April 19, 2023 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the fire which ended the standoff between federal agents and members of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Much has been learned about this tragedy over the last few decades, and it continues to be relevant to events in politics and religion. Catherine Wessinger is our guest sharing her expertise in this area.
Catherine Wessinger is the Rev. H. James Yamauchi, S.J. Professor of the History of Religions at Loyola University New Orleans. She is the author of How the Millennium Comes Violently: From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate (2000); editor of Millennialism, Persecution, and Violence: Historical Cases (2000); editor of The Oxford Handbook of Millennialism (2011); editor of three Branch Davidian survivor autobiographies for Bonnie Haldeman (David Koresh’s mother), Sheila Martin, and Clive Doyle. She has served as a co-general editor of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions since 2000.
She has written a number of book chapters and a journal article on the Branch Davidians-federal agents conflict outside Waco, Texas.
Among the most significant is the 2009 journal article, “Deaths in the Fire at the Branch Davidians’ Mount Carmel: Who Bears Responsibility?” in Nova Religio; and a chapter titled, “The FBI’s ‘Cult War’ against the Branch Davidians,” in the 2017 edited volume,The FBI and Religion.
Her YouTube channel—Catherine Wessinger—is devoted to interviews with people involved with the Branch Davidians-federal agents conflict at Mount Carmel Center, outside Waco, Texas, as well as video footage of the 1993 conflict, and video of past Branch Davidian memorials.
She is one of four scholars who are featured in the 2020 film titled The Waco Branch Davidian Tragedy: What Have We Learned or Not Learned? produced by Reunion Institute, published on her YouTube channel. The separate chapters of this nearly three-hour film are also available on her YouTube channel.
You can listen to Multifaith Matters on your favorite podcast platform, including Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and iHeart Radio.
Learn more about our work at https://www.multifaithmatters.org.
Support this work:
One-time donation: https://multifaithmatters.org/donate
Become my patron: https://patron.podbean.com/johnwmorehead
Erin Stiles on Mormon encounters with the spirit world
David J. Halperin on UFOs and Myth
Rabbi Ariel Mellul of the International Raëlian Movement
Elias D’eis, the Holy Land Trust, and the War in Gaza
J. Gordon Melton on the Church of Scientology
Matthew Bowman and The Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill
The Satanic Temple’s Unveiling Day: Pluralism and Archaic Superstition
The Covid Pandemic and the World’s Religions
Celucien Joseph on Christianity and Vodou in Dialogue in Haiti
The Christian Fascination with”Ex-Occultist” Narratives
Kaleb Graves on Psychedelic Theology
George Chryssides on Contested Concepts in the Study of Religion
Heron Michelle, Street Preachers, and Pagan Religious Freedoms
Ida Glaser and the Reading the Bible in the Context of Islam project
Dr. Benno van den Toren on interfaith apologetics
Jack Hunter and an Anthropology of the Paranormal
James Keenan on Moral Theology, the New Testament and Multifaith Encounters
Stephen Bullivant on Nonverts and the Making of Ex-Christian America
Andrew Perriman and narrative-historical approaches to the gospel, salvation, hell and multifaith
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Hello Heaven Podcast
Devoted To Prayer
Cast The Word
Let Me Be Frank | Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Podcast | Diocese of Bridgeport, CT
The Exorcist Files
The Ancient Tradition