Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult [Hardcover]

George A. Mather (Author), Larry A. Nichols (Author), Alvin J. Schmidt (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 1993

Here is a complete dictionary of sects, cults, and religions containing cross-references to major in-depth articles that deal with the history, beliefs, and demography of each.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult is probably the most significant reference book on the subject to be published in recent decades. In addition to traditional, well-known groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Islam, and Baha'i, the Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult deals with groups that are not yet well-known but are making strong inroads in North America, such as Santeria, Rastafarians, Haitian Voodoo, white supremacy groups, and Satanism. The authors evaluate the beliefs and practices of each group from the perspective of the Bible and the historic creeds of the Christian church. Numerous short articles about people, places, and concepts provide brief definitions and descriptions. These articles are cross-referenced to the major in-depth articles that deal with the history, beliefs, and demography of each cult, sect, or religion. The book contains many illustrations and charts and includes an up-to-date bibliography for each of the groups and movements.

About the Author

George A. Mather, an ordained minister, is the coeditor with Larry A. Nichols of The Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult.;Larry A. Nichols is the pastor of Our Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in Greenville, Rhode Island. He is coauthor of Masonic Lodge in the Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements.;Alvin J. Schmidt [Ph.D., University of Nebraska) retired in 1999 as professor of sociology at Illinois College. He has contributed to numerous journals and is the author of several books. He lives in Jacksonville, IL.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (April 9, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310531004
• ISBN-13: 978-0310531005
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #627,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise and extensive handbook of many of today's cults., July 21, 1998

By 

[e-mail], Rev. Robert F. Shonholz (Boardman, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult (Hardcover)

The strongpoint of this dictionary is its extensive coverage of the hundreds of cults and sects that are around today. While it was impossible to cover all of them, the authors went to great pains to include all the the best known ones as well as some that enjoy less popularity.

Each article is written from a strong Christological viewpoint, includes an extensive list of primary and secondary resources for further investigation while still being immensly readable. Theological language is either explained or avoided making each synopsis easily understandable for the average layman.

Kingdom of the Cultsm move over, your repalcement is here.

5.0 out of 5 stars How much???, February 4, 2012

By 

scratchmybrain - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions: Revised and Updated Edition (Paperback)

I'd like to buy this encyclopedia but I refuse to pay $10 more for the the Kindle version than it costs for the hard copy. Stuff like this makes me scratch my brain.

16 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good cataloging, horrible interpretation, December 15, 2007

By 

C. Cornell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions: Revised and Updated Edition (Paperback)

Though commenting upon an array of religions, cults, and sects so great you could hardly ask for more, this book is crippled by its own bias.

It is written from such a Christian-centered viewpoint that all non Judaic religions become horribly tainted. Just about everything, even religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism which pre-date Christianity, are compared extensively to the Christian faith. The trouble in this is, as any student of subaltern groups knows, that the reader cannot develop an organic understanding of a religion, but rather can only see religions as measured by the yardstick of Christianity.

For example, the section on Buddhism is broken down into the following categories: History, Teachings, God, Sin, Salvation & the Future, Morality, and Conclusion. In every section except for History and Conclusion, Buddhism is compared to Christianity, even though Buddhism predates Jesus by hundreds of years. The authors do not even attempt to hide such bias, openly declaring that they will portray Buddhism only through Christian lenses on page 42.

The section on Christianity itself is almost laughable. The masturbatory, emotive waxing on the noble history of Christianity (and its inherent correctness!) in the conclusion is hilariously sad. "Yet despite persecution, moral laxity, heresies challenging it both from within and without, the church of Jesus Christ prevails... It has experienced dark moments, but even as the darkness of the first Good Friday gave way to the brightness and splendor of the resurrection and the empty tomb, so too has the church experienced a glorious history with a future that will be brighter still when Jesus and the church - that is, when the bridegroom and the bride - unite forever." (Page 72)

If you want a comprehensive list of religions, cults, and sects, this will do - but if you want to understand them and see them from a relatively neutral viewpoint, go elsewhere.

P.S. Zoroastrianism doesn't have its own encyclopedic entry. Hello!? The People's Temple (the organization/cult of Jim "Purple Kool-Aid" Jones) which had perhaps 1000 members at its height gets its own section, but not a religion which heavily informed both Christianity and Islam and which still boasts 200,000 members world-wide today.