From Jonestown to Waco, from the Moonies to Scientology, new religious movements or "cults," as they are often and pejoratively called - are constantly in the news. Few books from a Christian background are anything but hostile to the vast expansion of these new ways of expressing religious sentiment. But Understanding New Religious Movements is different. John A. Saliba, who has been writing on new religious movements since 1976, here offer a dispassionate, balanced analysis of new religions.

After opening with a broad overview of the new religious movements in contemporary Western culture and critically examining the various definitions and generalized features commonly applied to such movements, Saliba surveys a few select religious movements that have appeared throughout the history of the West - Gnosticism, the Cathars, the Flagellants, the Ranters, the Shabbatean Movement, and Mormonism.

In the main body of the book Saliba examines new religious movements from a variety of perspectives - sociological, psychological, legal, and theological. Readers encounter such groups as the Hare Krishna movement, Transcendental Meditation, Scientology, and the Unification Church. Finally, Saliba offers principles and practical suggestions to psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors who may be called on to advise cult and ex-cult members and their families.

1. This volume is a serious study of interest to anyone who has contact with new religious movements or who seeks to understand the underlying motivations that may lead people to join them.