Leah Remini has never been the type to hold her tongue. That was nev--er more evident than in 2013, when Remini loudly and publicly broke with the Church of Scientology. Now, in this frank, funny, poignant memoir, the former King of Queens star reveals the in-depth details of her painful split with the church and its controversial practices. Indoctrinated into Scientolo--gy as a child while living with her mother and sister in New York, Remini eventually moved to Los Angeles, where her dreams of becoming an ac--tress and advancing Scientology's causes grew increasingly intertwined. As an adult, she found the success she'd worked so hard for, and with it a prominent place in the hierarchy of celebrity Scientologists, such as Tom Cruise. But when she began to raise questions about some of the church's actions, she was declared to be a threat and therefore a "Suppressive Per--son." As a result, all of her fellow parishioners-including members of her own family-were told to disconnect from her. Forever. Bold, brash, and bravely confessional, Troublemaker reveals the hard-won truths of a life lived honestly-from an author unafraid of the consequences.

Scientology presents itself as a scientific approach to spiritual enlightenment, but its activities have long been shrouded in mystery and controversy. Now Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright - armed with his investigative talents, years of archival research, and more than two hundred personal interviews with current and former Scientologists - uncovers the inner workings of the church. We meet founder L. Ron Hubbard, the science-fiction writer turned prophet, and his tough, driven successor David Miscavige. We learn about the church's specialised cosmology and language, its legal attacks on the IRS, its vindictive treatment of critics, and its phenomenal wealth. We see the church court celebrities such as Tom Cruise while consigning its clergy to hard labour under billion-year contracts. Through it all, Wright asks what makes a religion, and whether Scientology in fact merits this constitutionally protected label. Now an award-winning HBO documentary film, Going Clear pulls back the curtain on one of the most secretive organisations at work today.

Philip Jenkins looks at how the image of the cult evolved and why panics about such groups occur at certain times. He examines the deep roots of cult scares in American history, offering the first-ever history and analysis of cults and their critics fromthe 19th century to the present day. Contrary to popular belief, Jenkins shows, cults and anti-cult movements were not an invention of the 1960's, but in fact are traceable to the mid-19th century, when Catholics, Mormons and Freemasons were equally denounced for violence, fraud and licentiousness. He finds that, although there are genuine instances of aberrant behavior, a foundation of truth about fringe religious movements is all but obscured by a vast edifice of myth, distortion and hype.

In the sixties, Transcendental Meditation, a Hindu-based movement, became fashionable as a way to therapy and psychological well-being -- especially after being endorsed by the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Its influence waned, ironically, after the courts decided that TM was a religion rather than a form of therapy, as TM had claimed. But its popularity helped open the doors to a wider acceptance of Eastern philosophy and religions in mainstream America. Another Americanized form of Hinduism is Hare Krishna. This volume and the volume on Buddhism in this series together present a comprehensive overview of Eastern religions, their views, and their impact on contemporary North America. Why this series? This is an age when countless groups and movements, old and new, mark the religious landscape in our culture, leaving many people confused or uncertain in their search for spiritual truth and meaning. Because few people have the time or opportunity to research these movements fully, these books provide essential information and insights for their spiritual journeys. All books but the summary volume, Truth and Error, contain five sections: -A concise introduction to the group being surveyed -An overview of the group s theology --- in its own words -Tips for witnessing effectively to members of the group -A bibliography with sources for further study -A comparison chart that shows the essential differences between biblical Christianity and the group -Truth and Error, the last book in the series, consists of parallel doctrinal charts compiled from all the other volumes. -Three distinctives make this series especially useful to readers: -Information is carefully distilled to bring out truly essential points, rather than requiring readers to sift their way through a sea of secondary details. -Information is presented in a clear, easy-to-follow outline form with menu bar running heads. This format greatly assists the reader in quickly locating topics and details of interest. -Each book meets the needs and skill levels of both nontechnical and technical readers, providing an elementary level of refutation and progressing to a more advanced level using arguments based on the biblical text. The writers of these volumes are well qualified to present clear and reliable information and help readers to discern truth from falsehood."

This is the biography of an archetype, a potential being who exists in all of us and who, since the beginning of human history, has emerged in varying degrees into consciousness in the many diverse cultural forms to which we apply the word goddess in the sense of female deity. It is only in relatively recent times that we have begun to recognize the presence behind these many goddess masks of a being who is Goddess as opposed to God, a force who long preceded her male counterpart as an appropriate metaphor for the Great Mystery of existence.

