COURSE RESOURCES
The resources listed in this section of the Teaching &Learning Project represent the most recent available volumes are are intended primarily for academics organizing courses on alternative and emerging religious/spiritual movements.
Recent Authored Course Texts
Lorne. Dawson. 2017. Cults in Context: Readings in the Study of New Religious Movements. Toronto: Oxford University.
Joseph Laycock. 2022. New Religious Movements: The Basics. New York: Routledge.
Hugh Urban. 2015. New Age, Neopagan, and New Religious Movements: Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Recent Edited Volumes
Eileen Barker and Beth Singler, eds. 2021. Radical Transformations in Minority Religions. New York: Routledge.
Emily Suzanne Clark and Brad Stoddard. 2019. Race and New Religious Movements in the USA: A Documentary Reader. London: Bloomsbury.
Derek Davis and Barry Hankins. 2020. New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press.
Matthew Francis and Kim Knott, eds. 2020. Minority Religions and Uncertainty. New York: Routledge.
Olav Hammer and Mikael Rothstein, eds. 2012. The Cambridge Companion to New Religious Movements. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kim, David, ed. 2022. New Religious Movements in Modern Asian History: Sociocultural Alternatives. Lanham, MD. Lexington Books.
Individual Religious and Spiritual Traditions
Donald Westbrook. 2022. L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Documentaries
Dereck Daschke and Michael Ashcraft. 2005. New Religious Movements: A Documentary Reader. New York: New York University Press.
The Teaching Process
W. Michael Ashcraft. 2019. A Historical Introduction to the Study of New Religious Movements. New York: Routledge.
David G. Bromley, ed. 2007. Teaching New Religious Movements. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Syllabi
Other related syllabi can be found at the Indiana-Purdue University at Indianapolis Program in Religion & American Culture site.
Course Title: Contemporary Cults and New Religious Movements in North America.
Organizer: David G. Bromley
Institution: Virginia Commonwealth University
Date: 2007
Course Title: American Religious Communities
Organizer: Jennifer Graber
Institution: College of Wooster
Date: 2011
Course Title: Atheism
Organizer: Joseph Blankholm
Institution: University of California, Santa Barbara
Date: 2019
Course Title: Communal Groups in America
Organizer: Matthew Grow
Institution: University of Southern Indiana
Date: 2011
Course Title: Inventing Religion in America
Organizer: James Bennett
Institution: Santa Clara University
Date: 2019
Course Title: New Religious Movements, Popular Media, and Violence in American History
Organizer: Stephen Taysom
Institution: Cleveland State University
Date: 2016
Course Title: Religious Outsiders and the American State
Organizer: Shari Rabin
Institution: College of Charleston
Date: 2019
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Course Title: Religious Sects and Cults: The Study of New Religious Movements in the U.S.
Organizer: Lynn Neale
Institution: Wake Forest University
Date: 2011
COURSE READINGS
AFRICAN AMERICAN TRADITIONS
Father Divine | Moorish Science Temple of America | Mother Divine | MOVE | Nation of Islam | Nation of Yahweh | People Love People House of God | St. John Will-I-AmColtrane African Orthodox Church | United House of Prayer
ALTERNATIVE POPES
Order of St. Charbel | Palmarian Catholic Church |
ATHEIST, AGNOSTIC, SKEPTIC
James Randi Educational Association | Oasis Network | Religion of Humanity | Sunday Assembly | The Universal Church Triumphant of the Apathetic Agnostic
AUSTRALIA
Answers in Genesis | Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) | C3 Church | Comunidade Nova Aliança (New Alliance Community, CNA) | Hillsong | Jesus Christians | Kenja Communications | Order of St. Charbel | Our Lady of Yankalilla | Rosaleen Norton | The Family | Universal Medicine |
BRAZIL
