Keeping the Faith

How does the charismatic energy of any leader result in the voluntary death of hundreds, even a thousand people. Throughout the development civilization, incidents of mass suicide have shaken humanity to it's foundation. Yet history records very different social attitudes toward these extreme events. From the martyrdom staged at Masada against the Romans, to the debauchery and carnage perpetrated by Jim Jones in Guyana, are these the acts of the morally righteous or the morally depraved? In the end, what made them do it?