Cults

What is it about cults that attract people who should know better. Folks join a cult only to discover they wish they hadn't once it's too late to simply walk away. Here are a few groups from recent history of times people should have been more careful in what they joined.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Are you Are you coming to the truth? Well, they
hung up a man who says she murdered True Joe,
things have happened that Mass Jones, a free Manma Doma
Hollan truthlcome.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
To the show. I'm your host, Chris James. I'm starting
my own cult. It revolves around coffee, all things coffee.
We're not gonna worship coffee or anything like that. To
belong to my cult, all you need to do is

(00:55):
drink a lot of coffee. You can drink anyone's coffee,
but if you want to be a true believer, you
must consume Organicman Coffee, Trike Coffee. The coffee you need
is found at four or five is zero one McPherson

(01:16):
or at Organicmancoffeetrike Dot Shop. All you have to do
is believe that it's the best coffee in the universe.
I tried to trim this show down to an hour,
because I try to keep all of my shows at

(01:37):
an hour, but it lost its main substance once I
started to trim it. To make it make sense and
to include all the little bits and pieces that I
think are important, I had to make the show a
bit longer. I don't know how much longer it's gonna be.

(01:58):
But if you're still with me at the end of
the show, apparently I'm doing a good job. I don't
like coincidences. Things shouldn't line up like that. I had
already started working on the show, and I laid down
to relax and watch The Red Green Show. It was

(02:21):
episode one, six'. Five it was about a cult that
showed up at The Possum lodge looking for a spaceship
that was going to take them To. Gorgon Master green
dressed up to look like their, leader and he got
them to clean up all the trash and the broken

(02:42):
car parts scattered about the. Place was this a mere?
Coincidence or AM i hearing zebras running around at? Night
the word cult is often applied to a new religious
movement or other social which has unusual and extreme. Ideas

(03:05):
usually there's one person in, charge and everybody seems to
worship that, person almost as if they're a. God the
term has different meanings depending on who you. Ask some
say it's simply a new group a new, religion whereas

(03:26):
others say it's a bunch of crazy. People the word
cult is derived from The latin word cultests which means
to worship nothing bad. There over the, years people needed
a word to describe the gatherings of folks who were

(03:47):
doing things that the regular people didn't. Like words change,
meaning and over time the word cult has taken. On
Charles mann and other organizations like his people think followers

(04:07):
of some out their cult are unintelligent and easily, manipulated
kind of like how people say that only drunk rednecks see.
UFOs this is a quick way to dismiss sightings and
cults and to get on with their lives without having
to worry about a cult possibly taking control of their. Kids,

(04:32):
oh our kids are too smart to join a. Cult
we educated them too well well the school system. Did
Charles manson had followers that came from high to middle class.
Families they were educated or at least in process of becoming.
So Mary brunner was the first person recruited Into manson's.

(04:58):
Family she And manson started a relationship In april, fifteenth
nineteen sixty, eight and she gave birth To manson's, Son Valentine. Michael,
she along With manson and, others were Arrested april twenty,
first in nineteen sixty, Eight brunner was specifically arrested for

(05:21):
endangering her, son who was about a week. Old she
was later arrested Again august, eighth nineteen sixty, nine for
using stolen credit. Cards with this, Arrest bruner was removed
from The Tate LaBianca, murders as there was no way

(05:42):
she could have possibly been there while sitting in. Jail
bruner was later charged with the murder Of Gary, hinmon
but she received immunity for testifying against the. Others she
was released and immediately returned to The manson's. Cult august twenty,

(06:04):
first nineteen seventy, One, brunner along with two, others robbed
a gun. Store they were trying to steal as many
weapons as they could. Get they were going to hijack
an airplane and then kill one person each hour Until
manson and the rest of the family were released from.

(06:27):
Jail the police arrived at the scene of the robbery
and they surrounded the, group taking them all into. Custody
bruner was sent to, prison but she was released six years.
Later Leslie Van houghton was nineteen when she dropped out

(06:48):
of college to Join Charlie's. Girls as far as we,
know she committed her first Murder august, ninth nineteen sixty,
nine participating in the death Of rosemary And Leno. LaBianca
Van houghton giggled throughout most of her, trial acting as

(07:09):
if nothing she had done was that. Bad, later she
claimed that she had TAKEN lsd and she was tripping
through most of the. TRIAL i was thirteen at the,
time BUT i still saw all of the. Proceedings it
was not like. Today there were no twenty four hour news,

(07:30):
stations but everybody was talking about the crazy things going
on In. California Patricia crenwinkle Met manson in eighteen sixty
seven and literally uprooted her life for, him Leaving Los
angeles to move To San. Francisco while a part Of manson's,

(07:52):
family she once lived With Dennis wilson of The Beach
boys and turned his house into a place for The
manson family to hang. Out krenwinkle was one of the
major participants in The tate murders and Killed Abigail. Folger

(08:13):
the next, Night crenwinkle went to the home Of leno
And Rosemary LaBianca and participated in killing both of, them
using various kitchen utensils to stab them. Repeatedly everyone in
the family was Arrested august, sixteenth nineteen sixty, nine but

(08:34):
due to an error in the search, warrant they were all.
Released crenwinkle was arrested Again october, tenth nineteen sixty, nine
and her father bailed her out of. Jail she went
back to The manson. Family of. Course she was arrested
a third Time december, one nineteen sixty, nine and this

(08:57):
time she was charged with seven counts of first degree
murder and one count of conspiracy to commit. Murder krenwinkle
was sentenced to, death but that conviction was commuted to
life in. Prison she's been denied parol seventeen times as

(09:18):
of twenty. Seventeen Lynette squeaky from that she was called
that because the sound of her voice was not a
participant in either The tate or The LaBianca. Murders, instead
she would stand outside the courtroom waiving a sign in

(09:38):
picketing to try to Get manson. Released she did start
writing a book about The manson, family but she discovered
that she was pretty much incriminating everybody for everything that
they had, done so she. Stopped in nineteen seventy, five
from decided that she he wanted to speak To President

