Hugh B. Urban

New Age, Neopagan, and New Religious Movements: Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America Hugh B. Urban

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.; New Age, Neopagan, and New Religious Movements is a comprehensive and user-friendly book devoted to the study of alternative spiritual currents in modern America. The book covers a wide range of new religions from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, including the Native American Church, Mormonism, Spiritualism, Scientology, the Nation of Islam, Rastafari, ISKCON, Wicca, the Church of Satan, Peoples Temple, Branch Davidians, and the Raelians. Each chapter focuses on one key issue or debate that raises larger issues in the study of religion and American culture more broadly, such as the legality of peyote in the Native American Church, the role of women and feminism in Wicca, the role of hip hop and reggae music in the spread of the Nation of Islam and Rastafari, and the debate over human cloning in the Raelian movement. The book also addresses key theoretical and methodological problems in the study of new religions: Why has there been such a tremendous proliferation of new spiritual forms in the past 150 years, even amid our increasingly rational, scientific, technological, and 'secular' society? Why has the United States become the heartland for the explosion of new religious movements? How do we deal with complex legal debates such as the use of peyote by the Native American Church, the use of marijuana by Rastafarians, or the practice of plural marriage by some Mormon communities? And how do we navigate issues of religious freedom and privacy in a new age of religious violence, terrorism, and government surveillance?--Provided by publisher."Biographical Note: Hugh B. Urban is Professor of Religion at Ohio State University and the author of "The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion; Magia Sexualis: Sex, Magic, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism"; "Tantra: Sex, Secrecy, Politics, and Power in the Study of Religion"; and "The Economics of Ecstasy: Tantra, Secrecy and Power in Colonial Bengal.""Brief Description: "New Age, Neopagan, and New Religious Movements is a comprehensive and user-friendly book devoted to the study of alternative spiritual currents in modern America. The book covers a wide range of new religions from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, including the Native American Church, Mormonism, Spiritualism, Scientology, the Nation of Islam, Rastafari, ISKCON, Wicca, the Church of Satan, Peoples Temple, Branch Davidians, and the Raeelians. Each chapter focuses on one key issue or debate that raises larger issues in the study of religion and American culture more broadly, such as the legality of peyote in the Native American Church, the role of women and feminism in Wicca, the role of hip hop and reggae music in the spread of the Nation of Islam and Rastafari, and the debate over human cloning in the Raeelian movement. The book also addresses key theoretical and methodological problems in the study of new religions: Why has there been such a tremendous proliferation of new spiritual forms in the past 150 years, even amid our increasingly rational, scientific, technological, and 'secular' society? Why has the United States become the heartland for the explosion of new religious movements? How do we deal with complex legal debates such as the use of peyote by the Native American Church, the use of marijuana by Rastafarians, or the practice of plural marriage by some Mormon communities? And how do we navigate issues of religious freedom and privacy in a new age of religious violence, terrorism, and government surveillance?"--Provided by publisher. Table of Contents: List of Illustrations Preface and Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: The Rise of New Religions in Modern America 2. The Native American Church: Ancient Tradition in a Modern Legal Context 3. Mormonism and Plural Marriage: The LDS and the FLDS 4. Spiritualism: Women, Mediums, and Messages from Other Worlds 5. The Nation of Islam and the Five Percenters: Race, Religion, and Hip-Hop 6. Rastafari: Messianism, Music, and Ganja 7. The Church of Scientology: New Religions and Tax Exemption 8. Wicca and Neopaganism: Magic, Feminism, and Environmentalism 9. The Church of Satan and the Temple of Set: Religious Parody and Satanic Panic 10. ISKCON (Hare Krishna): Eastern Religions in America and the Brainwashing Debate 11. Channeling and the New Age: Alternative Spirituality in Popular Culture and Media 12. Peoples Temple: Mass Murder-Suicide, the Media, and the Cult Label 13. The Branch Davidians: Millenarian Movements, Religious Freedom, and Privacy 14. The Raelians: UFOs and Human Cloning Appendix: Method and Theory in the Study of New Religions Index"Publisher Marketing:"New Age, Neopagan, and New Religious Movements" is the most extensive study to date of modern American alternative spiritual currents. Hugh B. Urban covers a range of emerging religions from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, including the Nation of Islam, Mormonism, Scientology, ISKCON, Wicca, the Church of Satan, Peoples Temple, and the Branch Davidians. This essential text engages students by addressing major theoretical and methodological issues in the study of new religions and is organized to guide students in their learning. Each chapter focuses on one important issue involving a particular faith group, providing readers with examples that illustrate larger issues in the study of religion and American culture. Urban addresses such questions as, Why has there been such a tremendous proliferation of new spiritual forms in the past 150 years, even as our society has become increasingly rational, scientific, technological, and secular? Why has the United States become the heartland for the explosion of new religious movements? How do we deal with complex legal debates, such as the use of peyote by the Native American Church or the practice of plural marriage by some Mormon communities? And how do we navigate issues of religious freedom and privacy in an age of religious violence, terrorism, and government surveillance? "

Contributor Bio:  Urban, Hugh B Hugh B. Urban is Professor of Comparative Religions, Religions of South Asia, and New Religious Movements at Ohio State University.