David Koresh was an American cult leader who played a central role in the Waco siege of 1993. As the head of the Branch Davidians, a religious sect and offshoot of the Seventh-day Adventists, Koresh claimed to be its final prophet. His apocalyptic Biblical teachings, including interpretations of the Book of Revelation and the Seven Seals, attracted various followers.
Photograph of Koresh taken in 1987 by police after his arrest.
FBI photo of the Mount Carmel Center engulfed in flames on April 19, 1993
A cult is a group which is typically led by a charismatic and self-appointed leader, who tightly controls its members, requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are considered deviant. It is in most contexts a pejorative term, also used for a new religious movement or other social group which is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular person, object, or goal. This sense of the term is weakly defined – having divergent definitions both in popular culture and academia – and has also been an ongoing source of contention among scholars across several fields of study.
Max Weber (1864–1920), an important theorist in the study of cults
Jim Jones, the leader of the Peoples Temple
LaRouche Movement members in Stockholm protesting against the Treaty of Lisbon
Cross burning by Ku Klux Klan members in 1921