Does the Rev. Jim Jones Koolaid incident bear any similarity to Masada?

Question

The oath Israeli soldiers take, "Masada shall not fall again," [ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/masada.html ] is based on a mass suicide-assisted suicide incident involving 960 men, women and children in 74 ce, when Roman troops were completing the capture of the fortress.

http://atheism.about.com/od/bibleplacescities/p/Masada.htm

Similarly, Rev. Jim Jones assisted in the suicide of all his followers when the walls began closing in on the Jonestown settlement.

The striking contrast between Israeli veneration for Masada and the shudder most modern people experience concerning Jonestown suggests something is fundamentally different about the two self-slaughterings.

This might involve a 'free pass' being given because Masada involved Biblical zealots, whereas Jones arrived too late to qualify.

Or maybe, some zealots who kill their kids are okay, and others just aren't.

Are some zealots more equal than others?

1st answerer: The US hadn't been invented yet, for Masada. Are you suggesting the US Representative killing is the main dividing line separating Jonestown and Masada?

Interesting.

Crabby: So am I.
Desiree: The Hebrews at Masada killed their children. That has a familiar ring. And we have no idea what the people knew, or didn't know in that fortress.

thumbs up to all of you thus far, even though you're not answering the question. Historian, indeed!

quraq2me: My need to write academic trivia passed a long time ago. Your answer doesn't do anything but make all the usual apologies. But thumbs up to you, anyway.

Evidently the answer is 'yes'. Some zealots are more equal than others. It's okay for some folk to murder their children under some circumstances if they're properly Biblical, but it ain't okay for moderns to do it.

I'd agree, at least to the last part. Hopefully whatever Masada represents in Israel today won't fall, so's to put to the test whether the Wal Marts over there carry KoolAid.

Answer 1

I never liked Koolaid. Always thought it was sus.
Must have been a PR disaster for its manufacturer.

Answer 2

What kind of ludicrous reasoning is this ? Masada was the Romans attacking the Jews and the Jews defending themselves. Jimmy Jones was a demon-influenced "nut", who instead of saving life, had people end it with cyanide-laced cool-aid. The criteria for each event is not even remotely plausible to say the least. I hope you aren't using your information in your thesis at University - WOW !!!

Answer 3

There is no similarity between the two incidents. Jim Jones and his followers were deluded fanatics--and their mass suicide was in response to their own paranoia.

The people of Masada faced a choice between death by crucifixion--or a life of slavery. They chose to die free.

No similarity.

Answer 4

Except the Jews knew that once the Romans had captured them, they would have been tortured to death. Jim just would've had to go to jail with his tail between his legs. The Jews acted out of fear of death with their honor as their motivator, Jim acted out of fear of losing his power, wealth and influence with greed as his motivator.

Answer 5

I don't recall Masada involving the assassination of a US Representative.