DOCSLIB.ORG

Heaven's Gate Cult

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Heaven's Gate Cult Cults A selected bibliography of materials in the University of Oregon Libraries * in support of the Community Conversations program in University Housing * ________________________________________________________________ BACKGROUND & OVERVIEWS Cults in America : A Reference Handbook / by James R. Lewis. Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c1998 Location: KNIGHT REFERENCE Call #: BL2525 .L486 1998 A good place to begin research on cults. Includes historical, sociological, psychological, and religious perspectives, statistics, legislation, profiles of specific groups, a directory of organizations, and a bibliography. The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions / by James R. Lewis. Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 1998 Location: KNIGHT REFERENCE Call #: BL2525 .L49 1998 A handy reference for quick overviews of different religious groups from around the world. Encyclopedia of Modern American Extremists and Extremist Groups / by Stephen E. Atkins. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2002 Location: KNIGHT REFERENCE Call #: HN90.R3 A75 2002 An encyclopedia that covers the activities of extremists within the U.S. since the 1950s. The author defines extremism as "the advocacy of extreme positions by movements, groups, and organizations" and includes political, religious, economic, and social extremes. Included are groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, PETA, and the American Indian Movement; as well as individuals such as David Koresh and Timothy McVeigh. GENERAL SOURCES Cults : Faith, Healing, and Coercion / by Marc Galanter. New York : Oxford University Press, 1999 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP603 .G35 1999 This book provides an overview of the cult phenomena with a scholarly yet accessible approach. Cults, Religion, and Violence / edited by David G. Bromley, J. Gordon Melton. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2002 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BL65.V55 C85 2002 Explores the relationship between religious groups and violence, both in history and in the present day. Legitimating New Religions / by James R. Lewis. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, 2003 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP603 .L49 2003 This book explores how emerging religions become socially acceptable and rise above “cult” status. Using case studies, the author shows how various groups have sought acceptance and how their critics have tried to denigrate them. Cases include Native American prophet religions, the Church of Christ- Scientist, Scientology, Church of Satan, Heaven’s Gate, and Unitarianism. Cults: A Selected Bibliography, Jan. 2007 University of Oregon Libraries http://libweb.uoregon.edu/reference SPECIFIC CULTS Jonestown Awake in a Nightmare : Jonestown, The Only Eyewitness Account / by Ethan Feinsod. New York : Norton, 1981 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP605.P46F44 1981 Hearing the Voices of Jonestown / by Mary McCormick Maaga. Syracuse, N.Y. : Syracuse University Press, 1998 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP605.P46 M22 1998 Salvation and Suicide : An Interpretation of Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and Jonestown / by David Chidester. Bloomington : Indiana University Press, 1988 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP605.P46C48 1988 The Branch Davidians Why Waco? : Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America / by James D. Tabor and Eugene V. Gallagher. Berkeley : University of California Press, 1995 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP605.B72 T33 1995 The Branch Davidians of Waco : The History and Beliefs of an Apocalyptic Sect / by Kenneth G.C. Newport. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2006 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP605.B72 N49 2006 Other Groups The Sullivan Institute/Fourth Wall Community : The Relationship of Radical Individualism and Authoritarianism / by Amy B. Siskind. Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2003 Location: KNIGHT Call #: RC489.T67 S56 2003 Tells the story of a “radical therapeutic community”’ that provided an alternative to the nuclear family. CULTS IN OREGON Brides of Eden : A True Story Imagined / by Linda Crew. New York : HarperCollins Publishers, 2001 Location: Knight Library Call #: PS3553.R439 B75 2001 In this novel based on true events, sixteen-year-old Eva and her female friends become obsessed with a charismatic young man who comes to Corvallis, Oregon, in 1904, claiming to be a Christian prophet Charisma and Control in Rajneeshpuram : The Role of Shared Values in the Creation of a Community / by Lewis F. Carter. