How Is This For Transforming Lives?

From a reader:

There’s a true story about a Christian church, that was once what you would call a model congregation for anyone interested in church growth. They had a heated swimming pool for underprivileged kids.  They had horses for inner-city children to ride.  The church gave scholarships and provided housing for senior citizens.  It even had an animal shelter and medical facility, an outpatient care facility and a drug rehabilitation program.  Walter Mondale, who was vice-president under Jimmy Carter wrote that the pastor was an “inspiration to us all.”  The Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare said the pastor was an outstanding contributor.  We are told, “he knew how to inspire hope.  He was committed to people in need, he counseled prisoners and juvenile delinquents.  He started a job placement center; he opened rest homes and homes for the retarded; he had a health clinic; he organized a vocational training center; he provided free legal aid; he founded a community center; he preached about God.  He even claimed to cast out demons, do miracles and heal.”

But where is that pastor and church today?  What are they doing right now?  The pastor and church are dead.  Literally.  Death occurred when the pastor called the members to a pavilion, sat in his large chair and spoke into a hand-held microphone about the beauty of death and how they would all meet again.  But to insure that everyone would meet again real soon he surrounded the people with armed guards and had a container of cyanide-laced Kool-Aid brought out.  Most of the church members drank the poison with no resistance.  Those who did resist were forced to drink.  First it was the babies and children – about 80.  Then the adults – women and men, leaders and followers.  And finally the pastor.  In a few minutes it was all over.  The members of the People’s Temple Christian Church were all dead.  All 780 of them.  And so was their leader, Jim Jones.