Another Gospel: Cults, Alternative Religions, and the New Age Movement

by Ruth A. Tucker A comprehensive survey of major alternative religions in the United States, including new groups since the 1960s. Crystals, shamans, guided imagery, healing meditation---why have these New Age practices been so eagerly accepted by so many North Americans? Why were Mormonism, Christian Science, and Baha'i so warmly welcomed earlier? Another Gospel explains how these and other alternative religious movements appear to meet people's needs. Ruth Tucker's overview illumines the personalities whose alleged revelations spawned historical heresies in all the major cults in the United States. She highlights important controversies within each movement as it aims for religious respectability. She pinpoints how the doctrines and practices of a dozen contemporary groups---as well as the New Age Movement---deviate from orthodox Christianity and shows how to reach out to cult members. Appendices describe lesser-known cults, such as Swedenborgianism and Rosicrucianism, and provide cults' statements of belief.