Cults and New Religions
I have been interested in cults since I was a new Christian. I still remember the first time someone showed me a copy of Walter Martin’s The Kingdom of the Cults.
You may or may not realize that interest in cults goes far beyond the evangelical community. There are many scholars who examine cults from a secular perspective. An example is the book that I recently read, Cults and New Religions by Douglas Cowan and David Bromley.
Many Evangelicals define ‘cult’ as a heretical group, that is a religious movement with false doctrine. Since this book is written from a secular perspective, that definition is not applicable. The authors basically use ‘cult’ as a synonym for a new religious movement without applying a negative connotation.
When many Evangelicals think of cults, they often start with Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Those groups are not found in this book. All of the cults were those developed within the twentieth century, hence the emphasis on new religions. Even Wicca, although very old, is examined in the form that was developed during the twentieth century.
The movements discussed in this book are Scientology, Transcendental Meditation, Ramatha, Unification Church, Children of God, Branch Davidians, Heaven’s Gate and Wicca.In addition, significant space is given to understanding the general concept of new religions and their impact on society.
I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to read a book on cults from a social science perspective. The purpose of the book is not to degrade the members of these religions but to understand their origin, beliefs and structure. The book is well-researched and well-written.
I strongly encourage those interested in cults to read this book. It would make a great complement to other books from an evangelical perspective.
