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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems > Occult studies > Satanism & demonology
Based on extensive interviews with mostly former cult members, this
book chronicles the history of the Church of God of Union Assembly
from its beginning around World War I up to recent times. Founded
by a charismatic, unlettered leader, C. T. Pratt, who forcefully
broke away from the Holiness COG organization, the church
eventually found its home base in Dalton, Georgia. It grew steadily
at first and then more rapidly as the great Depression ravaged
workers in the mostly rural area of north Georgia. The group set up
communal living practices and spread branches of the church across
the country, recruiting among the most displaced with a message of
social uplift and anti-capitalism, even as its religious practices
became increasingly authoritarian and exploitative. If C. T. Pratt
exhibited some characteristics of a violent cult leader, his son,
who took over the church as his father suffered from ill-health,
took these tendencies to a new level that eventually caught the
attention of secular authorities. His son, in turn, was even
worse--and placed the church on the path to financial ruin.
Amazingly, the church survived its three authoritarian leaders and
still exists
Children of Lucifer explores the historical origins of Satanism,
the "anti-religion" that adopts Satan, the Judeo-Christian
representative of evil, as an object of veneration. Ruben van Luijk
traces its development from a concept invented by the Christian
church to demonize its internal and external competitors, to a
positive (anti-)religious identity embraced to varying degrees by
groups in the modern West. Van Luijk offers a comprehensive
intellectual history of this long and unpredictable trajectory; a
story that involves Romantic poets, radical anarchists, eccentric
esotericists, Decadent writers, and schismatic exorcists, among
others, culminating in the establishment of the Church of Satan by
carnival entertainer Anton Szandor LaVey. Yet, he argues, this
story is more than just a collection of colorful characters and
unlikely historical episodes. The emergence of new attitudes
towards Satan proves to be intimately linked to the Western
Revolution-the ideological struggle for emancipation that
transformed the West and is epitomized by the American and French
Revolutions. It is also closely connected to secularization, that
other exceptional historical process during which western culture
spontaneously renounced its traditional gods in order to enter into
a self-imposed state of religious indecision. Children of Lucifer,
thus, makes the case that the emergence of Satanism presents a
shadow history of the evolution of modern civilization as we know
it.
When over 900 followers of the Peoples Temple religious group
committed suicide in 1978, they left a legacy of suspicion and
fear. Most accounts of this mass suicide describe the members as
brainwashed dupes and overlook the Christian and socialist ideals
that originally inspired Peoples Temple members. Hearing the Voices
of Jonestown restores the individual voices that have been erased
so that we can better understand what was created - and destroyed -
at Jonestown, and why. Piecing together information from interviews
with former group members, archival research, and diaries and
letters of those who died there, Maaga describes the women leaders
as educated political activists who were passionately committed to
achieving social justice through communal life. The book analyzes
the historical and sociological factors that, Maaga finds,
contributed to the mass suicide, such as growing criticism from the
larger community and the influx of an upper-class, educated
leadership that eventually became more concerned with the symbolic
effects of the organization than with the daily lives of its
members. Hearing the Voices of Jonestown puts human faces on the
events at Jonestown, confronting theoretical religious questions,
such as how worthy utopian ideals come to meet such tragic and
misguided ends.
This highly original, engaging book is a journey through time and
space in search of the changing perception and significance of the
devil in western culture. Written by French historian Robert
Muchembled, the book begins with the thirteenth century, when
visual images of Satan began to appear, and looks forward to the
twentieth century, dealing with the films of Stanley Kubrick,
including "Eyes Wide Shut. The book reveals that changing figures
of evil correlate over time with the ways in which conceive of
their destinies and the future of their civilization. Fascination
with the diabolical having reached its height in the witch hunts of
the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, it began to show signs of
decline by the Enlightenment, a process that has continued up to
today. The result of this process, for modern western society, is a
subtle metamorphosis of the notion of the devil from fear of Satan
into an eternal demon, "the demon within" characterized by distrust
of oneself and one's desires. This conception of the diabolical is
visible today in our interest in the supernatural and exorcism. "A
History of the Devil is a rich, vivid account of a topic that never
ceases to intrigue.
Exorcism is more widespread in contemporary England than perhaps at
any other time in history. The Anglican Church is by no means the
main provider of this ritual, which predominantly takes place in
independent churches. However, every one of the Church of England
dioceses in the country now designates at least one member of its
clergy to advise on casting out demons. Such `deliverance ministry'
is in theory made available to all those parishioners who desire
it. Yet, as Francis Young reveals, present-day exorcism in
Anglicanism is an unlikely historical anomaly. It sprang into
existence in the 1970s within a church that earlier on had spent
whole centuries condemning the expulsion of evil spirits as either
Catholic superstition or evangelical excess. This book for the
first time tells the full story of the Anglican Church's approach
to demonology and the exorcist's ritual since the Reformation in
the sixteenth century. The author explains how and why how such a
remarkable transformation in the Church's attitude to the rite of
exorcism took place, while also setting his subject against the
canvas of the wider history of ideas.
'One of the most remarkable works of academic investigation I have ever had in my hands;it is not too much to say that Professor Cohn has revolutionized the study of the subject... it is a brilliant book.' Bernard Levin, THE OBSERVER In this pioneering book Norman Cohn traces popular beliefs about witches to their origins, and shows how the great witch-hunt erupted, when thousands of innocent people were tortured and burned alive. 'It is no exaggeration to describe EUROPE'S INNER DREAMS as the most important book yet written on European witchcraft.' Max Marwick, SOCIOLOGY This is a book of real stature which I hope will have wide impact. Only if we begin to understand the horrifying recesses of the human imagination can we prevent the recurrence of those dreadful, irrational persecutions which have so disfigured human history.' Anthony Storr
Watch your back! . . . How to spot and identify demons and other subversive spirits . . . And what to do next.
Demons, fairies, and fallen angels are everywhere. They lurk at crossroads, crouch behind doors, hide in trees, slip into beds, wait in caves, hover at weddings and childbirths, disguise themselves as friends, relatives-even disguise themselves as you. They are powerful; they are protean; they are enchanting. And, to the uninformed, they are often invisible. This illustrated guide-the first of its kind-reveals the remarkable permutations of the demon and fairy species worldwide. Packed with lore about each demon, detailing its origins, the culture surrounding it, and its reputed antics and exploits, A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subversive Spirits is a fascinating exploration of global mythologies. Perfect for the armchair traveler and the intrepid, seasoned demon-spotter alike, this complete guide to subversive spirits offers a behind-the-scenes look at the devilish mishaps, impish irritations, and demonic devastations that punctuate our lives.
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