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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Alternative belief systems > Contemporary non-Christian & para-Christian cults & sects > General
An exploration into why and how Jamaicans become Rastafari in spite
of increasing incrimination of the religion So much has been
written about the Rastafari, yet we know so little about why and
how people join the Rastafari movement. Although popular
understandings evoke images of dreadlocks, reggae, and marijuana,
Rastafarians were persecuted in their country, becoming a people
seeking social justice. Yet new adherents continued to convert to
Rastafari despite facing adverse reactions from their fellow
citizens and from their British rulers. Charles Price draws on
in-depth interviews to reveal the personal experiences of those who
adopted the religion in the 1950s to 1970s, one generation past the
movement's emergence. By talking with these Rastafari elders, he
seeks to understand why and how Jamaicans became Rastafari in spite
of rampant discrimination, and what sustains them in their faith
and identity. Utilizing new conceptual frameworks, Price explores
the identity development of Rastafari, demonstrating how shifts in
the movement's identity-from social pariah to exemplar of
Blackness-have led some of the elder Rastafari to adopt, embrace,
and internalize Rastafari and blackness as central to their concept
of self.
American society is culturally diverse with a variety of
religious denominations, sects, cults, and self-help groups vying
for members. This volume analyzes nine of these groups, chosen both
for their intrinsic interest and because they illustrate a variety
of sociological concepts. The groups included in this study are:
Heaven's Gate, Jesus People USA, the Love Family, The Farm, Amish
Women, Scientology, El Nino Fidencio, Santeria, and Freedom Park.
The contributors are social scientists with first-hand knowledge of
the groups they examine.
How does a Vampire Cult differ from a Satanic Cult? How do
seemingly "normal" or "ordinary" citizens suddenly find themselves
committed to a group whose leader promotes criminal activities and
isolation from families and friends? What should you do if a loved
one becomes indoctrinated by a potentially dangerous cult? This
book focuses on various cults and their often criminal belief
systems. Most readers are shocked by stories of mass suicides and
ritualized cult killings, but few understand how such crimes come
to be committed. Snow, a seasoned police officer with experience
working on cult crimes, examines those cults that commit offenses
from murder and fraud to kidnapping and sexual assault. By
providing specific accounts of dangerous cults and their
destructive acts, Snow illustrates how seemingly innocent groups
can turn pernicious when under the sway of a charismatic leader
with an agenda, or when members take things too far. He offers
advice on how to avoid falling victim to cult indoctrination,
concluding with chapters on how to identify cults, how to protect
yourself and your family, and what to do if a loved one is ensnared
by such a group.
Through in-depth interviews with 22 New Agers and Neo-Pagans, this
study proposes a new model of religious identity from a
sociological standpoint. The analysis demonstrates that in spite of
their great diversity of beliefs and lack of strong organizational
ties, a discernible community of alternative spiritualists does
exist. This volume will appeal not only to scholars of the
sociology of religion, but also to sociologists interested in
community building, social movements, and self-identity.
The Rhetoric of Religious Cults takes as its departure point the
notion that 'cults' have a distinctive language and way of
recruiting members. First outlining a rhetorical framework, which
encompasses contemporary discourse analysis, the persuasive texts
of three movements - Scientology, Jehovah's Witnesses and Children
of God - are analysed in detail and their discourse compared with
other kinds of recruitment literature. Cults' distinctive negative
profile in society is not matched by a linguistic typology. Indeed,
this negative profile seems to rest on the semantics and
application of the term 'cult' itself.
The author explores the dangers of ultrafundamentalist cults by
presenting selected case histories, by explaining the significance
of the central tendencies of ultrafundamentalism, and by suggesting
why such groups are flourishing at this particular time in this
particular society.
The relationship between new religious movements (NRMs) and
violence has long been a topic of intense public interest--an
interest heavily fueled by multiple incidents of mass violence
involving certain groups. Some of these incidents have made
international headlines. When New Religious Movements make the
news, it's usually because of some violent episode. Some of the
most famous NRMs are known much more for the violent way they came
to an end than for anything else. Violence and New Religious
Movements offers a comprehensive examination of violence by-and
against-new religious movements. The book begins with theoretical
essays on the relationship between violence and NRMs and then moves
on to examine particular groups. There are essays on the "Big
Five"--the most well-known cases of violent incidents involving
NRMs: Jonestown, Waco, Solar Temple, the Aum Shunrikyo subway
attack, and the Heaven's Gate suicides. But the book also provides
a richer survey by examining a host of lesser-known groups. This
volume is the culmination of decades of research by scholars of New
Religious Movements.
Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of
these. But what really goes on inside them? More specifically, what
goes on inside the minds of cult leaders and the people who join
them? Based on the hit podcast Cults, this is essential reading for
any true crime fan. Cults prey on the very attributes that make us
human: our desire to belong, to find a deeper meaning in life, to
live everyday with divine purpose. Their existence creates a sense
that any one of us, at any time, could step off the cliff's edge
and fall into that daunting abyss of manipulation and unhinged
dedication to a misplaced cause. Perhaps it's this mindset that
keeps us so utterly obsessed and desperate to learn more, or it's
that the stories are so bizarre and unsettling that we are simply
in awe of the mechanics that make these infamous groups tick. The
premier storytelling podcast studio Parcast has been focusing on
unearthing these mechanics--the cult leaders and followers, and the
world and culture that gave birth to both. Parcast's work in
analyzing dozens of case studies has revealed patterns: distinct
ways that cult leaders from different generations resemble one
another. What links the ten notorious figures profiled in Cults are
as disturbing as they are stunning--from Manson to Applewhite,
Koresh to Rael, the stories woven here are both spellbinding and
disturbing. Cults is more than just a compilation of grisly
biographies, however. In these pages, Parcast's founder Max Cutler
and national bestselling author Kevin Conley look closely at the
lives of some of the most disreputable cult figures and tell the
stories of their rise to power and fall from grace, sanity, and
decency. Beyond that, it is a study of humanity, an unflinching
look at what happens when the most vulnerable recesses of the mind
are manipulated and how the things we hold most sacred can be
twisted into the lowest form of malevolence.
In writing any account of someone else's religious beliefs and
practices, any author must find himself between two poles: what
members of the religion wish to tell, and what the public wishes to
know. Nowhere are these polarities more distant than in the field
of new religions. The public wishes to know about recruitment,
brainwashing, and fundraising within the Unification Church, while
the authors discussion with UC members elicited far more material
on their own inner spiritual life. After consideration the author
has concluded that a common meeting ground is simply not possible,
and that any book, including this one, has to be a compromise.
In the Afro-Cuban Lukumi religious tradition - more commonly known
in the United States as Santeria - entrants into the priesthood
undergo an extraordinary fifty-three-week initiation period. During
this time, these novices - called iyawo - endure a host of
prohibitions, including most notably wearing exclusively white
clothing.A Year in White, sociologist C. Lynn Carr, who underwent
this initiation herself, opens a window on this remarkable
year-long religious transformation. In her intimate investigation
of the ""year in white"", Carr draws on fifty-two in-depth
interviews with other participants, an online survey of nearly two
hundred others, and almost a decade of her own ethnographic
fieldwork, gathering stories that allow us to see how cultural
newcomers and natives thought, felt, and acted with regard to their
initiation. She documents how, during the iyawo year, the ritual
slowly transforms the initiate's identity. For the first three
months, for instance, the iyawo may not use a mirror, even to
shave, and must eat all meals while seated on a mat on the floor
using only a spoon and their own set of dishes. During the entire
year, the iyawo loses their name and is simply addressed as
""iyawo"" by family and friends. Carr also shows that this
year-long religious ritual - which is carried out even as the iyawo
goes about daily life - offers new insight into religion in
general, suggesting that the sacred is not separable from the
profane and indeed that religion shares an ongoing dynamic
relationship with the realities of everyday life. Religious
expression happens at home, on the streets, at work and school.
Offering insight not only into Santeria but also into religion more
generally, A Year in White makes an important contribution to our
understanding of complex, dynamic religious landscapes in
multicultural, pluralist societies and how they inhabit our daily
lives.
This book is the first comprehensive examination of the ethical
parameters of paganism when considered as a world religion
alongside Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. The
issues of evil, value and idolatry from a pagan perspective are
analyzed as part of the Western ethical tradition from the Sophists
and Platonic schools through the philosophers Spinoza, Hume, Kant
and Nietzsche to such contemporary thinkers as Grayling, Mackie,
MacIntyre, Habermas, Levinas, Santayana, etc. From a more practical
viewpoint, a delineation of applied pagan ethics is then presented
in connection with current moral issues such as same-sex union,
recreational drugs, environmental awareness, abortion and
terrorism. Finally, overviews of sectarian pagan ethics (Shinto,
Santeria, Heathenism, Druidry, Romuva, Slavic, Kemeticism,
Classical and Wicca) provide both the general and pagan reader with
an understanding of the provocative range and differentiation of
pagan ethical thought. The book approaches the Western ethical
tradition as an historical development and a continuing dialogue.
