...Comparative Religions Professor: Research Paper Assignment: Branch Davidians and David Koresh The Branch Davidians began as an offshoot sect of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in 1935. They were initially a small group lead by a man named Victor Houteff who had some differing beliefs from the church. Houteff was convinced there were errors in the Adventists doctrines and practices and wrote a book called The Shepherd’s Rod outlining these errors and it caused some conflict within the church. He with 11 members founded the Mt. Carmel Center near Waco Texas; they also called their group The Shepherd’s Rod. (Robinson, 2003) Houteff and his group believed that Christ's return would only occur when at least a small number of Christians had been sufficiently purified. He believed that he was a messenger sent by God to conduct this cleansing. The cleansing and tasks he saw this group as being responsible for had two parts. The first was to reveal secret information contained in a scroll described in the book of Revelations. This scroll, described as having seven seals, they believed told of exactly when and how Jesus would return and how the world would end. The second task required the purifying of this small group and once done would bring about the downfall of Babylon (our current world) and would establish the Kingdom of David in its place. They felt that they were the chosen group. Infighting went on within the Seventh Day Adventists Church for many years until a complete...
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...morning of April 19, 1993 outside of Waco Texas would forever haunt the American perception of fanatical Christians, and bring questions about how the United States government responded to the Branch Dividians at Mt. Carmel. In the predawn hours of April 19, 1993 the FBI initiated its plan of action to end the 51 day standoff at Mt. Carmel, the Branch Dividian compound outside Waco, Texas. David Koresh, the self prophesied “Lamb of God,” would lead nearly all of his followers to a fiery death that early April morning. According to the article, “The Final Days of David Koresh,” Koresh believed the end was near, and told his followers: “They are coming, because the time has come” (Raine, Harrison, Popkin, James, 1993, p. 1). Because of his mistrust of government, his stockpile of assault weapons and ammunition, and because God told him so, Koresh would insist that an apocalyptic assault was imminent at Mt. Carmel (Raine, Harrison, Popkin, James, 1993, p. 1). Koresh was correct. The government was coming to see what Koresh was doing with all of the assault weapons he was stockpiling, and this would result in the terrible death of David Koresh and his followers at...
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...inal judgment. That is when all the chaos began. The branch was believed to have illegal weaponry stocked in there compound on Mount Carmel in Texas. The Branch was ordering gun parts after gun parts. There were calls to the ATF about seeing gun powder in boxes being shipped to the Davidian’s compound. The ATF had a warrant to search the compound. When they arrived there the Davidians were prepared for the attack. Somehow the word of the ATF coming got out. It was believed Koresh’s brother in law was at a postal office and overheard the news and told Koresh. They were fully prepared for what lied ahead of them. The shooting in the Waco incident lasted up to two hours. The ATF was running out of ammunition but the Davidians were loaded. When...
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...In the year of 1959 in Houston, Texas a child by the name of Vernon Wayne Howell was born by a 15 year old single mother. This child will be later know as one of the most influential cult leaders to effect social change, political change, and economic change in America! His father had gone on the run once he was born and Vernon ended up living with his grandparents. He was a troubled student who suffered from dyslexia and bullying throughout school and ended up dropping out of highschool during his junior year. Meanwhile he began exploring his musical and religious interests as he began to pursue his dream career as a rockstar. He attempted moving to Hollywood to gain recognition but had no success and moved to Waco, TX. When he was 20 years old he...
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...ethnic minorities who are marginalised, and reject from wider society for example afro-Caribbean’s. Barker has adopted the concept of new religious movements as an overarching idea that embraces both sects and cults, it is a more neutral term to highly negative meanings of sects and cults in popular culture. A new religious movement (NRM) is a religious community or spiritual group of modern origins, which has a peripheral place within its nation dominant religious culture. Wallis’s typology of NRMs looks at the relationship between wider society and sect’s, he identifies 3 – world affirming, world accommodating and world rejecting. World affirming NRMs try to gain the most from society, and seen as a less threatening ‘loose’ organisation for personal achievement. Specifically they lack religion and use internet and technology for contact, levitation or meditation are examples. World accommodating disagree with society but choose to accept it and live normal lives, they seek to restore faith and religion into society, and an example includes Neo-Pentecostalism, where they believe in speaking in tongues. Then there is world rejecting who are seen as the scariest to society as they make a strong commitment to their movement, disowning family and friends. The Branch Davidians and the Moonies are examples of world rejecting movements. Wilson’s typology of NRMs include conversionists that see the world...
