Social Science and the Cults

Social Science and the Cults

Author: John A. Saliba

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-03-20

Total Pages: 958

ISBN-13: 0429662904

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This book, first published in 1990, brings together descriptive, comparative, and theoretical materials on cults and sects in Western culture, focusing on literature published since 1970. A historical section links the rise of the new movements to similar past phenomena in Western culture. Other sections examine the methodology of studying religious movements and the various theories which have been brought to explain them, current studies on traditional sects that are sometimes compared to the new religions, and many studies of individual contemporary cults.


Book Synopsis Social Science and the Cults by : John A. Saliba

Download or read book Social Science and the Cults written by John A. Saliba and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-03-20 with total page 958 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, first published in 1990, brings together descriptive, comparative, and theoretical materials on cults and sects in Western culture, focusing on literature published since 1970. A historical section links the rise of the new movements to similar past phenomena in Western culture. Other sections examine the methodology of studying religious movements and the various theories which have been brought to explain them, current studies on traditional sects that are sometimes compared to the new religions, and many studies of individual contemporary cults.

The Cult and Science of Public Health

The Cult and Science of Public Health

Author: Kevin Dew

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 0857453394

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In contemporary manifestations of public health rituals and events, people are being increasingly united around what they hold in common--their material being and humanity. As a cult of humanity, public health provides a moral force in society that replaces 'traditional' religions in times of great diversity or heterogeneity of peoples, activities and desires. This is in contrast to public health's foundation in science, particularly the science of epidemiology. The rigid rules of 'scientific evidence' used to determine the cause of illness and disease can work against the most vulnerable in society by putting sectors of the population, such as underrepresented workers, at a disadvantage. This study focuses on this tension between traditional science and the changing vision articulated within public health (and across many disciplines) that calls for a collective response to uncontrolled capitalism and unremitting globalization, and to the way in which health inequalities and their association with social inequalities provides a political rhetoric that calls for a new redistributive social programme. Drawing on decades of research, the author argues that public health is both a cult and a science of contemporary society.


Book Synopsis The Cult and Science of Public Health by : Kevin Dew

Download or read book The Cult and Science of Public Health written by Kevin Dew and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2012 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In contemporary manifestations of public health rituals and events, people are being increasingly united around what they hold in common--their material being and humanity. As a cult of humanity, public health provides a moral force in society that replaces 'traditional' religions in times of great diversity or heterogeneity of peoples, activities and desires. This is in contrast to public health's foundation in science, particularly the science of epidemiology. The rigid rules of 'scientific evidence' used to determine the cause of illness and disease can work against the most vulnerable in society by putting sectors of the population, such as underrepresented workers, at a disadvantage. This study focuses on this tension between traditional science and the changing vision articulated within public health (and across many disciplines) that calls for a collective response to uncontrolled capitalism and unremitting globalization, and to the way in which health inequalities and their association with social inequalities provides a political rhetoric that calls for a new redistributive social programme. Drawing on decades of research, the author argues that public health is both a cult and a science of contemporary society.

Comprehending Cults

Comprehending Cults

Author: Lorne L. Dawson

Publisher: Don Mills, Ont. : Oxford University Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13:

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He also analyzes controversial issues such as the accusations of brainwashing and sexual deviance that are sometimes made against cults; discusses why cults sometimes turn to violence; and examines what NRMs can tell us about the future of religion and culture in North America. The result is a comprehensive, evenhanded introduction to the study of new religious phenomena."--BOOK JACKET.


Book Synopsis Comprehending Cults by : Lorne L. Dawson

Download or read book Comprehending Cults written by Lorne L. Dawson and published by Don Mills, Ont. : Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: He also analyzes controversial issues such as the accusations of brainwashing and sexual deviance that are sometimes made against cults; discusses why cults sometimes turn to violence; and examines what NRMs can tell us about the future of religion and culture in North America. The result is a comprehensive, evenhanded introduction to the study of new religious phenomena."--BOOK JACKET.

Saints and Their Cults

Saints and Their Cults

Author: Stephen Wilson

Publisher: CUP Archive

Published: 1985

Total Pages: 458

ISBN-13: 9780521311816

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This is a paperback edition of a collection of ten papers by different authors on the cult of saints, first published in hard covers in 1983. Six have been translated from French including a pioneering study by Robert Hertz, one of Durkheim's most eminent pupils. The editor provides a wide-ranging general and historical introduction, and a 100- page annotated bibliography covering material on the subject in all disciplines and in four main languages.


