Table of Contents

Introduction Timothy Miller Part I. Established Christian Alternatives 1 The Anabaptists Donald F. Durnbaugh 2 Symbol and Sign in Methodist Holiness and Pentecostal Spirituality Charles Edwin Jones 3 The Adventist and Jehovah's Witness Branch of Protestantism Jerry Bergman 4 The Latter Day Saint Churches Steven L. Shields 5 Christian Science and American Culture John K. Simmons 6 On the Verge: The Evolution of American Quakerism Margaret Hope Bacon 7 Swedenborgianism Eugene Taylor 8 Unitarian Universalism: An Interpretation Through Its History Mason Olds Part II. Contemporary Christian and Jewish Movements 9 Roman Catholic Traditionalism William Dinges 10 Hasidism and Its Effects on Alternative Jewish Movements in America S. Daniel Breslauer 11 God and Race: British-Israelism and Christian Identity William L. Ingram 12 The Children of God David E. Van Zandt 13 The Boston Church of Christ Russell Paden 14 From Holy Order of MANS to Christ the Savior Brotherhood: The Radical Transformation of an Esoteric Christian Order Phillip Lucas 15 The Branch Davidians: A Social Profile and Organizational History David G. Bromley and Edward D. Silver Part III. Religions from Asia 16 Buddhism in America: The Dharma in the Land of the Red Man Jane Hurst 17 Hinduism Arrives in America: The Vedanta Movement and the Self-Realization Fellowship Catherine Wessinger 18 Hindu Movements Since Mid-Century: Yogis in the States Gene R. Thursby 19 Hare Krishna in America: Growth, Decline, and Accommodation E. Burke Rochford, Jr. 20 The Unification Church Eileen Barker Part IV. Religions from the Middle East 21 Expressions of Islam in America Gisela Webb 22 The American Baha'i Community in the Nineties Robert H. Stockman 23 Sufism in America Gisela Webb 24 Gurdjieff in America: An Overview George Baker and Walter Driscoll 25 Subud Gisela Webb Part V. African-American Freedom Movements 26 Black Jews and Black Muslims Timothy Miller 27 Father Divine's Peace Mission Movement Robert Weisbrot 28 Santeria and Vodou in the United States Joseph M. Murphy 29 The Rastafari Abroad Barry Chevannes 30 Peoples Temple John R. Hall Part VI. Ancient Wisdom and New Age Movements 31 Theosophy Robert S. Ellwood 32 New Thought and the Harmonial Family Gail Harley 33 Spiritualism and Channeling Shawn Michael Trimble 34 Neo-Paganism and Witchcraft Carol Matthews 35 Whither the New Age? J. Gordon Melton 36 The Association for Research and Enlightenment: Saved by the New Age Phillip Lucas 37 ECKANKAR: From Ancient Science of Soul Travel to New Age Religion Roger E. Olson 38 The Evolution of Hippie Communal Spirituality: The Farm and Other Hippies Who Didn't Give Up Albert Bates and Timothy Miller Part VII. And Many More... 39 New Religions and American Indian Religion James R. Lewis 40 The Church of Scientology: Lightning Rod for Cultural Boundary Conflicts Mary Farrell Bednarowski 41 UFO Religious Movements Robert S. Ellwood 42 Satanism and Satanic Churches: The Contemporary Incarnations David G. Bromley and Susan G. Ainsley 43 The Evolution of Modern American Anticult Ideology: A Case Study in Frame Extension Anson Shupe and David G. Bromley Appendix I: A Bibliographical Guide to Alternative Religions Appendix II: Chronology of Alternative Religions in America List of Contributors Index

About the Author

Timothy Miller is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas.

Reviews

"Given the sometimes inflammatory rhetoric and less than objective stance of many of the books published about what are often called 'cults,' Miller's collection provides a sorely needed balance and a dispassionate source of information about these groups. The book provides a broad and deep coverage of the topic. The appended bibliographies guide the reader to further sources of reliable information. The concluding essay by Shupe and Bromley on the 'Evolution of Modern-American Anticult Ideology' explores and interprets the reaction that these alternative religious groups have engendered. Indeed, many of the so-called anti-cult groups have made it their business to publish books about these groups that are often less than accurate and filled with attempts at a 'theological' debunking of them. This book serves as a voice of sanity and of tolerance in what has often been an overcharged and less than rational environment of debate. Miller's book enters into the fray of this cult and anti-cult debate where it will be welcomed by those who have often been pained at the misinformation and provocation that has been all too common in this arena. "We are still at a very primitive stage of mistrust and of (what one of the authors calls) the 'satanizing' of whatever religious or spiritual groups do not fit into the culture's prevalent categories. Persecution follows on the heels of ignorance and mistrust. This book goes a long way toward helping to dispel ignorance about these alternative religions." - Paul Muller-Ortega, Michigan State University "America's Alternative Religions fills a real need in the literature of non-mainline religions, religions that have typically been marginalized and misunderstood by outsiders. The burning of the Branch Davidian's Mount Carmel center in Waco-the death of so many innocents-shows the extreme tragedy that may result from such misunderstanding. No other book provides such a useful consideration of so many smaller groups in America's diverse religious landscape. At the same time, this book clearly shows how yesterday's 'cults'-persecuted and scorned by society-become today's acceptable members of America's long-standing religious pluralism. A serious reading of this book will go far to reveal the scare tactics and reductionistic thinking so effectively promulgated through sensationalist media presentations and by organizations like the Cult Awareness Network. America's greatness is revealed in its diversity and through its ability to accommodate alternatives to consensus reality. America's Alternative Religions reveals this long-standing diversity and accommodation. There are other books that survey the same topic, but none that I know of combine the same mix of breadth and depth." - Jeffrey Timm, Wheaton College