Kimberly Glover
Mrs. Haraway
English Comp II Honors
April 24, 2012
Manipulation of the Naïve Cults are not fairly common in this day and age, but most people can recall a time when they were popular. The cults were perceived as very powerful and, at times, dangerous. One such case is the cult known as the Peoples Temple. Even though most people who join cults start off with the best of intentions, they are eventually brainwashed because cults hold tremendous power over their members as a result of charismatic leaders, manipulative persuasion, and extreme isolation. Distinguishing the difference between a cult and a religion is quite hard. Any religion that defies the standards of “mainstream” religions can be considered a cult. This could confuse some people, because most of the popular religions today started out as small religious groups that were seen as cults (Tabor, par. 7). According to Charles Clark, cults have their own unique beliefs and they often differ or challenge religions in society. They may have a leader who sees himself as the chosen one, whereas most religions praise a non-living god who is not the leader of the church. There have been many different cults over the years. Some of the more well known are Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones, Heaven’s Gate led by Marshall Applewhite, and the Branch Davidians led by David Koresh. These cults are remembered more often because of the legacy they left behind. Each of these cults demonstrated a mass suicide, killing some and even all of their followers. The techniques used for the suicides differed, but the outcomes all had the same effect. No one knew that death would come of these groups, and it shocked the world. These suicides opened society’s eyes to the dangers that cults pose. After the news of the suicides, there were more speculations made about cults and religions in general. Peoples Temple was one of the largest cults in history with around a thousand followers under the direction of Jim Jones. It was not always considered a cult, though. Jones started Peoples Temple as a church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He had a great number of followers who joined his church. After a few months, Jones moved his church to California because he feared an atomic attack (Jones, par. 5). He thought that staying in Redwood Valley would protect them if ever a nuclear war was to break out. The driving power behind cults comes from the leaders. “In times of upheaval and uncertainty, people seek out leaders with power and charisma” (Karson, 75). The leaders make people feel welcome, and they act very pleasant. They are prominently experienced in the art of manipulation and persuasion. Oftentimes, cult leaders would insist that immortality was available through them (Cults, par. 10). They had a way of making what they said sound completely true, and because of this they were able to get their followers to do just about anything they wanted. Jim Jones was beloved by his followers. He was a talented speaker and often performed acts of healing in order to draw people to him (Jones, par. 3). He was a friendly and caring leader according to the members of his cult. His new religion was a place that allowed people to find what they were missing in their lives such as love, acceptance, and trust. Recruitment by cult members follows a strategically formed guideline. Potential members are first approached by a recruiter who then invites them to an important meeting. At the meeting, the recruits have their first encounter with the cult, whose members make them feel loved and needed. Then, the cult uses “psychologically persuasive techniques” to convince them to return and ultimately make a commitment (Karson, 39). This is not always the case, because each cult develops its own style of recruitment. Although most cults target people who are searching for something or trying to escape something in their lives, anyone could be lured into the cults trap. Cults will do whatever it takes to get more followers, and persuasion is usually the method that works best. To aid in recruiting, cult members are trained in the art of persuasion. They approach potential members amiably, and speak “enthusiastically” in order to convince them to join (Karson, 39). There are different types of persuasion used by cult members to aid them in convincing recruits. An example of persuasion used by cults is called “love-bombing,” which is when members show extreme compassion, attention, and friendliness to prospective members (New Religious Movements, par. 10). What some cults make their members do has been considered brainwashing by critics. According to Charles Clark, it was not uncommon for cult leaders to force their members to spend hours chanting; they were deprived of sleep, and they were isolated from their families and the world (par. 1). In a state of disillusionment, the recruited listened to every word the leaders told them, and grew to accept their beliefs and rules. During the 1960s, when Jones started Peoples Temple, there was turmoil among blacks and whites. He wanted to start a religion where black and whites could worship together. Peoples Temple was created to be a society with no hierarchies of gender, race, or class (Maaga, xix). Jones often spoke of equality among blacks and whites. With this unique view of society, he was able to recruit high numbers of both races. The Temple was one of a kind at the time, and people were drawn in because of this. Jones frequently spoke of how he was going to treat everyone the same, even though that was not necessarily always true.
Critics of cults are most often the families of people who joined cults. The cult members would cut off ties with their families and often never speak to them again (Clark, par. 1). This brought upon worry from families about the safety of their loved ones. Some members quit their jobs in order to meet the demanding needs of the cult. The families have gone so far as to creating a group of people who want to try to get the followers to leave the cult. They call themselves “deprogrammers” and would try to reverse the effects of the cult (Clark, par. 69). “Deprogrammers” wanted to brainwash the rescued cult members in an attempt to erase the brainwashing that was inflicted upon them while in the cult.
After a while of having his cult based in California, Jones felt the pressure from society. He knew that people disapproved of what he was doing, and he wanted to just leave the country so he and his followers could live in peace. Jones convinced the members of his cult to move to Guyana. “Guyana was to be the Promise Land of security and peace away from the corrupting influence of American society and the persecution of opponents” (Maaga, 9). According to Jill Karson, Jim Jones’ most dangerous weapon was isolation, and other brainwashers had used it before. It is ironic that the new settlement in Guyana was to be a wonderful place, because while there, members were forced to work all day, attend meetings, and had little to no time to themselves. After some time being in Guyana, Jones was being criticized more than ever. A congressman from California named Leo Ryan highly suspected that Jones was running a concentration camp there, and flew to Guyana to see what it was all about (Jonestown, par. 1). The visit from Ryan sent Jones into panic mode. He gave the congressman tours of the settlement, and at the end of the day he ordered people to kill him and his entourage. After Ryan had been killed, Jones set into action the mass suicide he had been planning for months. He was so powerful at the time that he was able to persuade almost all of the members of Peoples Temple to drink cyanide laced flavor-aid, after administering it to their children by force. According to Mary Maaga, nine hundred and eleven members at Jonestown were poisoned, two hundred sixty of which were children (6).
There are not cults in today’s society, but some religions are still criticized and called cults by critics. Universal susceptibility to cults could be lessened if people inform themselves about the techniques that are used by recruiters. The charismatic leaders of cults are always the most powerful weapons. Leaders, such as Jim Jones, got their power from their great skills of persuasion. Isolation was a favorite manipulation technique of many cults. Hopefully in the future, the public will educate themselves about the brainwashing cults use and will be able to prevent future cults from forming.

Working Bibliography
Clark, Charles S. "Cults in America." CQ Researcher 7 May 1993: 385-408. Web. 29. Mar. 2012.
"Cults." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 14 May 2009. Web. 29 Mar. 2012.
"Jones, Jim (1931 - 1978)." World of Criminal Justice, Gale. Farmington: Gale, 2002. Credo Reference. Web. 29 March 2012.
Karson, Jill. Cults. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Print.
Maaga, Mary McCormick. Hearing the Voices of Jonestown. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1998. Print.
"New Religious Movements." The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide. Abington: Helicon, 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 29 March 2012.
Tabor, James D., and Eugene V. Gallagher. "Cult Conversion Is Exaggerated." Why Waco? Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America. Rpt. in Cults. Ed. Jill Karson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Contemporary Issues Companion. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 29 Mar. 2012.