The story is a familiar one: a new religion is founded — or, as the sociologist Rodney Stark would say, a new sect is born from an older tradition — and over time it becomes successful. By success, I mean that it grows, becomes popular, and shows few signs of slowing down.
At some point during [...]
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Religions of relatively recent origin — such as Mormonism, Seventh Day Adventism, and Scientology — offer unique opportunities to study the processes by which new religions are spawned and spread. Because the founding and dissemination of these religions is relatively well documented, the study of these religions provides considerable insight into the psychologies of founders [...]
Tags:fundamentalism·modernity·Mormonism·new religions·Scientology