In this introduction to the Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements, Dr. Gomes defines the characteristics of a "cult of Christianity" and why such a group subverts the search for spiritual truth. He explains the emotional and spiritual appeal of cults, who is susceptible, and the techniques cult leaders use to attract members. This book, in dealing with a wide range of issues relating to cults and religious movements in general, complements the other books in the series, all of which focus on specific religious groups. -- Why this series? This is an age when countless groups and movements, old and new, mark the religious landscape in our culture, leaving many people confused or uncertain in their search for spiritual truth and meaning. Because few people have the time or opportunity to research these movements fully, these books provide essential information and insights for their spiritual journeys. Except for this book, each book in the series has five sections: - A concise introduction to the group - An overview of the group's theology -- in its own words - Tips for witnessing effectively to members of the group - A bibliography with sources for further study - A comparison chart that shows the essential differences between biblical Christianity and the group -- The writers of these volumes are well qualified to present clear and reliable information and help us discern religious truth from falsehood.

Fifty years ago Soka Gakkai was an organization of a few hundred people, all of them in Japan. Today it is one of the world's most rapidly expanding religious movements with members in virtually every country in Europe, the Americas, and Australasia, in most of Asia, and in several parts of Africa. Increasingly well publicized, the movement sponsors a variety of cultural and educational causes, is conspicuous in its work for world peace and the preservation of the environment, and has established for itself a high profile in world affairs. Soka Gakkai is also a significant social phenomenon in its own right, yet it has received surprisingly little attention from Western academics, despite considerable public controversy surrounding its development in Japan. Bryan Wilson and Karel Dobbelaere have undertaken a thorough survey of the UK membership to try to trace the source of the movement's appeal to its socially diverse constituency. The results of their questionnaire survey were augmented by interviews in which members were encouraged to tell their own story in their own way. Their responses are liberally quoted throughout the book and add illuminating detail to its sociological analysis. The decline in belief in an anthropomorphic deity; the sense that traditional religious institutions have become hollow; the emphasis on the private nature of belief and on personal autonomy are all characteristic features of contemporary Western society. The authors suggest that Soka Gakkai has found a ready resonance with these changing currents of modern thought, and conclude that Soka Gakkai's appeal to young people in particular makes it a faith well in tune with the times.

This wide-ranging collection explores the complex relationships between religious sects and contemporary Western society and examines the controversial social, political, and religious issues that arise as sects seek to pursue a way of life at variance with that of other people. Wilson argues that sects, often subject to negative theological and moral judgements, can be understood only as social entities and as such require a scientifically neutral and unbiased approach to explore their emergence and persistence. He traces the growth and expansion of various movements--including the Unification Church, the Scientologists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Exclusive Brethren--relating them to their social context, and indicates the sections of society from which their support is likely to come.

Scientology: A New Slant on Life

The materials of Scientology comprise the greatest
accumulation of knowledge ever assembled on the
mind, spirit and life. Through more than a hundred
books and publications, thousands more articles and
essays, and over 3,000 recorded lectures, the works
of L. Ron Hubbard embrace virtually every aspect of living.

Here, then, is Scientology: A New Slant on Life, containing
a timeless selection of Ron's discoveries drawn from the full
wealth of his writings and each one presenting a broad, yet
comprehensive overview of Scientology applied to a specific
aspect of existence -- and, in combination, providing the panoramic
overview of life itself.

Here are the answers to questions Man has sought through
the ages; here are practical answers you hoped could be found
somewhere; here are answers that work.

- Is It Possible to Be Happy?

- Personal Integrity

- Man's Search for His Soul

- On Our Efforts for Immortality

- The Eight Dynamics that comprise life itself

- The Affinity, Reality and Communication Triangle
providing the components for interpersonal relationships

- Marriage

- How to Live with Children

- What Is Greatness?

- The Two Rules for Happy Living

- Anti-Social and Social Personalities

- The Third Party Law revealing the cause of conflict

- Honesty and Ethics

- My Philosophy, Ron's personal statement on what
motivated his life's work and the quest for Scientology

Here, then, are essentials for living, real solutions that work in
the here and now, truths to consult again and again.

Description

Elisabeth's book is written to help those caught up in obsessive spiritual sects and guru movements. Recounting the extraordinary events of a long life filled with great joys and harrowing griefs, Elisabeth generously traces her soul journey of awakening for the benefit and inspiration of others.
After describing her almost idyllic childhood, she covers the circumstances that led to marriage and - despite her best intentions towards her family - to permanent separation from husband and children, and virtual incarceration and domination within a religious cult.
She relates how a virtually unknown James Bond figure snatched her away, and how they set up a new and happy life together before further vicissitude struck.
Animating the whole is the spirit of her endearing personality and indomitable perseverance; a truly inspiring book.

About the Author

Elisabeth Fraser had a lengthy career as a sales manager, editor and author for Jarrold Publishing. She is author of An Illustrated History of Scotland (1997) and has edited a number of other titles.
Elisabeth has been interested in spirituality for most of her life, and is now very involved in the Tibetan Buddhist field helping to promote talks and lectures from eminent Tibetan lamas and doctors in liaison with the monastery at Samye Ling.
She is based in Edinburgh.

