Customer Reviews

New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction

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This is an excellent book for concerned parents who prefer
facts and reason to propaganda and hysteria. Unlike the
deprogrammers or "exit counsellors", Professor Eileen
Barker has no vested interest in attacking or
defending the "cults". She does not draw her conclusions
from "discussions with current cult leaders", either
(anyone who can say that obviously has not read any of
her books). We're talking here about a lady whose research
into the Moonies was perhaps the most extensive
work ever done within the field - and "discussions
with cult leaders" hardly featured in it at all.
Any thinking person will be impressed with the
scientific rigor of Barker's work ("scientific rigor"
being something Steven Hassan would not recognize even
if it came up and bit him on the nose), and
her findings are made even more trustworthy by
the fact that she remains so obviously unimpressed
with the cults' doctrines.
Highly recommended!

In this work, Barker has given parents excellent suggestions for steps that they should take when a child joins a religious group whose beliefs they might not agree with. She emphasizes the importance of letting adult children make their own decisions about their religious beliefs, but also stresses the importance of keeping contact with the new convert and learning about the beliefs and social structure of the group. Parents who have a child in a "cult" would be much better off if they would read this book as opposed to any of Bob Larson's or the rest of the anti-cult movement. Individuals who like this book should also take a look at Timothy Miller's "America's Alternative Religions" or any work by Bryan Wilson for a neutral examination of New Religious Movements.

The author isn't a former member of a religious cult and her knowledge of the subject seems to be based on her discussions with current cult leaders. As such it comes across as very sympathetic to the cult cause.

Parents concerned about their child's involvement in a cult will be more helped by the books of Steven Hassan, Carol Giambalvo, and Janja Lalich - all of whom have had first-hand experience of dealing with the problem.