Do new religious movements, or "cults" as they are often known, harm those who join them, or are they a form of alternative therapy? This objective analysis examines the phenomenon of cults from a variety of perspectives: psychological, sociological, legal and theological, and deals with some of the major problems which confront those dealing with issues raised by these movements.

The Unification Church and its founder, Dr. Sun Myung Moon, have been in the center of controversy because of their recruiting practices, their financial holdings, and their authoritarian style--including arranged, mass marriages. Most controversial in terms of its teachings in Dr. Moon's claim to be a new Messiah who will finish what Jesus left 'undone.' Is he the Messiah, and is his Diving Principle the third testament of the Bible? 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."

Este es uno de cuatro libros de referencia de una serie acerca de algunas de las sectas de la actualidad escritos por el mismo autor. Este libro vierte luz sobre el mormonismo, los Testigos de Jehova (ruselismo), la Iglesia de la Unificacion (seguidores de Moon), la meditacion trascendental y muchas sectas mas."

The only book to examine the origins of Scientology's current leader, RUTHLESS tells the revealing story of David Miscavige's childhood and his path to the head seat of the Church of Scientology told through the eyes of his father. Ron Miscavige's personal, heartfelt story is a riveting insider's look at life within the world of Scientology.

Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science is L. Ron Hubbard's
own story revealing how he arrived at his
discovery of the Reactive Mind that underlies and
enslaves Man.
Written to coincide with the release of Dianetics:
The Modern Science of Mental Health, Evolution of a Science
was originally published as a book-length feature in a national
magazine. The issue sold out within days, triggering thousands of
letters and creating a storm of interest that grew into a worldwide
phenomenon. Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science contains the only
account of:
- How the optimum computing machine -- the mind -- works
- How Ron discovered Basic Personality
- How the Dynamic Principle of
Existence -- SURVIVE! -- was first isolated
- How wrong answers enter into the mind and are held
down, giving further wrong answers
- How there seem to be "Demons" of the mind
- How the engram was discovered
- How Dianetics techniques were developed
That's why Evolution of a Science is the story of the greatest
adventure of all -- the exploration that discovered the Reactive
Mind and the technology to conquer it. He wrote it so you would
know.

Dictionary of Witchcraft is a must-have resource for anyone interested in witchcraft, pagan religions, and the occult. This historical dictionary was the first reference work to seriously document superstitions, manifestations, magic, and superstitions. The author s interest was to compile a vast amount of matter that would interest, entertain and instruct others. This dictionary was consulted by some of the greatest Romantic writers, notably by Hugo. Collin de Plancy followed the tradition of many previous demonologists of cataloguing demons by name and title of nobility, as it happened with grimoires like Pseudomonarchia Daemonum and The Lesser Key of Solomon among others. It is considered a major work documenting beings, characters, books, deeds, and causes which pertain to the manifestations and magic of trafficking with Hell; divinations, occult sciences, grimoires, marvels, errors, prejudices, traditions, folktales, the various superstitions, and generally all manner of marvelous, surprising, mysterious, and supernatural beliefs. This edition was translated and introduced by occultist Wade Baskin. Collin de Plancy (1794 1881) was a French occultist, demonologist, author, and translator. His best-known work, Dictionary of Witchcraft (Dictionnaire Infernal), was published in 1818 but didn t receive wide acclaim until 1863 when a set of 69 illustrations by Louis Breton were added. Later in life, de Plancy converted to Catholicism and focused his studies on Catholic histories and mysticisms.