Here is more than you ever wanted to no about Vern Howell aka David Koresh.
* http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/waco/davidkoresh.html
* http://www.rickross.com/groups/waco.html
* http://www.rickross.com/reference/waco9.html
Former cult members said Howell tells the men that they will get their perfect mates in heaven. Each man's mate will come from his rib, as Eve came from Adam. On earth, though, all the women, even those married, are meant for Howell.
btw, the word woman, for ole Vern, seemed to included 14 year old, perhaps even younger, girls.
hmmm, nice work if you can get it. Hey Wendy, tell your old man to get his gun and keep watch for unspiritual people who don't understand my sixy godhood whilst you and I study the song o' Solomon in your bedroom.
teejay,
I never said that everything is a conspiracy. Come on, Six.. play fair!! I really believe that we are not far from having the very same opinion, both of Koresh and McVeigh, only in relative degree of evil, if it could be measured on a scale somehow.
You are probably right about that, and I am trying to play fair. It's just this one...this one seems so straightforward. In fact, the idea that it engraged an asshole like McVeigh makes it seem all the more straightforward. A bad situation ended badly. It doesn't mean that it was all avoidable if the mean ole gov had just not trampled on Verns rights. 'Cause frankly, he had no right. (to be doing most of what he was doing)
I believe that most of the Davidians, if not every single one (including Koresh) simply wanted to be left alone to worship their god as they saw fit.
Maybe, but the "way they saw fit" is unacceptable for society as a whole on many levels. Much like JW's. On some levels, the unacceptability is actionable on the part of society as a whole. In the case of JW's, think court action to remove a child from parents who want to sacrifice it's life for a twisted interpretation of scripture. I think it is a good thing when society takes action against these groups. I didn't have exactly the same view a short time ago, I am embarrassed to admit.
The platitudes of religionists (JWs included) that all the evil is just a part of some Grand Scheme and that at some future time of his design he'll make things all rosy rings more and more hollow the longer I live. On that I'm thinking you and I are in full agreement. If I've ever had an epiphany, that's the one I had that day when that nice Christian lady told me that God loves us while we were overshadowed by a nine-story office building with its northern face ripped off, where 168 innocent people spent their last seconds of life, all while "God" watched. The hell he does!
It did not strike me that way at the time, but just in the last 6 months, when it did strike me, I think "epiphany" is a good word for this realization. Now we can move on to being a full grown human.
Peace and freedom to you, my brother.