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Cults: Branch Davidians

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Religious Psychology and Behavior

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Synonyms

Apocalypticism; Cults; Millenarianism; New religious movements

Definition

The Branch Davidians are a religious sect that emerged from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, known for their apocalyptic beliefs and practices. Originating in the 1950s, the group gained international notoriety in 1993 under the leadership of David Koresh due to a deadly siege at their Waco, Texas, compound by federal agents, highlighting issues of religious freedom and government overreach.

The Branch Davidians represent a distinctive subset of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, gaining international notoriety in the late twentieth century as an apocalyptic sect. The sect rose to infamy, in part, due to the founder, David Koresh (born Vernon Wayne Howell), whose apocalyptic beliefs and charismatic personality would ultimately lead to a tragic 51-day siege of the Branch Davidians’ Waco, Texas, compound in 1993 (Lewis, 1994). This siege, a standoff between Branch Davidians and federal agents, ended...

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References

  • Guinn, J. (2023). Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and a legacy of rage. Simon & Schuster.

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  • Lewis, J. R. (1994). From the ashes: Making sense of Waco. Rowman & Littlefield.

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  • Newport, K. G. C. (2006). The Branch Davidians of Waco: The history and beliefs of an apocalyptic sect. Oxford University Press.

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  • Reavis, D. J. (1995). The ashes of Waco: An investigation. Syracuse University Press.

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  • Tabor, J. D., & Gallagher, E. V. (1997). Why Waco? Cults and the battle for religious freedom in America. University of California Press.

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  • U.S. Department of Justice. (2018, February 15). Report to the deputy attorney general on the events at Waco, Texas. https://www.justice.gov/archives/publications/waco/report-deputy-attorney-general-events-waco-texas.

  • Wright, S. A. (1995). Armageddon in Waco: Critical perspectives on the Branch Davidian conflict. The University of Chicago Press.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN, USA

    Christopher R. Dabbs & Anjelina Josefina Haro

Authors
  1. Christopher R. Dabbs
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  2. Anjelina Josefina Haro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher R. Dabbs .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Psychology 112 Pryale Hall, Oakland Univ, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. No affiliation provided

    Todd K. Shackelford

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    Gavin Vance

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    Madeleine K. Meehan

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    Tara DeLecce

  5. No affiliation provided

    Haylee Majewski

  6. No affiliation provided

    Vincent Stabile

  7. No affiliation provided

    Stephanie A. Kazanas

  8. No affiliation provided

    Sam Sobah

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Dabbs, C.R., Haro, A.J. (2024). Cults: Branch Davidians. In: Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Religious Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38971-9_1411-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38971-9_1411-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-38971-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-38971-9

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