Eileen Barker

The making of a moonie: choice or brainwashing?

The Moonie phenomenon inspired fear, anxiety and suspicion in the public mind, and the question always arises, Do people choose to become Moonies or are they brainwashed? This is the prizewinning story of an investigation by an outsider into who becomes a Moonie and how they do so.

And the Wisdom to Know the Difference? Freedom, Control and the Sociology of Religion

This is a theoretical essay, but it is grounded in the empirical observations of the sociology of religion; and it has a political twist to it. The main thrust of the argument rests on the assumption that freedom is a socially relative concept, and, as such, not only can it be both increased and decreased according to circumstances, it can also be increased or decreased through a knowledge or ignorance of such circumstances. Questions are asked about the ability of individuals to choose their own religion, some of the potential consequences of their choices, and ways in which the state apparatus can regulate religious groups. The not-so-hidden agenda is that social scientists might further contribute to our freedom through an increased understanding of those things that we cannot change, and of how best to change those things we can -- and, perhaps, of our wisdom to know the difference.

Roman Catholic Beliefs in England: Customary Catholicism and Transformations of Religious Authority

Preface Part I. Introduction: 1. From identity to commitment 2. Varieties of Catholic accounts Part II. The Religious Beliefs of English Catholics: 3. The everyday loves of lay Catholics 4. The religion of core laity 5. The customary religion of ordinary Catholics Part III. Transformations of Religious Authority: 6. The popes paradoxical people 7. Core Catholics, conflict and contestation 8. Ordinary Catholics and personal morality 9. English Catholics and religious authority Part IV. Conclusions: 10. Religious pluralism and secularisation Appendices Bibliography Index.

NEW AND NONCONVENTIONAL RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL HARMONY

Abstract In contemporary society there is far greater cultural and religious diversity than in the past. New religious movements are often misunderstood, portrayed inaccurately, and challenged by members of the wider society. Characteristics of new religious movements include a constituency of converts, atypical representations, charismatic leaders, top-down authority coupled with informal communication structures, an unambiguous worldview, and frequent change. New religions present significant challenges to society, but governments and societies should accord them the same rights and freedoms as those accorded to any other citizen, as outlined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Book review: Nachman Ben-Yehuda, Theocratic Democracy: The Social Construction of Religious and Secular Extremism

References Benoit E (2003) Not just a matter of criminal justice: States, institutions and North American drug policy. Sociological Forum 18: 269–294. Bourgois P (1996) In search of respect: selling crack in El Barrio. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drugs Addiction (EMCDDA) Country overview: Norway. Available at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/country-overviews/no (accessed 27 April 2012). Esping-Andersen G (1990) The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Mauer M (2009) The changing racial dynamics of the war on drugs. Report, The Sentencing Project, Washington, DC. New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) (2012) 2011 Stop-and-Frisk Report. 9 May 2012. Available at: www.nyclu.org/publications/report-nypd-stop-and-frisk-activity-2011-2012 (accessed 23 June 2012).

New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction

Led to write the book by a conviction that a great deal of unnecessary suffering has resulted from ignorance of the nature and characteristics of the current wave of new religious movements in the West. Discusses, among others, the Children of God, Church of Scientology, the Human Potential Movement, Rastafarianism, Unification Church.

Short review and book note

T.O. Beidelman Colonial Evangelism: A Socio-Historical Study of an East African Mission at the Grassroots 1982 Indiana University Press Bloomington, xix+274 pp.

New Religious Movements

29.95 and

The Scientific Study of Religion? You Must be Joking!

12.50 pbk Ken Levi Violence and Religous Commitment: Implications of Jim Jones Peoples Temple Movement 1982 Pennsylvania State University Press Pennsylvania and London P. Karl J. Rivinius Die Anfange des ‘Anthropos’. Briefe von P. Wilhelm Schmidt an Georg Freiherrn von Hertling aus den Jahren 1904–1908 und andere Dokumente SVD Veroffentlichungen des Missionspriesterseminars St Augustin bei Bonn. 32 1981 Steyler Verlag St. Augustin 230, DM 32.50