Changes

Jones was never spiritually-minded, but as a young man he did attend a Methodist church because serving the physical well-being of the poor appealed to him in the way it took place in that church's form of evangelical community outreach.  But the particular church he eventually chose to "infiltrate" that lasted until the [[Jonestown Massacre]] was the [[Disciples of Christ]] denomination, which at the time gave their ministers a great deal of independence in operating their member churches.  But that leeway was limited with regard to doctrine, and a Disciples of Christ minister who stopped by Jones' front while on a road trip had to be intercepted so he wouldn't be able to attend the church "services" of Marxist indoctrination and expose them.  

Jones was never spiritually-minded, but as a young man he did attend a Methodist church because serving the physical well-being of the poor appealed to him in the way it took place in that church's form of evangelical community outreach.  But the particular church he eventually chose to "infiltrate" that lasted until the [[Jonestown Massacre]] was the [[Disciples of Christ]] denomination, which at the time gave their ministers a great deal of independence in operating their member churches.  But that leeway was limited with regard to doctrine, and a Disciples of Christ minister who stopped by Jones' front while on a road trip had to be intercepted so he wouldn't be able to attend the church "services" of Marxist indoctrination and expose them.  

The Temple openly preached to established members that "religion is an opiate to the people."<ref>Jones, Jim. [http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27318 "Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 1053."] ''Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple''. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University.</ref> Accordingly, "those who remained drugged with the opiate of religion had to be brought to enlightenment - socialism."<ref>Layton 1999, page 53.</ref> In that regard, Jones also openly stated that he "took the church and used the church to bring people to atheism." <ref>Jones, Jim. [http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27580 "Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 757."] ''Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple''. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University.</ref> Jones often mixed those concepts, such as preaching that "If you're born in this church, this socialist revolution, you're not born in sin. If you're born in [[capitalist]] America, [[racist]] America, [[fascist]] America, then you're born with a big d***o in sin. But if you're born in socialism, you're not born in [[sin]]."<ref>Jones, Jim. [http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27318 "Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 1053."] ''Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple''. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University. {{cite web |url=http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/Tapes/Tapes/TapeTranscripts/Q757.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=|deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5wTIqQUvL?url=http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/Tapes/Tapes/TapeTranscripts/Q757.html |archivedate=2019-01-30|df= }}</ref> Speaking to the Jonestown community, Jones declared: {{quotebox|"I brought you here to regroup, recoup, rehabilitate and gain strength, and militancy, and a proper education in [[Marxist-Leninism]], which you had never picked up, even though I was avowedly, openly Marxist-Leninist and atheist, you have never picked it up, for the most part, in the United States, except for a handful."<ref>The Jonestown Institute, “[http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27388 Q235 Transcript],”  Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple.</ref>}} Jim Jones ridiculed the [[Bible]], stomped it on the floor in front of his flock, and instructed his followers to use it as toilet paper when their supply ran out in Jonestown.

The Temple openly preached to established members that "religion is an opiate to the people."<ref>Jones, Jim. [http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27318 "Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 1053."] ''Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple''. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University.</ref> Accordingly, "those who remained drugged with the opiate of religion had to be brought to enlightenment - socialism."<ref>Layton 1999, page 53.</ref> In that regard, Jones also openly stated that he "took the church and used the church to bring people to atheism." <ref>Jones, Jim. [http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27580 "Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 757."] ''Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple''. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University.</ref> Jones often mixed those concepts, such as preaching that "If you're born in this church, this socialist revolution, you're not born in sin. If you're born in [[capitalist]] America, [[racist]] America, [[fascist]] America, then you're born with a big d***o in sin. But if you're born in socialism, you're not born in [[sin]]."<ref>Jones, Jim. [http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27318 "Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 1053."] ''Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple''. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University. {{cite web |url=http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/Tapes/Tapes/TapeTranscripts/Q757.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=|deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5wTIqQUvL?url=http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/Tapes/Tapes/TapeTranscripts/Q757.html |archivedate=2019-01-30|df= }}</ref> Speaking to the Jonestown community, Jones declared:  

{{quotebox-float|"I brought you here to regroup, recoup, rehabilitate and gain strength, and militancy, and a proper education in [[Marxist-Leninism]], which you had never picked up, even though I was avowedly, openly Marxist-Leninist and atheist, you have never picked it up, for the most part, in the United States, except for a handful."<ref>The Jonestown Institute, “[http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27388 Q235 Transcript],”  Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple.</ref>}} Jim Jones ridiculed the [[Bible]], stomped it on the floor in front of his flock, and instructed his followers to use it as toilet paper when their supply ran out in Jonestown.

The Temple claimed that "[[reactionary]] forces were trying to destroy his [Jones] image because he is the most persistent [[Social justice warrior|fighter for social justice]]."<ref>Peoples Temple, [http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/3VictimConspirBrochure.pdf ''Victims of Conspiracy Brochure''], Jonestown Alternative Considerations, San Diego State University {{cite web |url=http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/JTResearch/opposition/3VictimConspirBrochure.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2019-01-31 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5vybVUjVl?url=http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/JTResearch/opposition/3VictimConspirBrochure.pdf |archivedate=February 4, 2019|df= }}</ref>

The Temple claimed that "[[reactionary]] forces were trying to destroy his [Jones] image because he is the most persistent [[Social justice warrior|fighter for social justice]]."<ref>Peoples Temple, [http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/3VictimConspirBrochure.pdf ''Victims of Conspiracy Brochure''], Jonestown Alternative Considerations, San Diego State University {{cite web |url=http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/JTResearch/opposition/3VictimConspirBrochure.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2019-01-31 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5vybVUjVl?url=http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/JTResearch/opposition/3VictimConspirBrochure.pdf |archivedate=February 4, 2019|df= }}</ref>