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP605.R342 C37 1990 The Rajneesh Chronicles / edited by Win McCormack. Portland, Or. : New Oregon Pub.,1987 Location: Special Collections & Archives—Oregon Collection Call #: BP605.R33 1987 Cults: A Selected Bibliography, Jan. 2007 University of Oregon Libraries http://libweb.uoregon.edu/reference Hellbent for Enlightenment : Unmasking Sex, Power, and Death with a Notorious Master / by Rosemary Hamilton. Ashland, Or. : White Cloud Press, 1998 Location: Special Collections & Archives—Oregon Collection Call #: BP605.R344 H36 1998 Holy Rollers : Murder and Madness in Oregon's Love Cult / by T. McCracken and Robert B. Blodgett. Caldwell, Idaho : Caxton Press, 2002 Location: LAW LIBRARY Call #: BP605.C546 M33 2002 A Place called Antelope : The Rajneesh Story / by Donna Quick. Ryderwood, Wash. : August Press, 1995 Location: Special Collections & Archives—Oregon Collection Call #: BL2527.A67 Q53 1995 The Promise of Paradise : A Woman’s Intimate Story of the Perils of Life with Rajneesh / by Satya Bharti Franklin. Barrytown, N.Y. : Station Hill Press ; New York : Distributed by Talman Co., 1992 Location: Special Collections & Archives—Oregon Collection Call #: BP605.R344 F734 1992 PSYCHOLOGY Bounded Choice : True Believers and Charismatic Cults / by Janja Lalich. Berkeley : University of California Press, 2004 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP605.H36 L35 2004 Combatting Cult Mind Control / by Steven Hassan. Rochester, Vt. : Park Street Press, 1988 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP603 .H375 1988 Leaving Cults : The Dynamics of Defection / by Stuart A. Wright. Washington, D.C. : Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, 1987 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP603 .W75 1987 LEADERS Feet of Clay : Saints, Sinners, and Madmen : A Study of Gurus / by Anthony Storr. New York : Free Press, 1996 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BL72 .S76 1996 Prophetic Charisma : The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious Personalities / by Len Oakes. Syracuse, N.Y. : Syracuse University Press, 1997 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BL633 .O24 1997 HISTORY The Stammering Century / by Gilbert Seldes. New York, The John Day Company, 1928 Location: KNIGHT Call # E169.1 .S46 A record of the cults and manias in America during the nineteenth century. Cults: A Selected Bibliography, Jan. 2007 University of Oregon Libraries http://libweb.uoregon.edu/reference Mystics and Messiahs : Cults and New Religions in American History / by Philip Jenkins. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2000 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BL2525 .J46 2000 WOMEN & CHILDREN Children in New Religions / edited by Susan J. Palmer, Charlotte E. Hardman. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, 1999 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP603 .C48 1999 Moon Sisters, Krishna Mothers, Rajneesh Lovers : Women’s Roles in New Religions / by Susan Jean Palmer. Syracuse, N.Y. : Syracuse University Press, 1994 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BL2520 .P36 1994 Passionate Journeys : Why Successful Women Joined a Cult / by Marion S. Goldman. Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, 1999 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BP605.R342 G65 1999 Women in New Religions : in Search of Community, Sexuality, and Spiritual Power / by Elizabeth Puttick. New York : St. Martin’s Press, 1997 Location: KNIGHT Call #: BL458 .P88 1997 VIDEOS/DVDs Bhagwan, The Way of the Heart Location: VIDEO COLLECTION Call #: VIDEOTAPE 00189 Teachings of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, set to scenes of the life and people of the former commune of Rajneespuram in Oregon. I Go to the Feet of the Awakened One Location: VIDEO COLLECTION Call #: VIDEOTAPE 00190 Teachings of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, interspersed with scenes of life at Rajneeshpuram, his former commune in Oregon. Shows scenes from Enlightenment Day, March 21, 1984 at Rajneeshpuram. Heaven's Gate Cult Location: VIDEO COLLECTION Call #: VIDEO DVD 01548 DVD release of an episode of the television program Nightline, originally broadcast March 31, 1997. Host, Chris Wallace ; Reporter, Michel McQueen ; panelists, Cynthia Kisser, Martin Marty, Bruce Epperly. Holy Ghost People Location: VIDEO COLLECTION Call #: