Branch Davidians

The Branch Davidians are a religious group originating from a schism in 1955 from the Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists, themselves former members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who were excommunicated during the 1930s. From its inception in the 1930s, the Shepherd's Rod inherited Adventism's apocalypticism, in that they believed themselves to be living in a time when Christian prophecies of a final divine judgment were coming to pass. They are best known for the 1993 siege of their Mount Carmel Center near Waco, Texas, by the ATF and the FBI, which resulted in the deaths of eighty-two of the church's members, including head figure David Koresh. However, by the time of the siege, Koresh had encouraged his followers to think of themselves as "students of the Seven Seals" rather than as "Branch Davidians," and other Branch Davidian factions never accepted his leadership.

History

In 1929, Victor Houteff, a Bulgarian immigrant, claimed that he had a new message for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was submitted in the form of a book entitled The Shepherd's Rod. His claims were not accepted and were considered divisive by the leadership because he pointed out what he saw as their departures from basic church teachings and standards. Therefore, he was disfellowshipped (excommunicated) from the church.

In 1935, Houteff established his headquarters outside Waco, Texas. Up to 1942, his movement was known as the Shepherd's Rod, but when Houteff found it necessary to formally incorporate so members could claim conscientious objector status, he named his association the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists. The term "Davidian" refers to the restoration of the Davidic kingdom. Houteff directed Davidians to evangelize Adventists exclusively.

In 1955, after Houteff's death, a split of this movement formed the Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, headed initially by Benjamin L. Roden. "Branch" refers to the new name of Christ. The group established a settlement outside of Waco, Texas, on the property previously occupied by the Davidian group. In 1977, Benjamin Roden's wife Lois claimed to have a message of her own, one element of which was that the Holy Spirit is feminine in gender, causing much controversy in the group. When Ben Roden died the next year, their son George tried to assume leadership, claiming that he was the rightful prophet of the group, but she beat back his attempt.

In 1981, Vernon Wayne Howell (later renamed David Koresh) joined the group as a regular member. In 1983, Lois Roden allowed Howell to begin to teach his own message, opening the door for him to build a following before their split in early 1984. Lois also faced dissent from Canadian Charles Pace. There was a general meeting at Mt. Carmel of all Branch Davidians over Passover 1984 and the end result was that the group split into several factions, one of which was loyal to Howell. At this time, George Roden forced Howell, and later Pace, to leave the property.

Howell took his followers to Palestine, Texas, while Pace went to Gadsden, Alabama. But, by 1988, George Roden's support had dwindled and, while he was in jail for contempt of court, Howell took charge of the disputed land in his absence. Meanwhile, Lois Roden had died in 1986, and her will appointed Teresa Moore, with Irmine Sampson, to continue her work.

In 1990, Howell changed his name to David Koresh, invoking the biblical Kings David and Cyrus. Koresh centered his teachings on the Seven Seals and his ability as the "Lamb" to open them. Koresh supported his beliefs with detailed biblical interpretation, using the Book of Revelation as the lens through which the entire Bible was viewed.

Raid and siege

Template:Totally disputed Full article: Waco Siege.

Some former members from Koresh's group alleged that he practiced polygamy with underage brides, physically abused children, and stockpiled illegal weapons. Eventually, legal authorities investigated these charges. On February 28 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) conducted a full scale military-style raid on Mount Carmel, a structure known to house the Davidians including women and children. The violent raid resulted in the deaths of four agents and six Davidians, after the Davidians refused to acquiesce to the demands of federal agents. Following this confrontation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) laid siege to Mount Carmel for 51 days, during which time the FBI and BATF conducted around the clock operations including psychological operations (psyops) on the men, women and children inside the complex. The government's siege on the Branch Davidians ended April 19 when the complex was completely consumed by fire after the highly concentrated C.S. gas and pyrotechnic "flash-bang" grenades ignited the gasoline stockpiled inside the building; killing seventy-six Davidians, among whom were twenty-seven children and Koresh himself. It has been claimed that Federal agents held fire trucks and emergency vehicles outside the perimeter of the area of operations at Mt. Carmel, preventing them from coming to the aid of the Branch Davidians.

Skeptics of the government's version of the event, citing physical evidence found at the scene, charged from the beginning that the FBI intentionally started the fire by shooting pyrotechnic grenades into the building. The federal agencies, laying siege to the Davidian compound, had state-of-the-art listening and imaging devices and may have known the location of the gasoline stockpile.

The government conducted an investigation of itself, launching a special inquiry before the Danforth Committee, and during official testimony the FBI denied the use of, or even access to, pyrotechnic devices of any kind. The Danforth Committee issued a report concluding that the fire was started on the inside by Davidians. However, in 1999 the FBI was forced to admit that the testimony they gave before the Danforth Committee was false. The FBI now admits to using Flite-Rite pyrotechnic grenades on the day of the fire; the timing of their use remains in dispute. The FBI's admission of false testimony before the Danforth Committee brings into question the validity of the committee's conclusions, and no new government inquiries have been conducted.

The government put some of the survivors on trial. All were acquitted of conspiring to murder federal agents, but some were convicted of aiding and abetting voluntary manslaughter.

