The Cambridge Companion to New Religious Movements (Cambridge Companions to Religion)
Cambridge University Press, 8/30/2012
EAN 9780521196505, ISBN10: 0521196507
Hardcover, 346 pages, 23.6 x 15.7 x 2 cm
Language: English
New religions emerge as distinct entities in the religious landscape when innovations are introduced by a charismatic leader or a schismatic group leaves its parent organization. New religious movements (NRMs) often present novel doctrines and advocate unfamiliar modes of behavior, and have therefore often been perceived as controversial. NRMs have, however, in recent years come to be treated in the same way as established religions, that is, as complex cultural phenomena involving myths, rituals and canonical texts. This Companion discusses key features of NRMs from a systematic, comparative perspective, summarizing results of forty years of research. The volume addresses NRMs that have caught media attention, including movements such as Scientology, New Age, the Neopagans, the Sai Baba movement and Jihadist movements active in a post-9/11 context. An essential resource for students of religious studies, the history of religion, sociology, anthropology and the psychology of religion.
Introduction to New Religious Movements Olav Hammer and Mikael Rothstein
Part I. Social Science Perspectives
1. The sociology of New Religious Movements David Bromley
2. Religion and the Internet Douglas Cowan
3. Major controversies involving New Religious Movements
a comparative perspective James Richardson
Part II. Themes
4. History and the end of time in New Religions Garry Trompf
5. Charismatic leaders in New Religions Catherine Wessinger
6. Rituals in New Religions Graham Harvey
7. Canonical and extracanonical texts in New Religions Mikael Rothstein and Olav Hammer
Part III. New Religions in the West and Beyond
8. Scientology
up stat, down stat James Lewis
9. Neo-Paganism Sabina Magliocco
10. The International Raelian Movement Susan J. Palmer and Bryan Sentes
11. The Sathya Sai Baba Movement Tulasi Srinivas
12. Neo-Sufism Mark Sedgwick
13. Satanism Asbjørn Dyrendal and Jesper Aagaard Pedersen
14. Theosophy James Santucci
15. The New Age George Chryssides
16. 'Jihadism' as a New Religious Movement Reuven Firestone
17. New Religions in the New Russia Marat Shterin
18. New Religious Movements in sub-Saharan Africa Peter Clarke.