"The is one of the most illuminating updates on the current state of Mormonism that I have ever seen. It brings Mormonism's unstable, changeable truth clearly into view, and provides a convincing warning against the most polytheistic religion ever offered to the modern world." - Dr. Gleason Archer, Professor of Old Testament and Semitics at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Hubbard offers solutions to readers having trouble with irrational behavior and getting along with others. "Dianetics" has been used in over 150 nations around the world by over 20 million people.

Containing discoveries heralded as greater than the
wheel or fire, Dianetics has remained a bestseller
for more than 50 years. And with over 20 million
copies in print, generating a movement that spans
virtually every country on Earth, it's indisputably
the most widely read and influential book ever written about
the human mind. Here is the anatomy and full description of the Reactive Mind,
the previously unknown source of nightmares, unreasonable fears,
upsets and insecurities which enslave Man. This book shows you
how to get rid of it, and so achieve something Man has previously
only dreamed of: the State of Clear. Among the discoveries herein: - The Goal of Man - The Dynamic Principle of Existence -- the one word that
motivates all living things - The Four Dynamics -- the drives upon which all of life is
compartmented - The Descriptic Graph of Survival -- revealing one's true
potential and how to achieve it - The discovery of and complete anatomy of the Reactive
Mind - The painful experiences --engrams -- contained in the
Reactive Mind which command one to act irrationally
against their own wishes and goals - The impact of prenatal engrams -- what took place before
you were born and how it's influenced you ever since Dianetics enables you to discover and eradicate these harmful
experiences so they never affect you again, revealing the one
person you've always wanted to know -- you.

From Haruki Murakami, internationally acclaimed author of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Norwegian Wood, a work of literary journalism that is as fascinating as it is necessary, as provocative as it is profound.

In March of 1995, agents of a Japanese religious cult attacked the Tokyo subway system with sarin, a gas twenty-six times as deadly as cyanide. Attempting to discover why, Murakami conducted hundreds of interviews with the people involved, from the survivors to the perpetrators to the relatives of those who died, and Underground is their story in their own voices. Concerned with the fundamental issues that led to the attack as well as these personal accounts, Underground is a document of what happened in Tokyo as well as a warning of what could happen anywhere. This is an enthralling and unique work of nonfiction that is timely and vital and as wonderfully executed as Murakami’s brilliant novels.

Mormonism is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. For those who have wondered in what specific ways Mormonism differs from the Christian faith, Mormonism 101 provides definitive answers, examining the major tenets of Mormon theology and comparing them with orthodox Christian beliefs. Perfect for students of religion and anyone who wants to have answers when Mormons come calling.

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 present. It provides students with the tools to understand questions of race, religion, and American religious history. Movements covered include the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism), the Native American Church, the Moorish Science Temple, the Nation of Islam, and more. The voices included come from both men and women. Each chapter focuses on a different new religious movement and features: - an introduction to the movement, including the context of its founding - two to four primary source documents about or from the movement - suggestions for further reading.

"All will find here much reality, much wisdom, much encouragement, and much to praise God for."--J.I. Packer
This popular book from respected leader Charles H. Kraft shows believers how to exercise the authority they have from God through Jesus Christ. When Christians recognize and use the amazing gift of spiritual authority, they position themselves to provide protection and bring transformation, not only in their lives but in the lives of family members, friends, even coworkers. Now fully revised and updated.

False religions abound in the US and beyond, and Christians need information they can trust. Since the 1960s, The Kingdom of the Cults has been a trustworthy, well-researched resource on this topic for pastors, lay leaders, and other Christians. The Kingdom of the Cults Handbook takes that same, reliable information and pares it down into a more concise and simplified format. It's perfect for everyone from Christian teachers and ministry leaders to those who just want to better understand the religion of their neighbors. Covering everything from established religions like Islam and Buddhism to shifting trends in Mormonism, Scientology, and Wicca, this book will answer your questions and help you understand and communicate the key differences between true Christianity and other belief systems.

A major, perhaps the major, focus of early research on New Religious Movements (NRMs) was on the people who joined. Most of the field's pioneer researchers were sociologists. However, the profile of NRM members had changed substantially by the twenty-first century - changes largely missed because the great majority of current NRM specialists are not quantitatively oriented. Sects & Stats aims to overturn the conventional wisdom by drawing on current quantitative data from two sources: questionnaire research on select NRMs and relevant national census data collected by Anglophone countries. Sects & Stats also makes a strong argument for the use of longitudinal methods in studying alternative religions. Additionally, through case studies drawn from the author's own research projects over the years, readers will be brought into a conversation about some of the issues involved in how to conduct such research.