(10:02):
ford about The california redwood. Trees dressed in a robe
and carrying a, gun she approached him and then pointed
the gun at the. President the pistol was a nineteen
eleven single action forty. Five nobody ever bothered to tell

(10:24):
her that she needed to cock the hammer before the
weapon would. Fire she was immediately restrained by The Secret.
Service she was sentenced to life in prison in accordance
with the laws protecting THE us president from managed to
escape in nineteen eighty. Seven she was trying to get

(10:46):
back to The manson family, well she wound up getting caught,
again as she was finally released on Parole august, fourteenth
two thousand and. Nine what happened to that life in?
Prison life in prison is never life in. Prison Susan
adkins didn't participate in every murder committed by The manson,

(11:09):
family as she was there in a majority of. Them
she was there When Gary hendon was murdered and The
tate murder took, place as well As labyanca's. Couple adkins
was arrested and while in, prison she confessed to some
of the other prisoners that she had actually Stabbed. Tate

(11:33):
the prisoners reported this information and it was later used
against her in. Trial she was charged with the murder
Of tate And hindon and sentenced to, death which was
later commuted to life in. Prison while in, prison she
got married. Twice she was denied parol thirteen, times and

(11:59):
later it is revealed that she had terminal brain. Cancer
her husband at the time fought for her to be,
released but this was. Denied she passed Away september twenty,
fourth two thousand and, nine at The Central California Women's
facility In. Chowchilla as for people who romanced and married convicted,

(12:23):
murderers there needs to be a whole new classification of
insanity for these. People Charles manson received many marriage proposals
while sitting in. Prison Linda, kasabian along with her young,
daughter joined The manson family in nineteen sixty. Nine during

(12:44):
The tate, Murders kasabian was told to gather the supplies
needed for the family and then wait outside in the.
Car she said she could hear the screams from what
was happening inside and she wanted to, help but her
daughter was back home with the rest of The, mansons

(13:05):
and she was afraid that they would do something to.
Her kasabian became a witness for the, prosecution explaining all
that she had seen and heard during the. Murders Catherine
Lute singer was a member of The manson, family but
she never murdered anyone as far as we, know and

(13:29):
she did try to run away several, times and she
even notified the authorities that there were some illegal things
going on at The manson's family's, ranch but the authorities
tended to ignore her for some. Reason Catherine schaer was
arrested in connection with a shootout with the police In, Hawthorne.

(13:52):
California she told authorities that she had recruited many of
The manson, girls Like kasabian Van houghton and said that
it was super easy to become enamored With manson looking
at the women as they pranced around and acted as
if the lives they had taken were. Nothing most people

(14:16):
wanted these crazy folks removed from society, permanently not just locked,
up but they wanted them to all participate in an
activity With Old sparky let them ride the. Lightning california
went ahead and sentenced a whole bunch to, death but

(14:39):
then liberals got all weirded out on us and they
commuted their sentences to life in. Prison manson had convinced
his followers there was going to be a race war
from which he and his followers would re emerge as world.
Leaders with keeping these folks alive Is as time moves,

(15:03):
on many forget how evil their deeds, were and the
convicted have plenty of time to rehearse their poor me,
act so when the cameras are on, them they can
look so pitiful and so. Reformed they know all the

(15:24):
right words to say because the other prisoners tell. Them
add to, this a lot of the folks on parole
boards have never had friends and family members tortured and,
Murdered so you run the possibility of having these folks,
released let them back out on the streets where they

(15:45):
can possibly do more. Damage during the insanity of The
Black plague of twenty, Twenty Gary, ridgeway better known as
The Green River, killer was almost. Released he was convicted
of murdering forty nine young, women and during his interview

(16:09):
he said if he were ever to get, out he
would continue killing. PEOPLE a vote of four to five
is the only reason he stayed locked. Up most of
the judges hearing his case had no idea who he actually.
Was it was just a name on a piece of.

(16:30):
Paper nobody has difficulties Saying Charles manson was the head
of a. Cult the people in his family worshiped. Him
he went as far as to claim to Be. Jesus
on a few. Occasions he also said he was the.
Devil talk about a split. Personality many say That manson was.

(16:55):
Insane they can't get their minds around the idea that
anyone would do the things that he did and not
have to have a handful of screws. Loose having read
a lot of articles and a few, BOOKS i get
the distinct impression he was not really. Insane he had

(17:17):
spent so much time behind bars he developed a facade
of being totally nuts to keep the other prisoners. AWAY
i heard about one priest who Met manson while in.
Prison charlie began doing His i'm The devil. Act the
priest said that he was sworn to defeat the devil

(17:40):
and therefore he was going to have to take Down.
Manson charlie immediately changed his act and became very well
behaved just like all the other prisoners until the priest was.
Gone WHAT i can't figure out is how did he
get so many many young, people people who were supposedly,

(18:03):
intelligent some even had. Money how did he get them
to become so enraptured with him they would kill just
to please. Him there must have been some kind of
unknown power that this guy was tapping. Into it wasn't just.
Psychology there had to be something. More he wasn't the,

(18:28):
devil but maybe he was tapping into some of his.
Power Jim jones was Born may, thirteenth nineteen thirty, one
in a rural community In, Crete. Indiana his family Was
irish And. Welsh he told folks that he was Also,

(18:50):
cherokee but there was no evidence of Any indian blood
in any of his family. Members jones' father was a
Disabled World War one veteran who had suffered from gas.
Attack he had severe lung, damage and it made it
very difficult for him to hold down a steady. Job

(19:11):
he tried to augment his income by occasionally working on
neighborhood road repair, projects but being so, sick he had
a hard time sustaining. Anything the money that he did
get from the government was not nearly. Enough his father
illness led to financial, difficulties which in turn resulted in

(19:35):
intense marital problems between The jones'. Parents Dave ramsey says
the leading cause of divorce is money. Problems nineteen thirty,
four during The Great, depression The jones family were evicted
from their home for failure to make mortgage. Payments the

(19:58):
family often lacked adequate food food and they had to
rely on financial support from their. Family they sometimes resorted
to foraging in the nearby forest and the fields in
order to supplement their. Income his, butt not their, income their.
Diet his mother had no maternal, instincts and she frequently

(20:21):
Neglected Jones when he started, School his extended family threatened
to cut off their financial assistance unless his mother got a.
Job jones's father was hospitalized most of the time due
to his. Illness as a, Result jones's parents were frequently

(20:42):
absent during his. Childhood jones often wandered the streets of
the town with nobody telling him. Anything Merle, kennedy the
wife of A nazarene church, pastor developed a attachment To.
Jones she gave him A bible and encouraged him to study.

