The New Believers

Infobox Book
name = The New Believers: A Survey of Sects, 'Cults', and Alternative Religions
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Book Cover
author = David V. Barrett
illustrator =
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country = United States
language = English
series =
subject = Cults, Mind control
genre = Non-fiction
publisher = Castell Illustrated
release_date = 2001
english_release_date =
media_type = Hardcover
pages = 559
isbn = ISBN 0-304-35592-5
preceded_by =
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"The New Believers: A Survey of Sects, 'Cults', and Alternative Religions", is a book by David V. Barrett covering the origin, history, beliefs, practices and controversies of more than sixty new religious movements, including The Family International (previously known as the Children of God), International Church of Christ, Osho (Rajneesh), Satanism, New Kadampa Tradition, Wicca, Druidry, Chaos Magick, Scientology, and others. [cite web | url=http://www.thenewbelievers.com/ | title=The New Believers |date=undated|accessdate=2007-01-22]

;Review by The Daily Telegraph: "For connoisseurs of strange religion, here are riches indeed: gorgeously clad occult bishops who believe in both transubstantiation and reincarnation, neo-pagans whose sacred text is a science-fiction novel, the growing band of Rastafarian Maoris, and Holy Trinity Brompton’s Alpha Course. David Barrett’s The New Believers is an excellent guide to fringe religions that juxtaposes “respectable” movements and those conventionally dismissed as cults. And quite right too. By considering them together, he uncovers some disconcerting family likenesses and demonstrates that the eccentricities of personal revelation can disturb and refresh every religious tradition, be it Anglican or anthroposophist. [...] Ironically, anti-cult organizations are also susceptible to fanaticism and scandal: one of the cleverest things about this book is the way it anatomizes them alongside the cults." [Thompson, Demian, The Daily Telegraph, February 10, 2001]

The book was also reviewed in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, [Hughes, Patrick, Book Review, San Francisco Bay Guardian, April 20, 1997. Br />"In Barrett's lengthy conclusion he makes the argument that — despite the oddball and even self-destructive nature of some religious operations — it's not our job to judge. Here in the West the right to worship any gods or goddesses one chooses is still intact. This book goes a long way toward curing our historical amnesia regarding religion and helping us see that even the mainstream religions that today dominate spiritual discourse started with an inspired individual standing on a rock, preaching a divine vision."] the Daily Mail, [Daily Mail, February 16, 2001] the Catholic Herald, [Catholic Herald, February 23, 2001] the Skeptical Inquirer, [ Frazier, Kendrick & Radford, Benjamin, "The New Believers: Sects, 'Cults,' and Alternative Religions. David V. Barrett. - Review - book review" Skeptical Inquirer, July 2001.
"A comprehensive guide to new religious movements. The book takes a comparative religion approach; it treats no theological position as more true, valid, or sound than any other. The author says he has aimed not just for fairness but for accuracy. Part One deals with major issues of alternative religions, including what is a cult and what is a real religion, conversion and recruitment, problems for family members, problems for leaving a movement, and cult-watchers and experts. Part Two contains entries on individual movements, organized into five sections: Christian origins, Other "Religions of the Book" origins, Eastern origins, Esoteric and neo-Pagan movements, and personal development.",] and The Independent. [Curry, Patrick "Thursday Book: Sects, death and the spirit of the ageSects, death and the spirit of Age", The Independent, March 22, 2001.
"In his introduction, Barrett demonstrates just how contingent are the lines drawn between "sect" (relatively neutral), "cult" (a sect we don't like) and a "religion" (a sect that has made it into the mainstream). He also introduces useful distinctions between anti-cultists, counter-cult movements – which try to enforce a return to religious rectitude – and academic observers: pre-eminently, in Britain, Inform (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements). He discusses cultic "brain-washing" and the now largely-discredited practice of "deprogramming". Barrett's analysis will be as useful to concerned parents and teachers as to disinterested students of the subject."]

Cited in other works

* Waterhouse Helen, Walter Tony "Reincarnation Belief and the Christian Churches", University of Reading Research Endowment Trust (2003)
* Cetin, O., "Recognition and Identity: the case of the Bahai Faith", Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations, (2002)
* Bonk, J. "Between Past And Future: Evangelical Mission Entering The Twenty-First Century" (2003)
* Shank, David A., "The Harrist Church in the Ivory Coast: Review Article", Journal of Religion in Africa, Vol. 15, Fasc. 1 (1985), pp. 67-75
* Livingstone, G., "Planting Churches in Muslim Cities", Baker Book House, (1993)
* Saliba, John A. "Understanding New Religious Movements", Rowman Altamira (2003)
* Penn, Lee, "False Dawn: The United Religions Initiative, Globalism, and the Quest for a One-world Religion", Sophia Perennis (2004)
* Lewis, James R., "The Order of the Solar Temple: The Temple of Death", Ashgate Publishing (2006)
* Davidson, Ronald M. "Tibetan Renaissance: Tantric Buddhism in the rebirth of Tibetan culture", Columbia University Press (2005)

References