The Making of a Monster: The Disturbing Childhood of Cult Leader Jim Jones

Today we’re beginning a new deep-dive series on one of the most infamous cult leaders in American history — Jim Jones, the man behind the Jonestown tragedy. Over the next few weeks, we’ll attempt to answer some chilling questions:

Who was Jim Jones?
Was he ever truly a preacher who cared about people?
Why would so many follow him so blindly?
And how could one man convince over 900 people to die in the jungles of Guyana?

This first installment focuses on the childhood of Jim Jones — the beginnings of the boy who would later become the architect of one of the most horrifying mass deaths in modern history.

A Troubled Beginning

Jim Warren Jones was born on May 13, 1931, in the small town of Crete, Indiana. His family lived in deep poverty, and his parents showed little interest in raising their son. Neglected and often hungry, young Jim survived largely on the kindness of neighbors, especially a woman named Mrs. Myrtle Kennedy.

Myrtle’s compassion would unknowingly change the course of history when she took Jones to a local church. There, the young boy became captivated by the preacher—by the way he commanded attention, stirred emotion, and held power over the congregation.

From that moment, Jones began attending every church in town, quickly developing a fascination with Pentecostal-style preaching and the emotional energy that filled the room.

A Dark Imagination Emerges

Even as a child, Jim Jones’s curiosity took disturbing turns. He began preaching to imaginary congregations from a tree stump in the woods and held mock funerals for dead animals. When he couldn’t find any, he would kill small animals himself—just so he could perform the ceremony.

He would invite neighborhood children to attend his “services,” forcing them to stand for hours while he preached. Those who tried to leave often faced his temper. In one incident, Jones locked a boy in a barn, and in another, shot a child with a BB gun to see how he would react.

From a young age, Jim Jones demonstrated an unsettling need to control and dominate others—a trait that would only grow stronger as he aged.

Early Obsessions with Power and Ideology

Despite his religious curiosity, Jones eventually rejected God altogether. Instead, he immersed himself in Marxist and socialist ideologies, becoming fascinated by leaders who wielded massive influence. Among his heroes was Adolf Hitler, whom he admired not for his beliefs, but for his ability to mesmerize a crowd.

Jones would even have neighborhood kids march in formation and goose-step, punishing them if they broke rhythm. This obsession with control and psychological manipulation was already taking shape long before he would found his church.

Seeds of Deception

As he grew older, Jim Jones began to channel his intelligence and charisma into a cause that seemed noble on the surface—fighting social inequality. However, beneath the surface, it was simply another avenue to manipulate and control people.

Next week, we’ll explore Jim Jones’s early adult years in Indiana—how he convinced a devout Christian woman to marry him, how he began the People’s Temple, and the early cons and scams he used to gain power and money.

What started as a poor, neglected boy in Indiana would eventually lead to November 18, 1978, when Jim Jones ordered over 900 followers to die by drinking poisoned punch in Jonestown, Guyana.

Coming Up Next

Part 2: The Rise of the People’s Temple — How Jim Jones Built His Empire of Deception

Stay tuned as we continue to peel back the layers of the man who went from small-town preacher to the mastermind behind one of history’s most chilling cult tragedies.