FREE: The Peoples Temple Offeratory Envelopes

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The Peoples Temple was a Christian doomsday cult led by James Warren Jones (1931-1978). an inter-racial mission for the sick, homeless and jobless during the 1950's. It was an interracial congregation -- unheard of at the time. He preached the imminent end of the world in a nuclear war; during the mid 1970's raised suspicions of illegal activities within the Temple, he moved the Temple membership to Jonestown, Guyana and established a cooperative there, called the "Peoples Temple Agricultural Project. Jones developed a belief called Translation in which he and his followers would all die together, and would move to another planet for a life of bliss. Mass suicides were practiced in which his followers pretended to drink poison and fell to the ground. In the 70's Jones had been abusing prescription drugs and became increasingly paranoid. Rumors of abuses circulated. claimes that Jonestown was being run like a concentration camp, and people were being held there against their will. These concerns motivated Leo Ryan, Congressman, to visit Jonestown in 1978-NOV. Temple members decided that they wanted to leave Jonestown with the visitors and While Ryan and the others were waiting at Port Kiatuma airfield, some heavily armed members of the Temple's security guards arrived and started shooting. Congressman Ryan and four others were killed;and 11 were wounded including Jackie Spier now state senator. Fearing retribution group suicide was decided. A grape drink laced with cyanide, liquid Valium, Penegram and chloral hydrate. Sources say it was Kool-Aid; others say FlaVor-Aid®. Hundreds of bodies showed needle marks, indicating foul play. 914 died: 638 adults and 276 children. Their bodies were in a state of extensive decay when the authorities arrived.