(21:03):
It As jones grew, older he attended services at all
the churches In, line often going to multiple churches each,
week and he was baptized in several of. Them jones
developed a desire to become a preacher as a, child
and he began practicing preaching in. Private his neighbors reported

(21:28):
he was a weird kid who was obsessed with religion and.
Death jones regularly visited a casket maker In line and
held mock funerals for roadkill that he would. Collect jones
claimed to have a unique, ability such as being able to.

(21:48):
Fly he once jumped off a building roof to demonstrate
his abilities to. Others he wound up breaking his. Arm
he persisted in saying he had exceptional abilities despite failing
in any examples of. It at, times he would put
other children into life threatening, situations telling them that he

(22:12):
was being guided by the angel of. Death jones also
developed an intense interest in social. Doctrines he Studied Adolf,
Hitler Joseph, Stalin Karl, Marx Mause, dung And Mahatma gandhi

(22:35):
kind of ecliictic, there he spent hours in the community,
library and he started bringing home books all the time
that he would read late into the. Evening jones developed
an intense interest in The Nazi. Party he was fascinated
By hitler's total. Power jones's father belonged to The indiana

(22:59):
branch of The Ku Klux, klan which enjoyed considerable support
in The indiana area during The. Depression, jones on the other,
hand was appalled by how the black community was. Treated
his parents separated nineteen forty, five and they eventually were.
Divorced to support, Himself jones began working as an orderly

(23:24):
at The Richmond Red. Hospital he was well regarded by
the senior, management but staff members Said jones exhibited disturbing
behavior towards some of the. Patients during his time at the,
University jones was impressed by a speech That Eleanor roosevelt

(23:46):
delivered about the plight Of African, americans and he began
to espouse support for communism and other radical political. Views
now over the, ages AS i was growing up, up
black people have been referred to by a lot of different,
names different politically correct, Names So i'm just going with

(24:10):
what was current at the. Time jones And Marcelina baldwin
were Married june twelfth nineteen forty. Nine marcelene was A,
methodist and she And jones would argue about which church was.
Best jones' opposition to The methodist church is racial segregation

(24:32):
practices was an early strain on their. Marriage he insisted
on Intending Bloomington's Full Gospel, tabernacle but eventually they compromised
and they began attending a Local methodist. Church nineteen fifty,
one the twenty year Old jones began attending gatherings of

(24:55):
The Communist party In. Indianapolis by attending churches every, Week
jones tried to convince his wife that she should accept. Atheism,
now what kind of a preacher is an? Atheist, WELL
i hate to say, it but there are several of.

(25:16):
Them after Attending Indiana university for two, years the couple
relocated To. Indianapolis jones began taking night classes at The
Butler university to continue his, education earning a degree in secondary.
Education in nineteen sixty, One jones and his family faced

(25:37):
harassment from government authorities for their affiliation with The Communist.
Party he became frustrated with the persecution Of communists in THE.
Us he asked, himself how CAN i demonstrate My. Marxism
the thought was infiltrate the. Church in early nineteen fifty,

(26:01):
Two jones announced to his wife and her family that
he was going to become A methodist, minister believing that
the church was ready to put real socialism in the.
PRACTICE A methodist district superintendent helped him get a start
in the, church even though he knew That jones was A.

(26:24):
Communist this right here is a reason for any, organization
whether religious or, political to have a much better and
stronger background check on any person being considered for any
position of. Influence in the summer nineteen fifty, Two jones

(26:47):
was hired as a student pastor at The Somerset South
Side Methodist, church where he launched a project to create
a playground that would be open to. All ready early
nineteen fifty, Four jones was dismissed from his position for

(27:08):
stealing church. Funds nineteen fifty, Three jones visited A pentecostal
Later reign convention In, Columbus, indiana where a woman prophesied
That jones was a prophet with great. Ministry A jones
was surprised by this, endorsement but he gladly accepted the

(27:32):
call to, preach believing that the racially integrated and rapidly
growing A Latter rain movement offered him a greater opportunity
to become a. Preacher jones successfully convinced his wife to
leave The Methodist church and joined The. Pentecostals jones began

(27:53):
attending and preaching at The Laurel Strait Laurel Street tabernacle
In indianapolis is It laurel Or. Laurel The assembly Of
god was strongly opposed to The Latter rain. Movement in
nineteen fifty, five they assigned a new pastor to The
Laurel Street tabernacle who enforced their denominational ban on healing.

