Why Waco?: Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America

By James D. Tabor and Eugene V. Gallagher

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520208994
• ISBN13: 9780520208995
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 254 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Contrary to what the last reviewer posted here, this book is another important one in the battle of

This important book, written by researchers James D. Tabor and Eugene V. Gallagher tells who the Branch Dividians were, ehy they held their 'self-apocolyptic' views and what brou- ght them to the Mount Carmel Complex in the first place. What guided this misguided but essentially harmless groups of 'end-times'ers' to be masacred by the Federal jack-booted Fascists? Find out how this (real) American 'holacaust' happened and how to prevent another episode of the Feds killing sprees in the future. Recom- mended. - Rich Salzer, Director / Editor, HRL

a worthy read!

This book shows the human side of the Branch Davidians that was certainly missing in the sensationalistic portrayal presented by the media. Rather than seeing the Branch Davidians as mindless followers of a madman, Tabor and Gallagher show the reader the history, theology and genuine fervency of the movement, as well as David Koresh.This book does well to show the other side to the Waco tragedy. One that is often missing when discussing "cults" or new religious movements. One realizes that the true tragedy perhaps is the unnecessary loss of lives in Waco due to government fumbling, media sensationalism and anti-cult misdoings.It is informative and easy-to-read and gives much food for thought on the saliency of the media in forming our opinions.