Cults ─ A Reference and Guide

Cults examines the history and current status of cults across the United States, Europe, and East Asia. Focusing on the principal controversial religions and movements that have attracted major media attention, the book also includes profiles of hundreds of minority religions, from Jesus People and Rastafarians to voodoo practitioners and the human-cloning Raelians. All the issues central to the practice and the fear of cults are examined - apocalypticism, deprogramming, social isolation, cults and the media, the use and threat of violence, child custody, libel, tax evasion, solicitation, and the techniques of persuasion and conviction - as are the many charismatic cult leaders. Cults presents a comprehensive and authoritative reference, offering a balanced view of the controversy surrounding these new religious movements, assessing the movements themselves as well as the legal and governmental responses to them, including attempts to quantify membership.

James R. Lewis is Associate Professor at the University of Troms His most recent books include Sacred Schisms (edited with Sarah Lewis, Cambridge University Press, 2009), Children of Jesus and Mary (with Nicolas Levine, Oxford University Press, 2010), Islamic Sects and Movements (Oxford University Press, forthcoming), Modern Satanism (with Asbjn Dyrendal and Jesper A. Petersen, Oxford University Press, forthcoming) and Introduction to New Religious Movements (with Danielle Kirby, Routledge, forthcoming).