Description
Book SynopsisBrings together primary documents conveying the words and ideas of new religious movements (NRMs), and offers a first-hand look into their belief systems. The volume includes original documents from groups such as the Unification Church, Theosophy, Branch Davidians, Wicca, Jehovah's Witnesses, Santeria, and Seventh Day Adventists.
Trade Review"New Religious Movements: A Documentary Reader is an essential text for courses on new religions. It combines well selected source materials with knowledgeable and accessible introductions. The appendix containing an essay by Douglas Cowan on the history of anticult and countercult movements is a very helpful addition." -- Catherine Wessinger,Co-general Editor of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions.
"New religious movements have been in the public eye for decades, and have been the focus of a great deal of debate. Now, at long last, they get to speak for themselves. Dereck Daschke and W. Michael Ashcraft have given us an outstanding resource for understanding new religions, one useful to scholars and students as well as the inquisitive general public. The selections are excellent, and the introductions are models of clarity and accuracy. this volume of primary materials is overdue and very welcome." -- Timothy Miller,University of Kansas
"This book introduces readers to these faiths, utilizing the best of both worlds: the NRMs get to express themselves in the words of their own hallowed texts, while the religious scholars Daschke and Ashcraft place these new and interesting belief systems in their proper historical and theosophical context." * New York Spirit *
"Overall, this scholarly, succinct work offers a balanced approach to a contentious topic. Public and academic libraries should purchase two copies, one for reference and one for circulating collections." * Library Journal *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction Part I New Understandings1 Christian Science 2 Theosophy 3 UFO Religious Groups Part II New Selves4 Wicca 5 Soka Gakkai Part III New Families6 The Uni?cation Church7 The Family / Children of God 8 Santeria 9 The Rastafarians 10 The Nation of Islam 11 Peoples Temple Part V New Worlds12 The Adventist Tradition 13 Jehovah's Witnesses 14 The New Millennium: NRMs and the Year 2000 Appendix: Constructing the New Religious Threat: Anticult and Countercult Movements Douglas E. CowanIndex About the Editors
