View source for Academic study of new religious movements

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{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=Three basic questions have been paramount in orienting theory and research on NRMs {{bracket|[[new religious movements]]}}: what are the identifying markers of NRMs that distinguish them from other types of religious groups?; what are the different types of NRMs and how do these different types relate to the established institutional order of the host society?; and what are the most important ways that NRMs respond to the sociocultural dislocation that leads to their formation?|source=— Sociologist of religion [[David G. Bromley]]{{sfn|Bromley|2012|p=14}} }}

The '''academic study of new religious movements''' is known as '''new religions studies''' ('''NRS''').{{sfnm|1a1=Bromley|1y=2004|1p=83|2a1=Bromley|2y=2012|2p=13}}
The study draws from the disciplines of [[anthropology]], [[psychiatry]], history, [[psychology]], sociology, [[religious studies]], and theology.<ref name="Teaching bromley">{{cite encyclopedia|year=2007|title=Disciplinary Perspectives on New Religious Movements: Views of from the Humanities and Social Sciences|encyclopedia=Teaching New Religious Movements|url=http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177299.001.0001/acprof-9780195177299-chapter-3|access-date=2014-03-17|author=Sablia, John A.|pages=41–63|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177299.001.0001|editor=David G. Bromley|isbn=978-0-19-517729-9|publisher=Oxford University Press|url-access=subscription}}</ref> [[Eileen Barker]] noted that there are five sources of information on [[new religious movements]] (NRMs): the information provided by such groups themselves, that provided by ex-members as well as the friends and relatives of members, organizations that collect information on NRMs, the mainstream media, and academics studying such phenomena.{{sfn|Barker|1989|pp=vii–ix}}

The study of new religions is unified by its topic of interest, rather than by its [[methodology]], and is therefore interdisciplinary in nature.{{sfnm|1a1=Lewis|1y=2004|1p=8|2a1=Melton|2y=2004|2p=16}} A sizeable body of scholarly literature on new religions has been published, most of it produced by [[social science|social scientists]].{{sfnm|1a1=Bromley|1y=2012|1p=13|2a1=Hammer|2a2=Rothstein|2y=2012|2p=2}} Among the disciplines that NRS uses are anthropology, history, psychology, religious studies, and sociology.{{sfn|Bromley|2012|p=13}} Of these approaches, sociology played a particularly prominent role in the development of the field,{{sfn|Bromley|2012|p=13}} resulting in it being initially confined largely to a narrow array of sociological questions.{{sfn|Hammer|Rothstein|2012|p=5}} This came to change in later scholarship, which began to apply theories and methods initially developed for examining more mainstream religions to the study of new ones.{{sfn|Hammer|Rothstein|2012|p=5}}

The majority of research has been directed toward those new religions which have attracted a greater deal of public controversy; less controversial NRMs have tended to be the subject of less scholarly research.{{sfn|Melton|2004|p=20}} It has also been noted that scholars of new religions have often avoided researching certain movements which tend instead to be studied by scholars from other backgrounds; the [[feminist spirituality]] movement is usually examined by scholars of [[women's studies]], African diaspora new religions by scholars of [[Africana studies]], and Native American new religions by scholars of [[Native American studies]].{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=8}}

==Historical development==

In Japan, the academic study of new religions appeared in the years following the Second World War.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=3}}<ref name="Gallagher, Eugene V 2007">{{cite journal | last1 = Gallagher | first1 = Eugene V | year = 2007 | title = Compared to What? 'Cults' and 'New Religious Movements.' | journal = History of Religions | volume = 47 | issue = 2/3| page = 212 }}</ref>

In the 1960s, American sociologist [[John Lofland (sociologist)|John Lofland]] lived with Unification Church [[missionary]] [[Young Oon Kim]] and a small group of American church members in California and studied their activities in trying to promote their beliefs and win new members. Lofland noted that most of their efforts were ineffective and that most of the people who joined did so because of personal relationships with other members, often family relationships.<ref>[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/conversion.htm Conversion] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121122133/http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/conversion.htm |date=January 21, 2012 }}, [http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/Unification.htm Unification Church] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113080905/http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/Unification.htm |date=January 13, 2012 }}, ''Encyclopedia of Religion and Society'', Hartford Institute for Religion Research, [[Hartford Seminary]]</ref> Lofland published his findings in 1964 as a doctoral thesis entitled: "The World Savers: A Field Study of Cult Processes" and in 1966 in book form by [[Prentice-Hall]] as ''[[Doomsday Cult: A Study of Conversion, Proselytization, and Maintenance of Faith]]''. It is considered to be one of the most important and widely cited studies of the process of [[religious conversion]], as well as one of the first sociological studies of a new religious movement.{{sfn|Gallagher|Ashcraft|2006|loc=v. 5|p=180}}<ref>''Exploring New Religions'',
Issues in contemporary religion, George D. Chryssides, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001
{{ISBN|0-8264-5959-5}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8264-5959-6}} page 1</ref>

In Western nations the study of new religions became a distinct field in the 1970s;{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=4}} prior to this, new religions had been examined from varying perspectives, with [[Pentecostalism]] for instance being studied by [[church history|church historians]] and [[cargo cults]] by anthropologists.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=4}} This Western academic study of new religions emerged in response to growing public concerns regarding the emergence of various NRMs during the 1970s.{{sfnm|1a1=Lewis|1y=2004|1p=3|2a1=Melton|2y=2004|2p=17}} By the latter part of that decade, increasing numbers of papers on new religions were being presented at the annual conferences of the [[American Academy of Religion]], [[Society for the Scientific Study of Religion]], and the [[Association for the Sociology of Religion]].{{sfn|Melton|2004|p=20}} The manner in which the scholarly study of new religions rose to prominence due to the public perception that these movements were social threats bore similarities with the manner in which [[Islamic studies]] grew in Western nations following the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=8}} The study of new religions would only be fully embraced by the Western [[religious studies]] establishment in the 1990s.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=4}}

In 1988, the charity [[INFORM]] (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements) was established by Barker, who was then a professor of sociology at the [[London School of Economics]]. The organization was supported by the UK Home Office and the British established churches and was designed to conduct research and disseminate accurate information about new religions.{{sfn|Barrett|2001|pp=105–106}}
Barker established INFORM due to her "conviction that a great deal of unnecessary suffering has resulted from ignorance of the nature and characteristics of the current wave of [NRMs] in the West."{{sfn|Barker|1989|p=vii}}
Also in 1988, the Italian scholar [[Massimo Introvigne]] established [[CESNUR]] (Centre for Studies on New Religions) in [[Turin]]; it brought together academics studying NRMs in both Europe and North America.{{sfn|Barrett|2001|pp=106–107}} In the United States, CESNUR gained representation through the [[Institute for the Study of American Religion]] in [[Santa Barbara, California]], which was directed by [[J. Gordon Melton]].{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=107}}

Scholars of new religion often operate in a politicized environment given that their research can be cited in legal briefs and judicial decisions regarding NRMs.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=6}} In Barker's view, academic research into NRMs had practical applications in dealing with the problems that people experience with regard to NRMs.{{sfn|Barker|1989|pp=x–xi}} It can, for example, provide accurate information about a particular religious movement that can help guide an individual's reactions to the group; "an awareness of the complexity of a situation might help people to avoid precipitous actions that would later have been regretted."{{sfn|Barker|1989|p=xi}} Sympathetic scholarly groups have been accused of uncritically believing what NRMs tell them, being pro-NRM, or ignoring the issues raised by ex-members.{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=109}} The term "[[cult apologists]]" is sometimes used.{{sfnm|1a1=Lewis|1y=2004|1p=7|2a1=Melton|2y=2004|2p=21}}