(28:18):
Revivals this Led jones to leave and establish The wings Of,
healing a new church that would later be renamed The People's.
Temple anything with the Name people in it usually is.
Communist jones's new church attracted only twenty members who had

(28:40):
come with him from The Laurel Street, tabernacle and was
not able to financially support his. Vision at one, point
he was forced to sell pet monkeys in order to
keep the church. Open jones began to closely associate with
An Independent assembly Of, god an international group of churches

(29:06):
that embraced The Latter rain. Movement they had few requirements
for ordaining, ministers and they were also accepting of divine healing.
Practices many attendees Believed jones's performance showed he possessed a supernatural,
gift which led to rapid growth of The people's. Temple

(29:29):
jones was particularly effective at recruitment among the black attendees
at the. Convention jones adopted one of The Latter rain key,
doctrines which he continued to promote for the rest of his.
Life The Manifested son Of god was a belief that

(29:53):
individuals could become manifested Of god with supernatural gifts and superhuman.
Nobilities jones was fascinated with the, idea and he adopted
it to promote his own utopian ideas and the idea
that he himself was a manifestation Of. God jones heard

(30:19):
Of Father, divine a black spiritual leader of The International
Peace mission who was often dis derided By pentecostal ministers
for his claims of. Divinity in nineteen fifty, Six jones
made his first visit to Investigate Father Divine's peace mission In.

(30:41):
Philadelphia jones was careful to explain that his visit to
The Peace mission was so that he could give an, authentic,
unbiased and objective statement about its activities to his Fellow pentecostal.
Ministers while publicly disavowing many Of Father divine's, Teachings jones

(31:04):
began to promote his teachings on communal living and gradually
implementing many of the outreach practices that he had witnessed
at The Peace, mission including setting up a soup kitchen
and providing free groceries and clothes to people in. Need
there's nothing wrong with doing that as long as you're

(31:26):
doing it for the right. Reasons jones made a second
visit To Father divine in nineteen fifty, eight and he
learned more about his. Practices jones bragged his congregation that
he would like to be the successor Of Father divine
and made many comparisons between their two. Ministries jones began

(31:49):
progressively implementing the disciplinary practices that he had learned From,
divine which increasingly took control over the lives of. Men
members of The People's temple almost called it The People's.
Party The People's temple nineteen Sixty Indianapolis Mayor Charles boswell

(32:12):
Appointed jones the director of the Local Human Rights. Commission
jones Ignored braswell's advice to keep a low, profile and
he used his position to secure new outlets for his
views on local radio and television. Programs the mayor and
other commissioners asked him to curtail his public, actions but he.

(32:36):
Refused jones was widely cheered at a meeting of THE
naacp and The Urban, league and when he encouraged his
audience to be more. Militant jones set up sting operations
in order to catch restaurants that would refuse to serve black.

(32:56):
Customers he also wrote to The American Nazi party and
then he passed on their responses to the. Media In,
Indiana jones was criticized for his integrationist. VIEWS a people's
temple became a target of white. SUPREMACISTS a swastika was

(33:20):
painted on the, temple a stick of dynamite was left
in the temple's coal, pile and a dead cat was
thrown At jones's house after a threatening phone. Call the
publicity generated by all of this attracted a larger. Congregation
by the end of nineteen sixty, One indianapolis was a

(33:42):
far more racially integrated, city And Jim jones was entirely.
Responsible knowing what we know, today having seen race baiters
fake attacks to further their, AGENDAS i wonder how many
of these incidents were orchestrated By jones. Himself jones and

(34:06):
his wife adopted a few kids from other, races And
jones was busy trying to make a few children with
women that were not his. Wife nineteen sixty, One jones
warned his congregation that he had received a vision of
a nuclear attack that would Devastate. Indianapolis jones began to

(34:31):
look for a way to escape the destruction that he
believed was. Imminent january sixty, two he read An inquirer
magazine that said That South america was the safest place
to live in order to escape the impending nuclear, War
jones decided to travel To South america to scout for

(34:54):
a site where he was to relocate The People's. Temple while,
Away jones was careful to show only his religious side
and not the communist side of his. Personality to continue
looking for a suitable, Location jones had all the money
from The People's temple sent, south causing the church to nearly.

(35:18):
Collapse unable to find a utopian location In South, America
jones returned To indiana only to convince his followers there
was going to be a nuclear Attack july nineteen sixty
seven and the whole congregation needed to move To. California

(35:40):
jones developed a theology influenced by the teachings of The
Latter Rain, Movement Father divine's economic socialism and infused With
jones's personal communist. Views jones referred to his view as
his views as apostolic. Socialism jones concealed the communist aspects

(36:07):
of his teachings until the late. Sixties he frequently warned
his followers of an imminent apocalyptic nuclear race. War he
claimed The nazis and white supremacists would put people of
color into concentration. Camps jones said he was a messiah

(36:31):
sent to save. People he taught his followers the only
way to escape the supposed imminent catastrophe was to accept his,
teachings and that after the apocalypse was, over they were
going to emerge to establish a perfect communist. Society does

(36:52):
any of this sound kind of like What Charles manson
had been saying to his? Followers he began using illicit
drugs after moving To, california which further heightened his. Paranoia
he increasingly used fear to control and manipulate his. Followers

(37:12):
jones frequently warned his followers that there was an enemy
seeking to destroy. Them the identity of that enemy would
change from time to. Time it was the Ku Klux,
klan The, nazis redneck, vigilantes and then it was The american.
Government jones established A Planning committee made up of his

(37:37):
lieutenants to direct The People's temple's communal. Life, jones through
The Planning, committee began controlling all aspects of the lives
of his. Followers members who joined the temple turned over
all their assets to the church in exchange for free

(37:58):
woman board members who worked outside the temple turned over
all their income to be used for the benefit of the,
community mostly For. Jones jones directed groups of his followers
to work on various projects for additional, income and set
up an agricultural operation In Redwood valley where they grew.

