New Religious Movements in Five Minutes
Edited by Lukas K. Pokorny Edited by Franz Winter
Paperback (Forthcoming)
(November 2026)
ISBN: 9781800508361
5.51 x 8.5 inches
Price: $29.95
Hardback (Forthcoming)
(November 2026)
ISBN: 9781800508354
5.51 x 8.5 inches
Price: $90.00
New Religious Movements in Five Minutes answers all the questions usually asked about many of the newer religions that have emerged in different social, cultural and religious contexts around the world in the last two centuries.
New Religious Movements in Five Minutes answers all the questions usually posed about the many newer religions that have emerged in different socio-cultural and religious contexts around the world in the last two centuries. These movements have been often viewed with suspicion and treated with negative prejudice. Terms, with their obviously derogatory connotations, such as “cult,” have been widely used, and many stories about the alleged misdeeds of their founders or the harmful effects on members more often than not preoccupy the media. Due to this specific setting, the study of new religious movements has always been a challenging subject. One of the main aims of this volume is to provide insight into all the conceptual issues, including questions on the definition and scope of the very term “new religious movements,” but also to give concrete examples of movements and the typical topics that arise when they are mentioned. The contributors to this volume are mainly from the United States, Europe, and Australia. Questions are answered in accessible, non technical language without footnotes. As each chapter can be read in about five minutes, the book is ideal as a supplementary resource in classrooms or as an engaging reading for those curious about the world around them.
Introduction: Why new religious movements? Lukas K. Pokorny and Franz Winter General questions What are new religious movements? Lukas K. Pokorny New religious movements, new religions, sects, cults - what's the difference? Franz Winter When is a new religious movement no longer "new"? Suzanne Owen, Leeds Trinity University Why do people join new religious movements? Joseph P. Laycock, Texas State University Why do people leave new religious movements? Carole Cusack, University of Sydney Are all new religious movements dangerous? Marie W. Dallam, University of Oklahoma Are most new religious movements violent? Rebecca Moore, San Diego State University Features Are new religious movements "global" religions? Ugo Dessi, University of Vienna What happens when founders die? Eileen Barker, London School of Economics What is it like being raised in a new religious movement? Sanja Nilsson, Dalarna University What about women and new religious movements? Nicole M. Bauer, University of Graz What is the attitude toward sex in new religious movements? Sanja Nilsson Are new religious movements more "spiritual" than the "old" religions? Steven J. Sutcliffe, University of Edinburgh What is the relationship between new religious movements and esotericism? Olav Hammer, University of Southern Denmark Do new religious movements have sacred books? Marco Frenschkowski, Leipzig University Do all new religious movements have secret teachings? Hugh Urban, Ohio State University What do new religious movements say about UFOs and Ets? Benjamin E. Zeller, Lake Forest College How do new religious movements use social media? Aled Thomas, University of Leeds Do Japanese manga deal with new religious movements? Elisabetta Porcu, University of Cape Town Movements Are there new religious movements in Judaism? Boaz Huss, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Are there new religious movements in Islam? Carole Cusack 38. Are there new religious movements in Africa? Asaf Augusto and Eva Spies, both at University of Bayreuth 39. Are there new religious movements in South America? Bettina Schmidt, University of Wales Trinity St. David 40. Is Paganism a new religious movement? Ethan Doyle White, University of Hertfordshire Is Satanism a new religious movement? Per Faxneld, Sodertorn University What do yoga and meditation have to do with new religious movements? Suzanne Newcombe, Open University Are festivals new religious movements? Sara Eszter Heidl, University of Vienna Are Mormons Christian? Matthew Bowman, Claremont Graduate University Why do Jehovah's Witnesses reject blood transfusions? Milda Aliauskiene, Vytautas Magnus University,