==Notable researchers ==
{{Dynamic list}}
Inclusion in this list assumes having both the requisite training as well as actually conducting at least one research study on [[cult]]s and/or [[new religious movements]] (using accepted methodological standards common in the research community), published in a peer-reviewed journal or academic book.
<!-- Each entry requires a specific source citing the study carried out. Entries which are inadequate should be tagged. -->
{|class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! style="width:10%;"| Name
! style="width:8%;"| Lifetime
! style="width:10%;"| Field
! class="unsortable" style="width:62%;"| Notes
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Thomas|Alexander|Thomas G. Alexander}}
|1935–
|History
|Alexander, a professor of history at [[Brigham Young University]], is the author of many scholarly books and articles on the history of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]].<ref>{{cite web | author=Forsyth, Justin | title=Teaching Our History Spotlight: Early Mormon Legal History | work=News and Events | publisher=[[J. Reuben Clark Law School]], [[Brigham Young University]] | date=February 19, 2009 | url=http://www.law2.byu.edu/news/item.php?num=324 | access-date=2009-07-21}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Dick|Anthony}}
|1939–2022
|Psychology
|Anthony holds a PhD from the [[Graduate Theological Union]], [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]], California,<ref name="ZablockiRobbin2001">{{Cite book |title=Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field |title-link=Misunderstanding Cults |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-8020-8188-9 |editor-last=Zablocki |editor-first=Benjamin |editor-link=Benjamin Zablocki |page=522 |language=en |chapter=Contributors |editor-last2=Robbins |editor-first2=Thomas |editor-link2=Thomas Robbins (sociologist)}}</ref> and has supervised research at the department of psychiatry of the [[University of North Carolina]] at [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina|Chapel Hill]] and at the [[Graduate Theological Union]], [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]].<ref>Barkun, Michael. ''Millennialism and violence'', Routledge 1996, p. 176, {{ISBN|978-0-7146-4708-1}}</ref><ref name=Sipchen>Sipchen, Bob (November 17, 1988). [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-11-17-vw-257-story.html "Ten Years After Jonestown, the Battle Intensifies Over the Influence of 'Alternative' Religions"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref> His research has been supported by agencies such as the [[National Institute of Mental Health]], the [[National Institute of Drug Abuse]] and the [[National Endowment for the Humanities]], and he has frequently testified or acted as a consultant in court cases involving NRMs.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=xi}} He has been a leading critic of [[brainwashing]] and [[Brainwashing|mind control]] theories and has defended NRMs, arguing that involvement in them has often been shown to have beneficial, rather than harmful effects.<ref name=Sipchen /><ref name=Oldenburg>Oldenburg, Don (November 21, 2003). "Stressed to Kill: The Defense of Brainwashing; Sniper Suspect's Claim Triggers More Debate", ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref><ref name="AltaMira1998">{{cite book|editor1-last=Swatos|editor1-first=William H. Jr.|editor2-last=Kvisto|editor2-first=Peter|editor3-last=Denison|editor3-first=Barbara J.|display-editors = 3 |editor4-last=McClenon|editor4-first=James|title=Encyclopedia of religion and society|date=February 5, 1998|publisher=AltaMira Press|location=Walnut Creek, Calif. [u.a.]|isbn=978-0-7619-8956-1}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Elisabeth|Arweck}}
|1959–
|Religious studies
|Arweck specializes in religious diversity in Europe and the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr Elisabeth Arweck |url=https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ces/staff/elizabetharweck/#overview |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=warwick.ac.uk}}</ref> She wrote ''Researching New Religious Movements: Responses and Redefinitions'' (2006) which analyzes the perception and responses for and against NRMs in various cultures.{{sfn|Arweck|2006|p={{pn|date=September 2022}}}}
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Eileen|Barker}}
|1938–
|Sociology
|Barker is professor emeritus of the sociology department at the [[London School of Economics]]. She is founder and chairperson of [[INFORM]] (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements), past-Chairperson of the [[British Sociological Association]]'s Study Group for the Sociology of Religion, past-President of the [[Society for the Scientific Study of Religion]], and past-President of the [[Association for the Sociology of Religion]]. Her work has included hundreds of articles, books, reviews and consultations with governments.{{sfn|Barker|1984|p={{pn|date=September 2022}}}}<ref name="Beckford2003">{{cite book | last = Beckford | first = James A. |author2=James T. Richardson  | title = Challenging Religion: Essays in Honour of Eileen Barker | publisher = Routledge | year = 2003 | location = London, United Kingdom | isbn = 978-0-415-30948-6 }}</ref>{{rp|1–5}}
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|James A. |Beckford}}
|1942–2022
|Sociology
|Beckford is professor emeritus of sociology at the [[University of Warwick]], a Fellow of the [[British Academy]], and a former president of both the [[Association for the Sociology of Religion]] and the [[International Society for the Sociology of Religion]]. He has authored or edited a dozen books about new religious movements and cult controversies and has contributed about 100 journal articles and book chapters to the field.<ref name="SAGE2007">{{cite book|last1=Demerath III|first1=N.J.|editor1-last=Beckford|editor1-first=James A.|title=The SAGE handbook of the sociology of religion|date=2007|publisher=SAGE Publications|location=Los Angeles|isbn=978-1-4129-1195-5}}</ref>{{rp|x}}<ref>[http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wie/research/wreru/aboutus/staff/jb/jbpublications.doc James A. Beckford: Full list of publications] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008174141/http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wie/research/wreru/aboutus/staff/jb/jbpublications.doc |date=October 8, 2012 }}. Retrieved June 30, 2010.</ref> He is associated with Eileen Barker's [[INFORM]] (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements), a UK charity that disseminates information on NRMs to government and the public at large.<ref>Beckford, James A. (June 20, 2008). [http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=58309 "Cults need vigilance, not alarmism"], ''Church Times''. Retrieved 2010-07-05.</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Benjamin|Beit-Hallahmi}}
|1943–
|Psychology
|Beit-Hallahmi graduated with a [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] degree from [[Hebrew University]], and received his [[Master of Arts|M.A.]] and PhD from [[Michigan State University]].<ref name="bornstein">{{cite book |last=Bornstein |first=Marc H. |title=Psychology and Its Allied Disciplines: Volume 1: Psychology and the Humanities |publisher=Psychology Press |year=1984 |page=[https://archive.org/details/psychologyitsall0001unse/page/283 283] |isbn=0-89859-320-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/psychologyitsall0001unse/page/283 }}</ref> He has served as senior lecturer in psychology at the [[University of Haifa]], and has held faculty roles in clinical and research capacities at [[The University of Michigan]], the [[University of Pennsylvania]], Hebrew University, Michigan State University, and [[Tel Aviv University]].<ref name="bornstein" /> Beit-Hallahmi is the author of ''Psychoanalysis and Religion: A Bibliography'', and co-author of ''The Social Psychology of Religion''; he edited ''Research in Religious Behavior''.<ref name="bornstein" /> He has published scholarship analyzing practices within standards of researching new religious movements.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Beit-Hallahmi |first=Benjamin |author-link=Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi |title=Dear Colleagues: Integrity and Suspicion in NRM Research |journal=Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Annual Meeting |year=1997}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Stefano|Bigliardi}}
|1981–
|Philosophy of religion and science
|Bigliardi is an associate professor of philosophy at [[Al Akhawayn University]]. He has interests in the relationship between science and religion, in pseudoscience and its intersections with [[Islam]] and new religious movements, and in [[ancient aliens]]/[[esoteric]] literature including authors like [[Mauro Biglino]], [[Robert Charroux]], [[Erich von Däniken]], [[Peter Kolosimo]], [[Jean Sendy]], [[Brinsley Le Poer Trench]], and [[Manly P. Hall]]. He has published "New Religious Movements and Science" for [[Cambridge University Press]];<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bigliardi |first1=Stefano |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/new-religious-movements-and-science/753DD76A39C0FD2D8FEA33B9CB3FB209 |title=New Religious Movements and Science |date=2023 |isbn=978-1-009-10420-3 |series=www.cambridge.org |doi=10.1017/9781009104203 |access-date=2023-05-07 |s2cid=258338850}}</ref> other new religious or spiritual movements he has published peer reviewed articles and chapters about include: [[Scientology]], the [[Raelian movement]], [[Falun Gong]], the Mexican [[Santa Muerte]], [[Märtha Louise of Norway]]'s "Angel School," the Italian satanist organization [[Bambini di Satana]], and Stella Azzurra (an Italian branch of [[Santo Daime]]).
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Edward|Breschel}}
|
|Sociology
|Breschel is a professor of sociology, social work, and [[criminology]] at [[Morehead State University]]. He co-authored "General Population and Institutional Elite Support for Social Control of New Religious Movements: Evidence from National Data Survey," ''[[Behavioral Sciences & the Law|Behavioral Science and the Law]]'' 10 (1992): 39–52 with David G. Bromley.<ref>David G. Bromley and Edward F. Breschel, "General Population and Institutional Elite Support for Social Control of New Religious Movements: Evidence from National Data Survey," ''Behavioral Science and the Law'' 10 (1992): 39–52.</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|David G.|Bromley}}
|1941–
|Sociology
|Bromley is a professor of sociology at [[Virginia Commonwealth University]], [[Richmond, Virginia]], and the [[University of Virginia]], [[Charlottesville, Virginia]], a past president of the [[Association for the Sociology of Religion]], and a former editor of the ''[[Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion]]''.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=xi}}<ref name="AltaMira1998"/>{{rp|63–64}}<ref name="bromley">{{cite book| last = Bromley | first = David G. | author-link =  David G. Bromley|author2=J. Gordon Melton  | title =Cults, Religion and Violence  | publisher =  Cambridge University Press| year =2002  | isbn = 0-521-66898-0| author-link2 = J. Gordon Melton }}</ref> His publishing has concentrated both on new religious movements and the [[anti-cult movement]] that arose to oppose them; he and [[Anson Shupe]] became "the primary social science interpreters of that countermovement in a series of books and articles."{{sfn|Gallagher|Ashcraft |2006|p={{pn|date=September 2022}}}} He is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Jonathan M.|Butler}}
|1948–
|History
|Butler is an historian of religion. He worked as an associate professor of church history at [[Loma Linda University]] in California, and also taught at [[Union College (Nebraska)|Union College]] in [[Nebraska]]. He was co-editor of the magazine ''[[Adventist Heritage]]''. He authored an article in 1979 claiming [[Ellen G. White|Ellen White]]'s endtime scenario was culturally conditioned to the point of being more at place in her time than now.<ref>[http://spectrummagazine.org/files/archive/archive06-10/10-2butler.pdf ''The World of E. G. White and the End of the World''] by Jonathan Butler. ''Spectrum'' 10:2 (August 1979), p2–13 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829122544/http://spectrummagazine.org/files/archive/archive06-10/10-2butler.pdf |date=August 29, 2008 }}</ref><ref>''The White Lie'' by Walter Rea, [https://web.archive.org/web/20071027164530/http://www.ellenwhiteexposed.com/rea/rea1.htm chapter 1 reprint]</ref><ref>''[[Seeking a Sanctuary]]'' by Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart, 2nd edn. p325 states he was 26 years old when he published the article in ''The Rise of Adventism'', a 1974 book. That makes his birth year either 1947 or 1948</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Colin|Campbell|nolink=1}}
|
|Sociology
|Campbell wrote an influential article in ''A Sociological Yearbook of Religion in Britain'' about the taxonomy of "[[cult]]" and [[secularization]].<ref>Colin Campbell, "The Cult, the Cultic Milieu, and Secularization," ''A Sociological Yearbook of Religion in Britain'' 5 (1972): 119–36.</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Jean-Pierre|Chantin}}
|1961–
|History
|Chantin is a French historian, associated with the [[University of Lyon]]. He specializes in the history of religion in France, including the [[Catholic Church]] and the role of new religious movements.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iesr.ephe.sorbonne.fr/index3858.html |title=IESR – Auteurs – Jean-Pierre Chantin |work=sorbonne.fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909082630/http://www.iesr.ephe.sorbonne.fr/index3858.html |archive-date=2011-09-09 }}</ref><ref>[http://ihrf.univ-paris1.fr/spip.php?article108 Institute of History of the French Revolution], [[University of Paris]] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425163041/http://ihrf.univ-paris1.fr/spip.php?article108 |date=April 25, 2012 }}</ref> In 1998 his study of [[Jansenism]] was published by the University of Lyon.<ref>Chantin, Jean-Pierre, ''Les Amis de l'Œuvre de la Vérité: Jansénisme, miracles et fin du monde au XIXe siècle'', Presses Universitaires de Lyon, 1998, {{ISBN|2-7297-0598-8}}</ref> In 2001 he was the chief editor of ''[[Dictionnaire du monde religieux dans la France contemporaine]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Les Marges du christianisme: « Sectes », dissidences, ésotérisme |title-link=Les Marges du christianisme |publisher=Éditions Beauchesne |year=2001 |isbn=978-2-7010-1418-0 |editor-last=Chantin |editor-first=Jean-Pierre |editor-link=Jean-Pierre Chantin |series=[[Dictionnaire du monde religieux dans la France contemporaine]] |location=Paris |pages=147–148 |language=fr-FR}}</ref> In 2004 he published a 157-page study on French [[sects]] from 1905 to 2000, asking: "disputes or religious innovations?"<ref>Chantin, Jean-Pierre, ''Des "sectes" dans la France contemporaine: 1905–2000, contestations ou innovations religieuses?'', Privat, 2004, {{ISBN|2-7089-6855-6}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|George D. |Chryssides}}
|1945–
|Religious studies
|Chryssides is the author, contributor and editor for several references covering new religious movements. He is senior lecturer for Religious Studies at the [[University of Wolverhampton]], and has served in various organizations related to the study of religion.<ref>{{cite journal | last =Chryssides | first =George D. | author-link =George D. Chryssides | title =Is God a Space Alien? The Cosmology of the Raëllian Church | journal =Culture and Cosmos | volume =4 | issue =1 | pages =36–53 | year =2000 | doi =10.46472/CC.0104.0207 | doi-access =free }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Chryssides | first = George D. | title = The A to Z of New Religious Movements | publisher = Scarecrow Press/Rowman & Littlefield | year = 2006 | location = Lanham, Maryland/Oxford, United Kingdom | page = 389 | isbn = 978-0-8108-5588-5 }}</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|John Gordon|Clark}}
|1926–1999
|Psychiatry
|Clark was a doctor and professor at [[Harvard Medical School]].<ref>{{cite journal|last =Morrison| first=Barry|title=Cults: A different view|journal=[[Third Way Magazine]] |page=17 | date =July 1981}}</ref> He authored an article on cults for the ''[[Journal of the American Medical Association]]''.<ref>{{cite journal | last =Clark | first =John G. | author-link =John Gordon Clark | title =Cults | journal =[[Journal of the American Medical Association]] | volume =242 | issue =3 |pages= 279–281 | publisher =[[American Medical Association]] | year =1979 | doi = 10.1001/jama.1979.03300030051026 | pmid =448924 }}</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Peter B. |Clarke}}
|1940–2011
|Sociology
|Clarke was professor emeritus of the history and sociology of religion at [[King's College London]], a professorial member of the faculty of theology at the [[University of Oxford]], and the founding editor of the ''[[Journal of Contemporary Religion]]''. His publications include ''Japanese New Religions: In Global Perspective'' (editor), ''New Religions in Global Perspective: A Study of Religious Change in the Modern World'' and the ''Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements'' (editor).<ref>{{cite book | last =Clarke | first =Peter B. | author-link =Peter B. Clarke  | title =New Religions in Global Perspective: A Study of Religious Change in the Modern World | publisher =Routledge | page=i  | year =2006 | isbn = 978-0-415-25747-3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last =Clarke | first =Peter B. | author-link =Peter B. Clarke  | title =Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements  | publisher =Routledge | page=i  | year =2006 | isbn = 978-0-415-45383-7 }}</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{sortname|Dan|Cohn-Sherbok}}
