Controversial New Religions

This book complements Lewis's xford Handbook of New Religious Movements. The former provides an overview of the state of the field. This volume collects papers on those specific New Religious Movements (NRMs) that have generated the most scholarly attention. With few exceptions, these organizations are also the controversial groups that have attracted the attention of the mass media, often because they have been involved in, or accused of, violent or anti-social activities. Among the movements to be profiled are such groups as the Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, Solar Temple, Scientology, Falun Gong and many more. The book will function as a reference for scholars, as a text for courses in NRMs, and will also appeal to non-specialists including reporters, law enforcement, public policy makers, and others. Featuring The New Religious Movements (nrms) That Have Attracted The Most Scholarly Attention Over The Past Few Years, This Text Includes Groups Such As The Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate And Falun Gong, Explaining Their Ethos And Beliefs, As Well As Examining More Controversial Accusations. A Family For The Twenty-first Century / James D. Chancellor -- Spirit Revelation And The Unification Church / James A. Beverley -- Reconstructing Reality: Conspiracy Theories About Jonestown / Rebecca Moore -- Explaining Militarization At Waco: The Construction And Convergence Of The Warfare Narrative / Stuart A. Wright -- Family Development And Change In The Hare Krishna Movement / E. Burke Rochford, Jr -- When Leaders Dissolve: Considering Controversy And Stagnation In The Osho Rajneesh Movement / Marion S. Goldman -- Soka Gakkai: Searching For The Mainstream / Robert Kisala -- Aum Shinrikyo And The Aum Incident: A Critical Introduction / Martin Repp -- The Falun Gong: A New Religious Movement In Post-mao China / David Ownby -- Notes On The Aumist Religion / Pierluigi Zocatelli -- Inventing L. Ron Hubbard: On The Construction And Maintenance Of The Hagiographic Mythology Of Scientology's Founder / Dorth Reflund Christensen -- The Theosophical Society / James A. Santucci -- The Solar Temple Transits: Beyond The Millennialist Hypothesis / James R. Lewis -- From Atlantis To America: Jz Knight Encounters Ramtha / Gail M. Harley -- Heart And Soul: A Qualitative Look At The Ethos Of The Movement Of Spiritual Inner Awareness / Diana G. Tumminia -- Come On Up And I Will Show Thee: Heaven's Gate As A Postmodern Group / George D. Chryssides -- The Raelian Movement: Concocting Controversy-seeking Social Legitimacy / Susan Palmer -- White Racist Religions In The United States: From Christian Identity To Wolf Age Pagans / Mattias Gardell -- Modern Satanism: Dark Doctrines And Black Flames / Jesper Aagaard Petersen Edited By James R. Lewis And Jesper Aagaard Petersen. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In terms of public opinion, new religious movements are considered controversial for a variety of reasons. Their social organization often runs counter to popular expectations by experimenting with communal living, alternative leadership roles, unusual economic dispositions, and new political and ethical values. As a result the general public views new religions with a mixture of curiosity, amusement, and anxiety, sustained by lavish media emphasis on oddness and tragedy rather than familiarity and lived experience. This updated and revised second edition of Controversial New Religions offers a scholarly, dispassionate look at those groups that have generated the most attention, including some very well-known classical groups like The Family, Unification Church, Scientology, and Jim Jones's People's Temple; some relative newcomers such as the Kabbalah Centre, the Order of the Solar Temple, Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate, and the Falun Gong; and some interesting cases like contemporary Satanism, the Raelians, Black nationalism, and various Pagan groups. Each essay combines an overview of the history and beliefs of each organization or movement with original and insightful analysis. By presenting decades of scholarly work on new religious movements written in an accessible form by established scholars as well as younger experts in the field, this book will be an invaluable resource for all those who seek a view of new religions that is deeper than what can be found in sensationalistic media stories. This book complements Lewis's O xford Handbook of New Religious Movements . The former provides an overview of the state of the field. This volume collects papers on those specific New Religious Movements (NRMs) that have generated the most scholarly attention. With few exceptions, these organizations are also the controversial groups that have attracted the attention of the mass media, often because they have been involved in, or accused of, violent or anti-social activities. Among the movements to be profiled are such groups as the Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, Solar Temple, Scientology, Falun Gong and many more. The book will function as a reference for scholars, as a text for courses in NRMs, and will also appeal to non-specialists including reporters, law enforcement, public policy makers, and others. ## Abstract This book features a collection of essays that discuss in detail the new religious groups that emerged during the 20th century. The essays provide an overview of each religion, their historical development, leaders, doctrines, and activities. The groups covered are: the Family Unification Church, People’s Temple, Branch Davidians, ISKCON (Hare Krishnas), Osho Rajneesh, Soka Gakkai, Aum Shunrikyo, Falun Gong, Aumism, Scientology, Theosophy, Order of the Solar Temple Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, Heaven’s Gate, Raëlians, White racist religions, and Satanism. The book is divided into four parts. Part I discusses groups in the Christian tradition. Part II focuses on Asian and Asian-inspired groups. Part III examines esoteric and New Age groups. Part IV looks at other group movements. The groups covered are: The Family - Unification Church - People's Temple - Branch Davidians - ISKCON (Hare Krishnas) - Osho Rajineesh - Soka Gakkai - Aum Shinrikyo - Falun Gong - Aumism - Scientology - Theosophy - Order of the Solar Temple - Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness - Heaven's Gate - Raelians - White Racist Religions - Satanism The Jesus People movement began in the United States as a fusion of an evangelical Christian awakening and the youth counterculture of the 1960s.