Episode 15: The Nuclear Family

Long before Jonestown, Jim Jones was preaching a prophecy of nuclear annihilation down to the exact minute it would begin. In this episode, we trace how Cold War hysteria, doomsday visions, and a now-infamous  article in Esquire magazine led Jones from Indiana to Brazil, chasing fallout-free havens and gathering power through fear. Was he fleeing scandal, unraveling mentally, or being drawn into something more sinister?

Fear, especially irrational fear opens the floodgates of our imaginations, unleashing upon ourselves the monsters and demons we let live in our subconscious. Did Jim Jones learn to weaponize that fear, or was he its most devout believer?