Kool-Aid: Tastes Better With Cyanide
September 24, 2005
Curtis Kekoa III
“Whoever drinks of the water I shall give him will never thirst.”
– Jesus Christ, Gospel of John 4:14
On November 18, 1978, 914 members of the People’s Temple committed
suicide at their Guyana-based compound. The cult’s leader was a former
preacher, Jim Jones, who in the 1950’s created the church Wings of
Deliverance, eventually renaming the church to People’s Temple Full
Gospel Church. Somehow in 1964, Jones became an ordained minister in
the Christian denomination Disciples of Christ.
By definition, a cult’s leader wields tremendous influence over his
followers. Jones was no exception. He gained his following by
espousing “apostolic socialism,” an ideology employing the fundamentals
of communism and by claiming he was the reincarnate Son of God, Jesus
Christ. Jones, born an American, migrated his following to Guyana in
1977 in order to evade authorities investigating Jones for tax evasion.
The suicides of the People’s Temple included those who shot themselves
or used the poison cyanide. Although some injected cyanide, others
ingested it with a soft drink. It is widely believed the soft drink used
was the ever-popular Kool-Aid brand when really it was a knock-off
called Flavor Aid. Nonetheless, the ritualistic suicide performed at the
behest of cult leader Jones was the function of “revolutionary suicide,”
a concept championed by a former Black Panther Party leader, the
infamous Huey Newton, whose 1973 autobiography adorns verbatim the
name of the concept. Although “revolutionary suicide” is a term
virtually unknown by most, the popular quip “Drinking the Kool-Aid”
represents revolutionary suicide because of the tragedy at People’s
Temple.
I like Kool-Aid. As a kid I consumed my fair share of the sugar-laden
beverage, not because of its health value (i.e. hyperactivity, ADHD, ADD
and for some, diabetes which can lead to disability and death), but
because of the sweet taste. It seemed as though Kool-Aid could turn
water into a yummy drink even though it was obvious Kool-Aid contained
no fruit, just sugar and an assortment of preservatives of which I cared
not to know at the time. Kool-Aid’s colors were also aesthetically
pleasing – bright red, blue, green, etcetera – and at around $.25 for a
packet which could fill an entire pitcher, the expense for the package of
sugar seemed small indeed which was an incentive for mom, of course.
Overall, Kool-Aid was the ideal drink for this former kid, and because it
was saturated with sugar I wouldn’t have noticed if my cup of Kool-Aid,
once water, was laced with bitter cyanide.
“Drinking the Kool-Aid” – the statement connotes the dangerous
influences over souls by the workers of iniquity and to guard against
their wiles. But in the collective psyche, particularly one raised on the
seemingly benign Kool-Aid Man and his battle to conquer thirst
perpetrated by the mean “thirsties,” drinking the Kool-Aid isn’t such a
bad idea nowadays especially since the cheap $.25 thrill still looks
good and tastes good.
Unfortunately, “Drinking the Kool-Aid” morphed from what was once a
warning of evil into an everyday habit of imbibing whatever nonsense
accompanies that which is cheap, looks good and smells good. I am
speaking specifically of the Christian Church in the United States which
has hand-over-fist consumed the vain philosophies of man, a preference
to that which is given us by God in His Bible. What vain philosophies?
Do not judge, public school, psychology, New Ageism, abortion (pro-
aborts and apathy), mega-church fever, the “pink elephant” of the
absence of Scripture, democracy and the perceived withdrawal of God’s
law, justice and judgment upon evildoers such as homosexuals,
murderers and adulterers are just some of the cyanides one can find
mixed within a pleasingly sweet, good-looking and good-smelling Kool-Aid
message propagandized by the Church today. This message, given in lieu
of the Word of God, comes with a cheap price depending on one’s
perspective, alluring and coddling the masses with their money and
approval while alienating and ostracizing those few who don’t drink from
this massive punch-bowl. These few non-partakers in the Church are a
small price to pay one supposes. Besides, water is tasteless, and the
influx of the masses is in no way due to a pragmatic pushing of the Kool-
Aid message. It’s just attractive, and after all, the masses love God
and His lovers. For Christ said:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the
way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by
it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which
leads to life, and there are few who find it,” (Matthew 7:13,14) and,
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the
kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in
heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in You name, cast out demons in Your name, and done
many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I
never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!,’”
(Matthew 7:21-23) and the all too denied, “And you will be hated by
all for My name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22; Luke 21:17; Mark 13:13).
Actually, the price is very steep when it comes to drinking the Kool-Aid
as taught by Paul the apostle:
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty
deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic
principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians
2:8). “Now the Spirit expressly says in the latter times some will
depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and
doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own
conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:3). “But evil men
and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being
deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). “Let no one deceive you by any means;
for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first,
and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition […]
And now you know what is restraining, that he [son of perdition]
may be revealed in his own time […] He who now restrains will do
so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one
will be revealed […] The coming of the lawless one is according
to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying
wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who
perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that
they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them
strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all
may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure
in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 6-9).
God decides of whom He gives over to a debased mind which departs from
the simplicity of the gospel and instead partakes from that which,
frankly, tickles the ears. But it’s still discouraging that most do not
for a moment question or even think to compare to the word of God the
deceptive philosophies of the Kool-Aid message which change the Word
of God into something else: the wisdom of evil man which is in opposition
to the wisdom of God. The followers of Jim Jones and the People’s
Temple didn’t question certain philosophies, an extreme example of
individual negligence and drinking the Kool-Aid. May God save us from
the same fate of a subtle, spiritual suicide.
