Comprehending Cults: The Sociology of New Religious Movements

by Lorne L. Dawson

Book Overview

Long the focus of controversy, cults, --what sociologists prefer to call new religious movements--have been studied by scholars for years. Yet little of this information has made its way into public awareness. Comprehending Cults is a comprehensive and balanced overview which synthesizes and assesses the results of thirty years of research into new religious movements by historians, sociologists, and psychologists of religion. Organized in terms of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195411544
• ISBN13: 9780195411546
• Release Date: December 1998
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.9" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

satisfied customer

it's a really interesting book. it really opened my eyes to the types of people who join cults and why, I was really suprised.

Read This!

My prediction is that cultic behavior is going to increase in the future. Therefore, read this book if you want to understand the phenomenon, and the people who join cults. I believe we are totally unprepared for an increase in cults and for what that would mean for us personally and for the society as a whole. What are the limits if any for religious freedom? Who decides? This book is certainly a great start in beginning to comprehend what cults are. and what they mean socially.

Certainly worth reading

Granted, the wording could use some work, but the "brainwashed" chapter was a refreshing perspective I hadn't found in six other books I have read on the subject. "Who Joins" also was a chapter that included pieces I had not found elsewhere. A perfect place to start for a sociological perspective. Generally free of strong pro or anti religious bias. Recommended.

Valuable Insight

A very thorough and clear coverage of the controversies raised by cults. I gained new insights into the topic and would readily recommend this book.

At last: a book about the reality of "cults"

I strongly recomment this book. It discusses new religious movements from an academic perspective. An excellent antidote to the religious intolerance and panic spread by the counter-cult heresy hunters and the anti-cult thought control advocates.