|1945–
|Religious studies
|Cohn-Sherbok is a [[rabbi]] of [[Reform Judaism]], a Jewish theologian and a prolific author on religion. He is Professor Emeritus of Judaism at the [[University of Wales]]. He has written on [[Messianic Judaism]], [[Christian Zionism]], and other new religious movements related to Judaism.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/dan-cohnsherbok-the-rabbi-who-sees-another-side-to-antisemitism-470532.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031231720/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/dan-cohnsherbok-the-rabbi-who-sees-another-side-to-antisemitism-470532.html| archive-date=October 31, 2009| title=Dan Cohn-Sherbok: the rabbi who sees another side to anti-Semitism| work=The Independent| date=March 19, 2006 }}</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Douglas E. |Cowan}}
|1958–
|Religious studies
|Cowan teaches at Renison College, [[University of Waterloo]], Ontario, Canada, and is one of the co-general editors of ''[[Nova Religio|Nova Religio: The Journal of New and Emergent Religions.]]''<ref>{{cite web | last =Cowan | first =Douglas E. | author-link =Douglas E. Cowan | title =Moose-hugging: the web office of douglas e. cowan, Renison College / University of Waterloo  | url =http://artsweb.uwaterloo.ca/~decowan/ | access-date = June 17, 2010 }}</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Lorne L.| Dawson}}
|
|Sociology
|Dawson is professor of sociology and chair of the department of religious studies at the [[University of Waterloo]]. His publications include ''Comprehending Cults'' (1998), ''Cults and New Religions'' (2003) and ''Religion Online'' (2004); in addition, he has authored numerous scholarly articles and book chapters on the study of new religions, religion and the internet and related topics.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=xi}}
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Régis|Dericquebourg}}
|1947–
|Sociology
|Dericquebourg is a [[sociologist of religion]]s. He wrote his thesis on [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] under the direction of [[Jean Seguy]]. He holds a doctorate in psychosociology and a postgraduate degree in clinical psychology from the Institute of Paris 7.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Régis Dericquebourg |journal=Ethnographiques.org. |url=http://www.ethnographiques.org/Dericquebourg-Regis |publisher=ethnographiques |language=fr |access-date=July 6, 2011 |issn=1961-9162}}</ref> He is a member of the Group for the Study of Religions and Secularity at the National Center for the Scientific Studies in Paris, and a professor at the [[Charles de Gaulle University – Lille III]]. He published five books, many sociological articles in collective books, encyclopedias and journals and regularly participated in conferences on sociology. His contributions are mainly on Jehovah's Witnesses, healing churches and [[new religious movement]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gsrl.cnrs.fr/spip.php%3Farticle136&lang=fr.html |title=Accueil du site > Membres > Membres statutaires > Autres enseignants-chercheurs > DERICQUEBOURG Régis |publisher=GSRL Groupe Sociétés, Religions, Laïcité |language=fr |access-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005214223/http://www.gsrl.cnrs.fr/spip.php?article136&lang=fr.html |archive-date=2011-10-05 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Karel|Dobbelaere}}
|1933–
|Sociology
|Dobbelaere is an emeritus professor at both the [[University of Antwerp]] and the [[Université catholique de Louvain|Catholic University of Leuven]] in Belgium. He is past president and general secretary of the [[International Society for the Sociology of Religion]]. His teaching focus was on sociology and the sociology of religion. His research fields have included changes in religious participation and new religious sectarian movements.<ref name="Beckford2003"/>{{rp|ix}}
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|{{Sortname|Asbjørn|Dyrendal}}
|
|Religious studies
|Dyrendal is a professor of philosophy and religious studies at [[Norwegian University of Science and Technology]]. He specializes in [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] and new religious movements. He wrote, for example, "The Role of Conspiracy Mentality and Paranormal Beliefs in Predicting Conspiracy Beliefs Among Neopagans," ''International Journal for the Study of New Religions'' 8, no. 1 (2018): 73–91 with [[James R. Lewis (scholar)|James R. Lewis]] and [[Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asbjørn Dyrendal – NTNU |url=https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/asbjorn.dyrendal |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=www.ntnu.edu |language=en-GB}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Steve |Eichel}}
|1954–
|Psychology
|Eichel is a [[psychologist]] known primarily for his work on [[destructive cult]]s, [[coercive persuasion]], [[Brainwashing|mind control]], [[brainwashing]], and [[deprogramming]]. He is a former president of the Greater Philadelphia Society of Clinical Hypnosis and the 2006–07 president of the American Academy of Counseling Psychology, the national membership academy comprising [[American Board of Professional Psychology]] (ABPP) board-certified counseling psychologists. Eichel is the president of the board of the [[International Cultic Studies Association]] (ICSA).
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|{{Sortname|Ronald |Enroth}}
|1938–
|Sociology
|Enroth is a widely published author and prominent [[Christian countercult movement|Christian countercultist]] who has done work in the area of abusive evangelical Christian congregations and new religious movements. He is professor emeritus of sociology at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.<ref>{{cite book | last =Benner | first =David G. | title =Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology | publisher =Baker Publishing Group | date =July 1985 | location =[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] | pages =Enroth | url =https://archive.org/details/bakerencyclopedi0000unse | isbn =978-0-8010-0865-8 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Lindskoog | first = Kathryn Ann | title = Sleuthing C.S. Lewis: More Light in the Shadowlands | url = https://archive.org/details/sleuthingcslewis0000lind | url-access = registration | publisher = Mercer University Press | year = 2001 | location = Macon, Georgia | page = [https://archive.org/details/sleuthingcslewis0000lind/page/350 350] | isbn = 0-86554-730-0 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Langone | first = Michael D. | title = Recovery from Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse | url = https://archive.org/details/recoveryfromcult00mich | url-access = registration | publisher = W. W. Norton & Company | year = 1993 | location = New York City | page = [https://archive.org/details/recoveryfromcult00mich/page/257 257] | isbn = 0-393-31321-2 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Richard Kent|Evans}}
|
|Religious studies
|Evans is visiting professor of religion at [[Haverford College]]. He authored ''MOVE: An American Religion'' (2020) about the [[MOVE (Philadelphia organization)|MOVE]] movement in Philadelphia, which was sometimes described as an NRM.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard Evans {{!}} Haverford College |url=https://www.haverford.edu/users/rkevans |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=www.haverford.edu |language=en}}</ref>
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|{{sortname|Arthur|Fauset}}
|1899–1983
|Anthropology
|Fauset was a noted civil rights activist, anthropologist, folklorist, and educator. He belonged to the Philadelphia Anthropology Society, the [[American Anthropological Association]], and the [[American Folklore Society]]. [[Elsie Clews Parsons]] supported him throughout his career in anthropology and with her support Fauset published his PhD on African American cults in Philadelphia, New York and Chicago, ''Black Gods of the Metropolis'' in 1944.<ref>Edward E. Curtis and Danielle Brune Sigler, eds., The New Black Gods: Arthur Huff Fauset and the Study of African American Religions, Bloomington: [[Indiana University Press]], 2009.</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Thomas|Forsthoefel}}
|
|Religious studies
|Forsthoefel is a professor of [[religious studies]] at [[Mercyhurst College]] in [[Erie, Pennsylvania]], as well as a poet and author. He has a special interest in [[Hinduism]] and [[Buddhism]] and has written on both [[new religious movements]] and established traditions within these faiths, while his own background is [[Roman Catholic]].<ref name = "goerie20081129">[http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081129/LIFESTYLES03/311299978/-1/LIFESTYLES Erie author compiles anthology of wisdom and spirituality from Dalai Lama's words], ''[[Erie Times-News]]'', November 29, 2008</ref><ref name = "NYT2011810">[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/sports/football/all-nighters-keep-football-team-competitive-during-ramadan.html All-Nighters for a Football Team During Ramadan], ''The New York Times'', August 10, 2011</ref> Forsthoefel's published books include: ''Four charismatic thinkers on violence and non-violence: analysis and evaluation'' ([[Loyola University of Chicago]], 1987), ''Epistemologies of religious experience in medieval and modern Vedānta'' ([[University of Chicago Divinity School]], 1998), ''Knowing beyond knowledge: epistemologies of religious experience in classical and modern Advaita'' ([[Ashgate Publishing|Ashgate]], 2002), ''Gurus in America'' co-editor with Cynthia Ann Humes ([[SUNY Press]], 2005), ''Soulsong: Seeking Holiness, Coming Home'' ([[Orbis Books]], 2006), and ''The Dalai Lama: essential writings'' editor (Orbis Books, 2008).
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|{{Sortname|Daniel|Foss}} 
|1940–2014
|Sociology
|Foss is a sociologist and author. He taught at the School for Critical Studies at the [[California Institute of the Arts]], at [[Livingston College]], and at the Newark College of Arts and Sciences at [[Rutgers University]]. He has published research in sociology [[Academic journal|journals]], including a piece on the white middle class youth movement of the 1960s and its relationship with later movements such as the [[Family International|Children of God]], the [[Divine Light Mission]], [[Muktananda|Swami Muktananda]] and the [[Revolutionary Youth Movement]] in ''Theory and Society''.<ref name="fromthegates">{{cite journal | last =Larkin | first =Ralph W. |author2=Daniel A. Foss  | title =From "the gates of Eden" to "day of the locust" | journal =Theory and Society | volume =3 | issue =1 | pages =45–64 |issn=0304-2421 | date =March 1976 | doi =10.1007/BF00158479| s2cid =140396408 }}</ref> He later co-authored, with [[Ralph Larkin]], a more focused article dealing with [[Prem Rawat|Guru Maharaj Ji]] and his followers, which was published in ''Sociological Analysis'',<ref name="Worshiping the Absurd">{{cite journal |last =Larkin | first =Ralph W. |author2=Daniel A. Foss  | title =Worshiping the Absurd: The Negation of Social Causality among the Followers of Guru Maharaj Ji  | journal =Sociological Analysis | volume =39 | issue =2 | pages =157–164 | publisher = Sociological Analysis, Vol. 39, No. 2| date =Summer 1978 | jstor = 3710215| doi =10.2307/3710215}}</ref> and a piece dealing with the [[vocabulary]] used in these social movements, in ''Social Text''.<ref>{{cite journal | last =Larkin | first =Ralph |author2=Daniel Foss   | title =Lexicon of Folk-Etymology  | journal =Social Text | volume =9/10 | issue = 9| pages =The 60's without Apology, 360–377 | date =Spring–Summer 1984 | jstor = 466589| doi =10.2307/466589}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Marc|Galanter|Marc Galanter (MD)}}
|1931–
|Psychiatry
|Galanter is director of the division of alcoholism and drug abuse in the department of psychiatry at [[New York University School of Medicine]].<ref>{{cite news| last = Mozes | first =Alan  | title = Club Drug 'Special K' Could Leave Users Incontinent | work = [[BusinessWeek]]  | publisher = www.businessweek.com| date = May 31, 2010 | url = http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/639580.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100603225115/http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/639580.html | archive-date = June 3, 2010 | access-date =2010-06-15  }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last = Reinberg | first = Steven  | title = CDC warns of ecstasy overdose 'clusters' at raves | work = [[USA Today]]  | publisher =  www.usatoday.com | date =  June 12, 2010| url =https://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-06-12-ecstasy-rave_N.htm  | access-date = June 15, 2010 }}</ref> He is the editor of ''Cults and New Religious Movements: A Report of the American Psychiatric Association'',<ref name="galantercults">{{cite book | last =Galanter | first =Marc | author-link =Marc Galanter (MD)  | title =Cults and New Religious Movements: A Report of the American Psychiatric Association | publisher =[[American Psychiatric Association]] | year =1989 | location =Washington, D.C.|isbn=0-89042-212-5|pages=25, 109, 165 }}</ref> and author of ''[[Cults: Faith, Healing and Coercion]]''.<ref>{{cite book| last = Galanter | first =  Marc| author-link = Marc Galanter (MD) | title = Cults: Faith, Healing and Coercion | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1999   | isbn = 0-19-512369-7| title-link = Cults: Faith, Healing and Coercion}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Eugene V.|Gallagher}}
|1950–
|Religious studies
|Gallagher is a professor of religious studies at [[Connecticut College]]. His department lists his specializations as: [[History of religion]], [[New religious movements]], [[New Testament]] and [[early Christianity]], [[Western culture|Western]] [[scriptures]] and [[Religious tradition|traditions]]. He is the author of several books, mainly on the topic of new religious movements.<ref>[http://www.conncoll.edu/academics/web_profiles/gallagher Eugene V. Gallagher], [[Connecticut College]] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612090943/http://www.conncoll.edu/academics/web_profiles/gallagher |date=June 12, 2011 }}</ref> In 1995 Gallagher and James D. Tabor, an associate professor of religious studies at the [[University of North Carolina]], co-authored ''Why Waco? Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America.'' The book blamed the 1993 [[Waco siege]] partly on misunderstanding of religious issues by law enforcement personnel.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/03/books/cast-into-the-lake-of-fire.html?src=pm Cast Into the Lake of Fire], Mark Silk, 1995-9-3, ''The New York Times''</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Mattias|Gardell}}
|1959–
|Religious studies
|Gardell is a scholar of [[comparative religion]]. He is the current holder of the Nathan Söderblom Chair of Comparative Religion at [[Uppsala University]], Sweden.<ref name=uu>{{cite press release|title=Mattias Gardell ny professor i jämförande religionsvetenskap |url=http://info.uu.se/press.nsf/pm/mattias.gardell.id9C5.html |publisher=[[Uppsala University]] |date=March 8, 2006 |access-date=2008-11-10 |language=sv |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925055610/http://info.uu.se/press.nsf/pm/mattias.gardell.id9C5.html |archive-date=2007-09-25 }}</ref> Gardell specializes in the study of religious extremism and religious racism in the United States, studying groups such as the [[Ku Klux Klan]], the [[Nation of Islam]], and racialist movements in [[Neopaganism]] ([[Odinism]]). His 1995 dissertation on [[Louis Farrakhan]] and the Nation of Islam was published in both British and American editions.<ref name=uu/>
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|{{sortname|Martin|Gardner}}
|1914–2010
|Mathematics
|Gardner was an American mathematics and science author. He wrote the ''[[Mathematical Games (column)|Mathematical Games]]'' column in ''[[Scientific American]]'' from 1956 to 1981 and the ''Notes of a Fringe-Watcher'' column in ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' from 1983 to 2002 and published over 70 books. He wrote on various new religious movements, including Scientology and [[Urantia]] (the topic of his 1995 book published by [[Prometheus Books]]).{{sfn|Gardner|1995}}<ref name=nyt09>{{Cite news |work=The New York Times |title=For Decades, Puzzling People With Mathematics |first=John |last=Tierney |date=October 20, 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/science/20tier.html |access-date=2010-05-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Martin Gardner dies at 95; prolific mathematics columnist for Scientific American |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-may-26-la-me-martin-gardner-20100526-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529164148/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/26/local/la-me-martin-gardner-20100526 |url-status=live |archive-date=May 29, 2010 |date=October 21, 1914 |access-date=2010-05-27 |first=Thomas H. |last=Maugh II}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Singmaster |first1=D |year=2010 |title=Obituary: Martin Gardner (1914–2010) |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=465 |issue=7300| page=884 |doi=10.1038/465884a |pmid=20559379| bibcode=2010Natur.465..884S |doi-access=free}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Ron |Geaves}}
|1948–
|Religious studies
