Sexuality and New Religious Movements

Issues relating to sexuality, eroticism and gender are often connected to religious beliefs and practices, but also to prejudices against and fear of religious groups that adopt alternative approaches to sexuality. This is especially apparent in connection with new religious movements, which many times find themselves accused by the media and anti-cultists of promoting illicit and controversial views on sexuality. This anthology aims to critically investigate the role of sexuality in a number of new religious movements, including Mormon fundamentalist communities, the Branch Davidians, the Osho movement, the Raël movement, contemporary Wicca and Satanism, in addition to the teachings of Adidam and Gurdjieff on sexuality.

Henrik Bogdan is Associate Professor in History of Religions at the Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He is the co-editor of the book series Palgrave Studies in New and Alternative Religions. Bogdan is associate editor of The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies and book reviews editor of Aries: Journal for the Study of Western Esotericism.

James R. Lewis is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Tromsø, Norway. He is the general editor of Brill's Handbooks in Contemporary Religions series, co-editor of Ashgate's Controversial Religions series, and co-editor of Palgrave Studies in New and Alternative Religions. His titles have won American Library Association, New York Public Library, and Choice book awards.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction
Henrik Bogdan and James R. Lewis
Chapter 2: Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Empowerment in Mormon Fundamentalist Communities
Jennifer Lara Fagen and Stuart A. Wright
Chapter 3: Gender Among the Branch Davidians
Martha Sonntag Bradley
Chapter 4: Sex and Gender in the Words and Communes of Osho (nee Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
Roshani Cari Shay and Henrik Bogdan
Chapter 5: Sexual Practice, Spiritual Awakening, and Divine Self-Realization in the Reality-Way of Adidam
Michael (Anthony) Costabile
Chapter 6: Gurdjieff on Sex: Subtle Bodies, Si 12, and the Sex Life of a Sage
Johanna J. M. Petsche
Chapter 7: Sex Magic or Sacred Marriage? Sexuality in Contemporary Wicca
Chas S. Clifton
Chapter 8: Cult of Carnality: Sexuality, eroticism and gender in contemporary Satanism
Per Faxneld and Jesper Aa. Petersen
Chapter 9: Rael's Angels: The First Five Years of a Secret Order
Susan J. Palmer
Contributors
Index