On February 28, 1993, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) launched the largest
assault in its history against a small religious community in central Texas. One hundred agents armed with automatic
and semi automatic weapons invaded the compound, purportedly to execute a single search and arrest warrant. The
raid went badly; four agents were killed, and by the end of the day the settlement was surrounded by armored tanks
and combat helicopters. After a fifty-one day standoff, the United States Justice Department approved a plan to
use CS gas against those barricaded inside. Whether by accident or plan, tanks carrying the CS gas caused the compound
to explode in fire, killing all seventy-four men, women, and children inside.
Could the tragedy have been prevented? Was it necesary for the BATF agents to do what they did? What could have
been done differently? Armageddon in Waco offers the most detailed, wide-ranging analysis of events surrounding
Waco. Leading scholars in sociology, history, law, and religion explore all facets of the confrontation in an attempt
to understand one of the most confusing government actions in American history.
The book begins with the history of the Branch Davidians and the story of its leader, David Koresh. Chapters show
how the Davidians came to trouble authorities, why the group was labeled a "cult," and how authorities
used unsubstantiated allegations of child abuse to strengthen their case against the sect.
The media's role is examined next in essays that considering the effect on coverage of lack of time and resources,
the orchestration of public relations by government officials, the restricted access to the site or to countervailing
evidence, and the ideologies of the journalists themselves. Several contributors then explore the relation of violence
to religion, comparing Waco to Jonestown.
Finally, the role played by "experts" and "consultants" in defining such conflicts is explored
by two contributors who had active roles as scholarly experts during and after the siege The legal and constitutional
implications of the government's actions are also analyzed in balanced, clearly written detail.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: Another View of the Mt. Carmel Standoff
Stuart A. Wright
1: An Age of Wisdom, An Age of Foolishness: The Davidians, Some Forerunners, and Our Age; Robert S. Fogarty
2: Davidians and Branch Davidians: 1929-1987; William L. Pitts, Jr
3: The Davidian Tradition: From Patronal Clan to Prophetic Movement; David G. Bromley, Edward D. Silver.
4: Construction and Escalation of a Cult Threat: Dissecting Moral Panic and Official Reaction to the Branch Davidians;
Stuart A. Wright
5: Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes, the Anticult Movement, and the Waco Confrontation; James R. Lewis
6: "Babies Were Being Beaten": Exploring Child Abuse Allegations at Ranch Apocalypse; Christopher G.
Ellison, John P. Bartkowski.
7: Manufacturing Consent about Koresh: A Structural Analysis of the Role of Media in the Waco Tragedy; James T.
Richardson
8: Cops, News Copy, and Public Opinion: Legitimacy and the Social Construction of Evil in Waco Anson Shupe, Jeffrey
K. Hadden.
9: Public Narratives and the Apocalyptic Sect: From Jonestown to Mt. Carmel; John R. Hall
10: Sects and Violence: Factors Enhancing the Volatility of Marginal Religious Movements; Thomas Robbins, Dick
Anthony.
11: Religious Discourse and Failed Negotiations: The Dynamics of Biblical Apocalypticism in Waco; James D. Tabor
12: Waco, Federal Law Enforcement, and Scholars of Religion; Nancy T. Ammerman
13: Breaching the "Wall of Separation": The Balance between Religious Freedom and Social Order; Rhys
H. Williams
14: The Waco Tragedy: Constitutional Concerns and Policy Perspectives; Edward McGlynn Gaffney, Jr
15: The Implosion of Mt. Carmel and Its Aftermath: Is It All Over Yet?; Dean M. Kelley
Appendix: Branch Davidians Who Died at Mt. Carmel
List of Contributors
Index