Comprehending Cults: The Sociology of New Religious Movements

Tackling popular misconceptions about new religious movements, Comprehending Cults summarizes, synthesizes, and assesses over 40 years of research by historians, sociologists, and psychologists. This excellent introduction to the study of new religious groups offers a balanced treatment of new movements as a source of spiritual satisfaction while confronting issues of violence, sexuality, and brainwashing within religious cults.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Chapter One: Why Study New Religious Movements? The Cults in Our Midst The Hostility Towards Cults Box 1 They Come in All Shapes and Sizes Responding to the Suspicions of the Public Chapter Two: What Are New Religious Movements? Religion and Its Continuing Significance Churches, Sects, and Cults Creating a Typology of Cults Box 2 How New Religious Movements Change with Success Chapter Three: Why Did New Religious Movements Emerge? Asking the Right Question First New Religious Movements as a Response to Cultural Change Box 3 Three Models of Cult Formation New Religious Movements as an Expression of Cultural Continuity Concluding Remarks Chapter Four: Who Joins New Religious Movements and Why? The Stereotypes Getting Involved with New Religious Movements The Social Attributes of Those Who Join Box 4 Why Are American Converts to New Religious Movements Disporportionately Jewish? Some Reasons for Joining Chapter Five: Are Converts to New Religious Movements 'Brainwashed'? The Issue and Its Significance The Case Against the Cults The Case Against Brainwashing Box 5 The Active Versus Passive Convert Reformulating the Issues in the Brainwashing Debate Chapter Six: Why Are New Religious Movements So Often Accused of Sexual Deviance? Sexual Deviance and the Cults Box 6 Child Abuse and the Social Control of NRMs Gender Matters Chapter Seven: Why Do Some New Religious Movements Become Violent?: Responding to Recent 'Cult' Tragedies Apocalyptic Beliefs Charismatic Leadership Social Encapsulation Box 7 Surviving the Failure of Apocalyptic Prophecies Concluding Remarks Chapter Eight: What Is the Cultural Significance of New Religious Movements? Our Skewed Perspective Modernism and the New Religious Movements Box 8 Factors Affecting the Success of NRMs Postmodernism and the New Religious Movements NRMs: Anti-modern, Modern, or Postmodern? Concluding Remarks Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Lorne L. Dawson is a Professor of Sociology and Chair for the Department of Religious Studies, University of Waterloo.