Sects, 'Cults' and Alternative Religions: A World Survey and Sourcebook [Hardcover]

David V. Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1997

Many people belong to cults and sects which appear strange, frightening or disturbing to others. Aimed at the general reader, this book reveals the beliefs and practices of many modern cults and sects, explaining their origins and attempting to answer the questions raised by their activities.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Beginning with a brief history of major world religions, British journalist Barrett proceeds to present systematically a history of Christian "heresies" and movements. He moves from there to Eastern neopagan movements such as wicca, druidry, and theosophy and closes with studies of such self-help movements as neurolinguistic programming and Scientology. Barrett writes concisely but thoroughly, in an accessible, objective, and (both geographically and chronologically) encyclopedic fashion that makes his work truly stand out. Within a literature dominated by Christian (ergo hostile) surveys of alternative religions, the only in-print study even comparable to this work is J. Gordon Melton's Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America (Garland, 1992. rev. ed.). The one minor shortcoming worth noting is that the "useful addresses" are mostly in Great Britain. Libraries will find Barrett's work appropriate for either (or both) circulating and reference collections.?Bill Piekarski, Southwestern Coll. Lib., Chula Vista, Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Heaven's Gate, Branch Davidians, People's Temple--all bring a visceral reaction of horror to those with any news sense. All are labeled as cults, as were Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam when they were first preached. Barrett explores the history and beliefs of religions, the need for religion in human experience, and the subtle differences between acceptable and unacceptable beliefs.

The book is divided into five sections: "Background," which describes the history and beliefs of the world's major religions including Zoroastrianism and Baha'i; "Christian Origins," which covers the early history of Christianity and its battles with various heresies, then describes Christian sects and cults; "Eastern Origins," which describes such groups as Hare Krishnas, Elan Vital, and ECKANKAR; "Esoteric and Neo-Pagan Movements" such as Rosicrucians, Society of the Inner Light, "Flying Saucer Cults," Wicca, Druids, and shamanism; and "Psychology and Self-Help," covering Scientology, transcendental meditation, and neurolinguistic programming. Altogether, 69 groups are presented.

Each entry is divided into two parts: "History" and "Beliefs and Traditions." The history section describes the charismatic individual who attracts followers with his or her preaching, then follows the development of the group through subsequent leaders. "Beliefs and Traditions" discusses both the original teachings and how the cult may have changed over time. Much space is given to addressing the controversial practices or teachings (brainwashing, deprivation, sexual and physical abuse, etc.) that garner negative publicity. The text is mostly balanced between the accusations and the official response of the group. There is some editorializing in the body, but most of it is reserved for the preface and the afterword. Barrett corresponded with each group asking for authorized information and official responses and speaks candidly about how forthcoming (or not) the groups were. The entries range from one page ("The I Am Movement") to 16 pages ("Scientology"). The average is two to three pages. There are two sections of photographs, one black and white, the other color, with portraits of founders or representative group photographs or artwork.

In the introduction, Barrett describes the differences between sects, cults, and alternative religions, eschewing the term cult because of its negative connotations. He also discusses the difficulty in addressing the issue of different beliefs because of the emotional responses many faithful have. The conclusion looks at the organizations that "rescue" and "deprogram" members of these groups or that seek to balance the sensational news coverage with factual information collected from official sources and former members. There is a list of addresses for each of the religions covered and a bibliography. The index is brief.

This is a fascinating book to read. Barrett tries to remain objective but makes comments at important points. Some readers may be disconcerted by Britishisms (gaol for jail, bugger, colour, etc.), but these are infrequent. Much of the information comes from the British headquarters of organizations. Minimal information is provided on some of the groups that have had the most headlines--Jim Jones' People's Temple, the Order of the Solar Temple, Aum Shinrikyo. Nevertheless, this will be a useful resource for religion collections and for public libraries with frequent requests for information on sects and cults.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Blandford Pr (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0713725672
• ISBN-13: 978-0713725674
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,827,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for the curious layman, July 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sects, `Cults' & Alternative Religions: A World Survey and Sourcebook (Paperback)

Mr. Barrett does an outstanding job of presenting the spiritual beliefs throughout the world with a dispassionate, nonjudgmental voice. Before enumerating and describing the many cults and alternative religions, he explains the major world religions, as well as the differences and similarities between each, and then again between their own individual sects. This provides a strong and understandable foundation for understanding the roots of various cults and their beliefs. As much as possible, he obtains views on these from both their proponents and detractors. I have never read a more comprehensive book on this topic. Well-written, good organization, valuable information without sensationalism.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Full of Great Information, April 12, 2005

By 

Chris Luallen (Nashville, Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sects, 'Cults' and Alternative Religions: A World Survey and Sourcebook (Hardcover)

This book is an almost encyclopedia like account of the many and varied non-traditional religious groups. It offers a brief history as well as a beliefs and practices section for each of the more than 50 different sects that it covers. These range from large Christian based religions, such as the Mormons, to Asian influenced groups such as the Hare Krishnas. In addition, many smaller sects are covered that Barrett classifies as beither being esoteric or neo-pagan.

I was impressed by how objective Barrett remained throughout the book, no matter how ridiculous some of these groups may seem to the average person. His writings were largely based on the information provided by the groups themselves. However, he sometimes does offer an opinion or warning, especially when a particular group is known as being potentially violent or dangerous such as the Branch Davidians in Waco. Overall, the book is well written and researched

I very much enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone interested in reading about a wide-range of "alternative" religions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate and non judgemental, March 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sects, `Cults' & Alternative Religions: A World Survey and Sourcebook (Paperback)

This was a great book that gave a very detailed and accuarte look into alternate religions. The author was fair and reviewed each religion with an open mind and focused on the true main points.