James R. Lewis (scholar): Difference between revisions
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Lewis was born in [[Leonardtown, Maryland]], and raised in [[New Port Richey, Florida]]. In his youth, in the early and mid-seventies, he was a member of [[Yogi Bhajan|Yogi Bhajan's]] [[3HO]], a [[new religious movement]] combining the teachings of [[kundalini yoga]] and [[Sikhism]].<ref name=LewisMarburg>{{cite journal | author=James R. Lewis | title = Autobiography of a Schism | journal = [[Marburg Journal of Religion]] | date = 2010 | volume = 15 | url = http://www.uni-marburg.de/fb03/ivk/mjr/pdfs/2010/articles/lewis_2010.pdf }}</ref> Feeling disenchanted with the organization, he formed a small and short-lived breakaway movement.<ref name=LewisMarburg /> |
Lewis was born in [[Leonardtown, Maryland]], and raised in [[New Port Richey, Florida]]. In his youth, in the early and mid-seventies, he was a member of [[Yogi Bhajan|Yogi Bhajan's]] [[3HO]], a [[new religious movement]] combining the teachings of [[kundalini yoga]] and [[Sikhism]].<ref name=LewisMarburg>{{cite journal | author=James R. Lewis | title = Autobiography of a Schism | journal = [[Marburg Journal of Religion]] | date = 2010 | volume = 15 | url = http://www.uni-marburg.de/fb03/ivk/mjr/pdfs/2010/articles/lewis_2010.pdf }}</ref> Feeling disenchanted with the organization, he formed a small and short-lived breakaway movement.<ref name=LewisMarburg /> |
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Lewis received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the [[University of Wales, Lampeter]], in the United Kingdom, and pursued a career as a professional reference book writer in the 1990s. In 1992, he formed AWARE (Association of World Academics for Religious Freedom), with the primary goal "to promote intellectual and religious freedom by educating the general public about existing religions and cultures, including, but not limited to, alternative religious groups."<ref name="RobbinsZablocki2001">{{cite book|author1=Thomas Robbins|author2=Benjamin David Zablocki|title=Misunderstanding cults: searching for objectivity in a controversial field|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=pJ9Nmc25xNAC&pg=PA47|accessdate=24 August 2011|date=1 December 2001|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-8188-9|pages=47–48}}</ref> Describing its outlook as "scholarly and non-sectarian", AWARE stated that it sought to educate scholars and the general public about the persecution of religious and cultural minorities in the United States and abroad, and to assist the United States in its efforts to counter prejudice.<ref name="RobbinsZablocki2001" /> Other scholars involved in the formulation of AWARE as an "anti-anti-cult organization" included [[Eileen Barker]], [[David G. Bromley]], and [[Jeffrey Hadden]], who felt a need for an organization of academics prepared to appear as expert witnesses in court cases.<ref name="Kaplan1997">{{cite book|author=Jeffrey Kaplan|title=Radical religion in America: millenarian movements from the far right to the children of Noah|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=qIilYBbxSbcC&pg=PA139|accessdate=24 August 2011|year=1997|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=978-0-8156-0396-2|pages=139–140, 208}}</ref> AWARE proved controversial; critics complained that Lewis associated too closely with NRM members, and Lewis dissolved the body in December 1995 after concerns from members of its advisory board.<ref name="Kaplan1997" /> |
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Lewis received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the [[University of Wales, Lampeter]], in the United Kingdom, and pursued a career as a professional reference book writer in the 1990s. |
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Some months prior, in May 1995, Lewis, fellow scholar [[Gordon Melton]] and religious freedom lawyer Barry Fisher had flown to Japan in the early stages of investigations into the [[sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway]] to voice their concern that police behaviour, including mass detentions without charge and the removal of practitioners' children from the group, might be infringing the civil rights of [[Aum Shinrikyo]] members.<ref name=washingtonpost /><ref name=Reader /> They had travelled to Japan at the invitation and expense of Aum Shinrikyo after they had contacted the group to express concern over developments, and met with officials over a period of three days.<ref name=washingtonpost /> While not having been given access to the group's chemical laboratories, they held press conferences in Japan stating their belief, based on the documentation they had been given, that the group did not have the ability to produce sarin and was being scapegoated.<ref name=washingtonpost>"Tokyo Cult Finds an Unlikely Supporter", ''[[The Washington Post]]'', T.R. Reid, May 1995.</ref><ref name=Reader>Ian Reader, [http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:Tv6xm43mZ9QJ:eprints.lancs.ac.uk/14563/1/nr.2000.3.2.pdf "Scholarship, Aum Shinrikyo, and Academic Integrity"], ''[[Nova Religio]]'' 3, no. 2 (April 2000): 368-82.</ref> Lewis likened the group's treatment to a Japanese [[Waco siege|Waco]].<ref name=Reader /> The scholars' defence of Aum Shinrikyo led to a crisis of confidence in religious scholarship when the group turned out to have been responsible for the attack after all.<ref name=Reader /> |
