Key Words
institution
mysticism
in and out
sects
cults
denominations
New Religious Movements
Textbook Readings
Inger Furseth and Pål Repstad, “Religious Organizations: Typologies and Processes,” 233-256 in An Introduction to the Sociology of Religion: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives, Second Edition. Routledge.
Jason N. Blum, “What is the Difference Between a Religion and a Cult?” 26-29 in Religion in 5 Minutes. Equinox.
Jason W. M. Ellsworth, “Are There Any Religions That Do Not Have Official Leaders?” 103-105 in Religion in 5 Minutes. Equinox.
Steven Ramey, “Is There a Large Difference Between the Main Religions or Do They Have Minor Variations on the Same Overall Idea?” 115-118 in Religion in 5 Minutes. Equinox.
Case Studies
Listen to an episode of the podcast, Cult Favorite and write 500-words on what you learned about the group discussed and the study of religion at work.
Datasets
“U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations and Membership,” ARDA: The Association of Religion Data Archives.
