Word: apocalypticism
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
It is not enough that the murderous ravings of David Koresh and his apocalyptic religious cult have turned into a terrible human tragedy. There seems to be a great desire to turn it into a cultural statement. The siege at Waco has occasioned a worldwide festival of commentary -- and condescension...
A front-page story in the Washington Post looked for deeper trends. "The United States has become a land echoing with the rumble of apocalyptic prophecy," it reported on Day 5 of the siege. And the phenomenon is ecumenical: "The anticipation extends across religious lines."
The Waco cult is the product of an apocalyptic theology, refined over decades by a succession of zealous but nonviolent splinter groups, that was seized at last by a charismatic and combustible leader. The son of a single mother, Koresh was born Vernon Howell in Houston in 1959. Growing up...
With Roden out of the way, Howell became undisputed leader of the Branch Davidians in Waco, completing their transition from congregation to cult. He and a few select followers began recruiting new members on trips around the U.S., Britain and Australia. In 1990 he changed his name legally to Koresh...
Religion is sometimes a fortress for the beleaguered tribe in the new world disorder. Every cult is a kind of nation. The citadels bristle with intolerant clarities of doctrine -- and with high-caliber weapons. Outside Waco, Texas, a cult called the Branch Davidians, apocalyptic and armed to the teeth, played...