This newly revised and expanded resource provides fast, reliable information on the history and beliefs of todays religions. The project gutenberg ebook of the book of religions by john. Over the centuries, the buddhas teachings spread from the indian peninsula to asia and then throughout the world. Buddhism 376 million followers tripitaka pali canon 5. An adherent is a person who accepts the basic tenets of a religion. They were ambassadors of the shaker community seeking new converts. David v barrett this is a much expanded, revised and totally updated edition of david barretts excellent guide and source book of the worlds offbeat and alternative religions, organisations, sects, cults and. Understanding the history, beliefs, and differences. Descriptive religionreligions, denominations, sects, and. It became widely used with the rise of protestantism and the emergence of numerous catholic denominations. The encyclopedia of cults, sects, and new religions. List of books and articles about religious sects online research. Abdu llah ibn umar relates that the prophet said verily it will happen to my people even as it did to the children of israel.
When you want wellorganized, essential information on one of the many cults, sects, and movements that dot todays religious landscape, this collection of charts is invaluable. This book is an almost encyclopedia like account of the many and varied non traditional religious groups. Jewish sects biblical studies oxford bibliographies. It holds most beliefs in common with its religion of origin, but has a number of novel concepts which differentiate them from that religion. The book is useful in setting the historical background to the modern movement and discussing its theology in the context of the history and phenomenology of religion. Formerly published as the dictionary of cults, sects, religions, and the occult, it features uptodate information on islam, freemasonry, heavens gate, and more. Allahs orders were to make their judgment in all situations, of peace and security and follow the religion of ibrahim. It includes groups others do not mention, including scientology, bahai, wicca, and nation of islam. Karaite judaism, however, believes that only the written torah. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book for. The children of israel were divided into seventytwo sects, and my people will be divided into seventythree. Including many entries by scholarly specialists, this volume explains more than 1,000 diverse groups and movements, from. Hadden association for the sociology of religion, society for the scienti. A survey of sects, cults, and alternative religions, is a book by david v.
A muslims islamic beliefs may take one of these forms. Wondering about the vast array of belief systems in our diverse world. The result of the government inquiry into cults, sects and new religions commissioned by the ontario government. An authoritative book containing a wealth of information on the beginnings of some of the sects of islam, in light of the quran and sunnah. A personal account by a hebrew christian of the way in which his jewish parents kidnapped and attempted to deprogram him. Sects are relatively small religious organizations that are not closely.
The publisher operates from an evangelical christian point of view, but the site links to and presents a variety of viewpoints. Unitarian universalism sees god as undefined and jesus as a good man. Martin examines a large number of new religious movements. Barrett covering the origin, history, beliefs, practices and. Amongst his shaykhs is muhammad ibn naasir albaghdadee, a scholar of hadeeth, fiqh and arabic grammer download. Surpassing the scope and the thoroughness of the first edition, this new edition of the encyclopedia of cults, sects, and new religions is the most wideranging and accessible resource on the historically significant and more obscure, sinister, and bizarre religious groups. The encyclopedia of cults, sects, and new religions 2nd. The religion practiced by the patriarchs in the book of genesis is di. And is there a foolproof way to distinguish between harmless cults and ones that foster suicide, violence, and brainwashing.
Jan 15, 2020 christianity has the largest number of sects. The descriptions are fantastic, and the author does a great job of explaining complex religious ideas in a simple fashion. However after the knowledge came to people they started differing among themselves just to wrong each other and formed into various groups and sects. The word sect has a latin origin, deriving from the word secta, which means a path. Mar 03, 2017 however after the knowledge came to people they started differing among themselves just to wrong each other and formed into various groups and sects.
Christianity, cults and religions features more religions, sects, and new religious movements than other comparative pamphlet. List of denominations in the latter day saint movement. Uptodate, welldocumented, comprehensive coverage of cults, sects, and world religions, from the historical to the contemporaryincludes wellknown groups and world religions, such as jehovahs witnesses, mormons, islam, and bahai groups with a significant north american influence, including santeria, rastafarians, haitian voodo, white supremacy groups, wicca, and satanismrevised. The kingdom of the cults, first published in 1965, is a reference book of the christian. The two terms are considered synonyms in some cases. Jan 27, 2017 100 mustread books about life in cults and oppressive religious sects elizabeth allen jan 27, 2017 as you may have realized from my last piece, i love to settle down with a piping hot cup of coffee, snuggle into some fuzzy blankets and proceed to be stricken blind with white hot rage and righteous indignation. May 28, 2002 sects are small offshoots of an established religion or denomination. However, in many countries, the term sect takes on the negative meanings associated with the word cult. Book of mormon branches of mormonism although the official lds church doesnt recognize other sects of the religion, there are other groups that claim to be the true mormon church. People are allowed freedom of belief, with the consequence that there is a variety of religious sects or, as we should say, denominations. This extensively revised edition includes new topics, updated information, and a brandnew format for a clearer, more organized approach. A leading expert on both traditional and new religions discusses humans needs for spirituality, and acts as a guide through the confusing variety of movements that attract fervent adherents. Although sunnis make up the majority of muslims, not every muslim belongs to the same islamic sect. In addition to traditional, wellknown groups such as jehovahs witnesses, mormons, islam, and bahai, the dictionary of cults, sects, religions and the occult deals with groups that are not yet wellknown but are making strong inroads in north america, such as santeria, rastafarianism, haitian voodoo, white supremacy groups, and satanism.
