An introduction to religious and spiritual experience

Dangerous Aspects of Spiritual Movements
Spiritual leaders, often starting out as well-intentioned teachers, some-
times use the power which they accumulate to hold sway over their 
followers. While receiving good guidance from a spiritual teacher can be 
helpful, being in thrall to a guru or a particular community or church can 
be dangerous, as disciples take too much on trust and cease to exercise 
their own judgement. The issue raised here is just what kind of experi-
ences are truly beneficial to spiritual progress.

---

Religious and Spiritual Experience
142
The People’s Temple
A case of a mass following leading to tragedy took place in Guyana in 
1978. Jim Jones (1931–1978), a charismatic leader originally a minister 
of the Disciples of Christ, founded a community in the USA named the 
People’s Temple. Originally based on Christian ideals of shared wealth 
and responsibility and aiming to care for the elderly and infirm, the 
community was forced to move several times due to controversy. This 
was linked to Jim Jones’ increasing megalomania and control over his 
followers. There were cases of sexual abuse and faked healings.
Eventually the community moved to Guyana where Jonestown was 
built in the jungle. Congressman Leo Ryan, supported by friends and 
relatives of members of the community as well as disillusioned defectors 
began to investigate the cult. He and two of his colleagues were murdered 
on their visit to Jonestown. Jim Jones then ordered his followers to give 
their children poisoned juice. This was a ritual which they had rehearsed 
in the past. The adults were then instructed to commit suicide and in all 
more than nine hundred drank juice he had poisoned and died. Jones shot 
himself. What had begun as a well-intentioned venture had deteriorated 
into a crazy cult led by a drug addicted megalomaniac.