I have found all the cults studied on this topic interesting but one I found particularly interesting was Waco and this is the one I am going to focus on. I never really knew about Waco until I watched a documentary on it screened on channel four about a year ago. I don’t know if anyone else caught that? It surprised me to say the least and studying this is class has been most interesting. Here’s an explanation of Waco as best as I can without boring you with too much detail.
The Branch Davidians (Waco was the place the tragedy happened) was a cult powered by a man named David Koresh, (birth name Vernon Howell). However he didn’t found it. It actually has a long history dating back to 1935 when Victor Houteff left the ‘Seventh Day Adventist Church’ and formed ‘Shepard’s Rod’. This group moved to Waco and formed a closed community. Then several years after his death his wife predicted the second coming of Christ in 1959, but it never happened – surprise surprise! This caused members of the group to question its reality and some left. One was Benjamin Roden – he formed the group Branch Davidians (after the biblical King David). When he died (1978) his wife, Lois, succeeded him They both were people who thought they were prophets and claimed to have visions and dreams. It was this group that David Koresh (then Vernon Howell) joined. He became Lois’s lover and her son didn’t like this so he tried to drive Vernon out. I
have read a lot of sources and in the book ‘The Secret World Of Cults’ by Sarah Moran, it says the son then went to a mental institution and Vernon took over once Lois died – however in class I write down that the son won the confrontation and Vernon left and travelled – and then returned and claimed to be a prophet with a changed name, I’m guessing both things happened - it’s just my crap note taking. Either way he, now named David Koresh, took over. While leader he took advantage of his power. He claimed all the groups women and said they were only allowed to have sex with him, not their husbands. The book I mentioned before writes ‘he claimed God came to him in a dream and told him to marry a 14 year old girl’. Eventually some people decided to leave and their was complaints of child abuse. The ATF came (alcohol, tobacco and firearms) but Koresh wouldn’t let them in. This then led to the electricity and water supply being cut off. Then on 19th April 1993 Janet Reno ordered an assault on the Waco compound. 21 children and a few adults were released over the 51 days . Tanks rolled in, knocking holes in the compound and tear gas was thrown. This led to fires appearing and they spread quickly in the wind. It is said that 83 people were burned to death and that David shot himself in the head. Other had gunshot wounds also but it still isn’t clear if people committed suicide or were shot. 
It’s extraordinary but true.
You might be thinking - who the heck believes someone who shows up and claims they are the new messiah. That’s what most people say when they hear about religious cults but good features that might have attracted people are the fact that they are looked after and taken care of and they don’t have to worry about ideal responsibility. It’s something that appeals to outsiders. It also gives religious people an active faith and belief (no matter how true or untrue it may be) that God will return again.
Take this into account before you dub the Waco’s as Wacko’s.
have read a lot of sources and in the book ‘The Secret World Of Cults’ by Sarah Moran, it says the son then went to a mental institution and Vernon took over once Lois died – however in class I write down that the son won the confrontation and Vernon left and travelled – and then returned and claimed to be a prophet with a changed name, I’m guessing both things happened - it’s just my crap note taking. Either way he, now named David Koresh, took over. While leader he took advantage of his power. He claimed all the groups women and said they were only allowed to have sex with him, not their husbands. The book I mentioned before writes ‘he claimed God came to him in a dream and told him to marry a 14 year old girl’. Eventually some people decided to leave and their was complaints of child abuse. The ATF came (alcohol, tobacco and firearms) but Koresh wouldn’t let them in. This then led to the electricity and water supply being cut off. Then on 19th April 1993 Janet Reno ordered an assault on the Waco compound. 21 children and a few adults were released over the 51 days . Tanks rolled in, knocking holes in the compound and tear gas was thrown. This led to fires appearing and they spread quickly in the wind. It is said that 83 people were burned to death and that David shot himself in the head. Other had gunshot wounds also but it still isn’t clear if people committed suicide or were shot. 
It’s extraordinary but true.
You might be thinking - who the heck believes someone who shows up and claims they are the new messiah. That’s what most people say when they hear about religious cults but good features that might have attracted people are the fact that they are looked after and taken care of and they don’t have to worry about ideal responsibility. It’s something that appeals to outsiders. It also gives religious people an active faith and belief (no matter how true or untrue it may be) that God will return again.
Take this into account before you dub the Waco’s as Wacko’s.
Heres the site for that Channel 4 show - http://%20www.channel4.com/.../T/talking_points/waco.html
Viranjit Kaur
Viranjit Kaur
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