Why Waco?

Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America
1. Auflage 1997
ISBN: 978-0-520-20899-5
Verlag: University of California Press

Buch, Englisch, 254 Seiten, Trade Paperback, Format (B × H): 151 mm x 227 mm, Gewicht: 363 g

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.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Tabor, James D.

Gallagher, Eugene V.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christliche Kirchen, Konfessionen, Denominationen Christliche und christlich motivierte Bewegungen und Sekten
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein

Inhaltsverzeichnis

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

Über Autor(innen)

James D. Tabor is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the coauthor of A Noble Death: Suicide and Martyrdom in Antiquity (1992). Eugene V. Gallagher is Professor of Religious Studies at Connecticut College and the author of Expectation and Experience: Explaining Religious Conversion (1990).