Salvation and Suicide An Interpretation of Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and Jonestown

FOREWORD BY CATHERINE L. ALBANESE AND STEPHEN J. STEIN PREFACE Introduction: Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and Jonestown I. PERSPECTIVES ON AN EVENT 1. Death and Rituals of Exclusion and Inclusion 2. Cognitive Distancing 3. Religiohistorical Interpretation II. THE CLASSIFICATION OF PERSONS 1. Superhuman 2. Subhuman 3. Human III. ORIENTATION IN SPACE 1. Cosmic Space 2. Geographic Space 3. Body Space IV. ORIENTATION IN TIME 1. Cosmic Time 2. Historical Time 3. Body Time V. SALVATION AND SUICIDE 1. Religious Suicide 2. White Nights 3. The End Epilogue NOTES INDEX