David Koresh Biography

Introduction

David Koresh is a former leader of the Branch Davidians sect, and he is known for the 1993 Waco Siege that took place in Texas, United States. First, it is essential to state that David Koresh was born in 1959 as Vernon Wayne, but he later changed his name for business purposes. The fact that Koresh did not come from a functional family is the reason why David experienced hardships as a child. Moreover, Koresh had a different childhood compared to that of his peers, and that is because he attended a special school since he could not read and write well like the other students. Whereas Kores spent most of his life as a Christian after joining her mother's church, it was until when Koresh was 22 years old when he decided to get born-again. Koresh joined Branch Davidians in 1982, and it is here where he rose to the leadership position after evicting George Roden. However, David Koresh died at the Mount Carmel Center in 1993 after engaging the FBI in fire exchange for about 51 days. The police also burned the Mount Carmel Center premises after killing David Koresh with more than 70 other followers.

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Early Life

First, it is important to note that David Koresh was born in 1955 as Vernon Wayne, and she spent most of the early years with his maternal grandmother. Notably, David Koresh had a problematic childhood since his father was absent, and the mother was staying with other boyfriends since she was still young. Therefore, it was common for Koresh to state that his childhood was lonely since he grew up alone in most occasions. Furthermore, Koresh experience of growing up in a dysfunctional family is one of the reasons why made the decisions that the main subject took later in life. It is also important to note that Koresh had a different experience in educational matters, and that is because he could only attend special school when his peers went to normal education centers.

Whereas Koresh was attending his mother's Seventh-day Adventist church all the time they were together, it was until when he was 22 years old when he declared that he was born-again, and that was the genesis of his prophetic messages. The fact that David Kores believed that he was a prophet is the reason why he first went to the church's pastor and told him that God had communicated that he marries the pastor's daughter. Whereas the pastor ignored David Koresh's prophetic message, Koresh insisted on the issue, and that resulted in his eviction from the church. Nonetheless, Koresh still believed that he was the last prophet; thus the reason why decided to move to Waco in Texas and join Branch Davidians sect (Doyle, 2012). The fact that Koresh was impressed with the sect's teachings is the reason why he chooses to stay at the church, as he would later ascend to the top leadership position.

David Koresh as the Leader of Branch Davidians

First, it is important to note that Branch Davidian was formed in 1955 by Benjamin Roden. However, Benjamin Roden did not manage to lead the sect for long, and it is his death that resulted in the leadership of her wife, Lois Roden. Whereas Lois Roden posed as the prophets at Mount Carmel Center, it was George Roden who was supposed to take over the leadership mantle at the church. Furthermore, it is important to note that Lois Roden was the leader when David Koresh arrived at Mount Carmel.

Second, David Koresh decided to develop a relationship with Lois Roden so that he could be in the right position to take over the leadership of Branch Davidians. For Koresh, he believed that he could make Lois Roden pregnant if they sleep together, thus the reason why Koresh thought that he was the 'choose one' to lead the church. Whereas Koresh insisted on having an affair with Lois Roden, George Roden who was the right heir was not impressed with the move, hence the reason why he sent Koresh away from the church. Nonetheless, David Koresh had already created enough followers, and Branch Davidians popularly was on a slope. It is important to note that Koresh left Branch Davidians with more followers than those who remained, and they even created a new brand called 'Koreshians.'

Moreover, one of the main reasons why Koresh managed to move with many followers was because he was using a similar prophecy like the one taught at Branch Davidians. Therefore, the fact that David Koresh was winning in popularity is the reason why George Roden requested for a contest, and that was meant to show which one amongst them was more powerful (Pollack, 2013). Notably, the two would engage in a contest which will show that one can raise the dead. For Roden, he had already planned, hence the reason why he excavated dead bodies for the contest. George Roden's move to excavate dead bodies for the contest created a new issue and turnover of events, as Koresh filed a case at the court against Rodent conduct.

The police's request to have photographed evidence is what resulted in a fire exchange between Koresh's followers and those who believed in Roden. Thereafter, the police found evidence on the issue regarding the dead body's excavation, hence the reason why Roden was imprisoned. David Koresh took over the Mount Carmel Center leadership, and it is this that would lead to his death in 1993. Whereas David Koresh posed as a religious leader at Branch Davidians, his conduct was different, thus the reason why there were many rape cases and sexual abuses against Koresh. For instance, there were accusations that Koresh married youngsters during his tenancy at Mount Carmel, and it is such conducts that raised eyebrows. Arguably, Koresh claimed that he was supposed to marry many wives because of his 'House of David' doctrine. There are also instances where he took some of his followers wives and even impregnated them as the leader.

David Koresh' Death

The FBI agents raided the Mount Carmel Center premises on February 28, 1993, with a plan of arresting David Koresh for the cult accusations. However, David Koresh was not ready to negotiate with the police; hence the reason why they engaged in a fire exchange on the first day and a few FBI agents and Koresh's followers died. Therefore, the U.S Attorney General advised that the police should engage in a negotiation with Koresh, but also failed. Whereas the talks lasted for 51 days via telephone, David Koresh refused to cooperate (Watson, 2015). Arguably, one of the main reasons why David Koresh declined to cooperate with the FBI agents during the 51 days of negotiations is that he was completing his religious book. The fire exchange between the police and the followers at Mount Carmel resulted at the end of the Waco Siege, and Koresh was amongst the killed. David Koresh funeral took place at Memorial Park Cemetery, and various popular movies were released based on the Waco Siege.

Conclusion

In brief, the paper has provided a detailed history of David Koresh who was the Branch Davidians sect leader. First, it was essential to state that Koresh was born in 1955, and grew up in a dysfunctional family. There is a high probability that growing up in a dysfunctional family is one of the reasons that made David Koresh develop negative behavior in the future. Second, the essay also indicates that David Koresh became born-again when he was 22 years old, and it is here when he started seeing prophecies from God. For instance, David Koresh went to the pastor and claimed that he was supposed to marry the daughter according to God's sign. The pastor refusal to Koresh's claims is the reason why he moved to Waco and joined Branch Davidians, where he quickly rose to leadership mantle. It was important to note that Koresh took over the sect's leadership after George Rosen was arrested and charged for excavating dead bodies. The fact that David Koresh faced many accusations for leading a cult sect is the reason why the police surrounded the Mount Carmel Center in February 1993. The police were ready to negotiate with the Mount Carmel Center followers, but David Koresh declined, and that is the reason why they exchanged fire that resulted in their deaths. Various films are developed based on the Waco Siege, and David Koresh is the main act.

References

Doyle, C. (2012). A Journey to Waco: Autobiography of a Branch Davidian. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Pollack, N. (2013). The Doomsday Survivor. Chicago: iUniverse.

Watson, J. R. (2015). Big Jesus: A Pastor's Struggle with Christology. Chicago: Wipf and Stock Publishers