Book Synopsis Saints and Their Cults by : Stephen Wilson

Download or read book Saints and Their Cults written by Stephen Wilson and published by CUP Archive. This book was released on 1985 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a paperback edition of a collection of ten papers by different authors on the cult of saints, first published in hard covers in 1983. Six have been translated from French including a pioneering study by Robert Hertz, one of Durkheim's most eminent pupils. The editor provides a wide-ranging general and historical introduction, and a 100- page annotated bibliography covering material on the subject in all disciplines and in four main languages.

Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities

Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities

Author: Marc Petrowsky

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 1998-06-30

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 0313390827

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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 Niño Fidencio, Santería, and Freedom Park. The contributors are social scientists with first-hand knowledge of the groups they examine.


Book Synopsis Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities by : Marc Petrowsky

Download or read book Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities written by Marc Petrowsky and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 1998-06-30 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 Niño Fidencio, Santería, and Freedom Park. The contributors are social scientists with first-hand knowledge of the groups they examine.

Cults, Converts, and Charisma

Cults, Converts, and Charisma

Author: Thomas Robbins

Publisher: Sage Publications (CA)

Published: 1988

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13:

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Recent decades have seen an apparent increase in the number and vitality of new religious movements throughout the world. They have also been marked by evident social conflict over the activities of 'cults'. These developments have been met by growing interest among social scientists in the significance of new religious movements and a proliferation of research into their activities and their social impact. In this wide-ranging survey Tom Robbins assesses the state of the art in sociological and related work on new religious movements. Concentrating on research on movements in the USA and Western Europe, he analyses theories relating the growth of new religions to sociocultural changes, the dynamics of conversion to and defection from movements, patterns of organization and institutionalization, and social controversies over cults. He also examines the impact of the study of new and deviant movements on the sociology of religion in general, and the implications of recent spiritual ferment for previous models of secularization and sect-church theory. The book concludes with a comprehensive bibliography. This text will be essential reading for students and researchers in the sociology of religion and in religious studies. Cults, Converts and Charisma is a university edition of the author's trend report in Current Sociology Volume 36.1.


Book Synopsis Cults, Converts, and Charisma by : Thomas Robbins

Download or read book Cults, Converts, and Charisma written by Thomas Robbins and published by Sage Publications (CA). This book was released on 1988 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent decades have seen an apparent increase in the number and vitality of new religious movements throughout the world. They have also been marked by evident social conflict over the activities of 'cults'. These developments have been met by growing interest among social scientists in the significance of new religious movements and a proliferation of research into their activities and their social impact. In this wide-ranging survey Tom Robbins assesses the state of the art in sociological and related work on new religious movements. Concentrating on research on movements in the USA and Western Europe, he analyses theories relating the growth of new religions to sociocultural changes, the dynamics of conversion to and defection from movements, patterns of organization and institutionalization, and social controversies over cults. He also examines the impact of the study of new and deviant movements on the sociology of religion in general, and the implications of recent spiritual ferment for previous models of secularization and sect-church theory. The book concludes with a comprehensive bibliography. This text will be essential reading for students and researchers in the sociology of religion and in religious studies. Cults, Converts and Charisma is a university edition of the author's trend report in Current Sociology Volume 36.1.

Cults, Converts, and Charisma

Cults, Converts, and Charisma

Author: Thomas Robbins

Publisher: Sage Publications (CA)

Published: 1988

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13:

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Recent decades have seen an apparent increase in the number and vitality of new religious movements throughout the world. They have also been marked by evident social conflict over the activities of 'cults'. These developments have been met by growing interest among social scientists in the significance of new religious movements and a proliferation of research into their activities and their social impact. In this wide-ranging survey Tom Robbins assesses the state of the art in sociological and related work on new religious movements. Concentrating on research on movements in the USA and Western Europe, he analyses theories relating the growth of new religions to sociocultural changes, the dynamics of conversion to and defection from movements, patterns of organization and institutionalization, and social controversies over cults. He also examines the impact of the study of new and deviant movements on the sociology of religion in general, and the implications of recent spiritual ferment for previous models of secularization and sect-church theory. The book concludes with a comprehensive bibliography. This text will be essential reading for students and researchers in the sociology of religion and in religious studies. Cults, Converts and Charisma is a university edition of the author's trend report in Current Sociology Volume 36.1.


