March 1993

Dear Family,

GBY! WLY & keep you continually in our prayers as you "fight the good fight of faith," standing up for the Truth & the Word of God! Praise the Lord!

As you are probably aware, there is currently an armed standoff in Waco, Texas, between a small religious group called the "Branch Davidians" (BD), and U.S. federal agents. As of now, the situation is at a stalemate, with the BD members holed up in their compound, surrounded by heavily armed police, FBI agents, etc.

The Family in the U.S. has reported that much of the mainstream press is using this situation as an occasion to slam all New Religious Movements (NRMs), claiming that they are all "destructive cults." Much of this spirit of paranoia is being whipped up by groups such as the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), who are having a field day feeding the media with all sorts of outrageous lies. To a certain extent, this anti-cult propaganda has spilled over into the media in other parts of the World.

With all of this in mind, we have compiled a series of news clips and press releases that were sent to us from The Family in the U.S. This compilation is entitled "The Waco Shootout—Another Perspective." We believe these clips clearly show that there is more to this situation than is being reported in the mainstream media. We trust that they will be a help to you personally, as well as enable you to talk more knowledgeably about the situation with outsiders who may ask you questions about it.

This compilation is GP, so it may be loaned to friends & outsiders or copied for them as the need arises.

The views expressed in these articles do not take the place of the Family Press Release that we recently issued concerning this situation. We do not condone the use of violence, especially against officers of the law. However, we strongly object to the way the anti-cult movement is exploiting the Waco situation to drum up anti-NRM hysteria with the public, with the aim of curbing & violating the religious rights of others.

We pray that this material will be a help to all of you, as you witness and contend for the faith! God bless & keep you happy, safe & strong in Him.

Love,

Your WS Family

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family