Chapel of Our Lady of the Afflicted | Christ the Redeemer | Comunidade Nova Aliança (New Alliance Community, CNA) | John of God | Our Lady of Aparecida | Pombagira | Santo Daime | Umbanda | Uniao do Vegetal | Valley of the Dawn
BUDDHISM
Aum Shinrikyo | Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society | Bodu Bala Sena | Covert Shin Buddhists |Dhammakāya | East Bay Meditation Center | God Light Association | Hikari No Wa | MaBaTha | Risshō Kōseikai | Sakyadhita Movement | Santi Asoke | Sōka Gakkai | Unified Buddhist Church | Won Buddhism
CANADA
Army of Mary | Christian Essene Church | Community of the Lady of All Peoples | Cowboy Trail Church | Eckhart Tolle | Fadia Ibrahim | Holy Moses Mountain Family | Kateri Tekakwitha and Saint Kateri’s Shrine | Lev Tahor | New Latter Rain Movement | Olga Park | Toronto Blessing | United Church of Canada
CATHOLICISM
Army of Mary / Community of the Lady of All Peoples | Ballinspittle | Beguines | Catholic Charismatic Renewal | Chapel of Our Lady of the Afflicted | Kateri Tekakwitha and Saint Kateri’s Shrine | Catholic Worker Movement | Immaculate Heart Community | Marian Mercy Mission | Order of St. Charbel | Palmarian Catholic Church | Roman Catholic Women Priests |
CELEBRITY & LUMINARY RELIGION
Full Circle Church | John Coltrane Church | Oscar Wilde Temple | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | Soulspring
CHINA
Church of Almighty God / Eastern Lightning| | Falun Gong | Lü Yingchun – Zhang Fan Group | Temple of Universal Rescue | Yiguando
DEATH AND RELIGION
Chapel of Our Lady of the Afflicted | Church of Euthanasia | Cult of the Dead | Death Cafés | Santa Muerte | Temploe de Santa Muerte |
ENCLAVES
Auroville | Camp Chesterfield (Spiritualism Enclave) | Damanhur | Fairfield, Iowa (TM Enclave) | Lily Dale Assembly (Spiritualism Enclave) | Peoples Temple and Jonestown Enclaves | Sedona, Arizona | Shashemene (Rastafarianism Enclave) |
FRANCE
La Famille
ENTHEOGENIC CHURCHES
First Church of Cannabis | League for Spiritual Discovery | Native American Church | Santo Daime | Stella Azzurra | Uniao do Vegetal
HEALING AND RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY
Benny Hinn Ministries | (The) Body of Christ | Teresa Urrea |
HINDUISM
Ammachi | Ananda Marga Yoga Society | Ānandamayī Mā | Anusara Yoga | Art of Living Foundation | Bikram Yoga | Gurumayi (Swami Chidvilasananda) | Healthy, Happy, Holy | International Society for Krishna Consciousness | Hinduism | Integral Yoga (Sri Aurobindo) | Integral Yoga International | Karaikkal Ammaiyar | International Society for Krishna Consciousness | Meher Baba | Ramakrishna Math and Mission | Ramakrishna Order of the Veda | Shirdi Sai Baba |
INDIA
Ānandamayī Mā | Anandmurti Gurumaa | Auroville | Brahma Kumaris | Hinduism | Integral Yoga (Aurobindo) | Integral Yoga International | International Society for Krishna Consciousness | Jainism | Karaikkal Ammaiyar | Missionaries of Charity | Oneness Movement | Ramakrishna Math and Mission | Shirdi Sai Baba | Siddha Yoga | Sikhism | Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi | Transcendental Meditation | Vipassana Meditation as Taught by S.N. Goenka
INVENTED, FICTIONAL, PARODY, HYPER-REAL RELIGIONS
Church of All Worlds | Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster | Discordianism | Dudeism | Jedism Community | Missionary Church of Kopimism | Otherkin | Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence | Therianthropy
ISLAMIC TRADITION GROUPS
Ahmadiya | Boko Haram | Chrislam |Fethulah Gülen Movement | Islam | Islamic State | Shi ‘i Islam | Society of Muslim Brothers | Sufism | Sunni Islam | Tabligh Jam’aat |
ISRAEL
Bnei Baruch | Cosmic Movement | Third Temple Movement
ITALY
Oberto Airaudi | Cerchio Deridico Italiano | Comunità Odinista | Cult of the Dead (Naples) | Bernadino del Boca | Damanhur | Julius Evola | Nova Cana | Raoul Dal Molin Ferenzona | Stella Azzurra
JAPAN
