The 1993 government assault on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, resulted in the deaths of four federal agents and eighty Branch Davidians, including seventeen children. This title address the accusations of illegal weapons possession, strange sexual practices, and child abuse that were made against David Koresh and his followers.
"The label "cult" can become a license to kill. . . . A courageous religious scholar, James Tabor, understanding what was at stake, tried valiantly to prevent the tragedy at Waco. Persevering in its wake, he and Eugene Gallagher thoroughly investigated the background, participants, and events leading to the destruction of the Mount Carmel Church and its members. Their findings are presented in this critically important book."-Ramsey Clark, former Attorney General
"Here, at last, is a glimpse of 'the other side' of the tragic confrontation. . . . The authors offer an alternative to the common wisdom about Waco as well as a critique of the anti-cult ideology that helped misdefine the situation and bring about its fateful-and fatal-results."-Dean M. Kelley, Counselor on Religious Liberty, National Council of Churches
"For public debate on a serious issue facing our society, this book deserves wide and sober reading."-John R. Hall, author of Gone From the Promised Land: Jonestown as American Cultural History
