Elements in New Religious Movements go beyond cult stereotypes and popular prejudices to present new religions and their adherents in a scholarly and engaging manner. Case studies of individual groups, such as Transcendental Meditation and Scientology, provide in-depth consideration of some of the most well known, and controversial, groups. Thematic examinations of women, children, science, technology, and other topics focus on specific issues unique to these groups. Historical analyses locate new religions in specific religious, social, political, and cultural contexts. These examinations demonstrate why some groups exist in tension with the wider society and why others live peaceably in the mainstream. The series demonstrates the differences, as well as the similarities, within this great variety of religious expressions.  

Series Editor 

Rebecca Moore is Emerita Professor of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. She has written numerous books on Peoples Temple and the Jonestown tragedy. Publications include Beyond Brainwashing: Perspectives on Cultic Violence (Cambridge University Press 2018), and Peoples Temple and Jonestown in the Twenty-First Century  (Cambridge University Press 2022). She is reviews editor for Nova Religio, the quarterly journal on new and emergent religions published by University of California Press. To discuss contributing to this series please contact Professor Moore at [email protected].

Founding Editor 

The late James R. Lewis was a Professor of Philosophy at Wuhan University, China. He was the author or co-author of 128 articles and reference book entries, and editor or co-editor of 50 books. Most recently was the general editor for the Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review and served as the associate editor for the Journal of Religion and Violence. His prolific publications include The Cambridge Companion to Religion and Terrorism (Cambridge University Press 2017) and Falun Gong: Spiritual Warfare and Martyrdom (Cambridge University Press 2018).