Agonshū | Aum Shinrikyō | Covert Shin Buddhists | God Light Association | Hikari no Wa | Ijun | Jiu | Kōfuku no kagaku | Risshō Kōseikai | Seicho no Ie | Sōka Gakkai | Tenrikyō | Tenshinseikyō | Usui Reiki Ryōhō | World Mate
JUDAISM
Bnei Baruch | Lev Tahor | Kaballah Centre | Messianic Judaism | Third Temple Movement
KOREA
Ch’ŏndogyo | Daesoon Jinrihoe | Olive Tree Movement | Shincheonji Unificationism Schismatic Groups | Victory Altar | Won Buddhism | World Mission Society Church of God
LGBT GROUPS
Bissu | Cathedral of Hope | Exodus International | Minoan Brotherhood | Metropolitan Community Church | (The) New Cultus of Antinous |
MARIAN APPARITIONS AND DEVOTIONALISM
Army of Mary / Community of the Lady of All Peoples | Ballinspittle | Ibrahim, Fadia | Holy Apostolic Catholic Palmarian Church | Most Pure Virgin Mary & Holy Family of Dzhublyk | Lady of All Nations | Marian Mercy Mission | National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes | Necedah Shrine | Nova Cana | Order of Saint Charbel | Orthodox Church of the Sovereign Mother of God | Our Lady of Aparecida | Our Lady of Bayside | Our Lady of Clearwater | Our Lady of Emmitsburg | Our Lady of Good Help | Our Lady of Guadalupe | Our Lady of the Pillar | Our Lady of Yankalil | Saut-d’Eau
MARTYRS
Female Martyrs in Christian History | Saints Perpetua and Felicitas
MEDIUMS AND PSYCHICS
George Anderson | John Edward
MEGACHURCHES
C3 Church | Calvary Chapel | City Harvest Church | Hillsong | Lakewood Church | Mars Hill Bible Church | Paula White | Redeemed Christian Church of God | Saddleback Community Church | Willow Creek Community Church | World Changers Church International
MEXICO
El Niño Fidencio | Jesús Malverde | Knights Templar (Los Caballeros Templarios) | Mexican-U.S. Catholic Apostolic Traditional Church | Santa Muerte | St. Jude the Apostle
MOBILE CHURCHES
Railway Chapel Cars | Trucker Churches
MUSEUMS
Creation Evidence Museum | Museum of Alien Studies | Museum of the Bible | Museum of Witchcraft and Magic | New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum
NARCO RELIGION
Mexican-U.S. Catholic Apostolic Traditional Church | Jesús Malverde | Knights Templar (Los Caballeros Templarios) | Santa Muerte | St. Jude the Apostle
NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION
“An Apostle of Love:Heidi Baker, the ‘Toronto Blessing,’ and the New Apostolic Reformation* | Bethel Redding Church | Joel’s Army | New Apostolic Reformation | Toronto Blessing
NEW THOUGHT MOVEMENT
Christian Science | New Thought | Unity School of Christianity
ONLINE RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUAL GROUPS
Age of Conan | Turing Church | Universal Life Church | World of Warcraft
OTHER-THAN-HUMAN IDENTITY GROUPS
Otherkin | Therianthropy
PAGANISM
Cerchio Druidico Italiano | Church of All Worlds | Comunità Odinista | Fellowship of Isis | |Feraferia | The Maausk Movement) Doreen Valiente | Reclaiming Witchcraft | Rodnoverie | Wicca | Zuism
PEOPLES TEMPLE
Marceline Jones | Peoples Temple |Peoples Temple and Jonestown Enclaves | Women’s Roles in Peoples Temple and Jonestown |
POPULAR CULTURE RELIGION / SPIRITUALITY
Burning Man Festival | Holy Land | Paradise Gardens | People Love People House of God | Salvation Mountain
REVIVALS
Azura Street Mission | Brownsville Revival | Florida Outpouring | New Latter Rain Movement | Toronto Blessing
RUSSIA & EASTERN EUROPE
Agni Yoga / Living Ethics | Applied Sciences Association | | Guru Jára Path | Orthodox Church of the Sovereign Mother of God | Rodnoverie | Russian Orthodox Church | Trans-Universal Zombie Church of the Blissful Ringing
SACRED SITES
Christ of the Ozarks | Christ the Redeemer | Cult of the Dead | Holy Land | Kateri Tekakwitha’s Shrine | National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes | Paradise Gardens | Salvation Mountain | Saut-d’Eau
SANTA MUERTE
Mexican-U.S. Catholic Apostolic Traditional Church | Santa Muerte | Templo de Santa Muerte
SATANISM/LUCIFERIANISM
