Cult Comparison Engine
Select any two cult profiles or movements to compare their timelines, fatalities, leadership, and key events side-by-side.
Peoples Temple
Originally founded in Indianapolis by Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple was a syncretic religious movement that advocated for racial integration and Christian socialism. After relocating to California, the group eventually established the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, commonly known as Jonestown, in Guyana to escape press scrutiny. On November 18, 1978, following the murder of US Congressman Leo Ryan, Jones ordered the community to perform 'revolutionary suicide' by consuming cyanide-laced Flavor Aid. The mass murder-suicide resulted in the deaths of 918 people.
Branch Davidians
The Branch Davidians are an apocalyptic Seventh-day Adventist reform movement established in 1959. In the late 1980s, David Koresh assumed control of the group at their Mount Carmel Center compound near Waco, Texas, preaching a message of impending doom and arming the commune. On February 28, 1993, a raid by the ATF for illegal weapons erupted into a gun battle, initiating a 51-day federal siege. The standoff ended on April 19 when the compound was engulfed in flames during an FBI gas assault, killing Koresh and 75 followers.
Cult Span
Cult Span
Total Fatalities
Total Fatalities
Leaders & Followers
Cult Leadership & Followers
- Peoples Temple Leadership & Followers (Jim Jones)
Concerned Parties
- Concerned Relatives
- US Congressional Delegation (Leo Ryan)
Leaders & Followers
Cult Leadership & Followers
- Branch Davidians (David Koresh)
Concerned Parties
- FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT)
- ATF Agents
Key Events
Jim Jones establishes the Wings of Deliverance in Indianapolis, which soon becomes the Peoples Temple, advocating Christian socialism and racial integration.
Jones relocates the Temple congregation to Ukiah, California, following his prophecies of an imminent nuclear war.
The Peoples Temple establishes a permanent headquarters in San Francisco, expanding its social programs and developing significant local political influence.
The Peoples Temple leases 3,800 acres of land in Guyana to construct the Jonestown Agricultural Commune as a retreat from growing media scrutiny.
Journalists Marshall Kilduff and Ron Javers publish a scathing exposé detailing abuse and coercion inside the Temple, causing Jim Jones to flee to Guyana that night.
Jones and hundreds of members relocate overnight to Jonestown following investigative reports of physical abuse in California.
Armed guards attack US Congressman Leo Ryan's delegation at Port Kaituma; Jones then directs the mass suicide-murder of 918 followers via cyanide poisoning.
Key Events
An offshoot of the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists establishes the Mount Carmel Center commune near Waco, Texas.
Vernon Howell (later David Koresh) arrives at the Mount Carmel Center and joins the Branch Davidians, quickly gaining influence with leader Lois Roden.
Vernon Howell (later David Koresh) leads a gun battle against rival leader George Roden to secure control of the compound.
Following Lois Roden's death and the commitment of her son George Roden to a psychiatric facility, Koresh assumes absolute control over Mount Carmel.
Vernon Howell legally changes his name to David Koresh, asserting his role as the final prophet of the Seven Seals.
A raid by the ATF to search for illegal automatic weapons results in a massive firefight, killing 4 agents and 6 Davidians.
After a 51-day siege, the FBI launches a gas assault; fires break out, burning the compound to the ground and killing Koresh and 75 followers.