Introduction
Why new religious movements? Lukas K. Pokorny and Franz Winter
General questions
1. What are new religious movements? Lukas K. Pokorny
2. New religious movements, new religions, sects, cults – what’s the difference? Franz Winter
3. What is "new" in new religious movements? Franz Winter
4. Are all new religious movements similar? Franz Winter
5. How big can new religious movements be? Lukas K. Pokorny
6. How many new religious movements are there? Lukas K. Pokorny
7. When is a new religious movement no longer "new"? Suzanne Owen
8. Why do people join new religious movements? Joseph P. Laycock
9. Why do people leave new religious movements? Carole Cusack
10. Are all new religious movements dangerous? Marie W. Dallam
11. Do new religious movements financially exploit members? Lukas K. Pokorny
12. Are most new religious movements violent? Rebecca Moore
13. When do new religious movements succeed, when do they fail? Franz Winter
Features
14. Are new religious movements "global" religions? Ugo Dessì
15. What happens when founders die? Eileen Barker
16. What is it like being raised in a new religious movement? Sanja Nilsson
17. What about women and new religious movements? Nicole M. Bauer
18. Are new religious movements founded or led only by men? Lukas K. Pokorny
19. What is the attitude toward sex in new religious movements? Sanja Nilsson
20. Are new religious movements more "spiritual" than the "old" religions? Steven J.
Sutcliffe
21. What is the relationship between new religious movements and esotericism? Olav Hammer
22. Do new religious movements have sacred books? Marco Frenschkowski
23. Do new religious movements have myths? Olav Hammer
24. Do all new religious movements have apocalyptic beliefs? Lukas K. Pokorny
25. How do new religious movements respond to failed prophecies? Lukas K. Pokorny
26. What is the relationship between new religious movements and science? Olav Hammer
27. Do all new religious movements have secret teachings? Hugh Urban
28. What do new religious movements say about UFOs and Ets? Benjamin E. Zeller
29. How do new religious movements use social media? Aled Thomas
30. Which challenges do new religious movements face online? Aled Thomas
31. Have new religious movements emerged in cyberspace? Aled Thomas
32. When do new religious movements become therapeutic? Nicole M. Bauer
33. Do Japanese manga deal with new religious movements? Elisabetta Porcu
Movements
34. Are there new religious movements in Judaism? Boaz Huss
35. Are there new religious movements in Islam? Carole Cusack
36. Was Christianity once a new religious movement? Marco Frenschkowski
37. Why are there so many new religious movements in Japan? Ugo Dessì
38. Are there new religious movements in Africa? Asaf Augusto and Eva Spies
39. Are there new religious movements in South America? Bettina Schmidt
40. Is Paganism a new religious movement? Ethan Doyle White
41. Is Satanism a new religious movement? Per Faxneld
42. Is the New Age Movement a new religious movement? Steven J. Sutcliffe
43. What do yoga and meditation have to do with new religious movements? Suzanne
Newcombe Yoga and meditation and NRMs?
44. Are festivals new religious movements? Sára Eszter Heidl
45. Are Mormons Christian? Matthew Bowman
46. Do Mormons practice polygamy? Matthew Bowman
47. Do the Baha'i integrate all other religions into their own? Franz Winter
48. Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses reject blood transfusions? Milda Ališauskienė
49. What is the deal with Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo, and Jesus in Caodaism? Lukas K. Pokorny
50. Why did Soka Gakkai attract more converts than any other Japanese new religious movement? Levi McLaughlin
51. Was Bob Marley the Rastafari Messiah? Vivaldi Jean-Marie
52. Why does the Unification Church hold mass weddings in sports stadiums? Lukas K. Pokorny
53. Is Scientology really so dangerous? Donald A. Westbrook
54. How "Hindu" is the Hare Krishna Movement? Frank Neubert
55. What went wrong in Jonestown? Rebecca Moore
56. Was Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (aka Osho) really a sex guru? Hugh Urban
57. What happened in the Branch Davidians-Federal Agents Conflict? Catherine Wessinger
58. Do the ancestors make refrigerators? Garry Trompf
59. What happened with the "Away Team" of Heaven's Gate? Benjamin E. Zeller
60. Why did Aum Shinrikyo attack society? Elisabetta Porcu
61. Why is Falun Gong persecuted in China? Joseph Chadwin
62. Do Jedi exist? Markus Davidsen
63. Is Pastafarianism a made-up religion? Kristian Klippenstein
64. Are angels popular in new religious movements? Markus Davidsen
Controversies
65. What explains the enduring bias against new religious movements? Stephen E. Gregg
66. Should scholars be advocates of new religious movements? Benjamin E. Zeller
67. Should academics defend new religious movements against society? Stephen E. Gregg
68. How do states react to new religious movements? Bernard Doherty
69. Should society control new religious movements more than other religions? Eileen Barker
70. Are all members of new religious movements brainwashed? Jacques Parker
71. Is the anti-cult movement itself a cult? Franz Winter
72. Who are deprogrammers? Jacques Parker
73. What is love bombing? Jacques Parker
74. How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect new religious movements? Georges Chryssides
75. What is the relation between new religious movements and conspiracy theories? Asbjørn Dyrendal
76. What is the relation between new religious movements and crime? Franz Winter
77. How do new religious movements engage politically? Mary F. Briggs
Studying and Teaching
78. How should scholars approach new religious movements? David Bromley
79. How did scholars research new religious movements? Georges Chryssides
80. Are ex-members a reliable source of information about new religious movements? Massimo Introvigne
81. How to deal with controversial new religious movements? Milda Ališauskienė
82. How to get in touch with members of new religious movements? Holly Folk
83. How to teach new religious movements in class? David Bromley
84. Should specialized courses on new religious movements be taught? Franz Winter
85. How to teach about new religious movements at school? Robert Wurzrainer
- Edited by Lukas K. Pokorny
- Edited by Franz Winter
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