The novelty of this approach lies in its consideration of paganism
as a legitimate voice of religious spirituality rather than a
satanic aberration or ridiculous childish behavior. The book is
aimed at both the contemporary Western pagan and anyone with an
interest in the moral dilemmas of our times and the desire to
engage in the global ethical discussion. Among the more important
features of the book are its presentation of a re-evaluation of
idolatry, the notion of the virtue value, the richness of the pagan
tradition, and the expansion of Western ethics beyond its Christian
heritage.
This personal yet scholarly journey into the confusing and
clandestine world of ritual abuse survivors sheds light on their
catastrophic experiences and their efforts to heal afterward.
Revised, updated, and expanded, this third edition of a classic
study is one of the most authoritative and evenhanded volumes to
tackle its hotly debated subject matter. Incorporating the authors'
firsthand observations, the book provides historical,
anthropological, and psychological context for contemporary reports
of both ritual abuse and ritual crime. In addition to sharing
patient vignettes and a history of cult and ritual abuse in
society, the authors explore fascinating topics related to these
practices, among them what triggers personality shifts for victims
even many years after the abuse has stopped. Importantly, the book
shows how ritual abuse affects society as a whole, influencing
civil and criminal law, politics, legislation, social movements,
social welfare, and psychological theory. It provides unique
insights into the scientific study, forensic investigation, and
implementation of social services for survivors of cult and ritual
abuse, discusses new research and treatment strategies, and
establishes the foundation for a psychological diagnosis to be
called Cult and Ritual Trauma Disorder. Features recalled histories
of ritual abuse and vignettes of patients who have experienced
dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple
personality disorder) Discusses techniques used to create and
manipulate altered states of consciousness Explores how media
sensationalizes and inaccurately depicts ritual abuse Critiques the
argument that ritual abuse stories are the result of false memories
and advances the idea that reports of ritual abuse are understated
Expresses the position that clinicians have an ethical duty to
achieve competence in recognizing and treating the psychological
effects of ritual abuse Concludes that clinicians, lawmakers, law
enforcement, social services personnel, journalists, and others
need to treat allegations of ritual abuse seriously and evaluate
each report on its own merits
The current practice of the cult of Maria Lionza is one of the most
important and yet unexplored religious practices in Venezuela.
Based on long-term fieldwork, this book explores the role of images
and visual culture within the cult. By adopting a relational
approach, A Goddess in Motion shows how the innumerable images of
this goddess-represented as an Indian, white or mestizo woman-move
constantly from objects to bodies, from bodies to dreams, and from
the religion domain to the art world. In short, this book is a
fascinating study that sheds light on the role of visual creativity
in contemporary religious manifestations.
In this book , discover the Life Continuum, the means by which a
being inherits and then lives the lives of others. Here also
discover the Chart of Attitudes, containing the buttons which, when
pressed, unlock any case.
'It is a Lord of the Flies parable with Bhagwan as lord. The book
is a fascinating social history, with many celebrities, from Diana
Ross to Prince Charles. - Helen Rumbelow, The Times This is the
story of a Englishman who gave up a job in journalism to spend
fourteen years with the controversial Indian mystic Osho, also
known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and frequently referred to as 'the
sex guru'. His guru was always controversial with his teachings on
sex and spirituality, rumours of orgies and because he owned
ninety-three Rolls Royces. Early in 1976, Subhuti travelled to
India to meet Rajneesh in his ashram in Pune, became initiated as
his disciple and immediately began to have mystical experiences,
which he attributed to the powerful energy field surrounding the
guru. He stayed for six months, participating in the ashram's
notorious Encounter Group and other therapies designed to release
suppressed emotions and awaken sexual energy Subhuti would stay to
live and work on his master's ashrams for fourteen years, first as
his press officer in Pune, India, then as editor of the community's
weekly newspaper when Bhagwan and his followers shifted to Oregon,
USA, and built a whole new town on the massive Big Muddy Ranch.
There Subhuti was a first-hand witness to the scandals and
hullabaloo that accompanied the guru, including tales of broken
bones in no-holds-barred therapy groups and Tantra groups that
encouraged total sexual freedom, and the increasing hostility with
the locals which would lead to Bhagwan's attempt to flee America,
his arrest and imprisonment. . He was on the Oregon Ranch when
Rajneesh's secretary, Ma Anand Sheela, plotted against rival
cliques within the ashram as well as a range of murderous crimes
against state and federal officials which feature in hit Netflix
series Wild Wild Country. Yet, amidst it all, Subhuti could see the
profound revolution in spirituality that Bhagwan was creating,
leaving a lasting impact on our ideas about society, religion,
meditation and personal transformation. According to the author's
understanding, it was the controversy itself, plus Bhagwan's
refusal to tread the path of a spiritual saint, that became the
stepping stone to a new vision of what it means to be a spiritual
seeker.
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