Scatter Brained

06
  Not  the End of the World: 
People and Groups Who Falsely Predicted 
the End-time
CAN’T KEEP THOSE DAVIDIANS DOWN
In 1942, a Seventh-day Adventist named Victor Houteff  broke 
away from the church with 11 followers and founded a “Da-
vidian” branch of the church in Waco, Tex. Davidian. Branch. 
Waco. You see where this is going. But what a winding path 
the church took.
✖  ✖  ✖
After Houteff  died, his wife prophesied that the world would 
end on April 22, 1959. In point of fact, about the most inter-
esting event of April 22, 1959, was the Yankees’ Whitey Ford 
striking out 15 Washington Senators en route to a 1–0 vic-
tory. Several hundred members of the Davidians left after 
the non-Apocalypse, but—remarkably—dozens remained 
faithful. In 1962, Benjamin Roden became the group’s leader 
and proclaimed himself successor to not only Ms. Houteff , 
but also to King David, noted star of the Hebrew Bible. 
Roden’s  wife  became  the  new  Davidian  (get  it?)  when  she