Branch Davidians
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A painting of the Branch Davidian flag
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| Founder | |
|---|---|
| Benjamin Roden | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventists | |
| Mount Carmel | 12
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| Scriptures | |
| Isaiah 9:7, Ezekiel 9, Hosea 1–2, Micah 6:9, Micah 7:14, Matthew 20, Revelation 7:6, Revelation 13, Revelation 14 | |
The Branch Davidians (also known as "The Branch") are a religious group that originated in 1955 from a schism in the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists ("Davidians"), a reform movement that began as an offshoot from the Seventh-day Adventist Church ("Adventists") around 1930. Some of those who accepted the reform message had been removed from membership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church because of their supplemental teachings.
From its inception in 1930, the reform movement believed themselves to be living in a time when Bible prophecies of a final divine judgment were coming to pass as a prelude to Christ's Second Coming. The name "Branch Davidian" is most widely known for the Waco siege of 1993 on their property (known as the Mount Carmel Center) near Waco, Texas. The 51-day siege, by the ATF, FBI, and Texas National Guard, resulted in the deaths of the Branch Davidians' leader, David Koresh, as well as 82 other Branch Davidian men, women, and children, and four ATF agents.[2][3]
Today, the original Davidian Seventh-day Adventists and the Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists are two different and distinct groups. The doctrinal beliefs differ on such teachings as the Holy Spirit and its nature, the feast days and requirements, and who had the prophetic office since Victor Houteff's death.
Early history
In 1929 Victor Houteff, a Bulgarian immigrant and a Seventh-day Adventist Sabbath School teacher in a local church in Southern California, claimed that he had a new message for the entire church. He presented this message in a book, The Shepherd's Rod: The 144,000—A Call for Reformation.[4] The Adventist leadership rejected Houteff's message as contrary to the Adventists' basic teachings and disfellowshipped Houteff and his followers. However, there was some controversy over the method the leadership took to disfellowship Houteff.
In 1935 Houteff established his headquarters to the west of Waco, Texas.[5] After Houteff died in 1955, the segment of the group loyal to Houteff continued as the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists.
But a splinter group, the Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, was begun by Benjamin Roden and headed after Roden's death by his wife Lois Roden. After Lois Roden died a bitter power struggle ensued between Lois Roden's son George Roden and her designated successor David Koresh (then still using his birth name of Vernon Howell), eventually won by Koresh.
Waco siege
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By the time of the 1993 Waco siege, Koresh had encouraged his followers to think of themselves as "students of the Seven Seals" rather than as "Branch Davidians." During the standoff one of his followers publicly announced that he wanted them to thereafter be identified by the name "Koreshians".[6]
It is claimed that Koresh was never authorised to use the name "Branch Davidians" for his breakaway sect,[7] and that the church of that name continues to represent that part of the Branch church which did not follow him.
References
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- ↑ "Mr. Ricks [FBI negotiator] said today that Ms. Schroeder had told him that members of the sect, a renegade offshoot of Seventh-day Adventists, henceforth wanted to be known as Koreshians." By Robert Reinhold, Published: March 15, 1993 New York Times [brackets added].
- ↑ The General Association of Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventists
External links
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