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...convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy. McVeigh made attempts to stop all appeals of his convictions. In June of 2001 he died by lethal injection at the U.S. penitentiary (Staff). Truck Bomb Explodes in Oklahoma City, was written to inform the readers of what happened on the day of April 19,1995. The author gave readers a the motive that Timothy McVeigh had and why they did it on the day of April 19 at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building . On February 28, 1993, the FBI was attempting to explore ownership of illicit guns and explosives held by the Branch Davidian, a Christian Cult. On April 19, 1993, following a 51-day standoff between the FBI and Branch Davidian, the inferno was finally over. The Alfred P. Murrah Government Building was the place the Department of Liquor, Tobacco, and Guns was found, otherwise called ATF. The ATF is the organization that propelled the underlying attack on the Branch Davidian in 1993 that pave the way to the Waco standoff (Staff). April 19, 1995 was the two year anniversary of the Waco Standoff, which deeply radicalized McVeigh and Nichols (Staff). The author of this article is determined to defend the American people against mass crimes such as the Oklahoma City Bombing and the radical right-wing groups, meaning they were very against the American government. People in this group are capable of carrying out mass attacks on federal property or they can plan attack with hopes of changing how the government is ran. The author is wanting...
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...Assess the view that sects and cults are only fringe organisations that are inevitably short lived and of little influence in wider society Troeltsch believed that a sect was “the opposite of a church”. He defines this type of religious organisation as a small, tightly-knit group of individuals that often oppose mainstream values and attempt to change society in some way. Cults on the other hand, are loosely knit and lack any concrete beliefs. Stark and Bainbridge suggest that cults often have “clients” rather than members. There are therefore some significant differences between these two organisations, although it is widely accepted that they are similar, in that they are usually short lived and have little influence on society as a whole. Supporting the notion that sects and cults are short lived; Niebuhr offers a number of explanations as to why this is so. He proposes that sects cannot survive beyond one generation, as they are often led and “held together” by one charismatic individual who claims to have some kind of “divine power/connection”. Following the death of this leader, the sect usually disappears. Furthermore, second generation members that are born into sects may not maintain the traditions of the movement with the same fervour as the founding generation. As a result, it is difficult for sects to maintain their extreme values, and they may accommodate/compromise their theology and become denominations. This can be seen in the example of early Methodism, which...
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...unorthodox religions or cult practices become inhumane or unjust Introduction This research project examines when unorthodox religions or cult practices either becomes or perceived as inhumane or unjust by specifically focusing on unorthodox religions during a twenty year period between the 1950’s through the 1970’s. The research focuses on five different unorthodox religions: The People’s Temple, founded by Jim Jones, Heaven’s Gate, founded by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles, Scientology, founded by L. Ron Hubbard, Children of God, founded by David Berg, and Branch Davidians, founded by David Koresh. Langone, M. D. (1995). These five unorthodox religions or cults may have had or have different doctrines and practices, but research shows that they may all share the common trait of being inhumane or unjust. Rationale/Thesis Statement In the International Cultic Studies Association article, by Dole and Eichel (1985), a survey was conducted about dangerous practices associated with cults and referenced different actions that they deemed destructive, from coercion to enslavement, which they believe to be inhumane and unjust. This research study will attempt to uncover some of these practices and find out what draws people to these unorthodox religions or cults. Likewise, this research project also attempts to determine the point at which practices become inhumane or unjust. It’s interesting to note, that three out of the five unorthodox religions or cults included in this...