VIDEOTAPE 03411 A report on the religious fervor of a small Pentecostal congregation in West Virginia whose fundamentalist philosophy encourages the biblical teaching of speaking in tongues and handling serpents. Rajneeshpuram : An Experiment to Provoke God Location: VIDEO COLLECTION Call #: VIDEOTAPE 05887 Cults: A Selected Bibliography, Jan. 2007 University of Oregon Libraries http://libweb.uoregon.edu/reference Presents the story of the Rajneeshpuram community founded in 1981 in rural eastern Oregon. Interviews with journalists, local ranchers, and former residents combine with archival footage to present the power struggle between the locals and the religious community. Rajneesh Piram [i.e. Puram]/Oregon Location: VIDEO COLLECTION Call #: VIDEOTAPE 00148 ABC News Nightline looks at the City of Rajneesh (formerly Antelope), Oregon, shortly before the November 1984 elections when the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's organization bussed people from many parts of the country to Rajneesh, allegedly to aid that organization to strengthen its political power at the polls.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Acts Marseille 2015
    Deliberately planned and encouraged confusion between cults and religion Saturday, May 16, 2015 Radisson BLU Hotel Marseille, Vieux Port 38-40 Quai Rive Neuve, 13007 Marseille, France organised by the European Federation of Centres of Research and Information on Cults and Sects (FECRIS) and GEMPPI 1 - Sectes: aide, information, prévention http://www.gemppi.org/accueil/ 1 Groupe d’Etude des Mouvements de Pensée en vue de la Protection de l’Individu, Marseille Index Daniele Muller-Tulli, President of FECRIS (Switzerland -Representative in the CoE ) Thematic approach through the spectrum of FECRIS' experience in the Council of Europe, OSCE, FRA and UN………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4 Rudy Salles, MP and member of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Council of Europe (France) Analysis of the situation that led to the failure of Rudy Salles' report on "excesses of sects" in the Council of Europe 2 (read by Danièle Muller-Tulli)……………………………………. 6 Didier Pachoud, président du GEMPPI, co-organising association, (France) Introduction of the topic…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7 Serge Blisko, President of MIVILUDES, ( Office of the Prime Minister - France). Secularism………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8 Bertrand Chaudet, (CCMM, France) The collective of victims of psycho-spiritual excesses ……………………………………………………… 13 Friedrich Griess (GSK, Austria) and XXXX (France) Testimonials about Smith Friends (ACFF 3) …………………………………………………………………………… 18 Alexey Voat , researcher (CSR, Russian Federation)
    [Show full text]
  • Conference Handbook ICSA 2010 Annual International Conference: Psychological Manipulation, Cultic Groups, and Harm
    Conference Handbook ICSA 2010 Annual International Conference: Psychological Manipulation, Cultic Groups, and Harm With the collaboration of Info-Cult/Info-Secte, Montreal, Canada July 1-3, 2010 Doubletree at George Washington Bridge 2117 Route 4 East, Fort Lee, NJ International Cultic Studies Association PO Box 2265 Bonita Springs, FL 34133 239-514-3081 www.icsahome.com Welcome Welcome to the 2010 International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) conference, Psychological Manipulation, Cultic Groups, and Harm. Speakers have given much of their time in order to present at this conference. Many attendees have come long distances and have diverse backgrounds. Hence, please help us begin sessions on time and maintain a respectful tone during the sometimes lively and provocative discussions. This is a public conference. If you have matters that are sensitive or that you prefer to keep confidential, you should exercise appropriate care. Private audio- or videotaping is not permitted. We hope to make some videos and/or audios available after the conference. Press who attend the conference may come from mainstream and nonmainstream, even controversial, organizations. If a journalist seeks to interview you, exercise appropriate care. If you desire to refuse an interview request, feel free to do so. Remember, if you give an interview, you will have no control over what part of the interview, if any, will be used. ICSA conferences try to encourage dialogue and are open to diverse points of view. Hence, opinions expressed at the conference or in books and other materials available in the bookstore should be interpreted as opinions of the speakers or writers, not necessarily the views of ICSA or its staff, directors, or advisors.