Book Synopsis Cults, Converts, and Charisma by : Thomas Robbins

Download or read book Cults, Converts, and Charisma written by Thomas Robbins and published by Sage Publications (CA). This book was released on 1988 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent decades have seen an apparent increase in the number and vitality of new religious movements throughout the world. They have also been marked by evident social conflict over the activities of 'cults'. These developments have been met by growing interest among social scientists in the significance of new religious movements and a proliferation of research into their activities and their social impact. In this wide-ranging survey Tom Robbins assesses the state of the art in sociological and related work on new religious movements. Concentrating on research on movements in the USA and Western Europe, he analyses theories relating the growth of new religions to sociocultural changes, the dynamics of conversion to and defection from movements, patterns of organization and institutionalization, and social controversies over cults. He also examines the impact of the study of new and deviant movements on the sociology of religion in general, and the implications of recent spiritual ferment for previous models of secularization and sect-church theory. The book concludes with a comprehensive bibliography. This text will be essential reading for students and researchers in the sociology of religion and in religious studies. Cults, Converts and Charisma is a university edition of the author's trend report in Current Sociology Volume 36.1.

Religion, Deviance, and Social Control

Religion, Deviance, and Social Control

Author: Rodney Stark

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-01-11

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1135771596

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Does religion have the power to regulate human behavior? If so, under what conditions can it prevent crime, delinquency, suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, or joining cults? Despite the fact that ordinary citizens assume religion deters deviant behavior, there has been little systematic scientific research on these crucial questions. This book is the first comprehensive analysis, drawing on a wide range of historical and contemporary data, and written in a style that will appeal to readers from many intellectual backgrounds.


Book Synopsis Religion, Deviance, and Social Control by : Rodney Stark

Download or read book Religion, Deviance, and Social Control written by Rodney Stark and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-01-11 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does religion have the power to regulate human behavior? If so, under what conditions can it prevent crime, delinquency, suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, or joining cults? Despite the fact that ordinary citizens assume religion deters deviant behavior, there has been little systematic scientific research on these crucial questions. This book is the first comprehensive analysis, drawing on a wide range of historical and contemporary data, and written in a style that will appeal to readers from many intellectual backgrounds.

Misunderstanding Cults

Misunderstanding Cults

Author: Thomas Robbins

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2001-01-01

Total Pages: 860

ISBN-13: 9780802081889

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Misunderstanding Cults provides a uniquely balanced contribution to what has become a highly polarized area of study. Working towards a moderate "third path" in the heated debate over new religious movements or cults, this collection includes contributions from both scholars who have been characterized as "anticult" and those characterized as "cult-apologists." The study incorporates multiple viewpoints as well as a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives, with the stated goal of depolarizing the discussion over alternative religious movements. A prominent section within the book focuses explicitly on the issue of scholarly objectivity and the danger of partisanship in the study of cults. The collection also includes contributions on the controversial and much misunderstood topic of brainwashing, as well as discussions of cult violence, children brought up in unconventional religious movements, and the conflicts between alternative religious movements and their critics. Unique in its breadth, this is the first study of new religious movements to address the main points of controversy within the field while attempting to find a middle ground between opposing camps of scholarship.


Book Synopsis Misunderstanding Cults by : Thomas Robbins

Download or read book Misunderstanding Cults written by Thomas Robbins and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 860 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Misunderstanding Cults provides a uniquely balanced contribution to what has become a highly polarized area of study. Working towards a moderate "third path" in the heated debate over new religious movements or cults, this collection includes contributions from both scholars who have been characterized as "anticult" and those characterized as "cult-apologists." The study incorporates multiple viewpoints as well as a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives, with the stated goal of depolarizing the discussion over alternative religious movements. A prominent section within the book focuses explicitly on the issue of scholarly objectivity and the danger of partisanship in the study of cults. The collection also includes contributions on the controversial and much misunderstood topic of brainwashing, as well as discussions of cult violence, children brought up in unconventional religious movements, and the conflicts between alternative religious movements and their critics. Unique in its breadth, this is the first study of new religious movements to address the main points of controversy within the field while attempting to find a middle ground between opposing camps of scholarship.

Social-science Commentary on the Letters of Paul

Social-science Commentary on the Letters of Paul

Author: Bruce J. Malina

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2006-01-01

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 9780800636401

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This latest addition to the Fortress Social-Science Commentaries on New Testament writings illuminates the values, perceptions, and social codes of the Mediterranean culture that shaped Paul and his interactions - both harmonious and conflicted - with others, Malina and Pilch add new dimensions to our understanding of the apostle as a social change agent, his coworkers as innovators, and his gospel as an assertion of the honor of the God of Israel.


Book Synopsis Social-science Commentary on the Letters of Paul by : Bruce J. Malina

Download or read book Social-science Commentary on the Letters of Paul written by Bruce J. Malina and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This latest addition to the Fortress Social-Science Commentaries on New Testament writings illuminates the values, perceptions, and social codes of the Mediterranean culture that shaped Paul and his interactions - both harmonious and conflicted - with others, Malina and Pilch add new dimensions to our understanding of the apostle as a social change agent, his coworkers as innovators, and his gospel as an assertion of the honor of the God of Israel.