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. |
From inside the book
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Page 2
... existence as an interesting societal phenomenon , but remains neutral on the question of whether the beliefs and practices of these religious minorities are themselves worthy of study from a distinctively Religious Studies perspective ...
... existence as an interesting societal phenomenon , but remains neutral on the question of whether the beliefs and practices of these religious minorities are themselves worthy of study from a distinctively Religious Studies perspective ...
Page 7
... existence apart from the Christian faith . Yinger , who was Becker's student , carried the latter's thought a stage further by distinguishing between ( 1 ) the ' established sect ' , which is the sect which had become routinized and ...
... existence apart from the Christian faith . Yinger , who was Becker's student , carried the latter's thought a stage further by distinguishing between ( 1 ) the ' established sect ' , which is the sect which had become routinized and ...
Page 23
... existence than can be manageably dealt with in a single volume . If we are to understand them , it is therefore necessary to devise some of kind of typology , by means of which we can classify new religious movements . Counter - cultist ...
... existence than can be manageably dealt with in a single volume . If we are to understand them , it is therefore necessary to devise some of kind of typology , by means of which we can classify new religious movements . Counter - cultist ...
Page 37
... existence of the God of theism , it should be remembered that Jones was by no means unique in this regard . A substantial sector of mainstream Christianity had found problems with traditional theism , as was witnessed by the provocative ...
... existence of the God of theism , it should be remembered that Jones was by no means unique in this regard . A substantial sector of mainstream Christianity had found problems with traditional theism , as was witnessed by the provocative ...
Page 71
... existence is finished . Of those who have been implanted with souls , there are those who are progressing , with the assistance of Next Level representatives ' ( ' Reps ' ) teaching , towards ' metamorphic completion ' . Then there are ...
... existence is finished . Of those who have been implanted with souls , there are those who are progressing , with the assistance of Next Level representatives ' ( ' Reps ' ) teaching , towards ' metamorphic completion ' . Then there are ...
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