|Geaves is a professor of religion at [[Liverpool Hope University]] in England. He has become known by his expertise in the adaptation and transmigration of religions to the West, especially [[Islam]], [[Sikhism]] and [[Hinduism]]. He is the author of several books, including ''The Sufis of Britain'', which explored the manifestations of Islamic mysticism in the UK and ''The Continuum Glossary of Religious Terminology'' an extensive glossary of seven major world faiths. He was one of the earliest Western students of Maharaji ([[Prem Rawat]], known also as Guru Maharaj Ji), and has written a number of papers related to Maharaji and his organizations, such as the [[Divine Light Mission]], and [[Elan Vital (organization)|Elan Vital]].<ref>[[Andrea Cagan|Cagan, Andrea]], ''Peace Is Possible: The Life and Message of Prem Rawat'',  pp.109, Mighty River Press (2007), {{ISBN|978-0-9788694-9-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last =Partridge | first =Christopher  | title =New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities  | publisher =[[Oxford University Press]] | date =February 6, 2004 | pages =[[Ron Geaves]]: 129–130, 134–135, 138, 141, 144, 172, 197, 201  | isbn =978-0-19-522042-1 }}</ref>
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|{{sortname|Stephen|Glazier|Stephen D. Glazier}}
|
|Anthropology
|Glazier is a member of the graduate faculty in anthropology at the [[University of Nebraska]]; where he teaches classes in anthropology, race and minority relations, and sociology of religion. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in [[Trinidad]] which focused on Caribbean religions such as [[Rastafari]], [[Vodoun]], and the [[Spiritual Baptists]]. He has served as president of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness and secretary of the [[Society for the Scientific Study of Religion]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Glazier|first1=Stephen D.|title=Stephen D. Glazier|url=http://www.unk.edu/academics/sociology/faculty-staff/stephen-glazier.php|publisher=University of Nebraska Kearney|access-date=February 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507084930/http://www.unk.edu/academics/sociology/faculty-staff/stephen-glazier.php|archive-date=May 7, 2015}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Andreas|Grünschloß}}
|1957–
|Religious studies
|{{lang|de|Grünschloß|italic=no}}, professor of religious studies at [[Göttingen University]], is a researcher with a focus on new religious movements (especially [[UFO religion]]s), [[Buddhism]], [[syncretism]] and related topics who has contributed to various encyclopedias, anthologies and scholarly journals.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=xii}} He is also co-editor of the ''[[Marburg Journal of Religion]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uni-marburg.de/fb03/ivk/mjr?language_sync=1|title=Welcome – Philipps-Universität Marburg – Marburg Journal of Religion|work=uni-marburg.de}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Jeffrey K.|Hadden}}
|1937–2003
|Sociology
|Hadden was Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at the [[University of Virginia]], and founder of an internet resource on new religious movements, the Religious Movements Homepage Project.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=xii}}<ref name="hadden">{{cite book| last = Hadden | first =Jeffrey K.  | author-link =Jeffrey K. Hadden  |author2=David G. Bromley | title =The Handbook on Cults and Sects in America  | publisher = Emerald Group Publishing Limited | year =  1993| isbn = 1-55938-715-7| author-link2 =David G. Bromley  }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|David A.|Halperin}}
|
|Psychiatry
|Halperin is a psychiatrist interested in the intersects between religion and psychiatry and psychology. He edited the volume ''Psychodynamic Perspectives on Religion, Sect, and Cult'' (1983).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Halperin |first=David A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vNgnAAAAYAAJ |title=Psychodynamic Perspectives on Religion, Sect, and Cult |date=1983 |publisher=J. Wright, PSG, Incorporated |isbn=978-0-7236-7029-2 |language=en}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Olav|Hammer}}
|1958–
|History
|Hammer is a Professor of [[History of Religion]] at the [[University of Southern Denmark]] in [[Odense]], with a research focus on the application of [[critical theory]] in the context of religious change and innovation.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=xii}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hanegraaff|first1=Wouter|last2=Pijnenburg|first2=J.|title=Hermes in the Academy: ten years' study of western esotericism at the University of Amsterdam|page=14|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=--byq3vLkQ4C&q=%22Olav%20Hammer%22%20%22Professor%22&pg=PA14|isbn=978-90-5629-572-1|date=August 20, 2009}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Graham|Harvey|Graham Harvey (religious studies scholar)}}
|1959–
|Religious studies
|Harvey specializes in [[Modern Paganism]], [[indigenous religion]]s, and [[animism]]. He wrote books such as ''Listening People, Speaking Earth: Contemporary Paganism'' (1997) and ''What Do Pagans Believe?'' (2007), and he edited volumes like ''Paganism Today: Witches, Druids, the Goddess and Ancient Earth Traditions for the Twenty-First Century'' (with Charlotte Hardman; 1996).<ref>See [[Graham Harvey (religious studies scholar)|Harvey]]'s Wikipedia article.</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Steven |Hassan}}
|1954–
|Psychiatry
|Hassan formed a method of counseling former members of controversial religious groups, called the ''Strategic Interaction Approach''.<ref name="psychologyofterrorism">{{cite book|last=Stout |first=Chris E. |title=The Psychology of Terrorism: Volume III, Theoretical Understandings and Perspectives |publisher=Praeger |year=2002 |page=217 |isbn=0-275-97867-2}}</ref> In his 2002 book ''The Psychology of Terrorism'', author [[Chris Stout (psychologist)|Chris E. Stout]] writes that Hassan, "bases his counseling of voluntary cultists on theory and research. To combat destructive mind control, he has developed the Strategic Interaction Approach. This approach is designed to free the cult member from the group's control over his or her life."<ref name="psychologyofterrorism" /> ''[[New York Magazine]]'' characterized Hassan as, "one of the country's leading experts on cults and mind control."<ref>{{cite news |title=Data Mind Games |work=[[New York Magazine]] |publisher=New York Media Holdings |page=52 |date=July 29, 1996}}</ref> Steven Hassan is the author of the book ''[[Combatting Cult Mind Control]]'', which was recommended by [[Louis Jolyon West]] in the ''[[American Journal of Psychiatry]]'' "to both lay persons who wish to become better informed on this topic and to professionals in health-related fields, clergy, attorneys, judges, and others whose responsibilities bring them into contact with cults, their members, and the families whose lives are affected."<ref>{{cite journal|last=West| first=Louis Jolyon| author-link=Louis Jolyon West |title=Combatting Cult Mind Control, by Steven Hassan|journal=[[American Journal of Psychiatry]]|volume=147 |issue=7|publisher=[[American Psychiatric Association]] |date=July 1990|issn=0002-953X |oclc=1480183| doi=10.1176/ajp.147.7.943 |pages=943–944}}</ref> and Peter Tyrer MD in ''[[The Lancet]]'' wrote that it was "well worth reading" for "professionals in mental health, particularly those involved with students."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Tyrer |first=Peter |title=Review of Books: Combatting Cult Mind Control, Steven Hassan |journal=[[The Lancet]] |volume=333 |issue=8652 |pages=1420–1422 |publisher=[[Elsevier]] |location = London |date=June 24, 1989 |issn=0140-6736 |oclc=01755507|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(89)90127-X |s2cid=53271781}}</ref> His "Strategic Intervention Therapy: A New Form of Exit Counseling for Cult Members" was published in 1994.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hassan |first=Steven |editor1-first=Anson D. |editor1-last=Shupe |editor2-first=David G. |editor2-last=Bromley |title=Anti-cult Movements in Cross-cultural Perspective |series=Garland Library of Social Science |volume=913 |year=1994 |publisher=Garland |location=New York |isbn=0-8153-1428-0 |chapter=Strategic Intervention Therapy: A New Form of Exit Counseling for Cult Members}}</ref> In 2003, the [[news agency]] ''[[Reuters]]'' described Hassan as a "cult expert";<ref>{{cite news| agency=[[Reuters]] |title=Was Liz's Mind in Chains? |work=[[The Toronto Sun]]| publisher =Sun Media Corporation  | page = 38 | date =March 14, 2003 }}</ref> the same characterization has been made about include Hassan, the leader formally [[Unification Church of the United States]], by''[[The Toronto Sun]]'',<ref>{{cite news| last =Ganley |first=Ciaran |title=No mind of their own |work=[[The Toronto Sun]] |publisher=Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation |page=38 |date=March 30, 1997}}</ref> the ''[[Sydney Morning Herald]]'',<ref>{{cite news| last=Millikan |first=David |title=Prophet of the posh |work=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |page=5 |date=April 22, 1995}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Rich |first=Frank |date=October 13, 1994 |title=Journal; Manchurian Candidate II |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/13/opinion/journal-manchurian-candidate-ii.html |work=The New York Times |page=27; A}}</ref> ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'',<ref>{{cite news| last = Nethaway | first = Roland |title=The unlearned lesson of Waco |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |publisher=Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc |date=October 11, 1994}}</ref> the ''[[Herald Sun]]'',<ref>{{cite news |title=Doomsday call common |work=[[Herald Sun]] |publisher=Nationwide News |date=April 21, 1993}}</ref> and ''[[Newsweek]]''.<ref>{{cite news| last=Barol |first=Bill |author2=Nadine Joseph |title=Getting Grandma Back Again |work=[[Newsweek]] |page=71 |date=October 23, 1989}}</ref> In the book ''Theorising Religion: Classical and Contemporary Debates'' edited by [[James A. Beckford]] and John Walliss, Hassan is described as a "scholar" belonging to the faction of "cult bashers."<ref>{{cite book| last=Beckford| first=James A. |author-link=James A. Beckford |author2=John Walliss |title=Theorising Religion: Classical and Contemporary Debates |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |year=2006 |page=91 |isbn=978-0-7546-4068-4}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Irving|Hexham}} 
|1943–
|Religious studies
|Hexham is professor of religious studies at the [[University of Calgary]], Alberta, Canada. He began his academic research with a study of [[New Age]] thought in [[Glastonbury]]<ref>van der Heyden and Feldkeller, pp. 477</ref> and continued his research with a study of the origins of the ideology of [[Apartheid]].<ref>A revised version of his PhD thesis was published as: Irving Hexham, The Irony of Apartheid, Lewiston, Edwin Mellen, 1981.</ref> Later he pioneered the study of the [[amaNazareta]] by publishing the complete [[scriptures]] of this important [[African Independent Church]] which in the past was often considered [[pagan]].<ref>Cf. G.C. Oosthuizen, ''The Theology of a South African Messiah'', Leiden, Brill, 1977</ref> Alongside his South African studies Hexham also published extensively on [[New Religious Movements]], Theology, the [[History of Christian Missions]], and, more recently [[National Socialism]].<ref>{{cite book | last =Hexham | first =Christopher  | author-link = Irving Hexham | title =Pocket Dictionary of New Religious Movements  | publisher =[[InterVarsity Press]] | isbn =978-0-8308-1466-4 | date =January 1, 2002 }}; [http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/author.pl/author_id=273 InterVarsity Press biographical profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104031020/http://ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/author.pl/author_id%3D273 |date=January 4, 2010 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Titus|Hjelm}}
|1974–
|Religious studies and sociology
|Hjelm is a professor in the study of religion at [[University of Helsinki]] (formerly a professor of sociology at [[University College London]]). He primarily focuses on [[Wicca]], [[Satanism]], and other [[neopagan movements]] in [[Nordic countries|Nordic]] countries. For example, he published "Between [[Satan]] and [[Harry Potter]]: Legitimating Wicca in Finland," ''[[Journal of Contemporary Religion]]'' 21, no. 1 (2006).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Publications – Titus Hjelm |url=https://blogs.helsinki.fi/thjelm/publications-2/ |access-date=2022-07-19 |language=en-US}}</ref>
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|{{sortname|Walter|Hollenweger}}
|1927–2016
|Theology
|Hollenweger was a [[Swiss (people)|Swiss]] theologian and author, recognized as an expert on worldwide [[Pentecostalism]]. His two best known books are: ''The Pentecostals'' (1972) and ''Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide'' (1997)<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hollenweger|first1=Walter J.|title=The Pentecostals|date=January 1, 1972|publisher=S.C.M. Press|location=London|isbn=978-0-334-01255-9}}</ref> In 1955 he began studying at the faculty of theology of the [[University of Zurich]]. He wrote a ten volume doctoral dissertation ''Handbuch der Pfingstbewegung'' (''Handbook of the Pentecostal Movement'') published in 1966. The core of this work was published in various languages and became a standard work on Pentecostalism. His numerous publications in the years following made him one of the premier interpreters of this movement.
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|{{sortname|Cynthia Ann|Humes}}
|1958–
|Religious Studies
|Humes is a professor of religious studies at [[Claremont McKenna College]], in [[Claremont, California]].<ref name="CMC">{{cite web|url=http://www.cmc.edu/academic/faculty/profile.php?Fac=39|title=Home|author=Claremont McKenna College|work=cmc.edu|access-date=2011-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117093405/http://cmc.edu/academic/faculty/profile.php?Fac=39|archive-date=2011-11-17}}</ref> She has spent much time in India to study first-hand the role of [[goddesses]] in modern [[Hinduism]],<ref>Nilima Chitgopekar, 2002, ''Invoking goddesses: gender politics in Indian religion'', Shakti Books,  page 84</ref><ref>John Stratton Hawley, Donna M. Wulff, 1998, ''Devī: goddesses of India'', Motilal Banarsidass Publ., pages 10–11</ref> and has also written on Hinduism's influence on [[new religious movements]] in the United States.<ref>''Gurus in America''. By [[Thomas Forsthoefel]] and Cynthia Ann Humes. Albany: SUNY Press, 2005.</ref> In 2008 she criticized the [[Transcendental Meditation movement]] for its seeming misunderstanding of [[Indian classical music]],<ref>Cynthia Ann Humes, "Maharishi Ayur-Veda", chapter 17 in {{Citation  | last1 = Wujastyk| first1 = Dagmar| last2 = Smith| first2 = Frederick M.| title = Modern and global Ayurveda: Pluralism and Paradigms | year = 2008 | publisher = State University of New York Press | location = Albany | isbn = 978-0-7914-7489-1 }}</ref> while in 2005 she had criticized its exclusivity.<ref name=Humes>{{cite book|title=Gurus In America|editor1-first=Thomas A. |editor1-last=Forsthoefel|editor2-first=Cynthia Ann |editor2-last=Humes|first=Cynthia Ann |last=Humes |pages=55–80|chapter=Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Beyond the TM Technique|publisher=SUNY Press|year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7914-6573-8 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ugSb7mArJlYC&pg=PA55}}</ref> 
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|{{Sortname|Stephen J.|Hunt}}
|1954–
|Sociology
|Hunt is a professor of sociology at the [[University of the West of England]] whose primary research interests in the field of alternative religion include the [[Charismatic movement]] and the "New" Black [[Pentecostal]] Churches.<ref name="SAGE2007"/>{{rp|14}}<ref name="university">[http://www.uwe.ac.uk/hlss/sociology/staff_shunt.shtml Profile], [[University of the West of England]], School of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences.</ref>
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|{{sortname|Ronald|Hutton}}
|1953–
|History
|Hutton is an English historian. Educated at [[Cambridge]] and [[Oxford]], he taught history at the [[University of Bristol]] in the 1980s. He has written influential books on [[Neopaganism]], [[Wicca]], and related topics.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/ronald-hutton--wicca-and-other-invented-traditions-448667.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109115614/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/ronald-hutton--wicca-and-other-invented-traditions-448667.html |archive-date=January 9, 2010 |title=Ronald Hutton – Wicca and other invented traditions  |last=Lachman, Gary |author-link=Gary Lachman |date=May 13, 2007 |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=September 30, 2011 |ref=Lac07}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Lamond, Frederic |author-link=Frederic Lamond (Wiccan) |year=2004 |title=Fifty Years of Wicca |publisher=Green Magic |ref=Lam04 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Massimo |Introvigne}}
|1955–
|Sociology
|Introvigne is the director of the Center for Studies of New Religions ([[CESNUR]]) in [[Turin]], Italy; his publications include over thirty books on the history and sociology of religion (among them the ''Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia''), as well as over a hundred scholarly articles in various languages.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=xii}}<ref>{{cite book| last = Cipriani | first = Roberto | title = Nuovo manuale di sociologia della religione | publisher = Borla | year = 2009 | location = Rome | page = 470 | isbn = 978-88-263-1732-8 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Benton |Johnson}}
|1928–
|Sociology
