Exploring New ReligionsBloomsbury Publishing, 1999 M12 1 - 416 pages An objective, well-researched history of contemporary new religions and cults.New religious movements - popularly known as cults - arouse strong public opinion and most books on the subject are polemical, giving hostile reaction rather than informed exploration. Exploring New Religions provides an account of a wide variety of new religions, focusing on their origins, beliefs and practices, which are set out in a dispassionate way, leaving readers to form their own value judgements. George Chryssides provides important analysis of the killer cults-the Jonestown People's Temple, Waco, the Solar Temple and Heaven's Gate-examining the factors that made their followers willing to die for their cause. Older groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses and Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are discussed, and Chryssides traces the development of a variety of strands of spirituality, ranging from New Thought, Spiritualism and Theosophy. Subsequent chapters include the Baha'i, the Family (formerly Children of God), the Hare Krishna movement (ISKCON), the Jesus Army, the Rastafarians, the Church of Scientology, Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the Unification Church ('the Moonies'). Lower profile groups are also discussed including: EST (Erhard Seminar Training), the New Kadampa Tradition, Brahma Kumaris, Sai Baba, Subud and the Western Buddhist Order. A study of the New Age phenomenon, and an account of societal responses to new religions at religious, societal and political levels is also included. |
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Page 4
... belong to the ' church ' , gaining membership by birth , rather than by any conscious adult decision to join which stems from conviction . Thus in England , for example , the Church of England's parish system confers an automatic ...
... belong to the ' church ' , gaining membership by birth , rather than by any conscious adult decision to join which stems from conviction . Thus in England , for example , the Church of England's parish system confers an automatic ...
Page 5
... belong are those who are disenchanted with the norms of prevailing society : the ' disaffected ' and the ' alienated ' , who , according to Troeltsch , belong to the lower and more disadvantaged social classes . Membership of the sect ...
... belong are those who are disenchanted with the norms of prevailing society : the ' disaffected ' and the ' alienated ' , who , according to Troeltsch , belong to the lower and more disadvantaged social classes . Membership of the sect ...
Page 17
... belong , and which might serve to define whether or not one was a charismatic or a New Ager . One can suggest a number of characteristics that are typically found amongst New Agers ( as I shall do in Chapter 9 ) , but not every New Ager ...
... belong , and which might serve to define whether or not one was a charismatic or a New Ager . One can suggest a number of characteristics that are typically found amongst New Agers ( as I shall do in Chapter 9 ) , but not every New Ager ...
Page 18
... belong . For the Christian evangelical , for example , the Mormons and the Unification Church have undoubtedly hit on raw nerves when they claim respectively that Joseph Smith received a new revelation of Jesus Christ , and that the new ...
... belong . For the Christian evangelical , for example , the Mormons and the Unification Church have undoubtedly hit on raw nerves when they claim respectively that Joseph Smith received a new revelation of Jesus Christ , and that the new ...
Page 21
... belong by choice rather than habit . Even in the case of NRMs that do not actively proselytize , such as the Gurdjieff Society , belonging has come about by converting to the movement , rather than a long - standing family tradition ...
... belong by choice rather than habit . Even in the case of NRMs that do not actively proselytize , such as the Gurdjieff Society , belonging has come about by converting to the movement , rather than a long - standing family tradition ...
Contents
1 | |
33 | |
3 The old new religions | 77 |
4 The New Christian movements | 120 |
5 New religions in the Hindu tradition | 164 |
6 New forms of Buddhism | 204 |
7 Independent new religions | 244 |
8 The Human Potential Movement | 278 |
9 New Age witchcraft and Paganism | 315 |
10 The countercult movement | 342 |
Statistical data | 366 |
Compendium | 370 |
Bibliography | 377 |
Index | 392 |
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Common terms and phrases
anti-cult Applewhite avatar Baba Baba's Baha'i Baha'u'llah baptism became become believed Bible body Brahma Kumaris Britain Buddha Buddhism ceremony Christ Chryssides Church of Scientology claim counter-cult cult Dalai Lama death devotees Dianetics disciples divine doctrines Dorje Shugden Erhard evangelical example existence faith Family Findhorn followers founder-leader Glastonbury God's gohonzons groups Hindu Hinduism Holy human important ISKCON Jehovah's Witnesses Jesus Army Jesus Fellowship Church Jones Jonestown Jouret known Krishna latihan Latter-day Saints leader lifestyle living Maharishi mainstream Christianity Mambro mantra marriage means meditation membership messiah mind mission Mormon Nichiren Nichiren Shoshu NRMs offer one's organization original Osho physical powers Prabhupada practice priesthood problems prophet Rajneesh Rastafarians regarded relationship religion religious movements Revelation Sangharakshita sannyasins scripture sect seminars sexual Society Soka Gakkai Solar Temple soul spiritual Subud Subuh taught teachings Tibetan tradition truth Unification Church Wicca worship