An increasing number of scholars are turning their attention towards the study of Scientology, the New Religious Movement founded by L. Ron Hubbard. Such studies tend to focus on the institutionalized Church of Scientology (CoS). However, of increasing importance to the study of Scientology is the rise of the Free Zone—a category for groups of individuals who identify as Scientologists but practise outside the CoS. The CoS and Free Zone have experienced a turbulent history. Both groups often view one another with suspicion, raising debates concerning legitimacy and Scientological heresy. Successfully navigating between both the CoS and Free Zone in the field requires a careful approach on behalf of the scholar. Furthermore, working with both the CoS and Free Zone individually also presents specific challenges, particularly in terms of gaining the trust of fieldwork participants. This article draws from the author’s fieldwork with both the CoS and the Free Zone as a case study of the challenges faced when conducting fieldwork with minority groups in direct opposition to one another, and explores ethnographic issues that have arisen in the contemporary study of Scientology.
{"title":"Engaging with the Church of Scientology and the Free Zone in the Field","authors":"A. Thomas","doi":"10.1558/ijsnr.41396","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.41396","url":null,"abstract":"An increasing number of scholars are turning their attention towards the study of Scientology, the New Religious Movement founded by L. Ron Hubbard. Such studies tend to focus on the institutionalized Church of Scientology (CoS). However, of increasing importance to the study of Scientology is the rise of the Free Zone—a category for groups of individuals who identify as Scientologists but practise outside the CoS. The CoS and Free Zone have experienced a turbulent history. Both groups often view one another with suspicion, raising debates concerning legitimacy and Scientological heresy. Successfully navigating between both the CoS and Free Zone in the field requires a careful approach on behalf of the scholar. Furthermore, working with both the CoS and Free Zone individually also presents specific challenges, particularly in terms of gaining the trust of fieldwork participants. This article draws from the author’s fieldwork with both the CoS and the Free Zone as a case study of the challenges faced when conducting fieldwork with minority groups in direct opposition to one another, and explores ethnographic issues that have arisen in the contemporary study of Scientology.","PeriodicalId":53821,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for the Study of New Religions","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42090687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article examines a new religious movement (NRM) founded by charismatic leaders in the mid-1960s from the viewpoint of its demise. The Process Church of the Final Judgment was founded in 1966 in London by Mary Ann MacLean and Robert de Grimston. The Process developed a theology melding esoteric Biblical motifs with psychoanalysis. The Process ceased to exist two decades later due to changes in belief and affiliation; members adopted other, mainstream, identities. De Grimston was expelled from The Process in 1974, after which it transformed into The Foundation Faith of God under MacLean’s leadership. The Foundation Faith of God later morphed into the Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, abandoning a religious identity in favour of an animal rights-based identity. Until recently little attention was paid to how NRMs ended; the academic focus was overwhelmingly on the origins of such groups. This study builds on new research to argue that The Process ended via activities of transmutation and replacement. In 2020 The Process is a defunct religion with extensive online archives, curated by exmembers and enthusiasts. Processean ideas are kept “alive” and potentially able to be revived; the status of virtual communities and attempted revivals is also discussed with regard to identifying the precise date of the demise of NRMs.