(38:22):
Food large community outreach projects were, organized And temple members
were bussed to perform work in community service across the.
Region jones and his planning committee made everyday decisions for the,
members things like who would do which, job or who

(38:44):
was allowed to get married and have. Children who had
to go to bed With, jones both men and. Women
as the temple's membership, Grew jones created an armed secure
group to ensure order among his followers and to guarantee
his own personal. Safety he grew the temple by purposefully

(39:10):
targeting other. Churches nineteen, Seventy jones and one hundred and
fifty of his followers took a trip To San Francisco's
Missionary baptist. Church jones had held a faith healing, revival
wherein he impressed the crowd by claiming to heal a
man of. Cancer his followers later admitted to helping him

(39:33):
stage the healing. Act at the end of the, event
he began attacking and Condemning baptist teachings and encouraging members
to abandon their church and join. His as the temple grew,
inside politicians flocked To jones to gain a few. Votes

(39:55):
jones was appointed to oversee the housing authority In San.
Francisco he was wined and dined by the governor and
other folks who saw him as a quick way to
gain their own personal. Power any reporter trying to get
the lowdown On jones or his followers would be either

(40:15):
shown a facade or threatened with a. Violence with so
many political, Connections jones was almost. Untouchable he did receive
negative press outside Of. California nineteen seventy, one reporters covered
one Of jones's divine healing services during a visit to

(40:38):
his old church In. Indianapolis the news reporter led to
an investigation by The Indiana State Psychology board Into jones's healing.
PRACTICES a doctor involved in the investigation Accused jones of,
quackery and he challenged The jones to give tissue samples

(41:02):
of the material that he claimed fell off of people
when they were healed of. Cancer dating back to the very,
Beginning jones's healings were nothing but a. Hoax in one,
Incident jones drugged a temple, Member Irene, mason and while

(41:22):
she was, unconscious they put a cast on her. Arm
when she regained, consciousness she was told that she had
fallen and broken her arm and she had been taken
to the. Hospital in a subsequent healing, Service jones removes
her cast in front of the, congregation and told them

(41:43):
she had been. Healed in another, Instance jones had somebody
from his inner circle enter the prayer line for. Healing
after being, healed the person would pretend to cough up their,
tumors which was actually chicken. Gizzards nineteen seventy, Three Ross,

(42:04):
case a former follower Of, jones began working with a
group in ukiah is It, Ukiah california to investigate The People's.
Temple they uncovered the staged, healings the abuse of treatment
of women in the, church and evidence That jones had

(42:24):
raped one of the male. Members reports Of case's activities Reached,
jones who became even more paranoid that the authorities were
out to get. Him case reported his findings to the local,
police who chose to do. Nothing shortly, after eight members

(42:47):
of The People's temple made accusations of abuse against the
planning commission of The People's temple staff. Members jones became
convinced that he was losing control and he needed to
relocate The Pimple temple to escape the mounting threats and.
Allegations december, thirteenth nineteen seventy, Three jones was arrested and

(43:11):
charged with lewd conduct after he was caught pleasuring himself
in the presence of a male UNDERCOVER lapd vice officer
and a movie theater. Restroom december, twentieth nineteen seventy, three

(43:31):
the charges Against jones were, dismissed though the details of
the dismissal have never been. Given the court file was
sealed and the judge ordered that all records of the
arrest were to be. Destroyed fall nineteen seventy, Three jones

(43:53):
and the planning committee decided it was time to get
on old paint and get where they leave THE, us
and they began to develop a long term plan to
relocate the. Temple the group decided On guyana as a favorable,
location citing its recent, revolution socialist, government and the favorable

(44:19):
Reaction jones had received when he had visited there in
nineteen sixty. Three jones said he would rather settle in
a commune in a communist country Like china or The Soviet,
union and was saddened about his inability to do. So

(44:39):
jones said That lenin And stalin were his. Heroes he
saw The Soviet union as an ideal. Society the summer
of nineteen seventy, Four land And supplies were purchased In.
Guyana december seventy, four the first group arrived to start

(45:00):
operating the commune that would become known As. Jonestown jones
left the operation in the charge Of, james one of his,
overseers and he went back to The United states in
order to continue his efforts to combat the negative press
he'd been. Receiving by this, time it was a lost.

(45:22):
Cause word had gotten out from a bunch of former
members on just how bad things actually. Were jones decided
it was time to permanently relocate To South, america and
he began to compel all the members of The People's
temple to get on the plane with. Him jones told

(45:45):
his followers it was time to relocate to the Socialists
paradise and The Worker's. Commune life would be a. Dream
all would be. Well jonestown had about fifty seven butlers
living there who were expanding the. Commune the fields and

(46:05):
the resources were barely adequate for these fifty. People buildings
were poorly put together and were already falling. Apart weeds
were encroaching on the. Fields his followers were not. Farmers
they were all from the big. Cities until finding themselves

(46:27):
in the. Jungle may nineteen seventy, Seven jones at about
six hundred followers arrived In, jonestown followed shortly by four hundred,
more all needing a place to live and food to.
Eat jones began moving the temple's finances overseas and started

(46:52):
selling off all their property in The United. States The
People's temple had over ten million dollars in assets at that,
time and in that, denomination all that money was For
jones and not the folks who worked for. Him for
the first several, Months jones's members worked six days a

(47:15):
week from six thirty in the morning till six pm at.
Night the work week was shortened to eight hours a
day for five days a week in the mid nineteen seventy,
eight After jones's health started to fail and his wife
started taking on more of the management of The jonestown.
Activities after the day of work, ended the temple members

(47:39):
would attend several hours of activities in the, pavilion mostly
classes in. Socialism brainwashing was in full. Swing among the
Followers jones took To guyana Was John Victor. Stone At
john's birth certificate list Did Timothy stone And Grace, stone

(48:03):
as being his. Parents jones had had relations With Grace,
stone and he claimed that he was the biological. Father
Grace jones left The People's temple in seventy, six leaving
her child. Behind jones ordered the child taken To guyana
in seventy seven to avoid a custody dispute With. Grace

(48:28):
After Timothy stone also left The People's temple in seventy,
Seven jones kept the child at his own home In.
Jonestown in the autumn of seventy, Seven Timothy stone and
Other temple DEFECTORS i would call them Escape EASE a
formed They Concerned Relatives group because they still had family

(48:52):
members In jonestown who were not being permitted to return
to The United. States stone traveled to Wash, to D.
C In january to visit With State department officials and
members Of. Congress some politicians had extreme difficulty admitting that
they had been wrong in Backing, jones so they continued

