What is a cult? Why do they emerge? Who joins them? And why do tragedies such as Waco and Jonestown occur? This reader brings together the voices of historians,

An original collection of primary documents conveying the wide array of ideas connected to new religious movements New Religious Movements is a highly unique vo

He also analyzes controversial issues such as the accusations of brainwashing and sexual deviance that are sometimes made against cults; discusses why cults som

This explores the question of when and why violence by and against new religious cults erupts and whether and how such dramatic conflicts can be foreseen, manag

Organized in chronological order of the founding of each movement, this documentary reader brings to life new religious movements from the 18th century to the p