David Koresh and the Hand Maid's Tale

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Leadership, in history, has most of the time been taken by force, or force to some extent had to be used to maintain the leader's reign. In order to form the Republic of Gilead, the old had to pass so all things could be made new. Assassination and betrayal had to, and did take place first. Many people seem to believe that the end justifies the means, and so it is with David Koresh. PBS summarizes his power struggle like this:

Koresh had an affair with then-prophetess Lois Roden who was in her late sixties. The two traveled to Israel together. When Lois Roden died, a power struggle began between Koresh and Lois Roden's son George. For a short time, Koresh retreated with his followers to eastern Texas. But in late 1987 he returned to Mount Carmel in camouflage with seven male followers, armed with five .223 caliber semiautomatic assault rifles, two .22 caliber rifles, two 12-gauge shotguns and nearly 400 rounds of ammunition. During the gunfight, Roden was shot in the chest and hands. (Waco: The Inside Story)

Just because Koresh was a religious leader dosen't mean he and his followers would do things differently. It just means that they had all the more passion to over throw the current and instate the future, because they thought it was God's will that they should kill their brothers.

Contrast

Religious freedom is something every American has and something most Americans probably take for granted, along with all our other rights. The Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution clearly states that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Therefore, we have the freedom to or not to. Unlike the Republic of Gilead, the Branch Davidians were, by choice, submissive to their authoritarian prophet, David Koresh.

Work Cited

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/waco/davidkoresh.html

Waco: The Inside Story. Who's Who. 25 Oct. 2005

U.S. Constitution. Bill of Rights. Amendment I. September 25, 1789

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