(49:16):
to act as if all was, well even when there
was mounting evidence of things being rotten In. Jonestown june
nineteen seventy, Eight Deborah, layton A People's temple member who
had Escaped, jonestown provided details of crimes by the temple

(49:36):
and substandard living. Conditions leyton Said jonestown residents were being deliberately.
Undernourished jones in his inner circle were dining on meat
and vegetables while the rest of them were nearly starved to.
Death jones attempted to negotiate for his commune to resettle

(49:59):
to the night to The Soviet. Union when all was
said and, done nothing got. Done jones's paranoia increased as
he became fearful of a government raid on the. Commune
concerned the community would not be able to resist an,
attack he began holding drills to test their. Readiness he

(50:24):
called these drills White. Knights jones would Announce, Alert, Alert
alert of the community loudspeakers to call the community together
to the central. Pavilion armed guards with guns and crossbows
would surround the. Pavilion they were there to keep the members,

(50:46):
in not to protect. Them the community members would remain
in the pavilion throughout the, drill in Which jones would
tell them that their community had been surrounded by agents
who were there to destroy. Them jones would lead them in,
prayer chanting and singing to ward off the impending. Attack

(51:09):
he would have his guards hide in the forest and
shoot their weapons to simulate an. Attack one, Drill september
nineteen seventy seven lasted for six, days known as the
Six Day. Siege this ordeal was used thereafter By jones
as a symbol of the community's indomitable. Spirit the drills

(51:35):
served to keep the members Of jonestown fearful of venturing
outside the. Commune THE Us embassy sent an investigation team
to check on the. Commune jones told his followers he
was going to distribute poison for everybody to drink in
an act of. SUICIDE a batch of fruit punch was

(51:58):
served to everybody in the. Pavilion everybody drank the, punch
and then they sat there waiting to. Die jones eventually
informed his followers that it had only been a drill
and there was not any poison in their. Drinks he
convinced his followers THE cia was actively working to destroy their,

(52:21):
community and he was conditioning them to accept suicide as
a means of. Escape as folks were told to kill,
themselves only to discover it was just a. Drill the
idea of following orders was easier to pull off after
learning that he might have lung. Infection in seventy, Eight

(52:44):
jones told his followers that he had actually contracted lung.
Cancer he was using handfuls of valium and, coludes, stimulants and.
Barbituates he suddenly had a miraculous. Recovery november seventy, Eight
Congressman ryan led a fact finding mission To jonestown to

(53:07):
investigate allegations of human rights. Abuses his delegation included relatives
of The temple, members AN nbc camera, crew and reporters
from several. Newspapers the group arrived In, guyana capital Of,
Georgetown november. Fifteenth two days, later they traveled by airplane

(53:31):
To Port. Katuma there they were transported To. Jonestown jones
hosted a reception for the delegation that evening at The Central,
pavilion during Which temple Member Vernon gasny passed a note
meant For ryan to THE nbc Reporter Don, harris requesting

(53:54):
assistance for himself and Another temple, Member Monica, bagbee in
leaving the. Settlement tension began to rise as news spread
through the community that some members were attempting to. Leave
ryan's delegation left hurriedly that afternoon Of november, eighteenth And

(54:16):
ryan narrowly managed to avoid being stabbed By temple Member Don.
Sly ryan and his delegation managed to take along Fifteen
temple members who expressed a desire to. Leave jones made
no attempt to stop them at that. Time as members

(54:38):
Of ryan's delegation boarded two planes At Port katuma, Airstrip
Jonestown Red brigade armed guards arrived and began shooting at.
Them the gunmen Killed ryan and four others at the same.
Time one of the supposed, Defectors Larry, layton drew a

(54:59):
weapon and began and shooting at members of the party
inside the other, plane which Included gosney And. BAGBIE nbc
Cameraman Bob brown was able to capture footage of the
first few seconds of the shooting at the, otters just
before he himself was killed by. GUNMAN i remember watching

(55:22):
this on the news and, wondering how did something so
crazy manage to happen with rational? People apparently they. Weren't
later that same, Day jones received word from his security
guards had failed to kill all Of ryan's. Party jones

(55:43):
concluded the escapees would soon inform The United states of the,
attack and they would send the military to Seize. Jonestown
he called the entire community to the central. Pavilion he
informed the community That ryan was dead and it was
only a matter of time before military commandos descended on

(56:04):
their commune to kill all of. Them he told temple
members that The Soviet union would not give them passage
after this airstrip. Shooting jones said the group should commit revolutionary.
Suicide he recorded the entire death ritual on audio. Tape

(56:28):
one temple, Member Christine, miller dissented towards the beginning of the.
Tape cries and screams of children and adults were heard
throughout the. TAPE a drink mixed with flavor aid it
wasn't kool aid and cyanide was handed out to the

(56:48):
members of the community to. Drink those who refused to
drink were being injected. Instead the crowd was also surrounded
by armed, guards offering them the basic, dilemma death by
poison or death at the hands of the. Guards it
is not clear if some initially thought the exercise was

(57:12):
just Another White night. Rehearsal when members wept and showed
signs of, Dissent jones counseled them saying stop these. Hysterics
this is not the way for people who are socialists
or communists to, die no way for us to. Die

(57:33):
we must die with. Dignity jones can be heard, saying
don't be afraid to, die adding that death is just
stepping over into another. Plane death is a. Friend jones
directed that the children were all killed, first then the

(57:54):
adults poisoned. Themselves at the end of the, Tape jones,
concludes we didn't commit. Suicide we committed an act of revolutionary,
suicide protesting the conditions of the inhumane. World in the
early Evening november, eighteenth temple Member Sharon amos In georgetown

(58:20):
received a radio message From jonestown telling the members there
to exact vengeance on the temple's foes before committing revolutionary.
Suicide after police arrived at the, Headquarters sharon took her
children into the. Bathroom using a, knife she killed them

(58:41):
and then. Herself eighty five members of the community managed to.
Survive some had run into the, jungles others had hidden
a few were away on. Business the mass murder suicide
resulted in the deaths of nine and nine inhabitants Of.

