New Religions - Cons and Pros

• Anti-Cult Activitists
• Apologetics Index
  http://www.apologeticsindex.org/
  "The Apologetics Index (apologeticsindex.org) 'family of web sites' provides 23,750+ pages of research resources on religious cults, sects, new religious movements, alternative religions, apologetics-, anticult-, and countercult organizations, doctrines, religious practices and world views. These resources reflect a variety of theological and/or sociological perspectives."
• Cults on Campus
  http://www.cultsoncampus.com/fquestions.html
  Links and resources aimed at a student audience.
• International Cultic Studies Association
  http://www.cultinfobooks.com/infoserv_icsa/icsa_about.htm http://www.csj.org/
  "The International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) is an interdisciplinary network of academicians, professionals, former group members, and families who study and educate the public about social-psychological influence and control, authoritarianism, and zealotry in cultic groups, alternative movements, and other environments. Founded in 1979 as AFF (American Family Foundation), ICSA took on its current name in late 2004 to better reflect the organization's focus and increasingly international and scholarly dimensions." See also the complementary site that was developed for the organization's journal.
• Rick Ross
  http://rickross.com/
  A major resource site professionally maintained for a noteable anti-cult activist and former deprogrammer.
• Resource Center for Freedom of Mind
  http://www.freedomofmind.com/
  Site of professional anti-cult combattant Steve A. Hassan.
• Spiritual Counterfeits Project
  http://www.scp-inc.org/
  The self-description at the site identifies the SCP as a Christian "frontline ministry confronting the occult, the cults, and the New Age movement and explaining why they are making an impact on our society. In the name of truth, sophisticated lies are fed to unwary people who live in and shape our world. SCP's mandate is to communicate with our generation by creating crossover material that alerts and informs about the very real dangers of the latest deceptions. It is a critical mission at a critical time."
• Watchman Fellowship
  http://www.watchman.org/
  The site represents an evangelical Christian perspective in which the definition of cult is very broad. The purpose of the resources made available by the Fellowship is "to equip yourself and your church to reach out to those lost in the darkness of the cults."

  Cult-Watchers
  

• Cult Awareness & Information Centre - Australia
  http://www.caic.org.au/
  "We hope this site will help you to learn how to establish criteria for defining a cult, how to recognize cultic behaviors, and how to guard against unwanted psychological persuasion - the techniques used by cults and spiritually abusive groups to recruit and retain their members."
• INFORM
  http://www.inform.ac/infmain.html
  A public service organization in Britain that seeks to collect and distribute accurate and non-prejudicial information about a wide range of alternative, minority, and less well-known religious groups.
• Jews for Judaism
  http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/
  Resources for Jews who are approached by missionaries who represent various proselytizing groups, movements, and traditions -- including alternative and new religions or "cults."
• Neural Surfer
  http://elearn.mtsac.edu/dlane/2005index.htm
  The wide-ranging web site of David Christopher Lane. A lively source of critical writing on New Religious Movements in North America, Indian and American Gurus, Eastern and Western Philosophy, and other topics.
• The Nitty Gritty on Cults
  http://surrealist.org/links/cults.html
  A site developed by Nori Muster, an ex-Hare Krishna devotee and author.
• SIMPOS
  http://www.stelling.nl/simpos/simpoeng.htm
  Information on "social problems and occult tendencies" from a skeptical standpoint. Extensive links. Available in English and in Dutch from a site in Leiden, the Netherlands.
• Tilman Hausherr's Home Page
  http://www.snafu.de/~tilman/
  An extensive set of resources and links that provide various kinds of critique of Dianetics, L. Ron Hubbard, and Scientology.

Ex-Cult and Recovery Groups

• Ex-Cult Resource Center
  http://www.ex-cult.org/
  Literally an archive -- a collection of materials from various sources. The maintainers do not take responsibility for the accuracy of the information available: "Opinions expressed here are those of the contributors and are not necessarily shared by the archive sponsor. The sponsor makes no warranty as to the accuracy or content of any information contained here. Particular 'cult' groups are named here solely because criticism of their practices has been brought to the attention of the archive sponsor, and inclusion does not indicate endorsement of that criticism by the sponsor. Readers are invited to examine the available evidence and form their own opinions about these organizations."
• reFOCUS Network
  http://www.refocus.org/
  reFOCUS is an acronym for "Recovering Former Cultists Support Network." The purpose of the site is described as providing "Recovery resources for folks hurt by their involvement with abusive and controlling organizations and relationships."
  
  Oppositional Essays and Studies
  
• How to Become a Cult Guru
  http://www.songpoemmusic.com/cults/guru.htm
  A lively satirical paper by Phil Milstein that is subtitled: "You Too Can Induce Mass Suicide." Presumably not intended to be taken quite literally.
• On the Psychology of Spiritual Movements
  http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/psymove.html
  A general interpretation by Michael Rogge of the dynamics of affiliation in terms of group dynamics and influence.
• Separation of Guru and State?: Influence of the New Age Movement on Public Education
  http://www.waldorfcritics.org/active/articles/Separation_of_Guru.html
  A short article by Francis J. Beckwith. From the online journal Premise which is published by the Center for the Advancement of Paleo Orthodoxy -- a Reformed Protestant educational and interest group.
• Spiritual Responsibility
  http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/responsibility/
  A paper, subtitled "Avoiding Abuses and Pitfalls Along the Path," by Steven Hassan and Lama Surya Das.

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