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"Jonestown" was the informal name for the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project formed by the Peoples Temple, an American religious organization under the leadership of Jim Jones, in northwestern Guyana. It became internationally notorious when on November 18, 1978, over 900 people died in the remote commune, at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, and in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city. The name of the settlement became synonymous with the incidents at those locations. A total of 909 Americans died in Jonestown, all but two from apparent cyanide poisoning, in an event termed "revolutionary suicide" by Jones and some members on an audio tape of the event and in prior discussions. The poisonings in Jonestown followed the murder of five others by Temple members at Port Kaituma, including United States Congressman Leo Ryan. Four other Temple members died in Georgetown at Jones' command. To a certain extent, the actions in Jonestown were viewed as a mass suicide; some sources, including Jonestown survivors, regard the event as a mass murder.〔In the documentary ''Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple'', former member Stanley Clayton refused to "use the term 'suicide'" because "that man () was killing us"; another member, Tim Carter, said that the victims were "fucking slaughtered" and that their deaths had nothing to do with "revolutionary suicide."〕〔("Murder or Suicide: What I Saw" by Tim Carter ). ''Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple''. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University〕 It was the largest such event in modern history and resulted in the largest single loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act until September 11, 2001.〔Rapaport, Richard. ("Jonestown and City Hall slayings eerily linked in time and memory." ) ''San Francisco Chronicle''. November 16, 2003.〕 In recent years, the Jonestown massacre has been the subject of several conspiracy theories. == Origins == The Peoples Temple was formed in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the mid-1950s. Though its roots and teachings shared more with biblical church and Christian revival movements than with Marxism, it purported to practice what it called "apostolic socialism". In doing so, the Temple preached that "those who remained drugged with the opiate of religion had to be brought to enlightenment — socialism."〔Jones, Jim. ("Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 1053." ) ''Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple''. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University.〕 In the early 1960s, Jones visited Guyana – then still a British colony – while on his way to establishing a short-lived Temple mission in Brazil. After Jones received considerable criticism in Indiana for his integrationist views, the Temple moved to Redwood Valley, California in 1965.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= The Religious Movements Homepage Project: Peoples Temple )〕 In the early 1970s, the Peoples Temple opened other branches in Bay View La Romaine, including San Fernando and San Francisco. In the mid-1970s, the Temple moved its headquarters to San Francisco. With the move to San Francisco came increasing political involvement by the Peoples Temple. After the Temple's participation proved instrumental in the mayoral election victory of George Moscone in 1975, Moscone appointed Jones as the Chairman of the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission.〔(''Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple''. ) PBS.org.〕 Unlike other figures considered as cult leaders, Jones enjoyed public support and contact with some of the highest level politicians in the United States. For example, Jones met with Vice President Walter Mondale and First Lady Rosalynn Carter several times. Governor Jerry Brown, Lieutenant Governor Mervyn Dymally, and Assemblyman Willie Brown, among others, attended a large testimonial dinner in honor of Jones in September 1976. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jonestown」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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