(59:02):
Jonestown two hundred and seventy six of these were. Children
jones's three, Sons, Stephen Jim, junior And Tim, jones were
with The People's temple basketball team In georgetown at the
time of the mass. Poisoning during the events At, jonestown

(59:23):
the three brothers drove to THE Us embassy In georgetown
to alert the. Authorities guyanese soldiers guarding the embassy refused
to let them in after hearing about the shooting At Port. Katuma,
later the three returned to the temple headquarters In, georgetown
where they found the bodies Of Sharon amos and her three.

(59:46):
Kids The guyanese military arrived In jonestown and found all the.
Dead The United states military organized an airlift to bring
the remains back to The United states to be. Buried
jones was found dead with a gunshot wound to his.

(01:00:06):
Head they're not sure if it was self inflicted or
maybe somebody shot. Him in a signed note found at
the time of her, Death marceline directed That jones's assets
be given to The Communist party of The Soviet. Union
The People's temple's secretary had already made arrangements for seven

(01:00:28):
point three million dollars In temple funds be transferred to
The Soviet embassy In. Guyana the supporters of The People's,
temple especially, politicians had a difficult time explaining their connections
To jones following all these. Deaths some admitted they'd been

(01:00:50):
tricked By. Jones others claimed they hadn't actually known the.
Man President Jimmy carter And First Laid Lady Rosalind carter
sought to minimize their connections To. Jones pay no attention
to all those photographs and all those press releases we.
Did The San Francisco Mayor George mosconi called the friends

(01:01:15):
and families of many of the victims to apologize and
offer his. Sympathies was this sincerity or just? Politics how
did a self avowed communist manage to use religion to
trick so many. People he must have had some kind
of magical power helping. Him maybe perhaps he was connected

(01:01:40):
to the. Darkness Adolfo costanzo Con stanzo was born In
miami nineteen sixty two and grew up with a Traditional
Roman catholic. Religion he had a fascination With santaia Of
voodoo And Roman. Catholicism they say he inherited this from

(01:02:05):
his mother and, grandmother both who believed In santaia they
may have been. Priestesses constanzo became involved with some of
the darker occult aspects Of santaia aside that some of
the followers. Disavow after training with The, sorcerer he moved

(01:02:26):
To Mexico city and he established himself with the local
drug lords and criminal. Syndicates he charged the leaders thousands
of dollars to perform rituals that would guarantee their safety
from their enemies and the. Police constanzo's followers worshiped him

(01:02:48):
like he Was. God some of the people who followed
him found that they were becoming powerful because of his,
help and he would extract more money from them as they.
Grew he also managed to acquire a position of power
for himself when people, refused they would simply. Vanish Sarah

(01:03:13):
Maria aldrate Via real was born in nineteen sixty four
and grew up in a middle class family In, Matamoros.
Mexico she attended high school and later college across The
Rio grande In brownsville At, Brownsville Texas Southmost. College aldretti

(01:03:33):
was a straight a student and a cheerleader for the soccer.
Team she was also fascinated by the, occult and she
knew people in The mexican drug train Through Seraphine Hernandez,
garcia who Attended South Texas southmost with. Her she knew his,

(01:03:53):
Uncle Ilio Hernandez, rivera whom she had. Dated she stood
six foot three and kind of stood out in the.
Crowd people would go, missing but the authorities had nothing
to go. ON a lot of the missing were drug
dealers or traffickers who nobody would report, anyway as some

(01:04:17):
were folks who had been en route to THE us
in order to swim over and look for. Work nineteen eighty,
Nine american Tourist Mark, kilroy A university Of texas student
who was on spring, break was reported. Missing the authorities
on both sides of the border got, involved but the
few witnesses had all been too drunk to remember. ANYTHING

(01:04:43):
a break in the case came from an unexpected. INCIDENT
a truck traveling south In New mexico drove right past a.
Checkpoint The mexican authorities followed in an unmarked car to
see what this is driver was up. To at The
Santa Elena, ranch the driver, stopped then he tried to.

(01:05:07):
Leave a few minutes, later the federalies stopped him and
he was surprised they had caught. Him the, driver the
Seraphene Hernandez, garcia was surprised that he got stopped because
he thought he was. Invisible constanzo had cast a spell

(01:05:29):
on him and his truck so the police wouldn't see.
Him once the suspect had been properly, questioned the ranch
was searched for further. Evidence police eventually found the bodies
of People constanzo had. Killed what came to light is

(01:05:49):
that he had dismembered many people and used their body
parts in his rituals to strengthen his own. Powers some
had been. Eaten the official count of people he killed
is twenty, three but they believe it may have been
in high as forty. EIGHT a search was instigated to

(01:06:11):
Find constanzo and his number one, man who was actually
a female As Sarah. Aldretti police connected the deaths At
Madame morris with similar deaths that had taken place In Mexico.
City after consulting local witchcraft practitioners and, sorcerers the police

(01:06:33):
heard That constanzo was hiding out in Cow wittemec how Cow. Hittimmel,
yeah it's A it's one of those, names Cowhitem, mack
one of the city's. Boroughs When constonzo was, surrounded he
had one of his followers shoot him so he wouldn't

(01:06:54):
have to face. Trial may, third nineteen ninety, Four Sarah
aldretti was sentenced to sixty two years in. Prison the
weird thing is back when this was all, happening we
were told That aldretti had been killed in a gun.
Battle we were all convinced that both of these two

(01:07:18):
were dead until LATER i discovered that, no she was
sitting in. Prison why they told us she was? Dead who?
Knows maybe somebody else was involved that we don't know.
About the earliest incarnation of The Heaven's gate as a

(01:07:38):
cult would eventually come to be, known began in nineteen
seventy under the leadership Of Marshall applewhite And Bonnie. Nettles
Marshall applewhite was born nineteen thirty one In texas and
by most, accounts had a relatively normal. Life he tried
to become an, actor but he didn't have what it.

