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James D. Tabor and Eugene V. Gallagher
Why Waco?
Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America
$21.95, £15.95 paperback
978-0-520-20899-5
Available Now
254 pages, 18 black-and-white photographs
July 1995, Available worldwide
Categories: Religion; United States History; Sociology
July 1995, Available worldwide
Categories: Religion; United States History; Sociology
Free online edition (eScholarship)--available only to University of California faculty, staff, and students (List of public titles)
"Was Reno manipulated by macho FBI officials frazzled by fatigue and Koresh's biblical rant? . . . In their book, Why Waco?, Tabor and Gallagher argue that the FBI blundered into a tragedy because it never understood Koresh and his cult: 'The Waco situation could have been handled differently and possibly resolved peacefully. This is not unfounded speculation. It is the considered opinion of lawyers who spent the most time with the Davidians during the siege and scholars of religion who understand biblical apocalyptic belief systems.'"--Sandy Grady, article in the Philadelphia Daily News and fifty other newspapers, August 30, 1999
"Thoroughly absorbing. . . . Provocative and challenging, the questions raised here deserve to be answered as the ashes from Waco and Oklahoma City still settle."—Kirkus Reviews
"It's a dramatic, eye-opening story told in the book with rich detail. An appendix provides a wealth of previously classified materials, showing how Koresh and an army of federal agents failed to communicate with each other. Why Waco seems destined to raise questions that go beyond the siege itself."—Josh Getlin, Los Angeles Times
"A carefully documented and engaging study by two experts on religious conversion."—New York Times Book Review
"In a sophisticated analysis, Tabor and Gallagher illustrate how ignorance about religion, and fear of the unknown, drove events in Waco. . . . Why Waco? dissects the organized anti-cult movement in America and includes a piercing critique of the way the media responds to fervent religiosity found outside the mainstream."—Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Thoroughly absorbing. . . . Provocative and challenging, the questions raised here deserve to be answered as the ashes from Waco and Oklahoma City still settle."—Kirkus Reviews
"It's a dramatic, eye-opening story told in the book with rich detail. An appendix provides a wealth of previously classified materials, showing how Koresh and an army of federal agents failed to communicate with each other. Why Waco seems destined to raise questions that go beyond the siege itself."—Josh Getlin, Los Angeles Times
"A carefully documented and engaging study by two experts on religious conversion."—New York Times Book Review
"In a sophisticated analysis, Tabor and Gallagher illustrate how ignorance about religion, and fear of the unknown, drove events in Waco. . . . Why Waco? dissects the organized anti-cult movement in America and includes a piercing critique of the way the media responds to fervent religiosity found outside the mainstream."—Los Angeles Times Book Review
"The label "cult" can become a license to kill. . . . A courageous religious scholar, James Tabor, understanding what was at stake, tried valiantly to prevent the tragedy at Waco. Persevering in its wake, he and Eugene Gallagher thoroughly investigated the background, participants, and events leading to the destruction of the Mount Carmel Church and its members. Their findings are presented in this critically important book."—Ramsey Clark, former Attorney General
"Here, at last, is a glimpse of 'the other side' of the tragic confrontation. . . . The authors offer an alternative to the common wisdom about Waco as well as a critique of the anti-cult ideology that helped misdefine the situation and bring about its fateful—and fatal—results."—Dean M. Kelley, Counselor on Religious Liberty, National Council of Churches
"For public debate on a serious issue facing our society, this book deserves wide and sober reading."—John R. Hall, author of Gone From the Promised Land: Jonestown as American Cultural History
"Here, at last, is a glimpse of 'the other side' of the tragic confrontation. . . . The authors offer an alternative to the common wisdom about Waco as well as a critique of the anti-cult ideology that helped misdefine the situation and bring about its fateful—and fatal—results."—Dean M. Kelley, Counselor on Religious Liberty, National Council of Churches
"For public debate on a serious issue facing our society, this book deserves wide and sober reading."—John R. Hall, author of Gone From the Promised Land: Jonestown as American Cultural History
The 1993 government assault on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, resulted in the deaths of four federal agents and eighty Branch Davidians, including seventeen children. Whether these tragic deaths could have been avoided is still debatable, but what seems clear is that the events in Texas have broad implications for religious freedom in America.
James Tabor and Eugene Gallagher's bold examination of the Waco story offers the first balanced account of the siege. They try to understand what really happened in Waco: What brought the Branch Davidians to Mount Carmel? Why did the government attack? How did the media affect events? The authors address the accusations of illegal weapons possession, strange sexual practices, and child abuse that were made against David Koresh and his followers. Without attempting to excuse such actions, they point out that the public has not heard the complete story and that many media reports were distorted.
The authors have carefully studied the Davidian movement, analyzing the theology and biblical interpretation that were so central to the group's functioning. They also consider how two decades of intense activity against so-called cults have influenced public perceptions of unorthodox religions.
In exploring our fear of unconventional religious groups and how such fear curtails our ability to tolerate religious differences, Why Waco? is an unsettling wake-up call. Using the events at Mount Carmel as a cautionary tale, the authors challenge all Americans, including government officials and media representatives, to closely examine our national commitment to religious freedom.
James Tabor and Eugene Gallagher's bold examination of the Waco story offers the first balanced account of the siege. They try to understand what really happened in Waco: What brought the Branch Davidians to Mount Carmel? Why did the government attack? How did the media affect events? The authors address the accusations of illegal weapons possession, strange sexual practices, and child abuse that were made against David Koresh and his followers. Without attempting to excuse such actions, they point out that the public has not heard the complete story and that many media reports were distorted.
The authors have carefully studied the Davidian movement, analyzing the theology and biblical interpretation that were so central to the group's functioning. They also consider how two decades of intense activity against so-called cults have influenced public perceptions of unorthodox religions.
In exploring our fear of unconventional religious groups and how such fear curtails our ability to tolerate religious differences, Why Waco? is an unsettling wake-up call. Using the events at Mount Carmel as a cautionary tale, the authors challenge all Americans, including government officials and media representatives, to closely examine our national commitment to religious freedom.
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. What Might Have Been
2. Moving to Mount Carmel
3. Unlocking the Seven Seals
4. The Sinful Messiah
5. A Complex Hostage / Barricade Rescue Situation
6. The Wacko from Waco
7. The Cult Controversy
8. Waco and Religious Freedom in America
Appendix: An Unfinished Manuscript by David Koresh
Notes
A Note on Sources
Index
List of Mount Carmel Branch Davidians
Illustrations following page 146
Acknowledgments
1. What Might Have Been
2. Moving to Mount Carmel
3. Unlocking the Seven Seals
4. The Sinful Messiah
5. A Complex Hostage / Barricade Rescue Situation
6. The Wacko from Waco
7. The Cult Controversy
8. Waco and Religious Freedom in America
Appendix: An Unfinished Manuscript by David Koresh
Notes
A Note on Sources
Index
List of Mount Carmel Branch Davidians
Illustrations following page 146