Remember Jim Jones? These five survivors do, in this fascinating article at the Religion News Blog. They share their memories and impressions of the late Rev. Jones and the mass suicide at Jonestown that claimed the lives of almost 1000 of his followers in Guyana in 1978. Otherwise normal people can, it seems, lose their moral bearings when they fall under the influence of a charismatic religious leader.
For other comments on the whole Jonestown affair, see these articles posted at Steve Hassan's Freedom of Mind Center. That site is a great resource; it includes the oft-quoted BITE Model which outlines persuasion techniques used by exploitative organizations to control their adherents.
10:27:22 PM 
|
