Ankeli Puja and the Pattini Cult
http://www.lankalibrary.com/rit/ankeli.htm

Approaching the Land of Bliss: Religious Praxis in the Cult of Amitabha by Richard K. Payne, Kenneth K. Tanaka - The discourse of Buddhist studies has traditionally been structured around texts and nations (the transmission of Buddhism from India to China to Japan). And yet, it is doubtful that these categories reflect in any significant way the organizing themes familiar to most Buddhists. It could be argued that cultic practices associated with particular buddhas and bodhisattvas are more representative of the way Buddhists conceive of their relation to tradition. This volume aims to explore this aspect of Buddhism by focusing on one of its most important cults, that of the Buddha Amitabha. Approaching the Land of Bliss is a rich collection of studies of texts and ritual practices devoted to Amitabha, ranging from Tibet to Japan and from early medieval times to the present.

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Bruce and Stan's Guide to Cults, Religions, Spiritual Beliefs: A User-Friendly Approach by Bruce Bickel, Stan Jantz - This book was informative & a nice overview of the major religions and popular spiritual practices. I only give it three stars because in the beginning, the author's admit they are Christian, but claim that this will still be an unbiased look at world religion. I do not believe they back this claim, as I found much of the book Christian oriented.--a review by a buyer

Buddhism and the Spirit Cults in North-east Thailand by S.J. Tambiah - a book - Tambiah describes the religious practices and beliefs of the people of a remote village in North-east Thailand, relating them to the wider context of the civilization in which they are embedded, and examining the relationship of the religious practices of the villagers to the classical Buddhist tradition. Because they have based their studies on the Sanskrit and Pali literature, Western observers have tended to dismiss much of the popular manifestation of Buddhism as debased. Tambiah demonstrates that this judgment is misleading, and emphasizes that the contemporary village religion that he describes manifests continuities as well as transformations with respect to the classical literary tradition. The village religion is described primarily through ritual.

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Challenge of the Cults and New Religions by Ron Rhodes - Even though cults do not make the news these days as they did some years ago, they are still of concern to many people. Rhodes, an author, radio personality, and president of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries, addresses this concern from the viewpoint of an evangelical Christian. His thrust is to show where these groups go wrong for Christian ones, how they twist Scripture and how to counter them. He writes very clearly and does an excellent job of defining cults and new religions as well as introducing the 12 groups with which he has chosen to deal. Even readers not sharing the author's viewpoint can learn a good deal about these groups. However, one might wonder why some were included, for example, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, Unitarian Universalism, and Freemasonry. They are certainly not new, and few would categorize them as cults, but perhaps their inclusion is justified by their evangelical approach. A good addition to the literature on cults, in particular for evangelical Christians. John Moryl, Yeshiva Univ. Lib., New York --Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Charts of Cults, Sects, and Religious Movements by H. Wayne House - This resource is a summary of the history, leadership, and theological views of the major sects, cults, and religious movements in the U.S.

 

Combating Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan - book

 

 

Cult and Ritual Abuse: Its History, Anthropology, and Recent Discovery in Contemporary America, Revised Edition by James Randall Noblitt, Pamela Sue Perskin - A personal but also scholarly journey into the clandestine and confusing world of ritual abuse, this book provides unique insights into the catastrophic experiences of ritual abuse survivors and their efforts to find healing through psychological treatment. This revised edition provides contemporary revelations about cults in existence today and also new therapies developed since the first edition was published in 1995. Co-authored by a clinical psychologist and the executive director of a professional organization dedicated to treating survivors of cult and ritual abuse, this edition will be of interest to both academic and professional markets. The special legal dilemmas, survival problems and day-to-day life experiences of these survivors are examined in a scholarly but sensitive manner. The book presents the idea that ritual abuse is an age-old phenomenon found in many cultures throughout the world. That ritual abuse causes a variety of specific psychiatric symptoms is noted. Special attention is given to the diagnosis dissociative identity disorder that is frequently found among ritual abuse survivors. Suggestions are offered for effectively dealing with the various social and legal problems that result from this severe form of abuse. New diagnoses--cult and ritual trauma disorder--are proposed for this newly identified problem.

Cult Information Centre
http://www.cultinformation.org.uk/home.html#top

Cult of Nothingness: The Philosophers and the Buddha by Roger-Pol Droit, David Streight, Pamela Vohnson - Droit traces the history of the Western understanding of Buddhism following the late 18th-century beginnings of the translation of the Buddhist canon. He reveals how major 19th-century Western philosophers such as Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Schlegel, Hegel, and others in fact misinterpreted the Buddha's teaching of nirvana as a life-detesting and negative annihilation of the the individual.

Cult of Pure Crystal Mountain: Popular Pilgrimage and Visionary Landscape in Southeast Tibet by Toni Huber - The Tibetan district of Tsari with its sacred snow-covered peak of Pure Crystal Mountain has long been a place of symbolic and ritual significance for Tibetan peoples. In this book, Toni Huber provides the first thorough study of a major Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage center and cult mountain, and explores the esoteric and popular traditions of ritual there. The main focus is on the period of the 1940s and '50s, just prior to the 1959 Lhasa uprising and subsequent Tibetan diaspora into South Asia. Huber's work thus documents Tibetan life patterns and cultural traditions which have largely disappeared with the advent of Chinese colonial modernity in Tibet. In addition to the work's documentary content, Huber offers discussion and analysis of the construction and meaning of Tibetan cultural categories of space, place, and person, and the practice of ritual and organization of traditional society in relation to them.

