Why Waco?: Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America
Tabor, a University of North Carolina religious studies professor, was a consultant to lawyers mediating directly with David Koresh during the 51-day siege in Waco, Texas, in 1993 that left four federal agents dead and engulfed the Branch Davidian compound in flames, killing 74 members, including 21 children. He and Gallagher, a religious studies professor at Connecticut College, make a compelling case that the confrontation was avoidable and could have been resolved peacefully. Attorney General Janet Reno made her decision to end the siege by force, they claim, against her better judgment under pressure from officials who gave her reports containing unsupported allegations of child abuse and sexual misconduct among the Branch Davidians. Much less convincing is the authors' attempt to refute the media image of ex-Seventh Day Adventist Koresh as a cruel, megalomaniacal, polygamous fanatic who manipulated his devotees. Rejecting the label of "cult," the authors view the Branch Davidians and kindred groups as genuine, albeit unconventional, religious movements whose critics misunderstand the dynamics of charismatic leadership.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.