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Chapter 5

The Davidian Dilemma-To Obey God or Man?J. Phillip Arnold

For fifty-one days the Branch Davidians waited inside their religious centerat Mt. Carmel, refusing to obey federal authorities who demanded theirimmediate surrender. Why did nearly one hundred members of this JudeoChristian religious community volunteer to remain inside Mt. Carmel despitethe fact that massive firepower was arrayed against them and their messiahDavid Koresh? 1Americans apparently have no problem understanding why a fewhundred men went to their deaths in 1836 in a standoff with governmentauthorities at another Texas religious center south of Mt. Carmel at theAlamo mission in San Antonio. In fact, the Alamo defenders areremembered as American martyrs who sacrificed their lives for freedomfrom a foreign foe. But moderns do not understand or admire theDavidians for refusing to surrender to authorities. After all, the Davidianscertainly made no claims to represent the nation-state, and the authoritiessurrounding Mt. Carmel were not stereotypical "evil foreigners."Although the Davidians thought that they were defending individualliberty and freedom of religion, this was not the major reason why theyrefused to come out, go to trial, and eontinue their religious mission fromprison if convicted. The question remains why nearly one hundred people

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