Cult of Tara: Magic and Ritual in Tibet by Stephan Beyer - book

 

Cult Group Controversies
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/cultsect/concult.htm

Cult or Buddhism? - by a former member
http://www.rickross.com/reference/gakkai/gakkai19.html

Cult Recruitment Goes into Orbit
http://www.tolc.org/orbit.htm

Cult Shock by Tim Larimer
http://www.rickross.com/reference/jpsects/jpsects78.html

Cults - a.k.a. New Religious Movements
http://www.religioustolerance.org/cultmenu.htm

Cults: Faith, Healing, and Coercion by Marc Galanter - This report, the result of "15 years of studying the psychology of contemporary charismatic groups," offers possibilities in the treatment of mental illness and the understanding of group violence. Galanter, professor of psychiatry at New York University, demonstrates that many of the counterculture movements of the '60s, then considered exotic, are now elements of mainstream American life. Taking a scientific stance, he investigates the psychology of various zealous groups, seeking the source of their influence. Galanter's range is wide, including disparaged groups like MOVE and the one led by Jim Jones, as well as healing programs based on the AA model. First-person accounts of conversions and disillusionment, and a detailed look at the apparently successful "Moonie" movement, support this objective, comprehensive analysis of cult power.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Cults, World Religions and the Occult by Kenneth Boa - Almost every day you hear of a new religion-or rediscover an old one. It used to be that you only heard of these religions when missionaries spoke at your church. Now their followers send missionaries to our doorsteps.  It's all arranged in a handy easy-to-understand guide designed to provide precise and pertinent information when you need it.

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Double Mirror: A Skeptical Journey into Buddhist Tantra by Stephen T. Butterfield - In The Double Mirror, the author's personal history-- as a student of the late Tibetan master Chogyam Trungpa, known for his unconventional lifestyle and "crazy wisdom" teaching style-- is the framework for an incisive and eloquent examination of a profound spiritual journey. Writing both from a critical perspective and from his direct experience of Vajrayana practice, the author look at Buddhist tantric teachings and practices and their expressions in Vajradhatu, Trungpa's organization. While discussing how the institution may sometimes function like a "cult," Butterfield nonetheless experiences Buddhist tantra as an authentic system of profound spiritual transformation.

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Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions: Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Mind Sciences, Baha'I, Zen, Unitarianism by John Ankenberg, John Weldon - book

 

 

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FAIR - Family-Action-Information-Resource
http://www.fair-cult-concern.co.uk/

Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival, and Cult Formation by Rodney Stark, William Sims Bainbridge - book

 

 

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Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Ralston Martin, Ravi Zacharias, Jill Martin Rische, Kevin Rische - The authoritative reference work on major cult systems for nearly forty years. Working closely together, Ravi Zacharias and Managing Editors Jill and Kevin Rische (daughter of Dr. Martin) have updated and augmented the work with new material. This book will continue as a crucial tool in countercult ministry and in evangelism for years to come. Among cults and religions included are: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, New Age Cults, the Unification Church, Baha’i Faith, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and more.

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Legislator Calls Buddhism "Cult"
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/politics/5361620.htm?1c

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Mind Control and Religious Cults by Mary Garden
http://home.hetnet.nl/~ex-baba/engels/articles/mindcontrol.html

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New Age Cults & Religions by Texe Marrs - Across America and the world dangerous New Age cults and religious groups are growing in strength and numbers. As many as 50 million Americans are now New Age cultists while millions of others are unwittingly dabbling and experimenting in the occult through direct or indirect involvement with New Age religious and political organizations.
This is the first authoritative guide to the New Age cults and religions infecting and threatening our society. This outstanding work carefully analyzes these groups, revealing substantial, detailed information to convincingly answer the questions most asked. It clearly contrasts the false--sometimes bizarre--and unorthodox teachings and practices of the New Cults with the Living Truths contained in the Holy Bible.

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Serpent Rising - A Journey of Spiritual Seduction - by Mary Garden - In 1973, Mary Garden abandoned a promising academic career to spend seven years in India at the feet of such gurus as Rajneesh, Sathya Sai Baba and an enigmatic yogi in the Himalayan jungle - Swami Balyogi Premvarni. The Serpent Rising is her own story of the heaven and hell she experienced as she fell under the spell of self-appointed 'god-men'.

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Tibetan Buddhism, With Its Mystic Cults, Symbolism and Mythology, and in Its Relation to Indian Buddhism by L.A. Waddell - One of the most complete works ever written on this topic, from metaphysics to practical magic. Full explanation of Tibetan pantheon, with hundreds of charms and mantras, detailed coverage of doctrine of incarnation and reincarnation. Also, saints, divinity of Dalai Lama, monastic practices, sorcery and astrology, much more. 188 illustrations.

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Viruses of the Mind by Richard Dawkins
http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/Dawkins/viruses-of-the-mind.html

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Waking from the Meme Dream by Susan Blackmore
http://www.memes.org.uk/meme-lab/DART96.HTM

War of the Memes
http://www.truthlaidbear.com/archives/2002/07/08/the_war_of_the_memes.php

Watchman Fellowship's 2001 Index of Cults and Religions - cult just means a system of religious beliefs or rituals - Roman Catholicism, Buddha, Buddhism, & Zen Buddhism are in the index
http://www.watchman.org/cat95.htm#S

What's "Buddhism" got to do with it?
http://www.cultnews.com/archives/000179.html

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Recommended Sites:

         

 

World Community Grid
What if each of the world's estimated 650 million personal computers could be linked to focus on humanity's most pressing issues?

 

 Amnesty International
"to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending abuses
of the rights to physical and mental integrity,
freedom of conscience and expression,  and freedom from discrimination,
within the context of its work  to promote all human rights."

 

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