The Cult That Inspired David Koresh

The Cult That Inspired David Koresh

Author: Softcore History October 13, 2025 Duration: 1:46:09
The Koreshan Unity cult is NOT the infamous Waco commune the FBI barbecued in the 90s. Rather, it's a turn-of-the-century Florida cult founded by a man who so badly electrocuted himself that he woke up thinking he was Jesus. It turns out that Cyrus Teed was not the Messiah, but his incredibly whacky teachings sure did intrigue David Koresh, who would go on to take quite a bit of inspiration from this random and fringe historical figure.

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Rob Fox
https://www.instagram.com/robfoxthree/
https://twitter.com/RobFoxThree
https://www.tiktok.com/@robfoxthree

Dan Regester
https://www.instagram.com/danregester/
https://twitter.com/dan_regester

A podcast for the casual fan of history. The Wikipedia reader. The kids who grew up with a dad who watched the same 10 hours of World War II specials on The History Channel. Join Dan Regester, Rob Fox, and a weekly guest as they tastefully insert themselves into the past. The only thing we don’t show is our research.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Softcore History
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