under beds or seeking refuge in the surrounding jungle DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Why? Jones was afraid the truth would come out He convinced his victims that they would be tortured by outsiders (Americans) if they survived Members of the Peoples Temple were manipulated and brainwashed by Jones DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Reflection Questions Why were Jim Jones’ followers so easy to manipulate? Why did some choose to hide rather than participate in the “revolutionary act”? Can this still happen today? Will it happen again? Why or why not? Do cults still exist? DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

PBS documentary: Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/embed/D7IxGGfpSWk?rel=0 Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/embed/u9rSN05Pi94?rel=0 Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/embed/_myD9eXv20U?rel=0 Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/embed/lbibStUXnj8?rel=0 Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/embed/ieLkcBEJ1h8?rel=0 Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/embed/hZjfWuTHe0M?rel=0 Part 7: http://www.youtube.com/embed/BzAoktGxDNo?rel=0 Part 8: http://www.youtube.com/embed/vkzw5YUGpRs?rel=0 Part 9: http://www.youtube.com/embed/pLZDaE7XfLM?rel=0 DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/