The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions [Hardcover]

James R. Lewis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1573922226 | ISBN-13: 978-1573922227 | Publication Date: July 1998

The shocking mass suicide of the Heaven's Gate cult alerted people worldwide to the dangers of cults, sects, and new religions. This extensive resource explains more than 1,000 diverse groups and movements ranging from the early days of alternative religiosity to sects practicing today. An ideal reference for researchers, scholars, students, and anyone interested in cults and similar groups.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

One might not expect to find established groups such as the Amish and the Brethren Church included in a work on cults, sects, and new religions, but they are. After reading the introduction one will understand why. Lewis (religious studies, World Univ. of America) provides a good discussion of the terms sect and especially cult. Although sometimes taken negatively, these terms are not inherently so and definitely have no negative connotation here. Most of the nearly 1000 entries are brief?one to three paragraphs?and cover everything from Aum Shinrikyo and the Branch Davidians to the Nudist Christian Church of the Blessed Virgin Jesus. The longer entries of a page or two, often authored by scholars other than Lewis, are for groups that are controversial or have made the news recently. This handy ready-reference tool is up-to-date, and, since the entries were submitted to the various religious groups for correction, accurate. Recommended for all libraries.?John Moryl, Yeshiva Univ. Lib., New York
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The pages of this work contain information on approximately 1,000 religious groups, ranging from small churches with less than a hundred members (Chishti Order of America) to organizations such as the Assemblies of God that number in the millions. Most entries are relatively short. The more controversial religions, as well as religious groups that have had a high profile lately, receive more lengthy treatments. Also included are entries on broader religious movements such as the New Age and the Charismatic Movement. Some of the longer entries are signed, although no affiliations or credentials are supplied for the authors.

Lewis, chairman of the Department of Religious Studies at the World University of America, spends several paragraphs of the introduction discussing the connotations of the terms cult, sect, and new religion, explaining that they were used in his title because "they represent the most commonly used terms for non-mainstream religious groups." The introduction does not specifically address how the included groups were chosen and why others were left out, except that all are "non-mainstream." Emphasis is on the U.S., although some non-U.S. groups are included, such as Aum Shinrikyo and Wiccan Church of Canada. Starting with the Aaronic Order, an offshoot of the Mormon Church, and ending with Zion's Order, Inc. (also of Mormon derivation), the book covers a very broad range of organizations. Gnostic, Theosophist, Hindu, Moslem, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Native American, New Age, and occult groups are profiled. Examples of entries include channeling movement, Druids, Hare Krishna movement, Hasidism, Heaven's Gate, Salvation Army, Satanism, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, and Voodoo.

Each article outlines the history of the group, its founders and leaders, its main teachings, and an approximate number of followers or congregations. The explanations are clearly written, interesting and understandable, without too much scholarly jargon. There are a number of pictures, most provided by the religious groups. There is a table of contents, but no cross-references or index; both would have been useful. There is nothing to direct the reader searching for Nation of Islam to American Muslims (which the entry claims is the current name), or to link names like Jim Jones and Herbert W. Armstrong to the entries for People's Temple and Worldwide Church of God. There is a 64-page bibliography of books, pamphlets, and periodicals. A few entries included Web addresses, but none are in the bibliography.

The similarly titled Sects, "Cults" and Alternative Religions: A World Survey and Sourcebook [RBB Jl 97] covers only 69 groups, but the entries are longer--16 pages for Scientology as opposed to two pages in Lewis. In many ways, the books complement each other. Because of interest in the subject, public and academic libraries will want Lewis' book, though smaller libraries may not have the budget or patronage to justify this particular expense.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 595 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (July 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573922226
• ISBN-13: 978-1573922227
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,630,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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