From the temple of life to the temple of death: keyness analyses of the transitions of a cult

Given their socially and personally beneficial teachings and practices, religious groups are generally seen as positive. However, some religious groups, specifically cults, can have destructive effects. The most notable destructive cult was Peoples Temple, led by Jim Jones, who convinced his followers to commit mass suicide in 1978 at Jonestown, Guyana. Previous research into Peoples Temple has mainly focussed on its social–psychological characteristics with limited applicability to other cults. This study investigates the transitions of Peoples Temple from sect to cult to destructive cult by examining the aboutness and communication styles through the patterns of key linguistic features in Jim Jones’ sermons from the 1960s to 1978 using keyness analyses. The findings show that sect sermons promote religious concepts through a personal involvement style which characterise the group as beneficial, while destructive cult sermons emphasise concepts not traditionally associated with religious discourse, together with the use of othering, intensifying, swearing and controlling styles, and thereby characterising Peoples Temple as dangerous. The cult sermons display dual characteristics which show the transition of Peoples Temple from being beneficial to detrimental. This study provides linguistic indicators for identifying the transitions of a religious group to a cult.