|Johnson is professor emeritus of sociology at the [[University of Oregon]], former chair of both its sociology department and department of religious studies, and former editor of ''[[Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion]]''. He is past president of the [[Society for the Scientific Study of Religion]], the [[Association for the Sociology of Religion]], and The Religious Research Association. His work focuses on church-sect typology, new religious movements and mainline U.S. Protestant denominations.<ref name="AltaMira1998"/>{{rp|251–252}}<ref>{{cite book | last = Klass | first = Morton |author2=Maxine K. Weisgrau  | title = Across the Boundaries of Belief: Contemporary Issues in the Anthropology of Religion | publisher = Westview Press | year = 1999 | location = Boulder, Colorado and Oxford, United Kingdom | page = 378 | isbn = 978-0-8133-2695-5 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Danny |Jorgensen}}
|1951–
|Religious studies
|Jorgensen is a professor at the department of religious studies of the [[University of South Florida]]<ref>{{cite thesis | title=Tarot divination in the Valley of the Sun: an existential sociology of the exoteric and occult | work=Library Catalog | publisher=University Libraries, The [[Ohio State University]] | url=http://library.ohio-state.edu/record=b2632225~S7 | access-date=2010-04-05| year=1979 }}</ref> is an American professor at the department of religious studies of the University of South Florida,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sagepub.com/authorDetails.nav?contribId=502477|title=Author – Danny L. Jorgensen|work=SAGE|date=February 8, 2016}}</ref> for which he also served as [[Chair (academic)|chair]] from 1999 to 2006. Jorgensen's research interests include Sociology of Culture, Knowledge, and Religion, Science and Religion, Cults and Sects, [[Religion in the United States|American religion]], [[Native American religions]], [[New religious movements|new religions]], [[Mormonism]], [[Shakerism]], [[Occultism]], [[Neopaganism]], [[Witchcraft]], [[Scientology]], and others.<ref name=vita>{{cite web | author=Jorgensen, Danny | title=Curriculum Vitae | work=Faculty Academic Information Reporting | publisher=[[University of South Florida]] | url=http://usfweb2.usf.edu/fair/save/displayvita.asp?emplid=00000021787 | access-date=2009-05-12}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
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|{{Sort name|Jeffrey|Kaplan|Jeffrey Kaplan (academic)}}
|1954–
|Religious studies
|Kaplan specializes in [[Race (human categorization)|race]], racism, [[white supremacy]], and their intersections with new religious movements and religion generally. He co-edited with Heléne Lööw a volume named ''The Cultic Milieu: Oppositional Subcultures in an Age of Globalization'' (2002).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780759102040/The-Cultic-Milieu-Oppositional-Subcultures-in-an-Age-of-Globalization |title=The Cultic Milieu: Oppositional Subcultures in an Age of Globalization |language=en-us}}</ref>
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|{{sortname|Alice Beck|Kehoe|Alice Beck Kehoe}}
|1934–
|Anthropology
|Kehoe was professor of anthropology at [[University of Nebraska at Lincoln]] and [[Marquette University]], and the author of several books on new religious movements among [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] peoples, including the [[Ghost Dance]].{{sfn|Gallagher|Ashcraft|2006|loc=v. 4|p=19}}
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|{{Sortname|Stephen A.|Kent}}
|
|Sociology
|Kent is a professor in the department of sociology at the [[University of Alberta]] in Edmonton, [[Alberta]], Canada.<ref name="goodyear">{{cite web | first = Dana | last = Goodyear | title = Château Scientology | url =http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/01/14/080114fa_fact_goodyear?printable=true| work = Letter from California | publisher = New Yorker | date =January 14, 2008 | access-date = June 6, 2009 }}</ref> A specialist in alternative religions, he has published research on such groups as the [[Family International|Children of God]] and [[Scientology]], and has cautioned against downplaying the risks associated with involvement in such groups.<ref name="goodyear" /><ref name="beaman">{{cite book  | last =Beaman  | first =Lori G. | author-link = Lori G. Beaman  | title =Religion and Canadian Society: Traditions, Transitions, and Innovations  | publisher =Canadian Scholars' Press  | year =2006  | page =272  | isbn = 978-1-55130-306-2}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Reender |Kranenborg}}
|1942–
|Religious studies
|Kranenborg was an editor of the magazine ''Religious Movement in the Netherlands'' published by the institute of [[religious studies]] of the [[Vrije Universiteit|Free University in Amsterdam]].<ref>Religieuze Bewegingen in Nederland nr. 22 1991 Published by VU publishing House Colofon<br />Eindredacteur Dr. R. Kranenborg<br /> Instituut voor Godsdienstwetenschap<br />Vrije Universiteit</ref> He received his PhD in the theological faculty about the subject of [[self-realization]] and he has a seat at the ''Comitato Scientifico'' (scientific committee) of the [[CESNUR]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cesnur.org/about.htm|title=About CESNUR|publisher=[[CESNUR]]}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Jeffrey|Kripal}} 
|1962–
|Religious studies
|Kripal is a professor of religious studies and chair of the department of religious studies at [[Rice University]], [[Houston]], Texas. His areas of interest include the comparative erotics and ethics of mystical literature, American [[countercultural]] translations of [[Eastern religion|Asian religion]]s, and the history of [[Western esotericism]] from ancient [[gnosticism]] to the [[New Age]], including<ref>[http://kripal.rice.edu/ Jeffrey J. Kripal's faculty page] at the Department of Religious Studies, Rice University.</ref> the [[Ramakrishna Mission]],<ref name="pkur">{{cite book|last=Kurien|first=Prema A. |author-link=Prema A. Kurien |title=A place at the multicultural table|publisher=Rutgers University Press|year=2007|pages=201–202|chapter=Challenging American Pluralism}}</ref> and the [[Esalen Institute]].<ref>Catherine Albenese, [untitled review] ''Journal of American History'' March 2008, 1326 [https://web.archive.org/web/20160114033717/http://jah.oxfordjournals.org/content/94/4/1325.full.pdf]</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Janja |Lalich}}
|1945–
|Sociology
|Lalich is a widely published author and educator who has done work in the area of cults and psychological influence. She is the head of the Cult Recovery and Information Center in Alameda, California.
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|{{Sortname|David C. |Lane}}
|1956–
|Sociology
|Lane is a professor of philosophy and sociology at [[Mt. San Antonio College]], in Walnut, California. He is the author of: ''The Making of a Spiritual Movement: The Untold Story of Paul Twitchell and Eckankar'', ''The Unknowing Sage:Life and Work of Baba Faqir Chand'', and ''Exposing Cults: When the Skeptical Mind Confronts the Mystical''.<ref>{{cite book | last =Lane | first =David C. | author-link =David C. Lane | title =Exposing Cults: When the Skeptical Mind Confronts the Mystical | publisher =Garland Publishing  | date =July 1994 | isbn = 0-8153-1275-X}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Michael|Langone}}
|1947–
|Psychology
|Langone is the executive director of the [[International Cultic Studies Association]] (ICSA) and he has written widely on alternative religious movements.{{sfn|Gallagher|Ashcraft|2006|loc=v. 9|p=147}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Langone |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Langone |title=Clinical Update on Cults |journal=Psychiatric Times |volume=XIII |issue=7 | date=July 1996 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Saul V.|Levine}}
|1938–
|Psychiatry
|Levine is a professor of psychiatry in [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada.<ref name="understandingcults">{{cite book| last = Hexham | first =  Irving  |author2=Karla Poewe |author3=J. I. Packer  | title =Understanding Cults and New Age Religions  | publisher = Regent College Publishing | year =  1998 | page = 10 | isbn = 1-57383-121-2}}</ref> He has researched cults and deprogramming, with work published in the ''Canadian Journal of Psychiatry'',<ref>{{cite journal|last =Levine| first=Saul V.| author-link=Saul V. Levine|title=The Role of Psychiatry in the Phenomenon of Cults|journal=Canadian Journal of Psychiatry|volume=24|issue =7|pages=593–603|location =Canada | year = 1979| pmid=519625| doi=10.1177/070674377902400703| s2cid=27997894}}</ref> and the ''Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal''.<ref>{{cite journal|last =Levine| first=Saul V.| author-link=Saul V. Levine|author2=NE Salter |title=Youth and contemporary religious movements: Psychosocial findings|journal=Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal|volume=21|issue=6|pages=411–420|publisher=Canadian Psychiatric Association| date = October 1976|pmid =1016924 | doi=10.1177/070674377602100609|doi-access=free}}</ref> 
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|{{sortname|James R.|Lewis|James R. Lewis (scholar)}}
|1949–
|Philosophy
|Lewis, a lecturer in philosophy at the [[University of Wisconsin]], has been a prolific author and editor of books on new religious movements such as ''The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements'' (2004); he also edits the Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion series and is co-editor of Ashgate's Controversial New Religions series.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=xiii}}
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|{{Sortname|Robert Jay|Lifton}}
|1926–
|Psychiatry
|Lifton is a psychiatrist who has focused his research in the area of [[coercive persuasion]].<ref>{{cite news| last = [[Associated Press]] | title =  Psychiatrist Says Patricia Hearst Suffered Struggles with Terrorists| work =[[Nashua Telegraph]] | page = 24 | date = February 28, 1976 }}</ref> He wrote an article on the creation of cults for ''The Harvard Mental Health Letter'',<ref>{{cite journal | last =Lifton, M.D. | first =Robert Jay | author-link =Robert Jay Lifton | title =Cult Formation | journal =The Harvard Mental Health Letter | publisher =Harvard Health Publications  | location =[[Harvard Medical School]] | date =February 1991 | url =http://www.csj.org/infoserv_articles/lifton_robert.htm | access-date = November 3, 2007 }}</ref> and is the author of ''Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism'',<ref>{{cite book| last =Lifton  | first =Robert Jay  | author-link = Robert Jay Lifton | title = Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism | publisher =[[University of North Carolina Press]]  | year = 1989|edition=reprint  | isbn =0-8078-4253-2 }}</ref> and ''Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism''.<ref>{{cite book| last =Lifton  | first = Robert Jay | author-link =  Robert Jay Lifton | title = Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism | publisher = Picador | year = 2000  | isbn =0-8050-6511-3 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Raphaël|Liogier}}
|1967–
|Political science
|Liogier is the director of the {{lang|fr|Observatoire du religieux}}<ref>{{cite web |title=World Religion Watch |url=http://www.world-religion-watch.org |publisher=World Religion Watch |access-date=2009-07-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090311074328/http://www.world-religion-watch.org/ |archive-date=2009-03-11 }}</ref> and a professor of universities at the [[Institut d'études politiques d'Aix-en-Provence]] and the Institut de management public et de gouvernance territoriale. He co-authored several articles on the theme of religion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Enseignants-chercheurs — Rahpaël Liogier |url=http://www.obs-religieux.iep.u-3mrs.fr/ObsPersLiogier.htm |publisher=Observatoire du Religieux |access-date=2009-07-31 |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813201531/http://www.obs-religieux.iep.u-3mrs.fr/ObsPersLiogier.htm |archive-date=2009-08-13 }}</ref> Liogier wrote his thesis on [[Buddhism]] under the direction of [[Bruno Étienne]], a professor at the Institut d'études politiques d'Aix-en-Provence, and has among other things published a book on secularism in 2006. He works particularly on the issues related to [[Islam]] and [[cult]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=L'interview de Raphaël Liogier par le CICNS |url=http://www.sectes-infos.net/Raphael_Liogier_Transcript_Integral.htm |publisher=Sectes-Infos |access-date=2009-07-31 |language=fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121204742/http://www.sectes-infos.net/Raphael_Liogier_Transcript_Integral.htm |archive-date=2008-11-21 }}</ref> He has also criticized the "anti-sect" government agency [[MIVILUDES]].<ref>Raphaël Liogier, "Révolution culturelle dans la lutte antisectes", ''Le Monde'', March 4, 2008</ref>
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|{{sortname|John|Lofland|dab=sociologist}}
|1936–
|Sociology
|Lofland is a sociologist, professor, and author best known for his studies of the [[peace movement]] and for his first book, ''[[Doomsday Cult: A Study of Conversion, Proselytization, and Maintenance of Faith]]'' which was based on field work among a group of [[Unification Church]] members in California in the 1960s. It is considered to be one of the most important and widely cited studies of the process of [[religious conversion]], and one of the first modern sociological studies of a new religious movement.{{sfn|Gallagher|Ashcraft|2006|loc=v. 5|p=180}}<ref name="AltaMira1998"/><ref>''Exploring New Religions'',
Issues in contemporary religion, George D. Chryssides, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001
{{ISBN|0-8264-5959-5}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8264-5959-6}}  page 1</ref> He earned a PhD in sociology the [[University of California, Berkeley]] based on his Unification Church study. Since 1970 he has been a professor in the sociology department at the [[University of California, Davis]], where he is now Professor of Sociology Emeritus.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lofland|first1=John|title=John Lofland – Sociology|url=http://sociology.ucdavis.edu/people/jlofland|publisher=University of California, Davis|access-date=February 23, 2015}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Paul R. |Martin}}
|1946–2009
|Psychology
|A former member of the [[Great Commission Association of Churches]] group, Martin was a psychologist and the founder and executive director of the Christian [[Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center]]. He consulted with several institutions, published on cult-related subjects, and collaborated in fieldwork focusing on the prediction and treatment of psychological damage related to involvement with high-demand religious movements.<ref>{{cite web|title=Profile: Paul R. Martin, Ph.D.|url=http://www.csj.org/infoserv_profile/martin_paul.htm |publisher=[[International Cultic Studies Association]]|access-date=June 24, 2010}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Jean-François|Mayer}}
|1957–
|History
|Mayer is a [[religious historian]] and director of the institute [[:fr:Religioscope|Religioscope]]. He has a doctorate degree in history at the [[Jean Moulin University Lyon 3]] (1984). From 1991 to 1998, he worked as an analyst on international affairs and policy for the Swiss federal government. In 1999, he founded a firm of strategic researches named JFM Recherches et Analyses, and taught at the University of Freiburg from 1999 to 2007.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jean-François Mayer |url=http://www.puf.com/wiki/Auteur:Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois_Mayer |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907110916/http://www.puf.com/wiki/Auteur:Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois_Mayer |archive-date=September 7, 2012 |publisher=Presses Universitaires de France |language=fr |access-date=August 21, 2010 }}</ref> In 2007, Mayer founded the Institute Religioscope and became the director. He contributed in the writing of several magazines, including ''Politica Hermetica'', ''Religioscope'' and ''Religion Watch''. His writing focuses on contemporary religious movements and cults, including Islam, [[Unification Church]], the [[Church of Scientology]], the [[Order of the Solar Temple]] and the [[Pilgrims of Arès]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Dieu a-t-il aussi créé E.T.? |url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/societe/Dieu_a-t-il_aussi_cree_E.T._.html?cid=7993418 |publisher=Swiss Info |first=Marc-André |last=Miserez |language=fr |date=December 30, 2009 |access-date=August 21, 2010}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|J. Gordon|Melton}}
|1942–
|Religious studies
|Melton is author of, co-author of, or contributor to many standard references and articles on emergent and established religious groups, including the ''[[Encyclopedia of American Religions]]''. He is the director of the Institute for the Study of American Religions based in Santa Barbara, California.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=xiii}}<ref name="bromley" />
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|{{Sortname|Jesse S. |Miller}}
|1940–2006
|Psychology
|Miller taught a course in [[hypnotherapy|advanced hypnotherapeutic techniques]], at [[UC Berkeley]].<ref>"Advanced Hypnotherapeutic Techniques", [[UC Berkeley]], [[Paul Minsky]], Jesse S. Miller. [https://web.archive.org/web/19980126003137/http://www.betteryou.com/curvitae.htm Jerome Wayne Murray, Ph.D., CV].</ref> Miller specialized in analysis of hypnotherapy.
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|{{sortname|Timothy|Miller}}
|1944–
|Religious studies
