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 2
... give coverage to Meher Baba , Sahaja Yoga , Elan Vital ( formerly the Divine Light Mission ) , the Worldwide Church of God , the Church Universal and Triumphant and the Word - Faith Movement among others , but to do so would have ...
... give coverage to Meher Baba , Sahaja Yoga , Elan Vital ( formerly the Divine Light Mission ) , the Worldwide Church of God , the Church Universal and Triumphant and the Word - Faith Movement among others , but to do so would have ...
Page 14
... give up in the face of frustration , to allow hostility to tear apart their human aspirations . ( Yinger , 1970 , p . 12 ) Hence , a religion enables its followers to come to terms with key events in their lives , for example , by rites ...
... give up in the face of frustration , to allow hostility to tear apart their human aspirations . ( Yinger , 1970 , p . 12 ) Hence , a religion enables its followers to come to terms with key events in their lives , for example , by rites ...
Page 40
... give the church negative publicity . A group called ' Concerned Relatives ' was formed in opposition to Jones , and with the aim of enabling members to disengage . The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service both began ...
... give the church negative publicity . A group called ' Concerned Relatives ' was formed in opposition to Jones , and with the aim of enabling members to disengage . The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service both began ...
Page 41
... give the community negative publicity . ) ― Jones used to broadcast to the community over a loudspeaker system for about six hours a day , and frequently sounded hectic in tone . Death was a dominant theme , and Jones frequently talked ...
... give the community negative publicity . ) ― Jones used to broadcast to the community over a loudspeaker system for about six hours a day , and frequently sounded hectic in tone . Death was a dominant theme , and Jones frequently talked ...
Page 45
... give up their paradises without a fight ... The Jonestown suicides and murders weren't anything compared with what's going to happen . There's going to come a time when thousands of people are going to get killed right here in the ...
... give up their paradises without a fight ... The Jonestown suicides and murders weren't anything compared with what's going to happen . There's going to come a time when thousands of people are going to get killed right here in the ...
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