November 18th marks the 30th anniversary of the Jonestown tragedy.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081115/ap_ ... NGC2ZvzwcF (DEAD LINK)
Speaking of Kool Aid... 30 years on
- littlewiseone
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Speaking of Kool Aid... 30 years on
...and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make...
- The Beatles
- The Beatles
pick your lot after cult involvement.Some of the survivors would commit suicide, die at the hands of others or fall victim to drugs. But many more moved on to new careers, spouses and even churches.
It happens. and many we do not hear from.....
"None of us are survivors; we just got away," he said. "For all of us who were not in Jonestown, part of us died there."
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Quotes from the above linked article by Tim Reiterman, San Francisco news editor for The Associated Press that seem equally applicable to JZ and us?.
The preacher, who once charmed U.S. politicians and met with future first lady Rosalynn Carter, had turned into a pill-popping dictator who sadistically presided over harsh discipline. "I felt like I was in a concentration camp and he was Hitler," Williams said.
everybody had this stereotype" about the kinds of people who were members ?., she recalled. ? In fact, these were mostly ordinary people who joined the temple because they wanted to help their fellow man and be part of something larger than themselves.
"I've come to believe a group of people can see the same thing and each come away with a completely different perspective and all be right in the moment," he said. "We had ideas of a greater mission, and now we have found a way to be together that is harmonious and healing and are better able to make a difference in the world."
"We don't want to face our own responsibility or part in what happened and feel ashamed for being duped or manipulated," he said. "We look for someone else to blame. I realized over time that there was a great need to forgive him, then I could forgive myself."
The preacher, who once charmed U.S. politicians and met with future first lady Rosalynn Carter, had turned into a pill-popping dictator who sadistically presided over harsh discipline. "I felt like I was in a concentration camp and he was Hitler," Williams said.
everybody had this stereotype" about the kinds of people who were members ?., she recalled. ? In fact, these were mostly ordinary people who joined the temple because they wanted to help their fellow man and be part of something larger than themselves.
"I've come to believe a group of people can see the same thing and each come away with a completely different perspective and all be right in the moment," he said. "We had ideas of a greater mission, and now we have found a way to be together that is harmonious and healing and are better able to make a difference in the world."
"We don't want to face our own responsibility or part in what happened and feel ashamed for being duped or manipulated," he said. "We look for someone else to blame. I realized over time that there was a great need to forgive him, then I could forgive myself."
msnbc jonestown
Last night, my wife, 18 yr old daughter and I watched the MSNBC documentary on Jonestown. An excellent presentation in the words of the witnesses. No "experts" appeared on the show. There was no need.
When the Jonestown tragedy hit the news I was just getting involved in Eliz. Prophet's cult, a year later my wife divorced me over "religious differences", and a year after that I began the long trek to sort out how I fell into that craziness. The lessons of Jonestown came home to me then. I can see that we are still learning that good people loyal to a commitment sometimes go down a bad path for a long time, and sometimes too long.
My daughter made the comment, "Wow, that happened only 30 years ago!" I thought to myself, only? How easily it can happen again. I could have been one of them. In a way, I was.
When the Jonestown tragedy hit the news I was just getting involved in Eliz. Prophet's cult, a year later my wife divorced me over "religious differences", and a year after that I began the long trek to sort out how I fell into that craziness. The lessons of Jonestown came home to me then. I can see that we are still learning that good people loyal to a commitment sometimes go down a bad path for a long time, and sometimes too long.
My daughter made the comment, "Wow, that happened only 30 years ago!" I thought to myself, only? How easily it can happen again. I could have been one of them. In a way, I was.