T&L RESOURCES
The resources listed in this section of the Teaching &Learning Project offer a variety of materials useful in preparing and delivering courses in the area of alternative and emerging religious and spiritual movements.
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
In addition to the titles listed here, the American Academy of Religion sponsors a book series on Teaching Religious Studies
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.
Jon R. Stone, ed. 2000. The Craft of Religious Studies. New York: Palgrave Macmillan
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 andthe 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)
