Branch Davidians

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The Branch Davidians are a religious sect who originated from a schism in 1955 from the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists, themselves former members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who were disfellowshipped during the 1930s. From its inception in the 1930s, the splinter movement 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 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 September 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 Mount 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

Main article: Waco Siege

Flag flown by the Branch Davidians over Mount Carmel during the Waco Siege

Some former members of Koresh's group alleged that he practiced polygamy with underage brides, physically abused children, and stockpiled illegal weapons, legal authorities investigated these charges. On February 28 1993, the U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) conducted a raid on Mount Carmel, a property of the Davidians. The raid resulted in the deaths of six Davidians and four ATF agents after a firefight broke out. Following this confrontation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) laid siege to Mount Carmel for 51 days, during which time the FBI and ATF conducted around-the-clock operations including psychological warfare (psyops) on the occupants of the complex. The government's siege on the Branch Davidians ended on April 19 when federal agents released CS tear gas into the compound. During the assault, several fires broke out and spread quickly through the buildings, killing approximately 79 Branch Davidians, 21 of whom were children. Autopsies confirmed that many of the victims, including David Koresh, had died of single gunshot wounds to their heads.

The government conducted an investigation, launching a special inquiry before the Danforth Committee. 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 FBI testimony given before the Danforth Committee was false. The FBI now admits to using Flite-Rite pyrotechnic grenades on the day of the fire but insists the grenades were not used in the area of the main compound. Given previous false FBI testimony, the facts regarding the use of pyrotechnic grenades remain in dispute.

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 ATF Siege in Waco few people 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 Davidians 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 ATF and the strategies they employed during the siege.[2]

Land dispute

The deaths of the majority of Koresh's group gave others the opportunity to dispute their hold on the Mount Carmel property. Within months, Amo Bishop Roden, George's former wife, moved onto the land to begin a one-woman occupation. 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 Mount 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.

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 the Mount 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 Mount 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 Mount 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 visitors' 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).

See also

• Millennialism
• Shepherd's Rod
• Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Benjamin L. Roden
• Lois Irene Scott Roden
• David Koresh
• Waco Siege

External links

• Official Website of the Hidden Manna Branch Davidians
• Official Website of The BRANCH, The LORD (YHVH) Our Righteousness (Pace)
• The Warfare of Vernon Howell (also known as David Koresh) and others against the Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventists (Mitchell)
• Branch Davidians
• Mt. Carmel Survivors & Supporters on Myspace
• The Original Branch Publications, and Chronological History
• Waco Revisited: The theology of the Branch Davidians by Richard J. Mouw, book review of The Branch Davidians of Waco: The History and Beliefs of an Apocalypic Sect by Kenneth G. C. Newport
• Some Background on the Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Movement from 1955 to the Early Part of 1991 from the Seventh-day Adventist Biblical Research Institute
• The Branch Davidians/Shepherd's Rod—Who Are They? from the Biblical Research Institute, by George W. Reid

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