Jesus the christ is the inner self of every person and the bible when interpreted by unity is the most advanced of mankinds religious scriptures. Early in 1805, three strangely dressed men set out on a journey from mt. It offers a brief history as well as a beliefs and practices. Oct 02, 2016 technically speaking, a religion is an overarching philosophical belief system, while a sect is subgroup that has a distinct and idiosyncratic philosophical perspective within that system. The laws and commandments of god were revealed to moses on mount sinai in the form of both the written and oral torah. It includes sects and denominations like baptists and zen along with major religions like christianity or buddhism. Every adherent has a slightly or much more than slightly different take on their religion and that makes for a great deal of complexity when talking about specific religions. For instance, if we take protestantism as a religion, the. It gives you both the overview and the details on the most significant groups, starting with facts about history, membership, worship practices, leaders, and publications for a given group.
A survey of cults and world religions jude ministries. Additionally, it compares all major doctrines to orthodox christianity, all in an accessible, accurate and relevant. The list of denominations in the latter day saint movement includes. This book is, without doubt, one of the easiesttouse cult and sect reference books available.
Many in the two main bodies of islamsunnis and the shiashave regarded the other as heretical. This is an ongoing, evolving diagram which we hope to add to. Muhammad is related to have prophesied that his followers would be divided into numerous religious sects. Religion cliffsnotes study guides book summaries, test. Its chart format clearly lays out the history and doctrines of major cults, sects and religious movements, along with their membership, worship practices, leaders and publications.
The main goals of all buddhist sects is to fight suffering, live simply and attain enlightenment. Sunni means tradition, and sunnis regard themselves as those who emphasize following the traditions of muhammad and of the first two. Various sects or schools of buddhism developed during this spread. Is the next david koresh or jim jones building a following in your town.
In the past, christians associated sects with heresy and blasphemous beliefs, but in recent years, sects have become more respected for their beliefs. Little is known about this second schismatic denomination apart from the date of establishment, the surname of its founder, and that hoton denounced joseph smith and the book of mormon. Their members separate themselves from other men in respect of their religious beliefs, practices and institutions and often in many other departments of their lives. Groups that oppose or separate themselves from the dominant religious structures have also been labeled as sects. I accept that understanding judaism is important for the understanding of almost brilliant. At first glance, sects may appear to be marginal and incidental phenomena in history odd groups of alienated men with outlandish ideas. Encyclopedic dictionary of cults, sects, and world. The dictionary of cults, sects, religions, and the occult.
Cults are religious innovations often imported from other cultural. They took nothing with them and traveled only on foot. A religious sect is defined as a marginal group of people with common religious beliefs or a new religious movement. In relative terms, the growth of christianity over the. Worldwide, according to the 1992 encyclopedia britannica book of the year,3 christianity is the most widespread religion. According to bryan wilson, author of religious sects.
The orthodox, in contrast, compromise faith with other interests, and their religion accommodates the demands of the secular culture. Also known as the great vehicle, mahayana buddhism is one of the oldest buddhist sects, having separated from indian buddhism in the first century a. Mar 17, 2015 book of mormon branches of mormonism although the official lds church doesnt recognize other sects of the religion, there are other groups that claim to be the true mormon church. Also, the practices of the jews during the postexilic period is very di. Judaism stems from the hebrew bible, the tanakh, and is contemplated and explained in subsequent texts such as the talmud. The largest school of buddhism, mahayana differs from other.
Encyclopedic dictionary of cults, sects, and world religions. Kidnapped for my faith, bible voice, van nuys, 1978. This book is an almost encyclopedia like account of the many and varied nontraditional religious groups. What are the differences between religion and a sect. Weber is known best for his 1904 book, the protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. And what difference is there, is in theinterpretation of some of the.
Shiasunni dialogue ali, the best of the sahabah by toyib olawuyi pdf alternate pdf abdallah ibn saba by toyib olawuyi pdf 100 questions for sunnis by answeringansar pdf 12 questions concerning fadak pdf 200 years of new kharijism by muhammad hisham kabbani pdf a concise treatise on the twelve imams by sh. The 12 most popular world religions and sects in images. A christian sect is recognized as separate from the core religion over certain beliefs and practices. Understanding the history, beliefs, and differences rhodes, ron on. List of books and articles about religious sects online. Formerly titled dictionary of cults, sects, religions, and the occult, it provides reliable information on the history and beliefs of nearly every form of religion active today. Technically speaking, a religion is an overarching philosophical belief system, while a sect is subgroup that has a distinct and idiosyncratic philosophical perspective within that system. This wealth of information is located within a coherent theoretical framework that examines religion as a. These are the memoirs and stories about people who feel they were forced to escape oppressive religious sects. Encyclopedic dictionary of cults, sects, and world religions is arguably the most significant reference book on the subject to be published. In particular, it has 10 new chapters which discuss various issues associated with nrms, including the thorny issues of definition is it a cult, or a real religion.
Introduction the fourth volume of sects, cults and new religions contains articles and chapters about how people engage with relationships in new religions, with emphasis on sexual and family. Abdur rahman ibn alee ibn jafar al jawzee was born in the city of baghdad around 1114ce. New religious movements, sects and alternative spiritualities christopher. Religionfacts is very inclusive with what is regarded as a religion for purposes of this index and this website. The book gives 30 pages of information on judaism, a religion with only 14 million adherents worldwide. Unity school of christianity claims god is an impersonal principle and infinite mind.