Branch Davidians and the Media

Prior to the BATF Siege in Waco relatively few people around the world had heard about the Branch Davidians. During the course of the siege the media, relying on the input of a host of experts who volunteered services, created a picture of the Branch Dravidians that was fanatical and at times criminal.[[1]] This portrayal contradicted many of the interviews conducted within the compound as well as reports from their family members. This portrayal in the media is believed by many to have influenced both the FBI and the BATF and the strategies they employed during the siege. [[2]]

Land dispute

The decimation of Koresh's group gave others the opportunity to dispute their hold on the Mt. Carmel property. Within months, Amo Bishop Roden, George's former wife, moved onto the land to begin a one-woman occupation. Charles Pace, who leads a non-Koresh group, moved onto the property in 1995 and joined in the property battle.

Most survivors and supporters recognize Clive Doyle as the trustee of the organization and the land. Renos Avraam, one of the imprisoned Davidians, has declared that he is receiving prophetic new light, as the "Chosen Vessel of the Remaining Bride." However, most of the survivors spurn his "Hidden Manna" faction.

In 1996, the court ruled that the land belongs to the Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventist Church. However, the court has until this point refused to rule on who exactly constitutes "the church".

Also in 1996, a number of Koresh's remaining followers filed an action to quiet title to the church's property under a claim of adverse possession. Adverse possession requires that the claimant file it against a party that holds title to the property. However, they filed this suit claiming to be the "Trustees" of the church, while contradictorily claiming they possessed the property adversely against the Trustees of the Church.

Another non-Koresh Branch Davidian leader, Doug Mitchell, joined the case in 1998. Mitchell contends that when Koresh left Mt. Carmel in 1984, he adopted the name "Davidian Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventist" for his followers, thus "leaving" the church, forfeiting their claim to be the true Branch Davidians. During the pre-trial proceedings, Mitchell's attempts to obtain an injunction against Koresh's remaining followers that would have prohibited them from using the church's name and property was dismissed for "lack of jurisdiction". Judge Alan Mayfield felt that the matter involved church issues which the court could not rightly consider.

The survivors dropped their claim for adverse possession the day before the trial began, proceeding only on their claims of being the Trustees of the church. Doug Mitchell's claim to be the rightful Trustee of the church's property was not allowed to be considered by the jury when the survivors' and Amo Roden's claims were considered, but he was allowed to defend against the others' claims. In 2000, a jury ruled against both the survivors and Amo Roden. However, they continued to stay on the property, along with Charles Pace.

Because of the way the government has been portrayed as having acted in the 1993 standoff, the Koresh survivors have received much sympathy and support from various people and groups who felt that the actions that the government took were wrong. This support has provided them with the means to further their assumption of the church's identity and property, to the detriment of those Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventists who opposed Koresh. The opponents cannot rightly use the property without conflicts with the survivors and others who are antagonistic or indifferent to their claims. They also labor under the notoriety that Koresh and his followers have brought upon the Branch Davidian name.

A new chapel has been built by the survivors and their supporters near the site of the original complex. The ruins of the old building, including the tornado shelter and incomplete swimming pool, can be seen by visitors. There are also several memorials to the victims - both the Davidian victims, and the Federal Agents who lost their lives. Memorial trees with plaques with the name of each Davidian who perished have been planted on the property. Finally, to show their deep sympathy to the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing, a memorial has been erected at Mt. Carmel for them as well.

Today

Approximately fifty [3] to seventy [4] people attended the yearly memorial service on April 19 2005.

At this time, survivor Clive Doyle was living at Mt. Carmel Center with supporter Ron Goins, operating a small visitor museum as well as holding weekly Bible studies on the Sabbath. Charles Pace and his family also lived on the property and held worship services.

However, relations began to break down. In August, Pace held a baptism for his members at Mt. Carmel, joined by Goins. This left Doyle as the only Koresh follower on the property, and he says he came under increasing pressure to convert or leave. In February 2006, he decided to move into town, emptying the visitor museum as well.

This has left Pace's group in control of Mt. Carmel. Pace had opposed the planting of the grove of memorial trees as paganism, and his group has chopped down David Koresh's tree and smashed his plaque, to prevent it from being used for idolatry. They have also removed the plaques from the other trees, with plans to incorporate the stones into their own memorial to the dead. Pace, a naturopathic doctor, also plans to make a wellness center out of Doyle's repossessed house and a health food/herb shop out of the visitor's center. Meanwhile, the survivors nurse hopes of reclaiming the property.

Bibliography

Kerstetter, Todd. "'That's Just the American Way': The Branch Davidian Tragedy and Western Religious History", Western Historical Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 4, Winter 2004.
Lewis, James R. (ed.). From the Ashes: Making Sense of Waco (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 1994). ISBN 0-8476-7915-2 (cloth) ISBN 0-8476-7914-4 (paper)
Reavis, Dick J. The Ashes of Waco: An Investigation (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995). ISBN 0-684-81132-4
Tabor, James D. and Eugene V. Gallagher. Why Waco?: Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995). ISBN 0-520-20186-8
Thibodeau, David and Leon Whiteson. A Place Called Waco: A Survivor's Story (New York: PublicAffairs, 1999). ISBN 1-891620-42-8
Wright, Stuart A. (ed.). Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995).

External links