    [Show full text]
  • City Research Online
    City Research Online City, University of London Institutional Repository Citation: Walsh, Y,S. (2009). A Qualitative Exploration of Cultic Experience in Relation to Mental Health Difficulties. (Unpublished Doctoral thesis, City, University of London) This is the accepted version of the paper. This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link: https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/17666/ Link to published version: Copyright: City Research Online aims to make research outputs of City, University of London available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the author(s) and/or copyright holders. URLs from City Research Online may be freely distributed and linked to. Reuse: Copies of full items can be used for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge. Provided that the authors, title and full bibliographic details are credited, a hyperlink and/or URL is given for the original metadata page and the content is not changed in any way. City Research Online: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/ [email protected] A Qualitative Exploration of Cultic Experience in Relation to Mental Health Difficulties Yvonne Susan Walsh Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology City University School of Social Sciences August 2009 Table of Contents .................................................................................... Page No Table of Contents... ................................................................................................2
    [Show full text]
  • Cults and Psychological Manipulation
    WORKSHOP FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: PSYCHOLOGICAL MANIPULATION, CULTS AND CULTIC RELATIONSHIPS 1. What is a destructive cult? Langone’s definition Singer’s Continuum of Influence and Persuasion 2. Do people join cultic groups? Factors that increase vulnerability Cult Recruitment: One Predictable Factor 3. Overview of Thought Reform: Four models 4. Singer’s Conditions for Thought Reform (Explore how each condition applies to the client’s group) 5. Assessment of current and former group members Screening tools Motivation for seeking therapy Clinical picture of cult survivors Post Group Distress Most typical cult induced psychopathologies PTSD/Complex PTSD 6. Assessment of cult as well as cult leader Evaluate client’s safety while inquiring about the cult and its leadership Discuss possible psychopathology of the cult leader 7. Treatment of current cult members 8. Treatment of former members: First and Second Generation Stages of Recovery: Therapeutic goals Recommendations for Therapists 9. Types of care and reliable resources Prepared by: Rosanne Henry, LPC www.CultRecover.com I WHAT IS A DESTRUCTIVE CULT? A destructive cult is a group or movement that, to a significant degree xhibits great or excessive devotion or dedicationto some person, idea, or thing Uses a thought-reform program to persuade, control, and socialize members Systematically induces states of psychological dependency in members Exploits members to advance the leadership’s goals, and Causes psychological harm to members, their families, and the community. Langone, M.D. (Ed.). (1993) Recovery from Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse. New York: W. Norton & Company. SINGER’S CONTINUUM OF INFLUENCE AND PERSUASION Singer, M.T.
    [Show full text]
  • Herefore Alienated from God, and That to Restore the Relationship with God Requires Trust in Jesus Christ
    Cult Pseudo-Creativity vs. Creativity in Recovery Gillie Jenkinson, M.A., UKCP Hope Valley Counseling Abstract This article gives a brief history of The Love of God Community, England (“the Community”). It looks at how the Community used creative arts negatively to reinforce control and thought reform, considers whether this use of creative arts is true creativity, and illustrates with case examples how therapists and ex-cult members can use creativity positively for recovery. All individuals’ names and identifying details have been changed. What Is Creativity? The creative impulse is deeply human and intrinsic to being free and alive. These ideas are elaborated in several schools of psychology. Winnicott (2005i) notes that this impulse within us is a source of art, poetry, and other artistic forms, but that creativity and play are even more fundamental than the creation of things (p. 91); they are necessary in the individual’s search for self (p. 73). In healthy living, creativity characterizes the individual’s approach to external reality. This creative approach may be fostered or hampered by ongoing environmental factors that can enhance or stifle creative processes throughout an individual’s life. Carl Rogers (1967), the founder of person-centered psychotherapy, defines the creative process as “the emergence in action of a novel relational product, growing out of the uniqueness of the individual on the one hand and the materials, events, people, or circumstances of his life on the other” (p. 350). Rogers notes that three conditions are necessary for creativity to occur: openness to experience (lack of defensiveness); internal locus of evaluation and evaluative judgment (rather than compliance); and the ability to toy or play with elements and concepts.
    [Show full text]
  • Bounded Choice Model As an Analytical Tool: a Case Study of Heaven’S Gate [1]
    CULTIC STUDIES REVIEW, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2004 Using the Bounded Choice Model as an Analytical Tool: A Case Study of Heaven’s Gate [1] Janja Lalich, Ph.D. California State University, Chico Abstract The purpose of this paper is to describe the “bounded choice” theory and to illustrate how this new model can be used as a tool for examining and analyzing high-demand groups, sometimes called cults. Based on findings from a comparative study of two cultic groups, a social-psychological theory is developed to interpret the behavior of true believers in a closed, charismatic context. Based on textual analysis and interview data, the Heaven’s Gate cult is used to illustrate the conceptual framework, which is comprised of four organizational aspects: charismatic authority, the transcendent belief system, the system of control, and the system of influence. The result of this interactive dynamic is a “self-sealing system,” that is, a social system that is closed to disconfirming evidence and structured in such a way that everything reinforces the system. Drawing on Anthony Giddens’s (1984) theory of structuration, Herbert Simon’s (1955, 1956, 1976) theory of bounded rationality, and Robert Jay Lifton’s (1961) theory of personal closure, “bounded choice” theory helps us understand the seemingly irrational behavior of the most dedicated adherents. The theory attempts to take into account individual choice within the context of an authoritarian, transcendent, closed group. The purpose of this paper is to describe the “bounded choice” theoretical model and to illustrate how this new model can be used as a tool for examining and analyzing high- demand groups or situations, sometimes called cults.
