Cults and New Religions : A Brief History

by Cowan, Douglas E.; Bromley, David G.

• ISBN13: 9781405161282
• ISBN10: 1405161280
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-09-24
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Cults and New Religions offers an overview of the history and development of eight new religious movements in the late twentieth century: the Church of Scientology, Transcendental Meditation, Unificationism, The Family International, the Ramtha School of Enlightenment, the Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate, and Wicca. The book profiles each new religion, describing its origins, doctrines and rituals, leadership and organization. Each chapter includes a discussion of one of the major sources of controversy surrounding these movements, controversies that have led to them being popularly regarded as "cults": whether they are indeed authentic religions, the validity of claims that brainwashing techniques are used to gain and retain members, their potential for violence, the implications of experimentation with unconventional sexual practices, and the deeply rooted cultural fears they engender

Author Biography

Douglas E. Cowan is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Social Development Studies at Renison University College, the University of Waterloo. He is the author of Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet (2005), The Remnant Spirit: Conservative Reform in Mainline Protestantism (2003), and Bearing False Witness? An Introduction to the Christian Countercult (2003). He has also edited Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet (with Lorne L. Dawson, 2004) and Religion on the Internet: Research Prospects and Promises (with Jeffrey K. Hadden, 2000). He is one of the co-general editors of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions.

David G. Bromley is Professor of Religious Studies in the School of World Studies and an Affiliate Professor in the Sociology Program in the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. His most recent books are Defining Religion: Critical Approaches to Drawing Boundaries Between Sacred and Secular (2003), Cults, Religion and Violence (2001), Toward Reflexive Ethnography: Participating, Observing, Narrating (2001), and The Politics of Religious Apostasy (1998).

Table of Contents

Cults and New Religions: A Primer

The Range of New Religious Movements

Controversy and the Popular Perception of New Religious Movements

The Church of Scientology: The Question of Religion and the Origins of Scientology

Beliefs and Practices of the Church of Scientology

The Organizational Structure of the Church of Scientology

The Church of Scientology and the Question of Religion

Further Reading on the Church of Scientology

Transcendental Meditation: The Questions of Science and Therapy

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the Arrival of Transcendental Meditation

Beliefs and Practices of Transcendental Meditation

The Growth and Development of Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Meditation: The Questions of Science and Therapy

Further Reading on Transcendental Meditation

Ramtha and the New Age: The Question of the Dangerous Cult

Who Is JZ Knight and Who Is Ramtha?

History and Development of Ramtha's School of Enlightenment

Beliefs and Practices of Ramtha's School of Enlightenment

RSE and the Question of the Dangerous Cult

Further Reading on the New Age Movement

The Unification Church/The Family Federation: The Brainwashing/Deprogramming Controversy

Sun Myung Moon: Savior from the East

Doctrinal Beliefs and Ritual Practices of the Unification Church

The Growth and Organization of the Unification Church Outside Korea

Brainwashing, Deprogramming, and the Unification Church

Further Reading on the Unification Church

The Children of God/The Family International: The Issue of Sexuality

Mo: David Berg and the Origins of the Children of God

Social Organization of the Children of God/The Family

Beliefs, Rituals, and Practices of the Children of God/The Family

The Children of God/The Family and the Issue of Sexuality

Further Reading on the Children of God/The Family

The Branch Davidians: The Problem of Mass Media

The Historical Development of the Branch Davidians

Beliefs and Practices of the Branch Davidians under David Koresh

The Siege at Waco and the Problem of Mass Media

Further Reading on the Branch Davidians

Heaven's Gate: The Question of Cults and Violence

Ti, Do, and the Origins of Heaven's Gate

Beliefs and Practices of Heaven's Gate

Recruitment and Social Organization in Heaven's Gate

The Evolutionary Level Above Human: The Continuum of New Religious Movements and Violence

Further Reading on UFO Groups

Wicca and Witchcraft: Confronting Cultural Fears

Gerald Gardner and the Origins of Modern Witchcraft

Social Organization and Development of Modern Witchcraft and Wicca

Beliefs, Rituals, and Practices of Modern Witchcraft and Wicca

Satanic Panic: The Legacy of Religious Cult Fears

Further Reading on Wicca and Witchcraft

Rethinking Cults: The Significance of New Religious Movements

Two Perspectives: Cults versus New Religious Movements

New Religions as Experimental Faiths

Further Reading on New Religious Movements

Bibliography

Index

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