(01:08:00):
Took he was hired at The university Of Saint thomas In,
houston to teach music nineteen seventy he got fired for
having a fling with one of the, students one of
the male. STUDENTS i have family that graduated From Saint,
thomas but that was long after Apple white was. Dead

(01:08:25):
Apple white wound up spending some time in a mental,
hospital where he Met, nettles who was one of the.
Nurses they were both interested in, conspiracies, cryptids, aliens outer
spacekind and. UFOs they sound kind of like my kind of.
People once he was, out Apple white And nettles got

(01:08:49):
busy setting up the religious organization better known as a.
Cult they advertised in. Newspapers they held gatherings and they
would scope out the crowd DDes looking for the true.
Believers nineteen seventy, five Apple white And nettles received national

(01:09:09):
attention after they gave a particularly successful presentation In. Oregon
in this, presentation Apple white And nettles promoted their Group
human Individual metamorphosis Or Total overcomers anonymous too, long they

(01:09:29):
were saying that a flying saucer was going to come
and take the chosen. Away the group soon became known
As Heaven's, gate much easier to. Say one condition of
becoming a true believer Was the members had to abandon their,
families renounce sex and, drugs they didn't say anything about

(01:09:53):
rock and, roll give away all their personal, possessions and
to show just how serious they, were they had to be, gelded, neutered,
emasculated you, know. Castrated, okay they're not my kind of.
People the followers were expected to dress alike and conform

(01:10:18):
to incredibly specific rules about the most mundane. Things everything
the members did was, regulated including what they ate how
much they. Ate the group were told The Virgin mary
had been abducted by aliens and that is how she became.
Pregnant the world was heading towards, destruction and the only

(01:10:43):
people who would be saved had to follow all of
these strict. Guidelines nettles died of cancer nineteen eighty. Five
her death was a severe blow to Apple white emotionally and.
Philosophically her death had the potential to call into question
a number of the cult's. Teachings most, pressingly why did

(01:11:08):
she die before THE ufo came to pick the followers.
Up applewhite began to rely heavily on one particular tenet
of the cult's. Beliefs human bodies were merely vessels or
vehicles that were carrying them on their, journey and these
vehicles could be abandoned when humans were ready to ascend

(01:11:32):
to the next. Level nettles had merely exited her vehicle
and entered her new home among the. Aliens members of
The Heaven's gate believed suicide was, wrong but their definition
of suicide was far different from the traditional. One they

(01:11:52):
believed the true meaning of suicide was turning against the
next level when it was offered to. THEM i remember
listening To coast To coast am With Art bell want
to take a ride that. Night art said there was,
something maybe a flying saucer following the comet Hail. Bop

(01:12:18):
the boys in The white lab coats had spotted some
kind of a craft of or a, structure maybe a
coming towards The earth hidden in the comet's. Tail applewhite
saw this as a. Sign according to, him it was
the only way to evacuate This. Earth the spaceship behind

(01:12:39):
Hail bop was THE ufo The Heaven's gate members were waiting.
For starting On march twenty second Or march twenty, third thirty,
nine cult members ate apple sauce or pudding that was
laced heavily with. Barbituates some washed this down with. Vodka

(01:13:00):
they did it group by, group placing plastic bags over
their heads to ensure, asphyxiation and then they waited to.
Die this was believed to have happened over the course
of a few. Days those later in the lineup cleaned
up any mess made by the first, groups laid the

(01:13:21):
bodies out, neatly and then covered them with purple. Shrouds
Apple white was the thirty seventh to, die leaving behind
two other members who would prepare his corpse and then
take their own. Lives after the authorities were alerted via
an anonymous tip On march twenty, sixth they found thirty

(01:13:44):
nine bodies laying neatly in bunk beds and other resting,
places dressed in identical black track suits and, sneakers covered
in purple shrouds their matching. Armbands Red Heaven's Gate Away
team reporters swarmed the. Scene family members of the victims demanded.

(01:14:07):
Answers after the initial uproar died, down those left behind
had to cope with their. Losses how is it seemingly
intelligent rational folks will begin to follow someone who is
very obviously leading them down the wrong. Path yet anyone

(01:14:27):
pointing this out is the one that is said to be.
CRAZY i only covered a few cults THAT i remember
reading about or watching ON. Tv many of these groups
showed way too many signs of their coming, destruction but
the true believers just kept on following like the pied.

(01:14:48):
Piper the only ANSWER i could find that kind of
explained this behavior is the people creating these cults were
being gifted some kind of otherworldly power that can somehow
seep into people's, brains no matter how well educated or

(01:15:10):
how well, raised that causes them to do things the
rest of us find. Repulsive how Did Charles manson get
his people to murder all those? Folks how Did Jim
jones get everyone to follow him to a Jungle Heaven's?
Gate makes no sense to me and makes no sense

(01:15:33):
to most rational. People somehow they all pulled it off
on behalf of. Myself, Vickermanson David, GRIFFITH jj And Father
mike and all the whole gang at The Possum. Lodge
keep your stick on the. Ice if my wife is,

(01:15:56):
Watching i'll be coming straight home after the. Meeting mondo
ultimi quando ALTIMUS i forget it quand ultima fluncus. MORATATI
i should edit that, out But i'm not going. TO
i see the show has run one hundred and fifteen
minutes an hour and fifteen. MINUTES i am, really, really

(01:16:20):
really tired of talking till Next. Saturday this Is Chris
james For Strange. Things and NOW i can't find the
right mouse to stop the. Recording wando ultima fluncas? Moritati are?

Speaker 1 (01:16:56):
You are you coming to the? Tree when they strung
up a man who they said he, murdered three strange
things have happened. There no stranger would it be if
we met at midnight in the hanging tree