'Cult Wars' in Historical Perspective provides a broad characterization of the shifting contours over the past several decades. Offering an assessment of several important topics in the study of new religions, this book explores developments in some well-known groups such as the Unification movement, The Family International (Children of God), the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), and the Church of Scientology. Bringing together both insiders and outsiders from various academic disciplines and personal perspectives, this book takes account of the ways in which the cult question is defined and addressed in different countries. It offers a vivid depiction of how the cult wars or cult controversies of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries first took shape, the transformation of some deeply-entrenched positions on cults and sects as at least some members of new groups, cult-watchers, and academics entered into serious and sustained conversations about topics of mutual concern, the shifting foci and concerns of the general public, law enforcement and the courts, and academics in various countries, and the complex histories of individual groups in which many dramatic transformations have occurred despite their comparatively short life-spans.
1. Introduction: "Cult Wars" in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries Eugene V. Gallagher Part One: Watching and Studying New Religious Movements 2. From Cult Wars to Constructive Cooperation – Well, Sometimes Eileen Barker 3. The History of CESNUR Massimo Introvigne 4. Are the Cult Wars Over? And If So, Who Won? Timothy Miller 5. From Deviance to Devotion: The Evolution of NRM Studies George D. Chryssides 6. Writing and Researching on New Religious Movements: A View from the American Academy Benjamin E. Zeller 7. The Law, the Courts, Religious Freedom, and the Evolving Pattern of Jurisprudence in Western Societies James T. Richardson 8. Is an Anti-cult Movement Emerging in Croatia? Dinka Marinović Jerolimov & Ankica Marinović Part Two: Developments in Specific Groups 9. From the Radical to the Routine: The History and the Future of the Family International (Children of God) Abi Freeman 10. From Radical Communalism to Virtual Community: The Family International Claire Borowik 11. The Unification Movement: Past and Future Richard Barlow 12. ISKCON: From its Origins in the West to the Present Anuttama dasa 13. Terrill Park, From the Church of Scientology to the Freezone Terrill Park 14. Scientology: From Controversy to Global Expansion and Recognition Eric Roux
Inform is an independent charity that collects and disseminates accurate, balanced and up-to-date information about minority religious and spiritual movements.
The Ashgate Inform Series addresses themes related to new religions, many of which have been the topics of Inform seminars. The series editorial board consists of internationally renowned scholars in the field.
Books in the series will attract both an academic and interested general readership, particularly in the areas of Religious Studies, and the Sociology of Religion and Theology.