This unparalleled introduction to cults and new religious
movements has been completely up-dated and expanded to reflect the
latest developments; each chapter reviews the origins, leaders,
beliefs, rituals and practices of a NRM, highlighting the specific
controversies surrounding each group.
* A fully updated, revised and expanded edition of an
unparalleled introduction to cults and new religious movements
* Profiles a number of the most visible, significant, and
controversial new religious movements, presenting each
group’s history, doctrines, rituals, leadership, and
organization
* Offers a discussion of the major controversies in which new
religious movements have been involved, using each profiled group
to illustrate the nature of one of those controversies
* Covers debates including what constitutes an authentic
religion, the validity of claims of brainwashing techniques, the
implications of experimentation with unconventional sexual
practices, and the deeply rooted cultural fears that cults
engender
* New sections include methods of studying new religions in each
chapter as well as presentations on ‘groups to
watch’
Table of Content
1 Cults and New Religions: A Primer
2 The Church of Scientology: The Question of Religion
3 Transcendental Meditation: The Questions of Science and Therapy
4 Ramtha and the New Age: The Question of ‘Dangerous Cult’
5 The Unification Church/The Family Federation: The Brainwashing/Deprogramming Controversy
6 The Children of God/The Family International: The Issue of Sexuality
7 The Branch Davidians: The Question of Cults, Media, and Violence, Part One
8 Heaven’s Gate: The Question of Cults and Violence, Part Two
9 Wicca and Witchcraft: Confronting Age-old Cultural Fears
10 Rethinking Cults: The Significance of New Religious Movements
References
Index
About the author
Douglas E. Cowan is Professor of Religious Studies and Social Development Studies at Renison University College, at the University of Waterloo. He is the author of Cults and New Religious Movements: A Brief History, Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet (2005), Bearing False Witness? An Introduction to the Christian Countercult(2003) Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen (2008) and Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film and Television (2010).
David G. Bromley is Director of the World Religions and Spirituality Project and Professor of Religious Studies and Sociology in the School of World Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. His most recent publications include Defining Religion: Critical Approaches to Drawing Boundaries Between Sacred and Secular (2003) and Cults, Religion and Violence (2001).
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