I've been asked many times "Why are you so hard on false teachers?" and "Why don't you just ignore them, after all what harm do they do ?" Listen up, my unlearned and unstable friend, II Peter 3:16-17, you have evidently forgotten about Jim Jones. He was a false teacher that deceived many. When things got too hot for him here in America he too his deceived followers to another country and set up his little domain. When our government was closing in on him he talked many of his believers into committing suicide. Those who wouldn't kill themselves were murdered by thugs. Now tell me 'What harm can they do?" Remember that guy in Waco? Same thing, completely deceived people. Loss of life too. In both cases a lot of drugs, sinful acts and sex acts. What harm can they do ? What about when a comet was going to pass close enough to earth people could see it? Twisting scripture a 'teacher' in california persuaded 39 people of the heavens gate religious group to commit suicide so that their …show more content…
Take notice of what the lord himself said in the greatest sermon man has ever heard. Matthew 7:15-23 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of
On March 13, 1997, an inexplicable phenomenon took place in the sky over Phoenix, Arizona. Thousands of people witnessed the occurrence, and a few dozen even caught it on camera. The event was so astonishing that the most world-renowned news source, CNN, broadcast it on national television. Disappearing, the mind-boggling event left thousands, or even millions, in disbelief at what they had just witnessed. What was it? The world may never know.
In Matthew, and specifically in the Sermon on the Mount, all verses refer to one who pretends. The Pharisees, or hypocrites, that Jesus was referencing, were unable to ‘take the plank out of their own eye’ (Matthew 7:5). They were claiming to be able to aid somebody else to identify sin when the hypocrites were merely unqualified pretenders that needed to rid themselves of sin prior to recognizing insufficient sin in others.
... of evil against you, for my sake. Rejoice and exult, because your reward is great in heaven; for so did they persecute the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12).
Two decades ago a strange series of events ended in the deaths of more than 900 people in the middle of a South American jungle. Though thought of as a "massacre," what occurred at Jonestown on November 18, 1978, was to some extent done willingly. This made the mass suicide more disturbing. The Jonestown cult which was officially named “The People's Temple" was founded by a reverend named James Warren Jones, also known as Jim Jones, from Indianapolis in 1955. Jones, who didn’t have medical training, based his liberal ministry as a combination of religious and socialist viewpoints.
First, people slowly started to realize this may not be what they want yet have no option, leading to psychological torture. It was said to be that if anyone was caught running away Jim Jones and his guards would use tactical skills to torment the people into staying, basically scaring them into any other idea. Also, Jones convinced his people that they were under attack by the government and that the US wanted to shut them down, using brainwash. After hundreds of nights practicing the suicide he finally called the actual drinking of the cyanide-laced kool aid (Jonestown and peoples temple, chidster). The people of Jonestown were manipulated and brainwashed into thinking that the life they were living was a hell and that suicide would bring them to peace. Jim Jones had implanted false thoughts in their heads causing emotional distress and ultimately leading to the mental break down of killing their children and themselves. The people of Jonestown were taken to the level of abnormal living and held high reliance on Jim. It was because of all these adaptions that Jim forced on these people that they became a cult (Cult, Gallagher). Jim Jones is one of the main and biggest examples of the difference between a religious leader and a cult leader. Another key example of a cult that used psychological techniques to persuade people
Halley’s Comet has been sighted and recorded for thousands of years by humans. A comet recorded in ancient Greece around 468 B.C. is thought to be Halley. However, the first ever collection of records about Halley’s Comet is from China in 256 B.C. Two Babylonian clay tablets also reported an appearance of Halley’s Comet from 164 B.C. Halley’s passing of 12 B.C. was noted in the Book of Han by Chinese astronomers of the Han Dynasty, who traced its path from August through October. It passed by within 0.16 Astronomical Units (AU) of Earth. This appearance of Halley in particular led some astronomers and theologians to believe it explained the biblical story of the “Star of Bethlehem;” its arrival was mysteriously close to the birth of Jesus.