|Miller is a professor and author with a special interest in communalism and new religious movements. He is a professor of [[religious studies]] at the [[University of Kansas at Lawrence]].<ref>[http://www.ecovillagenews.org/wiki/index.php/Tim_Miller Tim Miller] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227130919/http://www.ecovillagenews.org/wiki/index.php/Tim_Miller |date=December 27, 2011 }}, Ecovillage News</ref><ref>"Jesus Freaks, Communes Continue to Thrive," ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', November 21, 1992</ref> In 1995 his book ''America's Alternative Religions'' was published by [[SUNY Press]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Miller |first=Timothy |title=America's alternative religions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=og_u0Re1uwUC |year=1995 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-2397-4}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Robin|Munro}}
|1952–2021
|Jurisprudence
|Munro is a legal scholar and author. He received his PhD from the Department of Law, School of Oriental & African Studies, [[University of London]].<ref>[http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/china_law_prof_blog/2007/01/new_book_chinas.html New book: "China's Psychiatric Inquisition"], Donald C. Clarke, Professor of Law, George Washington University</ref> He has written on new religious movements in China, including [[Falun Gong]] and [[Syncretism|syncretic sects]] and [[secret societies]].<ref>Munro, Robin, ''Syncretic sects and secret societies: revival in the 1980s''  (Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1989)</ref><ref name = "JAAPL">[http://www.jaapl.org/content/30/2/266.full.pdf On the Psychiatric Abuse of Falun Gong and Other Dissenters in China: A Reply to Stone, Hickling, Kleinman, and Le], The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Richard |Ofshe}}
|1941–
|Sociology
|Ofshe is a widely published author and expert witness who has done work in the area of cultic mind control and the use of hypnosis for recovering repressed memories. He is a professor emeritus of Sociology at the [[University of California, Berkeley]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Loftus | first = Elizabeth F. | author-link = Elizabeth Loftus | author2 = Katherine Ketcham | title = The Myth of Repressed Memory: False Memories and Allegations of Sexual Abuse | publisher = [[St. Martin's Press]] | year = 1996 | location = New York City | pages = [https://archive.org/details/mythofrepressedm00loft/page/250 250, 282] | isbn = 0-312-14123-8 | title-link = The Myth of Repressed Memory: False Memories and Allegations of Sexual Abuse }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Peter A.|Olsson}}
|1941–
|Psychiatry
|Olsson is a psychiatrist affiliated with [[Baylor College of Medicine]], where he is on staff as adjunct clinical professor of psychiatry.<ref name="akhtar" /> He is an assistant professor of psychiatry at [[Dartmouth Medical School]].<ref name="akhtar">{{cite book| last = Akhtar | first = Salman  | title = The Crescent and the Couch: Cross-Currents Between Islam and Psychoanalysis | publisher = Jason Aronson  | year =2008  | page =414 | isbn =978-0-7657-0574-7 }}</ref> In his research he has focused on the analysis of the framework and mindset of leaders of [[destructive cult]]s and religious groups.<ref>{{cite journal | last =Olsson | first =Peter A. | author-link =Peter A. Olsson | title =In Search of Their Fathers-Themselves: Jim Jones and David Koresh | journal = Mind and Human Interaction | volume =5 | issue =3 | pages =85–96 | date =August 1994}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last = Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry | title = Leaders and Followers: A Psychiatric Perspective on Religious Cults | publisher =Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry; Committee on Psychiatry and Religion  | year =1991 | page =62   | isbn =0-87318-200-6 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Erik A. W.|Östling}}
|
|History of religion
|Östling is professor and Administrative Director of the departments of [[ethnology]], [[history of religion]]s, and [[gender studies]] at the [[Stockholm University|University of Stockholm]]. He has written works on [[Raëlism]], a major UFO religion, like ""Those who came from the sky": Ancient Astronauts and Creationism in the Raëlian Religion," in ''[[Controversial New Religions]]'', edited by [[James R. Lewis (scholar)|James R. Lewis]] and Jesper Aa. Petersen, 368–82 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Erik Östling – Stockholm University |url=https://www.su.se/english/profiles/er3913-1.187787?open-collapse-boxes=research-publications |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=www.su.se |language=en}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Susan J.|Palmer}}
|1946–
|Sociology
|Palmer teaches in [[Montreal]], Quebec as an adjunct professor at [[Concordia University (Quebec)|Concordia University]] and as professor of religious studies at [[Dawson College]]; she is the author of more than sixty articles as well as the author or editor of eight books on new religious movements.{{sfn|Lewis|2004|p=xiii}}
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|{{Sortname|Jesper Aagaard|Petersen}}
|
|Religious studies
|Petersen is a professor of [[Social science|Social]] and [[Education sciences|Educational Sciences]] at the [[Norwegian University of Science and Technology]], specializing in [[religious education]]. He co-authored ''The Invention of Satanism'' (2016) with [[James R. Lewis (scholar)|James R. Lewis]] and Asbjørn Dyrendal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jesper Aagaard Petersen – NTNU |url=https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/jesper.petersen |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=www.ntnu.edu |language=en-GB}}</ref>
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|{{sortname|Karla|Poewe|Karla Poewe}}
|1941–
|Anthropology
|Poewe is an [[anthropology|anthropologist]] and historian. She is the author of ten academic books and fifty peer reviewed articles in international journals. Currently Poewe is professor emeritus in anthropology at the [[University of Calgary]], Calgary, [[Alberta]], Canada, and Adjunct Research Professor at [[Liverpool Hope University]], Liverpool, England. She is married to [[Irving Hexham]].<ref>[https://www.ucalgary.ca/~kpoewe/HTML/publications.htm Publications- Karla Poewe], April 2008</ref> Poewe and Hexham co-authored ''Understanding Cults and New Religions'' (1986) and ''New Religions as Global Cultures'' (1997).<ref>Margaret Poloma, ''[[Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion]]'', Vol. 34, No. 2 (June 1995), pp. 274–275</ref>
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|{{sortname|Margaret|Poloma}}
|1943–
|Sociology
|Poloma is a professor and author who is known for her research on the [[Pentecostal]] movement in American Christianity.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bradley Hagerty|first1=Barbara|title=Examining Palin's Pentecostal Background|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94332540|access-date=February 23, 2015|work=[[All Things Considered]]|agency=npr|publisher=[[National Public Radio]]|date=September 5, 2008}}</ref> She is now [[professor emeritus]] at the [[University of Akron]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Poloma|first1=Margaret|title=Margaret Poloma, Ph.D.|url=http://www.uakron.edu/sociology/faculty-staff/bio-detail.dot?identity=1153009|publisher=University of Akron|access-date=February 23, 2015}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Jennifer E.|Porter}}
|
|Religious studies
|Porter is a professor of religious studies at [[Memorial University of Newfoundland]]. She specializes in religion and popular culture, but occasionally writes on [[Spiritualism (movement)|Spiritualism]].<ref>Jennifer E. Porter, "Spiritualists, Aliens and UFOs: Extraterrestrials as Spirit Guides," ''[[Journal of Contemporary Religion]]'' 11, no. 3 (1996): 337–53.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pop goes Religion {{!}} About :: Dr. Jennifer Porter's website |url=http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~jporter/ |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=www.ucs.mun.ca}}</ref>
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|{{sortname|Adam|Possamai}}
|1970–
|Sociology
|Possamai is currently co-director of the Religion and Society Research Centre at the [[University of Western Sydney]].<ref name="PossamaiBio">{{cite web|last1=Possamai|first1=Adam|title=Professor Adam Possamai – Biography|url=http://www.uws.edu.au/religion_and_society/people/researchers/associate_professor_adam_possamai|website=University of Western Sydney|access-date=February 23, 2015}}</ref> He was the 2002–2007 co-editor of the Australian Religion Studies Review<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Milani|first1=Milad|last2=Possamai|first2=Adam|title=The Nimatullahiya and Naqshbandiya Sufi Orders on the Internet: The Cyber-construction of Tradition and the McDonaldisation of Spirituality|journal=Journal for the Academic Study of Religion|date=October 4, 2013|volume=26|issue=1|page=75|doi=10.1558/arsr.v26i1.51 |url=https://www.equinoxpub.com/journals/index.php/JASR/article/viewArticle/15178|access-date=February 23, 2015|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and president of the sociology of religion section (RC22) of the [[International Sociological Association]] from 2010 to 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=ISA – Research committee on Sociology of Religion|url=http://www.isa-sociology.org/rcs/rc22_ht.html|website=International Sociological Association|access-date=February 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223200811/http://www.isa-sociology.org/rcs/rc22_ht.html|archive-date=February 23, 2015}}</ref> He has published research on the [[Church of All Worlds]], [[the Church of Satan]], [[Jediism]], and other new religious movements.<ref name="PossamaiBio"/>
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|{{Sortname|Susan|Raine}}
|
|Sociology
|Raine is an associate professor at [[MacEwan University]]. She specializes in [[UFO religion]]s, new religious movements, [[conspiracy theory]], and [[paranormal]]ity. She co-edited with [[Stephen A. Kent|Stephen Kent]] the volume ''Scientology in Popular Culture: Influences and Struggles for Legitimacy'' (2017).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Profile |url=https://www.macewan.ca/academics/academic-departments/sociology/our-people/profile/?profileid=raines4 |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=MacEwan University |language=en}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|James T.|Richardson|James Richardson (sociologist)}}
|1941–
|Sociology
|Richardson has done work in the area of minority religions and connections between law and religion. He directs the Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies at the [[University of Nevada, Reno|University of Nevada (Reno)]].<ref>{{cite journal | last = Richardson | first = James | author-link = James Richardson (sociologist) | author2 = Jan van der Lans | title = Leaving and Labeling: Voluntary and Coerced Disaffiliation from Religious Social Movements | journal = Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change | volume = 9 | pages = 97–126  |year=1986 | author-link2 = Jan van der Lans }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Barker | first = Eileen | title = The Centrality of Religion in Social Life: Essays in Honour of James A. Beckford | publisher = Ashgate Publishing Company | year = 2008 | location = Burlington, Vermont | page = x | isbn = 978-0-7546-6515-1 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Thomas|Robbins|Thomas Robbins (sociologist)}}
|1943–2015
|Sociology
|Robbins was an independent scholar affiliated with the Santa Barbara Centre for Humanistic Studies; trained at [[Harvard University]] and the [[University of North Carolina]], he has held teaching and research appointments at [[Queens College, City University of New York|Queens College]], the [[New School for Social Research]], [[Yale University]] and the [[Graduate Theological Union]] and is a leading contributor of social scientific literature on new religious movements.<ref name="AltaMira1998"/>{{rp|427–428}}
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|{{sortname|Mikael|Rothstein}}
|1961–
|History
|Rothstein is an associate professor of [[religious history]] at the [[University of Copenhagen]], Denmark.<ref name = "NFO">{{Cite web |url=http://nfo.nu/b95000c/base/518f2776/ |title=Nytt från Öresund &#124; Nyheter från Öresundsregionen |date=July 26, 2020 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726115928/http://nfo.nu/b95000c/base/518f2776/ |archive-date=July 26, 2020 }}</ref><ref name = "hurriyet">[http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/mob_n.php?n=danish-radio-embraces-8216christian-values8217-in-new-contract-2011-02-13 Danish Radio Embraces Christian Values], ''Hurriyet Daily News'', Turkey</ref> In 2002 he was on the board of the [[Danish Association for the History of Religions]] (DAHR) and the editorial boards of the publications ''Renner Studies on New Religions'' (Aarhus University Press) and ''Nye Religioner'' (Gyldendal).<ref name="UofC">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ku.dk/aarbog/02/4/4371.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614025429/http://www.ku.dk/aarbog/02/4/4371.html|title=Institut for Religionshistorie|archive-date=June 14, 2007}}</ref> He is the author of several books on religious history and especially on the role of new religious movements, among them: ''Belief Transformations: Some Aspects of the Relationship between Science and Religion in Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)'' (1996), ''Secular Theories on Religion: Current Perspectives'' (2000) (co-author with Tim Jensen), ''New Age Religion and Globalization'' (2002), and ''New Religions in a Postmodern World'' (2003) (co-editor with Reender Kranenborg)
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|{{Sortname|John A. |Saliba}}
|1937–
|Religious studies
|Saliba is professor of religious studies at the [[University of Detroit Mercy]] as well as a Catholic priest and a [[Jesuit]].<ref name=Understanding293>Saliba, John A. ''Understanding new religious movements'', Rowman Altamira 2003, p. 293, {{ISBN|978-0-7591-0356-6}}.</ref> He advocates a conciliatory approach towards new religious movements, arguing that "dialogue is more useful than diatribe."<ref name=Bedna>Bednarowski, Mary F. "Understanding New Religious Movements", ''Journal of Ecumenical Studies'', Volume: 35, Issue: 3–4, p. 529, Gale Group 1998.</ref> He notes that for most people membership in a NRM is temporary, and maintains that NRMs can act as a temporary safe haven for young adults, enabling them to stabilise their lives.<ref name=Bedna /><ref name=Vallely>Vallely, Paul (December 12, 1998). [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/spirit-of-the-age-inside-the-cult-of-the-street-1190760.html "Spirit of the Age: Inside the cult of 'The Street'"], ''[[The Independent]]''. Retrieved 2010-07-03.</ref> He is critical of the [[anti-cult movement]] and has remarked that "the neutral stance of the social sciences is a stance which has often been interpreted as favoring the NRMs."
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|{{Sortname|Ferdinando|Sardella}}
|1960–
|History of religion
|Ferdinando Sardella is a Swedish scholar of [[history of religions]], [[Hinduism]], and [[religious studies]], the former director and coordinator of the [[Forum for South Asia Studies]] at [[Uppsala University]]. His areas of interest and specialization are: modern Hinduism, Buddhism, religions in South Asia (from both a local and a global perspective), new religious movements, religion and science, medieval [[bhakti]] movements, [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and [[Sanskrit]] studies, the history and sociology of religion, interreligious dialogue, [[comparative religion]], globalization and postcolonial theory.<ref name=Oxford>{{cite web|title=Ferdinando Sardella|url=http://www.ochs.org.uk/people/ferdinando-sardella|work=The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies|access-date=January 16, 2014|date=March 28, 2012}}</ref><ref name=Uppsala>{{cite web|title=Ferdinando Sardella|url=https://uppsala.academia.edu/FerdinandoSardella|work=Academia.edu|access-date=January 16, 2014}}</ref> Sardella obtained a PhD degree in 2010 at his alma mater on [[Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati]], a prominent [[Bengali people|Bengali]] proponent of the ''bhakti'' tradition of [[Gaudiya Vaisnavism]] in the 20th century and founder of a movement called the [[Gaudiya Math]].<ref name=Gothenburg>{{cite web|title=Ferdinando Sardella, Senior lecturer, History of Religions |url=http://lir.gu.se/english/staff/teachers-and-researchers/ferdinando-sardella/ |work=University of Gothenburg |access-date=January 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201224359/http://lir.gu.se/english/staff/teachers-and-researchers/ferdinando-sardella/ |archive-date=February 1, 2014 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Larry |Shinn}}
|1942–
|Religious studies
|Shinn is president of [[Berea College]], Kentucky. Prior to this appointment he was vice-president of academic affairs, dean of humanities and head of the religious studies department at [[Bucknell University]], US. He has studied [[ISKCON]] in America for more than forty years and, among his other writings, published, ''The Dark Lord,'' a study of the Hare Krishnas and the cult controversy. He is also a [[United Methodist]] minister. He is notable for accepting the bona fides of the ISKCON even before a majority of academia accepted their (ISKCON's) traditional and orthodox nature.<ref>{{cite book| last =  Shinn| first = Larry | author-link =Larry Shinn  | title =The Dark Lord: Cult Images and the Hare Krishnas in America  | publisher = Westminster John Knox Press | year =1987  | isbn =0-664-24170-0 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Anson|Shupe}}
|1948–2021
|Sociology
