The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Active New Religions, Sects, and Cults

Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin

ISBN 10: 0823925862 ISBN 13: 9780823925865

Publisher: Rosen Pub Group, 1998

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Includes over 1600 entries for religious groups which came into being within the last 200 years

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Published by a company known primarily for its juvenile nonfiction works, this encyclopedia includes groups that "espouse a religious belief system" yet also "demonstrate novelty in both organization and beliefs" and came into existence within the last 200 years. Beit-Hallahmi, a professor of psychology, has written extensively on the relationship between religion and psychology.

Not counting the numerous cross-references, there are approximately 1,100 entries in the work, ranging from very few words (the Universal Shrine of Divine Guidance entry is simply "U.S. Christian-occultist group founded by Mark Karras in 1966") to approximately 900 words for Scientology, Church of and Unification Church. Just under 15 percent of the entries have bibliographies listing from 1 to 12 works, "only books based on scholarly research, not publications representing the group itself," according to the preface. The volume concludes with a synoptic index, which lists groups by religious origins or geographic location. Thus, users will find a list of all relevant entries under such headings as Theosophy Groups or Japan. Numerous flaws, however, were spotted in this index. For example, of the five groups listed under Italy, only one actually has an entry. The work features some 100 black-and-white photographs, most of them of religious leaders.

The groups in this work range from well-known, established religions such as Mormons to New Age, occult, and UFO-based movements, such as Arising Sun IFO, whose entry indicates that "messages are reported from Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and Elvis Presley." The work is current through the April 1993 destruction of the Waco compound of the Branch Davidians. There are no biographical entries; proper names always have a see reference to the appropriate religious group. The Board spotted one blind cross-reference: "Duane Peterson, see International Christian Ministries"; no entry exists for the latter.

A sampling indicated that approximately 55 percent of the religious bodies in this volume are also in Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions (Gale, 1989), which features more than 1,500 entries and also gives addresses. The latter, however, covers only the U.S. and Canada, while the current work is international in scope. This encyclopedia is accessible to a wide variety of users, but many will be disappointed with the brevity of many entries. Whereas Pillar of Fire receives half a page in Encyclopedia of American Religions, it is dealt with in about 50 words in this volume.

The recently published Contemporary Religions: A World Guide [RBB Je 1 & 15 93], criticized by the Board for its numerous editorial flaws, is international in scope but contains no bibliographies and does not feature as many small groups as the present work. At $49.95, The Illustrated Encyclopedia is a less-expensive alternative to Melton or Contemporary Religions. However, libraries should be aware that the many brief entries (most sampled were under 100 words), lack of addresses, and relatively few bibliographies will do little more than verify the existence of a religious movement.

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