    [Show full text]
  • Proquest Dissertations
    Naked Witness: A rhetorical analysis of two contradictory presentations of the women of Strong City Julia Campbell-Such A Thesis in The Department of Religion Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (History and Philosophy of Religion) at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada September 2010 ©Julia Campbell-Such, 2010 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-71046-3 Our We Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-71046-3 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Nnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation.
    [Show full text]
  • LITERATURE on NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS in TURKEY and the WEST Süleyman TURAN∗
    Uluslararası Sosyal Aratırmalar Dergisi The Journal of International Social Research Cilt: 6 Sayı: 27 Volume: 6 Issue: 27 Yaz 2013 Summer 2013 www.sosyalarastirmalar.com Issn: 1307-9581 YEN DN HAREKETLERLE LGL TÜRKYE’DEK VE BATI’DAK LTERATÜR LITERATURE ON NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS IN TURKEY AND THE WEST Süleyman TURAN∗ Öz Yeni dini hareket (YDH)’ler, XX. yüzyılın ikinci yarısında ortaya çıkan dini akımları ifade etmektedir. Genellikle küçük gruplar halinde kalma eiliminde oldukları için bu hareketler yakın döneme kadar ya çok az ilgi görmü ya da hiç ilgi çekmemilerdi. Ancak özellikle görsel ve yazılı medyada çıkan haberler sayesinde insanlar YDH’lerden daha fazla haberdar olmaya balamı ve neticede seküler ve sözde rasyonel toplumlarımızda alternatif dünya görüleri ve yaam biçimleri benimseyen ve sunan az sayıda insanın, görünüte acayip inanç ve uygulamaları insanların ilgi ve merakını cezp etmitir. YDH’leri anlamak ve açıklamak üzere Batı’da çok sayıda bilimsel çalıma kaleme alınmıtır. Ülkemizde ise özellikle son on yılda YDH’ler konusunda birçok aratırmanın ortaya konulduunu görmekteyiz. Bu bibliyografya çalımasının amacı, hem Batı’da hem de ülkemizde ortaya konulan çalımaları tespit ederek, YDH’lere ilgi duyan okuyucu ve aratırmacılara literatür verisi salamak ve yeni aratırmalara kapı aralamaktır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Yeni Dini Hareketler, Dünya Dinleri, Küreselleme, Türkiye. Abstract The term of “new religious movement/s” (NRMs) generally refer to religious trends appeared in second half of 20th century. They generally tend to be so small or last for so short a time that they attracted litle or no attention. Hovewer, yet almost every one has read articles or watch television shows about these groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Ocelot Mining Corp News
    ----------. Rajneeshee land buy concerns Penns: By PETER KELLEY hole in nearby Tremont, there was sides, is that on April 9 a Pennsylvania Camm set up the plant in LA Times-Wahington Post Service loose talk of resistance from men who corporation called Hava Ltd. bought 1982, trucking in a prefabri BRANCH DALE, Pa. - Tiny coal work with dynamite and carry guns in the Blackwood lands from Ryon Realty breaker from Kentucky an towns in eastern Pennsylvania have their pickup trucks. Co. of Pottsville. The price was the next spring to recover been buzzing lately with talk of "the No one seems to have any evidence $420,000 for "all the surface and all from the huge banks of ref guru." that the guru's disciples plan a com­ the coal beneath the surface to 500 area. Jokes about turbans and pink sheets mune for Schuylkill County. Isabel feet," according to the deed. His company, Blackwoo have been the rage here since word got says, "Tell them we're quite happy out The deed also says that Hava's sur­ cite Inc., signed a 25-year leii out that members of a religious sect here in Oregon and have no plans of face rights are subject to a purchase face rights, and a purchase o have bought up a fifth of Reilly Town­ moving." option held by the processing plant's Ryon Realty that runs out ii ship's 16 square miles in Schuylkill But the new owners are "travel­ owners. 1986. (:aunty. But mixed with the laughter is ing," their attorney said, and could not Hava Ltd.
