A Pocket Guide to Sects and New Religions

The contents of this book exactly match its title, with information on the most popular new religious movements. It offers a description of the origins, core beliefs, recent developments and present day practice of some 50 movements in an accessible form. As with Christopher Partridge's encyclopedia reviewed in the last issue, there is little critical or comparative analysis and each movement is presented largely in its own (positive terms). However, a critical overview would be an immense task in itself, so the editorial stance does simplify matters considerably.