Product: Jonestown - The Life & Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
Rating: 5.0
One of the best documentaries I've ever seen!!
In each article, tv special or book about cults, Jonestown can't be missing. The cult with the largest number of victims in recent history is something to be studied and why many people still believe in those false prophets is not exactly a mistery, but not enterely understood.Reading about sects and cults all over the world is good information to avoid of joining one. In the case of People's Temple, leaded by Jim Jones, there were many things that the people inside couldn't see as an obvious alert, like someone said "you don't want to get out because you don't even know you're in", if you don't see the smoke is because is your building that's on fire.The aspects about what a leader is are all in Jim Jones, charismatic, charming, articulated, and able to manipulate the most people he wanted. Now, the difference between a leader of a religion, (the pope, a priest, rabbi, etc.) is they represent an authority inside of a religion, if one of them die, there will be another one. In the case of the leader of a sect, they don't represent god, they ARE gods. In the words of Jim Jones "If you see me as your friend, I'll be your friend, if you see me as your father, I'll be your father, if you see me as your god, I'll be your god" They don't tolerate anyone who's against them and take all critics as a personal offense to them, like a betrayal.About the followers, mainly is people who's looking for something, maybe is in troubles, sick, unemployed or facing a personal crisis (a divorce, a death, a difficult disease)The dvd is highly recommended, the whole evolution of Jim Jones since he was a kid obsessed with religion and death to the beginning of People's Temple (full of "miracles" made by Jim Jones), to their move to Guyana and the unavoidable death of his followers is something worthy to be studied.How can we know we're facing a cult? If the group demands important changes in your personality (change of clothes, the name, the way of talking or thinking). If the group affects the relation you have with the family, friends, colleagues or couples or the entire world ("the rest of the world is evil..." "the family and friends don't really love you, etc."). If the group demands work beyond the human strenght (lack of food, sleep, excessive work), massive confessions, "bomb of love". If the group demands a "proof of faith" with acts that are against moral or common sense.A cult can be destructive only if you let them.