Jonestown: Did You See This As A Cult Or A Religion?

Jonestown: Did You See This as a Cult or a Religion?Student’s NameInstitutional AffiliationJonestown: Did You See This as a Cult or a Religion?Religion refers to an organized assemblage of cultural systems, world views, and beliefs that relate humanity to an order of existence (Coughlin, 2018). A cult, on the other hand, refers to a social group that practices unusual spiritual, philosophical, or religious beliefs, or by its common interest in a specific, goal, personality, or object (Coughlin, 2018). A cult is not a religion but more of a social movement.In the 1950s, Jim Jones began a religious community named Peoples Temple that came into the limelight following a massive act of mass suicide by 900 of its members, at their compound in Jonestown, Guyana (Emerson, Monahan & Mirola, 2011). This act took place in 1978. Jones was inspired by the ideal of a fair society that could overcome the evils of poverty and racism. Since he was Caucasian, Jones attracted many African Americans to the group with his vision of a united flock. After a while, the church was accused of abuse