Theology and Religion Online

New Religious Movements in North America

Material in this section focuses on New Religious Movements. The Overview article is a good place to start, which introduces some of the definitional concerns that arise when discussing new religious movements, known more pejoratively as “cults.” The articles also help us to understand why new religious movements exist; what contextual factors, such as time and place, contribute to the birth and growth of new religions; who involves themselves in new religions; and how such movements spread, sustain themselves, dissolve, or flame out in spectacular fashion.

New Religious Movements in North America

The American Atheist

Baptism for the Dead: The History of the Mormons’ Most Audacious and Controversial Ritual

Church of Scientology

Conspiracy Theories as Religion: Strange Beliefs, Alternate Realities, and the Re-emergence of “Cult” Discourse

Courting Controversy: New Religious Movements, Law, and Politics in America

COVID-19 and New Religions

Gender in Neo-paganisms

Islam Is (Not) a cult

New Religious Movements and the First Amendment

New Religious Movements in America

New Religious Movements in North America : New Religious Movements, New Media, and Religious Innovation

New Religious Movements in North America : The Anti-Cult Movement in North America

Overview: What are New Religious Movements?

Rumi on Music, Dance, and the Mystical Experience

Sex Trafficking and New Religious Movements in America

The Virgin of Guadalupe as a Symbol of Resistance

Yoga, Wellness, and Contemporary Spirituality

“Old” Religious Elements in New Religious Movements

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