{"title":"Process Church of the Final Judgment","authors":"C. Cusack","doi":"10.1558/ijsnr.42007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.42007","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines a new religious movement (NRM) founded by charismatic leaders in the mid-1960s from the viewpoint of its demise. The Process Church of the Final Judgment was founded in 1966 in London by Mary Ann MacLean and Robert de Grimston. The Process developed a theology melding esoteric Biblical motifs with psychoanalysis. The Process ceased to exist two decades later due to changes in belief and affiliation; members adopted other, mainstream, identities. De Grimston was expelled from The Process in 1974, after which it transformed into The Foundation Faith of God under MacLean’s leadership. The Foundation Faith of God later morphed into the Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, abandoning a religious identity in favour of an animal rights-based identity. Until recently little attention was paid to how NRMs ended; the academic focus was overwhelmingly on the origins of such groups. This study builds on new research to argue that The Process ended via activities of transmutation and replacement. In 2020 The Process is a defunct religion with extensive online archives, curated by exmembers and enthusiasts. Processean ideas are kept “alive” and potentially able to be revived; the status of virtual communities and attempted revivals is also discussed with regard to identifying the precise date of the demise of NRMs.","PeriodicalId":53821,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for the Study of New Religions","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46263928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Everyday Sacred: Religion in Contemporary Quebec, edited by Hillary Kaell.","authors":"S. Palmer","doi":"10.1558/ijsnr.40505","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.40505","url":null,"abstract":"Everyday Sacred: Religion in Contemporary Quebec, edited by Hillary Kaell. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2017. 368pp., Pb. CDN$32.95, ISBN-13: 9780773550957.","PeriodicalId":53821,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for the Study of New Religions","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48417535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dynamism and the Ageing of a Japanese “New” Religion: Transformations and the Founder, by Erica Baffelli and Ian Reader. 2018. Bloomsbury Academic. Hb. £91.80/$114.00, ISBN-13: 9781350086517; Pb. £28.99/€39.95, ISBN-13: 9781350170148; eBook £91.80/$114.00, ISBN-13: 9781350086531.
{"title":"Dynamism and the Ageing of a Japanese “New” Religion: Transformations and the Founder, by Erica Baffelli and Ian Reader. 2018.","authors":"Ernils Larsson","doi":"10.1558/ijsnr.41131","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.41131","url":null,"abstract":"Dynamism and the Ageing of a Japanese “New” Religion: Transformations and the Founder, by Erica Baffelli and Ian Reader. 2018. Bloomsbury Academic. Hb. £91.80/$114.00, ISBN-13: 9781350086517; Pb. £28.99/€39.95, ISBN-13: 9781350170148; eBook £91.80/$114.00, ISBN-13: 9781350086531.","PeriodicalId":53821,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for the Study of New Religions","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45721905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Among the Scientologists: History, Theology, and Praxis, by Donald A. Westbrook. Oxford University Press, 2019. 332pp. Hb $45.00/£29.99. ISBN-13: 9780190664978.
{"title":"Among the Scientologists: History, Theology, and Praxis, by Donald A. Westbrook.","authors":"Fredrik Gregorius","doi":"10.1558/ijsnr.40590","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.40590","url":null,"abstract":"Among the Scientologists: History, Theology, and Praxis, by Donald A. Westbrook. Oxford University Press, 2019. 332pp. Hb $45.00/£29.99. ISBN-13: 9780190664978.","PeriodicalId":53821,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for the Study of New Religions","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45855182","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Everyday Mysticism: A Contemplative Community at Work in the Desert, by Ariel Gluckich. Yale University Press, 2017. 280pp., Hb. $45.00, ISBN-13: 9780300212099.
{"title":"Everyday Mysticism: A Contemplative Community at Work in the Desert, by Ariel Gluckich.","authors":"Jeremy Rapport","doi":"10.1558/ijsnr.41532","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.41532","url":null,"abstract":"Everyday Mysticism: A Contemplative Community at Work in the Desert, by Ariel Gluckich. Yale University Press, 2017. 280pp., Hb. $45.00, ISBN-13: 9780300212099.","PeriodicalId":53821,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for the Study of New Religions","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46537911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle to Define Catholicism, by Joseph P. Laycock. Oxford University Press, 2015. 284pp., Hb $33.95, ISBN-13: 9780199379668.
{"title":"The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle to Define Catholicism, by Joseph P. Laycock.","authors":"Grant W. Shoffstall","doi":"10.1558/IJSNR.40478","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/IJSNR.40478","url":null,"abstract":"The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle to Define Catholicism, by Joseph P. Laycock. Oxford University Press, 2015. 284pp., Hb $33.95, ISBN-13: 9780199379668.","PeriodicalId":53821,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for the Study of New Religions","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48030869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Digital Jesus: The Making of a New Christian Fundamentalist Community on the Internet, by Robert Glenn Howard. New York University Press, 2011. 213pp., pb., $27.00. ISBN-13: 9780814773109.