Children of Satan (Bambini di Satana) | Church of Satan | Order of the Morning Star | (The) Process Church of the Final Judgement) | Temple of Set | The Satanic Temple
SPIRITISM
John of God | Kardecism | Umbanda | Valley of the Dawn
SPIRITUAL AND VISIONARY COMMUNITIES
Aurora & Bethel | Branch Davidians (1981-2006) | Church of All Worlds | Davidians and Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists | Faithists | Father Divine | Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints | Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints | Holy Order of Mans | Integral Yoga International Israelite House of David | Koinonia Farm | Oneida Community | Peoples Temple | (The) Shakers | Shiloh Youth Revival Centers | Sunburst (Brotherhood of the Sun) | The Family International | The Farm | The International Society for Krishna Consciousness
SPIRITUALISM
Cassadaga Spiritual Camp | Camp Chesterfield | Lily Dale Assembly | Spiritualism and the Visual Arts | (The) Fox Sisters
SWEDENBORGIANISM
Swedenborgian Church of North America | Swedenborgianism and the Visual Arts
TAIWAN
Ci Ji (Tzu Chi) | Yiguandao
THEMATIC ESSAYS
“Female Martyrs in Early Christianity.” | “Hindu Women’s Vratas (Vows) in South Asia.” | “The Question of Women’s Ordination and Gender Roles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.”
THEME PARKS
Holy Land | (The) Holy Land Experience | Raelian UFO Peace Park / UFOland
THEOSOPHY
Bernadino del Boca | Helena Petrovna Blavatsky | Katherine Tingley | (The) Theosophical Society | Judith Tyberg
UFO GROUPS
Ashtar Command | Chen Tao | Heaven’s Gate | International Raelian Movement | Unarius Academy of Science | Urantia Brotherhood
UNIFICATIONISM
Family Federation for World Peace and Unification | Family Peace Association | Sanctuary Church | Unification Movement Schismatic Groups (2012-Present)
VAMPIRISM
House of Kheperu (Michelle Belanger) | Temple of the Vampire
VIOLENCE & RELIGION
Ananda Marga Yoga Society |Apostolic United Brethren | Aum Shinrikyo | Boko Haram | Branch Davidians (1929-1981) | Branch Davidians (1981-2006) | Falun Gong | Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (1843-2002) | Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (2002-Present) | Islamic State | Knights Templar (Los Caballeros Templarios) | Lü Yingchun – Zhang Fan Group | MOVE | Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments | Nation of Islam | Peoples Temple | Santa Muerte
VIRTUAL WORLD RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
World of Warcaft | EverQuest |
VODOU / VOUDOU / HOODOO
Hoodoo | New Orleans Historic Vodou Museum | Sallie Ann Glassman | Marie Laveau
WOMEN’S ROLES IN SPECIFIC TRADITIONS AND GROUPS
“Women’s Roles in Peoples Temple and Jonestown.” | “Women in the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saint Movements.” | “Women in Hindu Shakta Tantra” |
YOGA GROUPS
Adi Da Samraj | Agni Yoga / Living Ethics | Aim True Yoga | Ammachi | Ananda | Ananda Marga Yoga Society | Ananda Church of Self Realization | Anandmurti Gurumaa | Anusara Yoga | Art of Living Foundation | Bikram Yoga | Gurumayi (Swami Chidvilasananda) (or Siddha Yoga) | Healthy, Happy, Holy Organisation (3HO) (or Kundalini Yoga) | Integral Yoga (Sri Aurobindo) | Integral Yoga International | The International Society for Krishna Consciousness | Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute | Osho/Rajneesh Ramakrishna Math and Mission | Ramakrishna Order of the Vedanta Society | Sathya Sai Baba | Self-Realization Fellowship | Siddha Yoga | Sri Chinmoy | Transcendental Meditation |
AFRICA
Profiles
Faith of Unity | Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments | Redeemed Christian Church of God | Shashemene | Zar Spirit Possession in Central Sudan | Zion Christian Church
Unificationism
Family Federation for World Peace and Unification
Family Peace Association
Sanctuary Church
Unification Movement Schismatic Groups (2012-Present)
