Jim Jones did many good things in San Francisco when he began his ministry. He helped many downtrodden people. He then pushed things in a very uncomfortable direction. He isolated his followers. He established his own environment in another country. When authorities questioned him, he responded by killing many people.
David Koresh followed a similar path. However, he didn't do so much good early in his ministry. He isolated himself and his followers. When questioned, he escalated. When threatened, he responded with force, leading to the deaths of many.
Both Jones and Koresh were seemingly brilliant men that went awry. They became so deluded that much of what they said and did was very difficult to piece together.
Will we soon be able to include Father John Corapi in the same group as Jones and Koresh? For many years, Corapi was one of the darlings of EWTN (most likely because most of the EWTN crowd is getting up in years and have difficulty hearing - Corapi has a booming bass voice). He railed against liberalism in the Roman Catholic Church and expounded on the virtues of being obedient to Church authority. This weekend, Corapi exposed himself for who he really is: a self-indulged charlatan. Rather than showing true faith by placing his destiny in the hands of God, Corapi has decided that he is back in control. If he is going to go down, he is going to take a few people with him. For a bit of context to the Father Corapi saga, visit the Huffington Post. Also, if you have the time (8 minutes) and stomach, listen to his recent rant that he posted on his website. Pay attention to the visuals.