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...Assess the view that sects and cults are only fringe organisations that are inevitably short lived and of little influence in wider society Troeltsch believed that a sect was “the opposite of a church”. He defines this type of religious organisation as a small, tightly-knit group of individuals that often oppose mainstream values and attempt to change society in some way. Cults on the other hand, are loosely knit and lack any concrete beliefs. Stark and Bainbridge suggest that cults often have “clients” rather than members. There are therefore some significant differences between these two organisations, although it is widely accepted that they are similar, in that they are usually short lived and have little influence on society as a whole. Supporting the notion that sects and cults are short lived; Niebuhr offers a number of explanations as to why this is so. He proposes that sects cannot survive beyond one generation, as they are often led and “held together” by one charismatic individual who claims to have some kind of “divine power/connection”. Following the death of this leader, the sect usually disappears. Furthermore, second generation members that are born into sects may not maintain the traditions of the movement with the same fervour as the founding generation. As a result, it is difficult for sects to maintain their extreme values, and they may accommodate/compromise their theology and become denominations. This can be seen in the example of early Methodism, which...
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...but Norman had a feeling it was much more crucial than that. From the sound he heard, Norman believed it was a bomb. Timothy McVeigh targeted the Murrah building mainly because it full of United States government workers. In this building there were fourteen federal agencies. He believed the the government was attacking Americans’ personal rights and freedoms. His frustration just worsened on April 19, 1993 at the Waco Standoff . The Waco Standoff began on February 28, 1993, the FBI was attempting to explore ownership of illicit guns and explosives held by the Branch Davidian, a Christian Cult. On April 19, 1993, following a 51-day standoff between the FBI and Branch Davidian, the inferno was finally over. The Alfred P. Murrah Government Building was the place the Department of Liquor, Tobacco, and Guns was found, otherwise called ATF. The ATF is the organization that propelled the underlying attack on the Branch Davidian in 1993 that pave the way to the Waco standoff (Truck Bomb). McVeigh visited Waco during the standoff and sai that the government declared war against the American people. This is when he planned to fire the first shot in a new American revolution. The special agent in charge of the FBI’s Oklahoma City Division in 1995, Bob Ricks, was asked by an assistant if he remembered what day it was. The day was the two year anniversary of the Waco Standoff which was a red flag. Once investigators were able to determine that the explosion was caused by a truck bomb, they...
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...organisation as a small, tightly knit group of individuals that often criticise mainstream values and attempt to change society in some way. Cults on the other hand, are loosely knit and don’t tend to have any firm beliefs. There are therefore some significant differences between these two organisations, however it is widely accepted that they are similar, in that they are usually short lived. Many sociologists state that sects, cults and New Age movements only appeal to a minority of the population. For example, people on the margins of society who are poor are often attracted to sects as they offer them a sense of belonging. Others, who may be undergoing a personal crisis such as the death of a loved one, may find that belonging to a sect or cult may help them to overcome this crisis. However, when they feel they have been helped to get over the crisis, they often leave the sect, as there is no further reason to belong to it. This seems to suggest that these organisations only appeal to a small section of the population perhaps seeking short-term help, so they will remain fringe organisations. However, other organisations such as the Scientology movement are still around today with a well recognised and idolised member such as Tom Cruise has helped to increase the popularity of the sect. Supporting the view that sects and cults are short lived, Niebuhr produced some explanations for this. One explanation was that sects only last for a certain number of years and in his...
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...Cults are intriguing and arouse curiosity in the minds of people who have accepted life in society and joined humanity the way it is. It is amazing to think that people leave their life of normalcy to put their trust in something that is alien but promises them something in return or will save their souls from whatever will harm them. There are many causes that affect people s minds to make them join cults. Cults are very promising, can be very eye-opening, and may be the only option left for some people because of what has happened to them in their life or the mental state they are in. Cults, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, are systems or communities of religious worship that may include obsessive devotion to a person or ideal. In our society, cults are common and have the potential to be destructive. This paper will focus on the factors such as education, stake in conformity, turning points, and strength of local religious organizations that may cause people to join cults, as determined by Stark and Bainbridge. It will also discuss the methods used by cults to influence new recruits and current members. Cult leaders employ tactics such as information deprivation, extinction of former identities, and scarcity in order to maintain their authority. All these techniques combined create an environment that can be classified as a cult. Traditionally, cults have formed after or during turbulent periods of history, when people are most vulnerable. However, not...