|Shupe was a professor of sociology at the joint campus of [[Indiana State University]]-[[Purdue University]] at [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]]. He has done fieldwork on a number of new religious movements, in particular the [[Unification Church]], and has also studied the [[anti-cult movement]]; he and [[David G. Bromley]] became "the primary social science interpreters of that countermovement in a series of books and articles."<ref name="AltaMira1998"/>{{rp|63,467}}<ref name="shupe">{{cite journal|last =Shupe| first=Anson| author-link=Anson Shupe|author2=David G. Bromley |title=The Moonies and the Anti-Cultists: Movement and Countermovement in Conflict|journal=Sociological Analysis|volume=40|issue=4|pages=325–334| date =Winter 1976 | jstor = 3709961| doi = 10.2307/3709961  | author-link2=David G. Bromley}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Mark |Silk}}
|1951–
|Religious studies
|Silk is a professor of religion in public life at [[Trinity College, Hartford|Trinity College]] ([[Hartford, Connecticut]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/personnel.htm |title=Personnel |work=trincoll.edu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927155145/http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/personnel.htm |archive-date=September 27, 2011 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/03/books/front-page-religion.html Front-page Religion], ''The New York Times'', April 3, 1988</ref> In the 1980s and 1990s Silk was a regular contributor to ''The New York Times'', contributing essays and book reviews on [[feminist theology]],<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/11/books/is-god-a-feminist.html?pagewanted=1 Is God a feminist?], ''The New York Times'', April 11, 1982</ref> new religious movements,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/18/books/outsiders-welcome.html Outsiders welcome], ''The New York Times'', June 18, 1989</ref> [[Jewish identity]], and other religion-related topics.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/05/17/reviews/980517.17silklt.html Styles of Jewish Identity], ''The New York Times'', May 7, 1998</ref> In 1995 he criticized the American news media for their unbalanced coverage of new religious movements when compared to more established religious institutions.<ref name="silk">{{cite book | last = Silk | first = Mark | title = Unsecular Media: Making News of Religion in America | publisher = [[University of Illinois|University of Illinois Press]] | year = 1995 | isbn = 0-252-06742-8}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Margaret|Singer}}
|1921–2003
|Psychology
|Singer was professor emeritus in the University of California at Berkeley's department of psychology. She had published widely on cultic groups, coercion, pseudo-therapudic practices, and other areas,<ref>{{cite book|first=Jeffrey K.|last=Zeig|title=The Evolution of Psychotherapy: The Third Conference|publisher=Brunner/Mazel, Inc.|page=[https://archive.org/details/evolutionofpsych00zeig/page/147 147]|location=New York City|year=1997|isbn=0-87630-813-2|url=https://archive.org/details/evolutionofpsych00zeig/page/147}}</ref> including [[brainwashing]] theories, of which she was a strong proponent. She sat as an advisory board member for anti-cult groups the [[Cult Awareness Network]] and the [[International Cultic Studies Association]] (ICSA).
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|{{sortname|Frederick|Sontag}}
|1924–2009
|Philosophy
|Sontag, an author and professor of philosophy at [[Pomona College]], was considered an expert on the [[Unification Church]]. In the 1970s he interviewed church founder [[Sun Myung Moon]] and church members in Europe, America, and Asia while researching for a book published in 1977.<ref name="Who is this Pied Piper of Religion">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YvILAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mlkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5598,2647477&dq=frederick-sontag Who is this Pied Piper of Religion?], ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]'', February 4, 1978</ref><ref name="news.google.com">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Se4PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OI0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7264,3898196&dq=frederick-sontag Moon: an objective look at his theology], ''[[Boca Raton News]]'', November 25, 1977</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/unification/part2.htm Stymied in U.S., Moon's Church Sounds a Retreat], ''[[The Washington Post]]'', November 24, 1997</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Stephen J.|Stein}}
|1940–2022
|History of religion
|Stephen Joseph Stein was an American academic, author, and educator focused on religion in the United States. He was the Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and served as President of the American Society of Church History. His notable writings on new religious movements include ''The Shaker Experience in America'' (1992), ''Alternative American Religious'' (2000), and ''Communities of Dissent'' (2003).<ref>{{cite web |title=Stephen J. Stein papers, 1960-2005, bulk 1976-2005 - Archives Online at Indiana University |url=https://archives.iu.edu/catalog/InU-Ar-VAD0307 |website=archives.iu.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Stephen J. Stein |url=https://religiousstudies.indiana.edu/about/emeriti-faculty/stein-stephen.html |website=Department of Religious Studies |language=en}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Diana|Tumminia}}
|
|Religious studies and sociology
|Tumminia is a professor of sociology at [[California State University, Sacramento]]. She has written works like ''When Prophecy Never Fails: Myth and Reality in a Flying-Saucer Group'' (2005) on the [[UFO religion]] [[Unarius Academy of Science|Unaris]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=prophecy |url=https://www.csus.edu/indiv/t/tumminia/prophecybook.htm |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=www.csus.edu}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Jan |van der Lans}}
|1933–2002
|Psychology
|Van der Lans was a Dutch professor in the [[psychology of religion]] at the [[Radboud University Nijmegen|Catholic University of Nijmegen]] (now called Radboud University Nijmegen). From 1977 onwards he did research among followers of [[new religious movement]]s. In 1979 he instigated a European platform of psychologists of religion and until 1997 he was chairperson of the ''International Committee of European Psychologists of Religion''. In 1992 he became a professor in the psychology of religion at the university. Van der Lans was involved in the [[International Association for the Psychology of Religion]] (German: ''Internationale Gesellschaft für Religionspsychologie'') and as of 1998 part of its executive committee. He was also a member of the ''Commission Internationale de Psychologie Religieuse Scientifique''.<ref>{{cite journal | last =Van der Lans | first =Jan | author-link =Jan van der Lans |author2=F. Derks  | title =Post-cult syndrome Fact or Fiction? | journal =Religieuze Bewegingen in Nederland/Religious Movements in the Netherlands | volume =6 | pages =58–75  | publisher =[[Vrije Universiteit]] | year =1983 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Roy|Wallis}}
|1945–1990
|Sociology
|Wallis was a [[sociologist]] and [[Dean (education)|Dean]] of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the [[Queen's University Belfast]]. He is mostly known for his creation of the seven signs that differentiate a religious congregation from a [[sect]]arian church, which he created while researching the [[Scientology]] church. After publishing his book ''[[The Road to Total Freedom]]'', an in-depth analysis of the sociology of Scientology, he was harassed by the church both legally and personally.<ref>Roy Wallis's The Road to Total Freedom, page 218-219</ref><ref>Roy Wallis (1977) "The Moral Career of the Research Project" in Colin Bell and Howard Newby (Eds) ''Doing Sociological Research'' London: Allen and Unwin. {{ISBN|0-02-902350-5}}</ref> Forged letters, apparently from Wallis, were sent to his colleagues implicating him in various scandalous activities.<ref>Stewart Lamont (1986) ''Religion Inc.: The Church of Scientology'' London: Harrap. {{ISBN|0-245-54334-1}}. page 87</ref> He introduced the distinction between [[Sociological classifications of religious movements#Roy Wallis|''world-affirming'' and ''world-rejecting'' new religious movements]].<ref name="AltaMira1998"/>
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|{{Sortname|Margit|Warburg}}
|1952–
|Sociology
|Warburg is a professor at the [[University of Copenhagen]]'s department of history of religions. She specializes in the sociology of religion with emphasis on emergent religious sects and religious minorities. She has written extensively on the effect of technology on religion and new religious movements.<ref>{{cite book | last = Højsgaard | first = Morten T. |author2=Margit Warburg  | title = Religion and Cyberspace | publisher = Routledge | year = 2005 | location = London, United Kingdom | page = x | isbn = 0-415-35763-2 }}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|James Charles Napier|Webb}}
|1946–1980
|History 
|James Charles Napier Webb was an historian and biographer. He was born in Edinburgh, was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. He is remembered primarily for two works ''The Occult Underground'' and ''The Occult Establishment.'' Webb traced the influence of occult and mystical groups and writers on literature, philosophy and politics.<ref>John Robert Colombo, Colin Wilson, [[Joyce Collin-Smith]]: The Occult Webb: An Appreciation of the life and Work of James Webb, (1990) Colombo & Company. {{ISBN|1-896308-56-2}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Catherine|Wessinger}}
|1952–
|Religious studies
|Wessinger is a professor of [[religious studies]] at [[Loyola University New Orleans]] with a main research focus on [[millennialism]], [[new religions]], [[women and religion]] and [[religions of India]]. Wessinger is co-general editor of ''[[Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions]]''<ref name='NovaRelgio'>{{cite web | url = http://www.ucpressjournals.com/journal.asp?j=nr&jDetail=editorial | title = Nova Religio | publisher = University of California Press | access-date = October 26, 2010}}</ref> and served as a consultant to federal law enforcement during the [[Montana Freemen|Montana Freemen standoff]].<ref name='FBIconsultant'>{{Cite book |last=Rosenfeld |first=Jean E. |title=Millennialism, Persecution, and Violence: Historical Cases |title-link=Millennialism, Persecution, and Violence |publisher=[[Syracuse University Press]] |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-8156-0599-7 |editor-last=Wessinger |editor-first=Catherine |editor-link=Catherine Wessinger |language=en |chapter=The Justus Freemen Standoff: The Importance of the Analysis of Religion in Avoiding Violent Outcomes |page=326}}</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Louis Jolyon|West}}
|1924–1999
|Psychiatry
|West was a psychiatrist affiliated with [[University of California, Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite book| last = Stone | first = Alan A. | title = Law, Psychiatry, and Morality | publisher = American Psychiatric Publishing | year = 1984 | page = 106 | isbn = 0-88048-209-5}}</ref> He held positions of professor and chairman at the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA.<ref>{{cite book| last = Frances | first =  Allen J.  | title = American Psychiatric Association Annual Review | publisher =American Psychiatric Publishing  | year =1987  | page = 856 | isbn =0-88048-242-7 }}</ref> He contributed research on cults to publications including the ''Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry'',<ref name="kaplan1980">{{cite book | last =Kaplan | first =Harold |author2=Alfred M. Freedman |author3=Benjamin J. Saddock  | title =Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry III | url =https://archive.org/details/modernsynopsisofe3kapl | url-access =registration | publisher =Williams & Wilkins | year =1980 | location =[[Baltimore]], Maryland | pages =3245–3258, [[Louis Jolyon West|West, L.J.]], & [[Margaret Singer|Singer, M.T.]], "Cults, quacks, and nonprofessional psychotherapies" | isbn =0-683-04512-1 }}</ref> and ''Cults and New Religious Movements: A Report of the American Psychiatric Association''.<ref name="galantercults" /> West served on the advisory board of the [[Cult Awareness Network]].
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|{{Sortname|Harriet|Whitehead}}
|
|Anthropology
|Whitehead wrote ''Renunciation and Reformation: A Study of Conversion in an American Sect'' (1987) as an anthropological study of [[Scientology]].<ref>Harriet Whitehead, ''Renunciation and Reformation: A Study of Conversion in an American Sect'', Anthropology of Contemporary Issues ([[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca, NY]]: [[Cornell University Press]], 1987).</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Bryan R. |Wilson}}
|1926–2004
|Sociology
|Wilson was reader emeritus in sociology and an emeritus fellow of [[All Souls College, Oxford|All Souls College]] at Oxford. He taught at Oxford for over 30 years, and was visiting professor at various universities worldwide. He was honorary president of the [[International Society for the Sociology of Religion]]. His work was in the typology of sects, the secularization of religious groups, and relationships between minority groups and governments.<ref name="AltaMira1998"/>{{rp|557–558}}<ref name="Beckford2003"/>{{rp|xiii}}<ref>{{cite book | last = Barker | first = Eileen |author2=James A. Beckford |author3=Karel Dobbelaere  | title = Secularization, Rationalism, and Sectarianism: Essays in Honour of Bryan R. Wilson | publisher = Clarendon Press | year = 1993 | location = Oxford, United Kingdom | isbn = 978-0-19-827721-7 }}</ref>
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|{{sortname|Diane| Winston|Diane Winston (professor)}}
|1951–
|Media and Religion
|Winston is a professor of Media and Religion at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the [[University of Southern California]] (USC). USC lists her current research interests as media coverage of Islam, religion and new media, and the place of religion in American identity.<ref>[http://uscmediareligion.org/?About Diane Winston, the Knight Chair in Media and Religion], [[University of Southern California|USC]] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826043956/http://uscmediareligion.org/?About |date=August 26, 2011 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/09/08/will-online-faith-communities-replace-churches/churches-spread-the-good-word-now-online The First Church of Facebook], ''The New York Times'', September 8, 2011</ref> She received her B.A. from [[Brandeis University|Brandeis]], a master's in theological studies from [[Harvard Divinity School]], a master's in journalism from [[Columbia University|Columbia]], and her PhD in religion from [[Princeton University]].<ref>[http://www.materialreligion.org/participants/winston.html Diane Winston], Material History of American Religion Project, Divinity School at [[Vanderbilt University]].</ref> She has extensively studied the history of the [[Salvation Army]].<ref>[http://www.materialreligion.org/objects/aug97obj.html Doughnuts for Doughboys], Material History of American Religion Project, Divinity School at [[Vanderbilt University]].</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/30/books/onward-christian-soldiers.html Onward, Christian Soldiers!], ''The New York Times'', May 30, 1999</ref>
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|{{Sortname|Benjamin |Zablocki}}
|1941–2020
|Sociology
|Zablocki was the head of the sociology department at [[Rutgers University]]. He has published on communes, leadership roles in new religious movements, and the academic debates regarding brainwashing and methodology in the study of new religion.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Phillip Charles |editor1-last=Lucas |editor2-first=Thomas |editor2-last=Robbins |title=New Religious Movements in the Twenty-first Century: Legal, Political, and Social Challenges in Global Perspective |page=313 |publisher=Routledge |year=2009 |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-415-96577-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Len |editor1-last=Oakes |title=Prophetic Charisma: The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious Personalities |pages=158–159 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |year=1997 |location=Syracuse New York |isbn=0-8156-2700-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Peter |editor1-last=Antes |editor2-first=Armin W. |editor2-last=Geertz |editor3-first=Randi Ruth |editor3-last=Warne |title=New Approaches to the Study of Religion Vol 1: Regional, Critical, and Historical |page=428 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. |year=2004 |location=Berlin, Germany |isbn=978-3-11-017698-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last =Zablocki | first =Benjamin | author-link =Benjamin Zablocki | title =The Blacklisting of a Concept: The Strange History of the Brainwashing Conjecture in the Sociology of Religion | journal =Nova Religio | volume =1 | issue =1 | pages =96–121 | date =October 1997 | doi =10.1525/nr.1997.1.1.96 }}</ref>
|- valign="top"
|{{Sortname|Benjamin E.|Zeller}}
|
|Religious studies
|Zeller specializes in American new religious movements and religion's relationship with science and culture. He wrote ''[[Heaven's Gate (religious group)|Heaven's Gate]]: America's UFO Religion'' (2014) and ''Prophets and Protons: New Religious Movements and Science in Late Twentieth-Century America'' (2010).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Benjamin Zeller |url=https://www.lakeforest.edu/academics/faculty/zeller/ |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=www.lakeforest.edu |language=en-US}}</ref>
|}

