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 3
... critics allow , and their detractors would do well to ascertain the true nature of their opposition . Mainstream Christians who believe that the Jehovah's Witnesses read only certain sections of their Bible , like the Book of Revelation ...
... critics allow , and their detractors would do well to ascertain the true nature of their opposition . Mainstream Christians who believe that the Jehovah's Witnesses read only certain sections of their Bible , like the Book of Revelation ...
Page 8
... criticism that such movements have an authoritarian leadership only has plausibility if there is a definite structure by means of which a leader's authority can be imposed . - It is really the third feature — the lack of proximity to ...
... criticism that such movements have an authoritarian leadership only has plausibility if there is a definite structure by means of which a leader's authority can be imposed . - It is really the third feature — the lack of proximity to ...
Page 10
... Critics of ' cults ' have already marked out a number of groups for attention : this can be readily seen from consulting the pages of journals such as FAIR News and Reachout Quarterly , as well as visiting the web pages of cult ...
... Critics of ' cults ' have already marked out a number of groups for attention : this can be readily seen from consulting the pages of journals such as FAIR News and Reachout Quarterly , as well as visiting the web pages of cult ...
Page 18
... critics view NRMs as if they are static and monolithic , or at least expect them to be so . Thus Jehovah's Witnesses have been criticized for having celebrated Christmas in the past and the Mormons on the grounds that their early leader ...
... critics view NRMs as if they are static and monolithic , or at least expect them to be so . Thus Jehovah's Witnesses have been criticized for having celebrated Christmas in the past and the Mormons on the grounds that their early leader ...
Page 21
... ' cult ' by its critics , nonetheless consists of members of the Roman Catholic Church , and hence is not ' outside the mainstream ' . Is it an NRM any ―― more than the Sea of Faith , which is 21 1 : METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES.
... ' cult ' by its critics , nonetheless consists of members of the Roman Catholic Church , and hence is not ' outside the mainstream ' . Is it an NRM any ―― more than the Sea of Faith , which is 21 1 : METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES.
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