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...Comp II Honors April 24, 2012 Manipulation of the Naïve Cults are not fairly common in this day and age, but most people can recall a time when they were popular. The cults were perceived as very powerful and, at times, dangerous. One such case is the cult known as the Peoples Temple. Even though most people who join cults start off with the best of intentions, they are eventually brainwashed because cults hold tremendous power over their members as a result of charismatic leaders, manipulative persuasion, and extreme isolation. Distinguishing the difference between a cult and a religion is quite hard. Any religion that defies the standards of “mainstream” religions can be considered a cult. This could confuse some people, because most of the popular religions today started out as small religious groups that were seen as cults (Tabor, par. 7). According to Charles Clark, cults have their own unique beliefs and they often differ or challenge religions in society. They may have a leader who sees himself as the chosen one, whereas most religions praise a non-living god who is not the leader of the church. There have been many different cults over the years. Some of the more well known are Peoples Temple led by Jim Jones, Heaven’s Gate led by Marshall Applewhite, and the Branch Davidians led by David Koresh. These cults are remembered more often because of the legacy they left behind. Each of these cults demonstrated a mass suicide, killing some and even all of their...
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...Candace T. Cults: A Dangerous Devotion “The most dangerous lie is that which most closely resembles the truth” - Jan Groenveld This quote above is by Jan Groenveld an Australian who has her own experiences as a former member of the LDS Church which deals with Mormonism and the Jehovah’s Witnesses and was featured in Richard Guilliatt’s book Talk of the Devil. Her definition of a cult is any group that has a pyramid type authoritative figure with all teachings and guidance coming from the person at the top. The group will claim to be the only way to God and will use thought reform and mind control to keep their members. Unfortunately, after 15 years in a cult she finally realized that she was being controlled rather than controlling her own life. She wanted to let people know about her experiences in order to help others. She is so hated by the church of scientology for exposing them that her name is not even allowed to pop up under scientology on Google. In the United States, it is estimated that there are 5,000 cults that are actively recruiting people, no matter the age and walks of life. Jan Groenveld made it her mission to help people recognize cults, spiritually abusive behaviors and how to defend them from persuasion. Because the beliefs in cults are so believable people become locked into a “thinking box” which makes them unable to see the world around them. The topic that I chose to analyze is religious cults. I chose this because I thought...
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...Charisma Gone Wild: It’s Not Always an Asset Jaime Paxton Southeastern Oklahoma State University Abstract This paper serves to inform that charisma is not always positive. There is an extreme difference in charisma used ethically and charisma used unethically. Ethical charisma is used to serve the followers while unethical charisma is used to help benefit the leader themselves. This paper looks at multiple extreme examples of leaders using charisma in unethical ways, as well as one example of a charismatic leader blinding people to reality with the help of the media. It will also discuss the ways charisma is used in business, both ethically and unethically, as well as provide examples of times when charisma is appropriate. Introduction “Charisma is a fire, a fire that ignites followers’ energy and commitment, producing results above and beyond the call of duty.” (Klein & House, 1995, p. 183) Charisma is not always an asset and is frequently used in negative ways. Two people that immediately come to mind include Adolph Hitler and Osama Bin Laden. These are two of the most charismatic leaders to have ever lived, and although they had many followers, it is safe to say that neither of these two are viewed as positive leaders. These are just two extreme examples of leaders using charisma for personal gains. Charismatic Disasters Adolph Hitler Hitler gained a large support group through the use of Charisma at his mass rallies. He would incite such an...
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