So I saw the movie and could not stop thinking about how little we knew about the people who died there. I have always heard the "don't drink the Kool-aid" in reference to any cult. But seeing Nelson's movie, I saw that the people of Jonestown weren't kooks, in fact, it all made sense. It then got me to thinking about our current political landscape of extremism. Short of actually serving Kool-aid, so many groups are positioning their missions on an utopian life where it is "us" against "them."

Bravo to Nelson for bringing this to us and hopefully we will all stop and think why they drank the Kool-aid back then and today...

It shows the incredible power of belief and "ideology" to control and influence people lives. Is there any wonder that the evangelicals have the power they do? There is an incredible hunger that men like Jones fill, again and again, that leave us breathless and spinning, wondering what will come next and how bad is it going to be. As Lennon said, "God is a concept by which we measure our pain."

Before I judged it, which has to be done, it also may prove valuable to look at the less virulent ideologies people live by--the codes personal and collective that exclude and discriminate rather than include and expand our definitions. i.e. there is a little Jones or need for Jones in everybody, and that's what makes Jonestown so scary.

I recommend Mark Burnett develop a series like this.

My Grandmother met Jim Jones when he was going through Indianapolis. He really weireded her out. She didn't recall 'till later, though I think before Guyana. As a woman of great faith, it seemed she was warned. Never heard her talk about much more than her impressions.

to be living in Milwaukee. Those are the top two films that I chose to see in the Milwaukee International Film Festival. Of course, that's because I am an avid collector of religious oddities. Thanks for the great preview.

Is not the crying and screaming or the firm but gentle prodding of Jones to his followers to drink the Flavor Aid, although those are difficult.

It's the silence near the end. All the children who had been crying are no longer crying. And you know why. Soon everything is silent, except for Jim Jones, whom you can picture a few minutes later, putting a gun to his head.

My kindergarten teacher's daughter died at Jonestown, and I recall my mother telling me about it. I didn't understand it then, nor do I now.

NPR broadcast in depth on that event after it happened including the tapes at length. I remember having to stop my car because I was crying too hard to drive. Yes. these were idealistic , maybe naive people who fell into their leader's developing madness, apoint worth considering for all of us.