Until then, bottom’s up…
September 24, 2005
Curtis Kekoa III
“Whoever drinks of the water I shall give him will never thirst.”
– Jesus Christ, Gospel of John 4:14
On November 18, 1978, 914 members of the People’s Temple committed
suicide at their Guyana-based compound. The cult’s leader was a former
preacher, Jim Jones, who in the 1950’s created the church Wings of
Deliverance, eventually renaming the church to People’s Temple Full
Gospel Church. Somehow in 1964, Jones became an ordained minister in
the Christian denomination Disciples of Christ.
By definition, a cult’s leader wields tremendous influence over his
followers. Jones was no exception. He gained his following by
espousing “apostolic socialism,” an ideology employing the fundamentals
of communism and by claiming he was the reincarnate Son of God, Jesus
Christ. Jones, born an American, migrated his following to Guyana in
1977 in order to evade authorities investigating Jones for tax evasion.
The suicides of the People’s Temple included those who shot themselves
or used the poison cyanide. Although some injected cyanide, others
ingested it with a soft drink. It is widely believed the soft drink used
was the ever-popular Kool-Aid brand when really it was a knock-off
called Flavor Aid. Nonetheless, the ritualistic suicide performed at the
behest of cult leader Jones was the function of “revolutionary suicide,”
a concept championed by a former Black Panther Party leader, the
infamous Huey Newton, whose 1973 autobiography adorns verbatim the
name of the concept. Although “revolutionary suicide” is a term
virtually unknown by most, the popular quip “Drinking the Kool-Aid”
represents revolutionary suicide because of the tragedy at People’s
Temple.
I like Kool-Aid. As a kid I consumed my fair share of the sugar-laden
beverage, not because of its health value (i.e. hyperactivity, ADHD, ADD
and for some, diabetes which can lead to disability and death), but
because of the sweet taste. It seemed as though Kool-Aid could turn
water into a yummy drink even though it was obvious Kool-Aid contained
no fruit, just sugar and an assortment of preservatives of which I cared
not to know at the time. Kool-Aid’s colors were also aesthetically
pleasing – bright red, blue, green, etcetera – and at around $.25 for a
packet which could fill an entire pitcher, the expense for the package of
sugar seemed small indeed which was an incentive for mom, of course.
Overall, Kool-Aid was the ideal drink for this former kid, and because it
was saturated with sugar I wouldn’t have noticed if my cup of Kool-Aid,
once water, was laced with bitter cyanide.
“Drinking the Kool-Aid” – the statement connotes the dangerous
influences over souls by the workers of iniquity and to guard against
their wiles. But in the collective psyche, particularly one raised on the
seemingly benign Kool-Aid Man and his battle to conquer thirst
perpetrated by the mean “thirsties,” drinking the Kool-Aid isn’t such a
bad idea nowadays especially since the cheap $.25 thrill still looks
good and tastes good.
Unfortunately, “Drinking the Kool-Aid” morphed from what was once a
warning of evil into an everyday habit of imbibing whatever nonsense
accompanies that which is cheap, looks good and smells good. I am
speaking specifically of the Christian Church in the United States which
has hand-over-fist consumed the vain philosophies of man, a preference
to that which is given us by God in His Bible. What vain philosophies?
Do not judge, public school, psychology, New Ageism, abortion (pro-
aborts and apathy), mega-church fever, the “pink elephant” of the
absence of Scripture, democracy and the perceived withdrawal of God’s
law, justice and judgment upon evildoers such as homosexuals,
murderers and adulterers are just some of the cyanides one can find
mixed within a pleasingly sweet, good-looking and good-smelling Kool-Aid
message propagandized by the Church today. This message, given in lieu
of the Word of God, comes with a cheap price depending on one’s
perspective, alluring and coddling the masses with their money and
approval while alienating and ostracizing those few who don’t drink from
this massive punch-bowl. These few non-partakers in the Church are a
small price to pay one supposes. Besides, water is tasteless, and the
influx of the masses is in no way due to a pragmatic pushing of the Kool-
Aid message. It’s just attractive, and after all, the masses love God
and His lovers. For Christ said:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the
way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by
it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which
leads to life, and there are few who find it,” (Matthew 7:13,14) and,
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the
kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in
heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in You name, cast out demons in Your name, and done
many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I
never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!,’”
(Matthew 7:21-23) and the all too denied, “And you will be hated by
all for My name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22; Luke 21:17; Mark 13:13).
Actually, the price is very steep when it comes to drinking the Kool-Aid
as taught by Paul the apostle:
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty
deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic
principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians
2:8). “Now the Spirit expressly says in the latter times some will
depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and
doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own
conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:3). “But evil men
and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being
deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). “Let no one deceive you by any means;
for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first,
and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition […]
And now you know what is restraining, that he [son of perdition]
may be revealed in his own time […] He who now restrains will do
so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one
will be revealed […] The coming of the lawless one is according
to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying
wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who
perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that
they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them
strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all
may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure
in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 6-9).
God decides of whom He gives over to a debased mind which departs from
the simplicity of the gospel and instead partakes from that which,
frankly, tickles the ears. But it’s still discouraging that most do not
for a moment question or even think to compare to the word of God the
deceptive philosophies of the Kool-Aid message which change the Word
of God into something else: the wisdom of evil man which is in opposition
to the wisdom of God. The followers of Jim Jones and the People’s
Temple didn’t question certain philosophies, an extreme example of
individual negligence and drinking the Kool-Aid. May God save us from
the same fate of a subtle, spiritual suicide.
Until then, bottom’s up…
