Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 18, 2001, Page 145
deception changing the definitions of Christian terminology and not admitting to altering its
history, doctrines, rituals, and membership requirements and then denying the change.
Furthermore, he points out their anti-intellectual loyalty to the organization and refusal to
acknowledge the realities of their history, (as Mormon‘s avow, even if everything about
Smith is found to be fraudulent each one would still believe in the organization as being
true, because of the ―burning of the blossom.‖) He goes on to detail their fear and the
condemnation of the organization‘s historians, as well as the fear of dissent and leaving the
organization (Blood Atonement practice and its continuing influence), the control the
organization has on the daily and personal lives of its members, and the secretiveness and
exclusion qualities of their ceremonies. Harrod makes evident 150 years of a willful
theologically, archeologically, historically ―design to deceive‖ non-Mormons, new recruits,
and even their own people.
In short, Deception by design is a commendable book. It clearly attains the author‘s goals. I
recommend it with the one reservation- that its evangelical bias muddles the raw data.
Brother Timothy Mayworm, FSC
Pasadena, California
Why Waco? James D. Tabor and Eugene V. Gallagher, University of California
Press, Berkeley, CA, 1995, 186 pages.
By now, the answers to four of the five journalistic ―w-questions‖ of Waco are well known:
What happened at Waco? When did it happen? Where, specifically, did it occur? Who was
involved? These queries may be researched, if necessary, and answered definitively, even
among individuals with differing opinions concerning the events. But, what about the fifth
w-question: why? Why Waco? Why did such a thing happen? Why could it not be
prevented?
Tabor and Gallagher, college instructors of religious studies, address the why question in
Why Waco? A thoroughly documented study and thoughtful analysis of the Waco event, a
major part of this book deals with the negative usage of the word ―cult‖ (sandwiched
between quotation marks throughout the book) by anti-cult proponents and their pursuits to
promote education concerning destructive cults.
Unlike most media portrayals of David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and the final days at
Mount Carmel, which focus on the bizarre and sensational aspects of the situation, Why
Waco? challenges readers to consider the story from the viewpoint of Koresh and the
Davidians. The entire premise of the book appears to be the authors‘ perceptions of an
unnecessary cataclysm resulting from an intolerance of unconventional religious practices
and an inability to communicate.
The book begins with the background and development of the Mount Carmel community
and Vernon Howell‘s rise to the position of a self-proclaimed messiah. A detailed narration
of the fifty-one-day siege, rescue attempts, the tragic climax of the standoff, and the trial
ensue. A collection of photographs (including shots of the compound before and after the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearm‘s [BATF] raid, Koresh, and members of the group)
anchor reality to the place Koresh and his ―family‖ called home. It also attributes a sense of
individual identity to those known to most of us only as a death statistic or a ―wacko‖ from
Waco. The book concludes with information about the cult controversy, religious freedom in
America, an unfinished manuscript by David Koresh, and extensive notes.
Awareness of an adversary‘s mindset or viewpoint constitutes a critical component in
conflict resolution. Authors Tabor and Gallagher chronicle the extensive efforts law
enforcement officials undertook attempting to understand the ―why‘s‖ motivating Koresh so
there could be diffusion instead of an explosion. However, as the book reveals, attempts to
deception changing the definitions of Christian terminology and not admitting to altering its
history, doctrines, rituals, and membership requirements and then denying the change.
Furthermore, he points out their anti-intellectual loyalty to the organization and refusal to
acknowledge the realities of their history, (as Mormon‘s avow, even if everything about
Smith is found to be fraudulent each one would still believe in the organization as being
true, because of the ―burning of the blossom.‖) He goes on to detail their fear and the
condemnation of the organization‘s historians, as well as the fear of dissent and leaving the
organization (Blood Atonement practice and its continuing influence), the control the
organization has on the daily and personal lives of its members, and the secretiveness and
exclusion qualities of their ceremonies. Harrod makes evident 150 years of a willful
theologically, archeologically, historically ―design to deceive‖ non-Mormons, new recruits,
and even their own people.
In short, Deception by design is a commendable book. It clearly attains the author‘s goals. I
recommend it with the one reservation- that its evangelical bias muddles the raw data.
Brother Timothy Mayworm, FSC
Pasadena, California
Why Waco? James D. Tabor and Eugene V. Gallagher, University of California
Press, Berkeley, CA, 1995, 186 pages.
By now, the answers to four of the five journalistic ―w-questions‖ of Waco are well known:
What happened at Waco? When did it happen? Where, specifically, did it occur? Who was
involved? These queries may be researched, if necessary, and answered definitively, even
among individuals with differing opinions concerning the events. But, what about the fifth
w-question: why? Why Waco? Why did such a thing happen? Why could it not be
prevented?
Tabor and Gallagher, college instructors of religious studies, address the why question in
Why Waco? A thoroughly documented study and thoughtful analysis of the Waco event, a
major part of this book deals with the negative usage of the word ―cult‖ (sandwiched
between quotation marks throughout the book) by anti-cult proponents and their pursuits to
promote education concerning destructive cults.
Unlike most media portrayals of David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and the final days at
Mount Carmel, which focus on the bizarre and sensational aspects of the situation, Why
Waco? challenges readers to consider the story from the viewpoint of Koresh and the
Davidians. The entire premise of the book appears to be the authors‘ perceptions of an
unnecessary cataclysm resulting from an intolerance of unconventional religious practices
and an inability to communicate.
The book begins with the background and development of the Mount Carmel community
and Vernon Howell‘s rise to the position of a self-proclaimed messiah. A detailed narration
of the fifty-one-day siege, rescue attempts, the tragic climax of the standoff, and the trial
ensue. A collection of photographs (including shots of the compound before and after the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearm‘s [BATF] raid, Koresh, and members of the group)
anchor reality to the place Koresh and his ―family‖ called home. It also attributes a sense of
individual identity to those known to most of us only as a death statistic or a ―wacko‖ from
Waco. The book concludes with information about the cult controversy, religious freedom in
America, an unfinished manuscript by David Koresh, and extensive notes.
Awareness of an adversary‘s mindset or viewpoint constitutes a critical component in
conflict resolution. Authors Tabor and Gallagher chronicle the extensive efforts law
enforcement officials undertook attempting to understand the ―why‘s‖ motivating Koresh so
there could be diffusion instead of an explosion. However, as the book reveals, attempts to