== See also ==

* [[Cognitive science of new religious movements]]
* [[Sociological classifications of religious movements]]
* [[Sociology of religion]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources cited===
{{Refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book |last=Arweck |first=Elizabeth|title=Researching New Religious Movements: Responses and Redefinitions |publisher=Routledge|location=London and New York |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-138-05988-7 |url=https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/c9c6cd4c-62ce-47e9-9365-e3a578ef6f00/1005983.pdf}}
* {{cite book |last=Barker |first=Eileen |author-link=Eileen Barker |title=The Making of a Moonie: Choice or Brainwashing? |publisher=Blackwell Publishers |year=1984 |location=Oxford, United Kingdom |isbn=0-631-13246-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/makingofmoonie003738}}
* {{cite book |last=Barker |first=Eileen |author-mask={{long dash}} |year=1989 |title=New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |isbn=978-0-11-340927-3 }}
* {{cite book |last=Barrett |first=David V. |title=The New Believers: A Survey of Sects, Cults and Alternative Religions |publisher=Cassell & Co. |location=London |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-304-35592-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/newbelieverssurv00barr }}
* {{cite journal |last=Bromley |first=David G. |year=2004 |title=Whither New Religions Studies?: Defining and Shaping a New Area of Study |journal=Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions |volume=8 |number=2 |jstor=10.1525/nr.2004.8.2.83 |pages=83–97 |doi=10.1525/nr.2004.8.2.83 }}
* {{cite contribution |last=Bromley |first=David G. |author-mask={{long dash}} |year=2012 |contribution=The Sociology of New Religious Movements |title=The Cambridge Companion to New Religious Movements |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge and New York |editor=Olav Hammer |editor2=Mikael Rothstein|pages=13–28 |isbn=978-0-521-14565-7 }}
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Gallagher|editor1-first=Eugene V.|editor2-last=Ashcraft|editor2-first=W. Michael|year=2006|title=Introduction to new and alternative religions in America|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing]] |isbn=978-0-275-98712-1}}
* {{citation
  | last = Gardner
  | first = Martin
  | author-link= Martin Gardner
  | year = 1995
  | title = Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery
  | publisher = [[Prometheus Books]]
  | isbn = 978-1-59102-622-8
  }}
* {{cite contribution |last1=Hammer |first1=Olav |last2=Rothstein |first2=Mikael |year=2012 |contribution=Introduction to New Religious Movements |title=The Cambridge Companion to New Religious Movements |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge and New York |pages=1–9 |isbn=978-0-521-14565-7 }}
* {{cite contribution |last=Lewis |first=James R. |contribution=Overview |title=The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements |pages=1–15 |editor=James R. Lewis|location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-19-514986-9 }}
* {{cite contribution |last=Melton |first=J. Gordon |contribution=An Introduction to New Religions |title=The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements |pages=16–35 |editor=James R. Lewis|location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-19-514986-9 }}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite journal |first=W. Michael |last=Ashcraft |year=2005 |title=A History of the Study of New Religious Movements |journal=Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions |volume=9 |number=1 |pages=93–105 |jstor=10.1525/nr.2005.9.1.093 |doi=10.1525/nr.2005.9.1.093 }}
* {{cite book |last=Ashcraft |first=W. Michael |author-mask={{long dash}} |title= A Historical Introduction to the Study of New Religious Movements |publisher=Routledge|location=London |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-415-27755-6}} 
* {{cite journal |last=Barker |first=Eileen |year=2004 |title=What Are We Studying? A Sociological Case for Keeping the "Nova" |journal=Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions |volume=8 |number=1 |jstor=10.1525/nr.2004.8.1.88 |pages=88–102 |doi=10.1525/nr.2004.8.1.88 |url=http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/17148/1/__libfile_REPOSITORY_Content_Barker%2C%20E_What%20are%20we%20studying_Barker_What%20studying_2013.pdf }}
* {{cite journal |last=Melton |first=J. Gordon |year=2004a |title=Toward a Definition of "New Religion" |journal=Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions |volume=8 |number=1 |jstor=10.1525/nr.2004.8.1.73 |pages=73–87 |doi=10.1525/nr.2004.8.1.73 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Melton |first=J. Gordon |author-mask={{long dash}} |title=New New Religions: Revisiting a Concept |journal=Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions |volume=10 |number=4 |year=2007 |pages=103–112 |jstor=10.1525/nr.2007.10.4.103 |doi=10.1525/nr.2007.10.4.103 }}
* {{cite book |last=Oliver |first=Paul |title=New Religious Movements: A Guide for the Perplexed |publisher=Continuum |year=2012 |location=London and New York |isbn=978-1-4411-0197-6 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Olson |first=Paul J. |year=2006 |title=The Public Perception of "Cults" and "New Religious Movements" |journal=Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion |volume=45 |number=1 |pages=97–106 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-5906.2006.00008.x}}
* {{cite journal |first=Thomas |last=Robbins |title=Quo Vadis the Scientific Study of New Religious Movements |journal=Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion |volume=39 |issue=4 |year=2000 |pages=515–24 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-5906.2000.tb00013.x}}
{{Refend}}

{{New Religious Movements}}

[[Category:Lists of people associated with religion|Researchers]]
[[Category:Lists of people by occupation]]
[[Category:Religious studies]]
[[Category:Researchers of new religious movements and cults| ]]