Comprehending Cults: The Sociology of New Religious Movements [Paperback]

Lorne Dawson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0195411544 | ISBN-13: 978-0195411546 | Edition: First Edition

Long the focus of controversy, cults,--what sociologists prefer to call new religious movements--have been studied by scholars for years. Yet little of this information has made its way into public awareness. Comprehending Cults is a comprehensive and balanced overview which synthesizes and assesses the results of thirty years of research into new religious movements by historians, sociologists, and psychologists of religion. Organized in terms of seven of the most commonly asked questions about cults (Why did they emerge? Who joins them and why? Why do some become violent?) the book clarifies the issues at stake, seeking to replace prejudice and speculation with reliable insights into the nature of cult activity.
Comprehending Cults examines the history and theory of the development of new religious movements as well as the factors, both social and economic, which determine their success. The book explores particular issues and factions in new religious movements including discussions on Scientology and other initiatory groups; Hare Krishna and other Indian-based religious groups; new religious movements and violence; the Unification Church; coercive conversion controversy (deprogramming); the Satanism scare; women and religious movements; and the future of religion.
Written in an easy-to-read yet detailed manner, Comprehending Cults provides an excellent introduction to the study of new religious phenomena, one equally suited to general readers, students, and scholars.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... Dawson gives the reader a cogent and coherent overview of the major topics in the sociology of New Religious Movements (NRMs), and shows how this substantive focus integrates into sociology more generally." -- David Smith, Canadian Journal of Sociology Online

"As the third millennium nears, Canadians are saturated with high profile news stories about doomsday cults. To challenge this, University of Waterloo sociology of religion professor Lorne Dawson presents a carefully-documented, balanced assessment of new religious movements (NRMs) entitled Comprehending Cults. If you were to read one book on cults during this apocalyptic year this would be an excellent choice." -- Wayne A. Holst, University of Calgary for The Catholic Register and The Western Catholic Reporter

About the Author

Lorne L. Dawson comes from Saskatchewan, but has lived most of his life in Ontario. He received his Hons. B.A. from Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario) and his M.A. and Ph.D. from McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario). He is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario). Most of his publications deal with matters of theory and method in the study of religion and sociology. For many years he has taught a large course on new religious movements, and recently published five articles in the field and edited the book Cults in Context: Readings in the Study of New Religious Movements (1996).

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Edition edition (December 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195411544
• ISBN-13: 978-0195411546
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,321,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dawson's writing is hopeless, October 4, 2007

By 

Ahmed O'Toole "GORGIAS!" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Comprehending Cults: The Sociology of New Religious Movements (Paperback)

This book is poor quality.

At McMaster University I was excited to take their Cults in North America course. After having to purchase and read Dawson's Comprehending Cults my excitement changed to agony. This is probably one of the most poorly written university texts I've had to buy.

Here is why
-miscellany of random quotes are splattered among the writing, use of quotes also seem irrelevant to the topics discussed.
-its needlessly wordy you'll read paragraph after paragraph and it just looks like an incoherent mess
-Dawson is bold enough to create his own social scientific model that would only exist in a vacuum...when it comes to examining NRMs in the real world, his model utterly falls apart
-his treatment of NRMs is very condescending: you'd have to read it (which i don't recommend doing)

I actually emailed Lorne Dawson (University of Waterloo), politely asking him about some of the things in his text. Its hard to really explain further here but he gave me a very dismissive reply.

The problem is that NRMs and cults are difficult to study scientifically, Dawson work exemplifies this fact. Mr. Dawson, that is not a compliment.

I want my money back.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars satisfied customer, November 14, 2009

By 

Breanna VanDerWege (Houghton NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Comprehending Cults: The Sociology of New Religious Movements (Paperback)

it's a really interesting book. it really opened my eyes to the types of people who join cults and why, I was really suprised.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This!, February 16, 2009

By 

MARGARET, PETER "LECTIODIVINABOOKS" (RIPON, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Comprehending Cults: The Sociology of New Religious Movements (Paperback)

My prediction is that cultic behavior is going to increase in the future.
Therefore, read this book if you want to understand the phenomenon, and the people who join cults. I believe we are totally unprepared for an increase in cults and for what that would mean for us personally and for the society as a whole. What are the limits if any for religious freedom? Who decides? This book is certainly a great start in beginning to comprehend what cults are. and what they mean socially.