-Koresh-
The Branch Davidians were led by one David Koresh, who was mentally stunted. He was born Vernon Howell on August, 17, 1959, to an underage mother and a father that would leave only two years after David’s birth (Leader, Religious Cult 240). He was then raised predominantly by his grandparents until his late teens, then going to his mother and stepfather. Being hyperactive and dyslexic from poor eyesight, David did not do well in school (240). David spent most of his lonely years studying the bible and practicing instruments, the former of which would develop into an obsession later in life (240). He was also mistreated by his father and other boys, “He was eventually placed in a special needs class and “Mr. Retardo” by other kids, an experience that shocked him and that he would frequently mention later in life.” (240). This abuse would later manifest through his abuse of children within his compound.
David was arrogant. He began attending a Seventh Day Adventist church from a young age, where people thought highly of him due to his dedication to the study of the Bible (Leader, Religious Cult 240). However, he then proclaimed God had given him a vision to take the current pastor’s daughter, being much younger than David, as his wife (240). The pastor forbade their meeting, however David continued to pursue the pastor’s daughter, eventually resulting in two miscarriages (241). Later, he joined the Branch Davidians and found himself favored by the then leader, Lois Rodin (241). “Vernon soon began having an affair with Lois Roden, who was in her late 60s” leading to David being left as leader much to the ire of her own son, George Rodin, who believed he had rightful claim to the position after her passing (241).
After returning from a trip, David had begun questioning the teachings passed down to him by Lois and George (Leader, Religious Cult 242). George ended up challenging David to a resurrection contest, which David declined and responded with an attempt to remove George through the law, “Vernon went the sheriff and placed a complaint of corpse abuse against George” (242). After a battle ensued when David attempted to collect evidence, both parties found themselves in court. Koresh got a mistrial verdict, while George was jailed for contempt of court (242). With George gone and Lois dead, David had no one stopping him from taking the position of leader within the Branch Davidians. David had, in these two instances, shown that he considered himself above others. Whether this view is attributed to his prophetic conclusions or grandiose delusions is another question, but David was most certainly arrogant for not only challenging a father for his daughter, but also a son for a position left by his mother.
David’s prophecies and revelations were suspected to not have been entirely his own, but he was cunning enough to make it seem so. Nearly seventy years prior, a separate group known as the Koreshan Unity had rose to prominence in Estero Florida, sharing many of the same religious beliefs, “The Koreshans became prominent in Estero; photos showed them dressed in suits and ties or fashionable dresses” (Simon and Schuster 52-54). The group itself was led by Cyrus Teed (who was also known as Koresh), who wrote many editorials and articles during his activity which were later reused by David to fit his message (52-54). While there is a possibility that David unknowingly took Teed’s prophecies and made it his own, it does not disprove that David hadn’t done his research prior, as he was known to be especially fervent when it came to biblical studies.
Teed’s teachings were also mentioned during recordings of FBI negotiations with David, which sought to question Koresh about Teed’s prior works and the similarities to his own, “Using primary sources, such as Teed’s magazine, The Flaming Sword, and transcriptions of the FBI audiotapes of negotiations with David Koresh and other Branch Davidians recorded during the 51-day siege in 1993, the answers emerge” (Novo Religio 101-115). David integrated these teachings quite well, combined with other moves such as changing his name to hold more religious significance as a messianic figure illustrates that David had enough wit to understand the importance of such actions to his cause.