Annie Moore one of the people who died in Jonestown said these last haunting words: “We died because you would not let us live”. That chilling sentence says so much about the grip Jim Jones had on his followers. Once he had them under his control they weren’t even allowed to think for themselves let alone do anything else freely. Jim Jones started to lose it when the congressman, the relatives, and the media began to question what was going on in Jonestown.
...s already small portions of food and horrible tasks given to those who didn’t obey Jim Jones. Also, Reverend jones clearly didn’t mind the fact that he was forcing more than nine hundred people to commit suicide, a third if them children. Being me, I feel like the way Jim Jones treated these people, and the way he led this cult compound was completely wrong. I feel like Peoples Temple was a humungous mistake. I also feel truly sorry for those who lose friends and family in this horrible event and for those who went through this. Although this is all over the Jim jones Massacre will forever be remembered and never be forgotten.
Yes, we all know that one teacher who gives his/her all no matter what the case might be, but the old saying “one bad apple spoils the bunch” most definitely reigns true in this case. For example, there are teachers who do what they have to do in order to receive tenure and once they have it they feel
...fortunately, when a person is given that much power and control over a large group of people their decisions as well as reasoning can become altered. In the case of Jim Jones his power lead to an enflamed ego, which led to a greed, not only of loyalty but of money. Money then lead to drug use, and in the end, drug use led to insanity. Those who are gifted with the ability to influence others have a huge responsibility. They must recognize what they have as a gift and not abuse what God has given them. Jim Jones is a person who had this gift as well as good intentions, yet he could not balance and keep in perspective that what he was doing was to benefit the world, not to benefit himself.
The case with him shows another reason why these criminals convicted of capital offenses should be sentenced to death. As long as they live, they can influence others with their toxic ideas. These people are not safe or trustworthy anymore, and just like bad apples spoiling good apples, bad humans can spoil good humans. For the safety and better good of the general populous, it would be the best to just get rid of them. And even if they don’t influence others while alive, they can kill while living. Take for example the tragedy of the Tison vs Arizona case that made it’s way to the Supreme Court. In July 30, 1978, a massacre would take the nation by storm. “the Tison brothers...visited their father Gary in Arizona State Prison, where he was serving time for killing a prison guard. After the family had assembled in the designated visitor picnic area, the brothers popped off the cover of their ice chest. There was no food, just guns. All four of them - plus a fifth man, Gary's cellmate Randy Greenawalt - escaped from the prison...When the car got a flat in the Arizona wilderness, a 24-year-old marine sergeant travelling with his young family stopped to help. The gang seized and robbed the good Samaritans ...and gunned down the whole family”(Kay para. 3). The case above showed the U.S. that more good souls were taken out because the murderer was not
In Deuteronomy it says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV). People tend to jump to conclusions without first educating themselves. A Christian with the
On November 18, 1978, a notorious religious organization lead by Jim Jones became international news. As a result of manipulation and isolation, Jim Jones influenced his followers to commit suicide. Not only, but his followers were utterly convinced that what they were doing was for a good cause, specifically, a political movement. With kool-aid and a dash of cyanide, 918 people, adults and children, ended their lives that day. The aftermath of this horrific event resulted in numerous documentaries, on of which being, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple. Created in 2006, this documentary gives a thorough and accurate account of the events that lead up to as well as occured that day.
What is called truth must contain its own meaning and is worthwhile to exist. Painful or dangerous truth can be distinguished into two types: one of them is those truth judged by the society which contain bad or passive meanings itself while another kind of truth doesn’t define to be negative but may cause pain or danger when people heard others revealing about it. As for teachers, their responsibility is not only teaching students the basic academic knowledge from books, but also need to pay attention to their mental and psychological development and try to build up a healthy and harmonious environment for students to grow up. However, we cannot avoid danger and difficulties along the way when children growing to maturity. Aiming at finding the best way for children to grow up, many people start to question about the things teachers should teach and doubt whether teachers should reveal some painful truth or not. But I think it depends on what kind of truth
I am a hard-working, responsible, friendly girl with a strong passion to pursue a career in primary school teaching. I believe that to become an excellent teacher you must have a desire to assist children in the learning process and this is one quality which I feel I definitely possess.