{"title":"Digital Jesus: The Making of a New Christian Fundamentalist Community on the Internet, by Robert Glenn Howard.","authors":"D. McConeghy","doi":"10.1558/ijsnr.40291","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.40291","url":null,"abstract":"Digital Jesus: The Making of a New Christian Fundamentalist Community on the Internet, by Robert Glenn Howard. New York University Press, 2011. 213pp., pb., $27.00. ISBN-13: 9780814773109.","PeriodicalId":53821,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for the Study of New Religions","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45263157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
At the turn of the nineteenth century “purity” movements, like those practiced at the Seventh-day Adventist Battle Creek Sanitarium, were an outlet for individuals striving to reconcile their health with heterodox religious views about the Second Coming of Christ. This article examines the letters and writings of professed prophet Ellen G. White and Adventist promotional materials for the Battle Creek Sanitarium as they relate to broader health reforms at the time. In pamphlets, catalogues, and menus, the Sanitarium promised patients/patrons the latest medical advances to help restore their bodies, while White also hoped to save their souls. According to White, sanctification was possible through austerities in diet and health reform, making “the San” and its offshoots religiously significant players in the spiritual and health marketplaces of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
{"title":"Promises of Purity","authors":"E. Bailey","doi":"10.1558/ijsnr.40529","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.40529","url":null,"abstract":"At the turn of the nineteenth century “purity” movements, like those practiced at the Seventh-day Adventist Battle Creek Sanitarium, were an outlet for individuals striving to reconcile their health with heterodox religious views about the Second Coming of Christ. This article examines the letters and writings of professed prophet Ellen G. White and Adventist promotional materials for the Battle Creek Sanitarium as they relate to broader health reforms at the time. In pamphlets, catalogues, and menus, the Sanitarium promised patients/patrons the latest medical advances to help restore their bodies, while White also hoped to save their souls. According to White, sanctification was possible through austerities in diet and health reform, making “the San” and its offshoots religiously significant players in the spiritual and health marketplaces of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.","PeriodicalId":53821,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for the Study of New Religions","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67496421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-11-25DOI: 10.1515/ebr.jehovahswitnesses
George D. Chryssides
Major publications on Jehovah’s Witnesses with scholarly or historical merit are reviewed here. Early writings, and literature relating to the two World Wars are discussed, followed by important “insider” accounts of the organization, notably A. H. Macmillan, Marley Cole, and Timothy White, and ex-member publications by M. James Penton, Raymond Franz, and Carl Jonsson. Particular attention is given to books appearing after 2014, notably Emily Baran, Zoe Knox, and the substantial three-volume anthology by Gerhard Besier and Katarzyna Stok?osa. The review does not cover novels, countercult critiques, or the author’s own publications.
{"title":"Jehovah’s Witnesses","authors":"George D. Chryssides","doi":"10.1515/ebr.jehovahswitnesses","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/ebr.jehovahswitnesses","url":null,"abstract":"Major publications on Jehovah’s Witnesses with scholarly or historical merit are reviewed here. Early writings, and literature relating to the two World Wars are discussed, followed by important “insider” accounts of the organization, notably A. H. Macmillan, Marley Cole, and Timothy White, and ex-member publications by M. James Penton, Raymond Franz, and Carl Jonsson. Particular attention is given to books appearing after 2014, notably Emily Baran, Zoe Knox, and the substantial three-volume anthology by Gerhard Besier and Katarzyna Stok?osa. The review does not cover novels, countercult critiques, or the author’s own publications.","PeriodicalId":53821,"journal":{"name":"International Journal for the Study of New Religions","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44218705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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