    [Show full text]
  • The Demise of Religion: How Religions End, Die, Or Dissipate
    Stausberg, Michael. "Playing the Religion Card: The Creation and Dissolution of Rajneeshism." The Demise of Religion: How Religions End, Die, or Dissipate. By Michael Stausberg, Stuart A. Wright and Carole M. Cusack. London,: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020. 135–154. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 30 Sep. 2021. <http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350162945.ch-008>. Downloaded from Bloomsbury Collections, www.bloomsburycollections.com, 30 September 2021, 23:33 UTC. Copyright © Michael Stausberg, Stuart A. Wright, Carole M. Cusack, and contributors 2020. You may share this work for non-commercial purposes only, provided you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher, and provide a link to the Creative Commons licence. 8 Playing the Religion Card: The Creation and Dissolution of Rajneeshism Michael Stausberg For a religion to end there has to be a religion in the first place. In many cases labeling something a religion seems uncontroversial. This is the case, for instance, when the social formation so labeled derives from one of the historical worldviews that are commonly called religions. Several so-called religions comprise established mechanisms of internal differentiation, for example, the establishment of sects, schisms, denominations, schools, or cults (in the sense of organized forms of communal worship). In these cases of derivation, the main protagonists tend to be familiar with the former religious traditions, be it as active participants or as being part of the same cultural and social context. On the other hand, there are cases of cross-cultural and cross-religious inspiration; if somebody who has grown up in a country where Buddhism has no established social presence starts to propagate some “Buddhist” ideas and gets others to do the same, the resulting ensemble would probably still be labeled a religion because Buddhism is generally considered such a thing.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Road to Rajneeshpuram
    On The Road To Rajneeshpuram By BECKY DODSON read the front-page headline which appeared and in the Times last summer. The article stated R A Y BORST that the Rajneeshees were often referred to as a “sex cult.” “Open displays of sexual fon­ 4 4 W T h a t a r e w e d o i n g h e r e ?” we dling seem to be taken for granted,” it said. \ i \ l groaned as we turned our rented To us, this surely meant rape. V ¥ green Oldsmobile off the desolate After traveling several more miles without central Oregon highway and onto the dirt seeing another car or even a cow, we came road. We were already two-and-a-half hours upon what resembled an old Bonanza set with from Portland, and 40 miles from the nearest a few ramshackled houses and dusty interstate. The sign pointing to the steep buildings. single lane path we followed read: “This is Antelope — the town they tried to “Rajneeshpuram, 28.” take over,” one of us observed. Sure enough, Looking through the haze at the ominous we soon saw what used to be the Antelope trees, tumbleweeds and hairpin turns, we General Store, but is now a vegetarian couldn’t help but wonder what we were get­ restaurant with “Zorba The Buddha” painted ting ourselves into. across the top of the building in bright red Armed with only a mandate from the Daily letters. Nexus and UCSB Religious Studies Professor We stopped to take a picture but became Walter Capps, we set out to investigate a aware of two men watching us from inside a controversial Oregon commune run by police car.
    [Show full text]
  • The Bizarre True Story Behind Netflix's Documentary Wild Wild Country Telegraph.Co.Uk; London [London]09 Apr 2018
    Sex cults and salmonella: the bizarre true story behind Netflix's documentary Wild Wild Country Telegraph.co.uk; London [London]09 Apr 2018. In the 1960s and 1970s, the youth of the world - specifically, perhaps, the youth of the West - were inflamed with a desire for change. For some, this was expressed through protest movements: through the rise of civil rights, second-wave feminism and other socio-political causes. But others sought a less tangible kind of fulfilment. They wanted to change not just the world but their own inner selves. For these spiritual idealists, Eastern religions held an appeal, a wisdom - and an exoticism - that plain old Christianity just couldn’t live up to. But alongside the spread of reputable movements, such as Western Buddhism, many more niche groups took hold - groups peddling a significantly sexed-up version of spirituality. Then it’s not that surprising to learn that in the 1970s a number of people began following a self- appointed Indian guru and mystic named Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, known for his departure from tradition and his radical endorsement of “free love”. Uprooting their lives (and in some cases, their families) to join him in Poona, India, Rajneesh’s followers wore orange outfits and engaged in energetic, violently cathartic group meditation sessions. Later, after pressure from the Indian government threatened the existence of their ashram, the guru bought a large ranch in rural Oregon in the US, establishing his own (theoretically) utopian city there in 1981. A new six-part Netflix documentary, Chapman and Maclain Way’s Wild Wild Country, tells the bizarre story of what happened next to “the Bhagwan” and his city.
    [Show full text]