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Lewis edits a series on Contemporary Religions for Brill, and co-edits a series on Controversial New Religions for [[Ashgate Publishing|Ashgate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ebooks.com/ebooks/book_display.asp?IID=120076|title=Lewis, James R.|publisher=ebooks.com}}</ref> He is a co-founder of the [[International Society for the Study of New Religions]]<ref name=obrel /> and editor-in-chief of the [[Alternative Spirituality & Religion Review]] (ASSR).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.academicpublishing.org/board.php | title=Alternative Spirituality & Religion Review: Editorial board }}</ref> He has taught in the [[University of Wisconsin system]] and, on an adjunct basis, at [[DePaul University]], and is currently Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the [[University of Tromsø]] and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Wales, Lampeter.<ref name=obrel>[http://www.observatoire-religion.com/?p=112 James R. Lewis] on the website of the [[Observatoire Européen des religions et de la laïcité]]</ref> |
Lewis edits a series on Contemporary Religions for Brill, and co-edits a series on Controversial New Religions for [[Ashgate Publishing|Ashgate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ebooks.com/ebooks/book_display.asp?IID=120076|title=Lewis, James R.|publisher=ebooks.com}}</ref> He is a co-founder of the [[International Society for the Study of New Religions]]<ref name=obrel /> and editor-in-chief of the [[Alternative Spirituality & Religion Review]] (ASSR).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.academicpublishing.org/board.php | title=Alternative Spirituality & Religion Review: Editorial board }}</ref> He has taught in the [[University of Wisconsin system]] and, on an adjunct basis, at [[DePaul University]], and is currently Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the [[University of Tromsø]] and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Wales, Lampeter.<ref name=obrel>[http://www.observatoire-religion.com/?p=112 James R. Lewis] on the website of the [[Observatoire Européen des religions et de la laïcité]]</ref> |
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==Reception== |
==Reception== |
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A prolific author, Lewis won a ''[[Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries|Choice]]'' Outstanding Academic Title award for ''Cults in America'' in 1999.<ref name="Bartlett2003">{{cite book|author=Rebecca Ann Bartlett|title=Choice's outstanding academic titles, 1998-2002: reviews of scholarly titles that every library should own|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ZexwH4DF8gEC&pg=PA238|accessdate=24 August 2011|date=July 2003|publisher=Assoc of College & Resrch Libraries|isbn=978-0-8389-8232-7|page=238}}</ref> The ''Choice'' review described it as a "very readable book" that offered a "balanced overview of controversies centering on cults in America", containing basic information on several dozen groups, as well as the more general conflict between "anti-cultists" seeking government assistance to eliminate cults, and religious "libertarians" defending religious liberty even for disliked groups.<ref name="Bartlett2003" /> The review stated that while Lewis differed with the anti-cult view, he presented "arguments and references from both sides – respectfully and in language free from insinuation or invective. Strongly recommended".<ref name="Bartlett2003" /> He won another ''Choice'' Outstanding Academic Title in 2005, for ''[[The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements]]''.<ref>[http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/ReligionTheology/SociologyofReligion/?view=usa&ci=9780195149869 Oxford University Press: The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. Edited by James R. Lewis]</ref> |
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A prolific author, Lewis has won Choice book awards for his ''Cults in America'' and for ''[[The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements]]''. |
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The work of AWARE was criticized by scholars such as [[Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi]], who felt that Lewis was disseminating movement "propaganda", and used poor research methods.<ref name="RobbinsZablocki2001" /> [[Jeffrey Kaplan (academic)|Jeffrey Kaplan]] stated that the aims of AWARE had been "laudable", but that the risks involved for academics in joining the "cult wars", as well as the organization's apparently unsuccessful appeals for funding from new religious movements, led to controversy.<ref name="Kaplan1997" /> |
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== Bibliography == |
== Bibliography == |
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Revision as of 16:38, 24 August 2011
James R. Lewis is a professional writer and academic specializing in new religious movements and New Age.
Life and work
Lewis was born in Leonardtown, Maryland, and raised in New Port Richey, Florida. In his youth, in the early and mid-seventies, he was a member of Yogi Bhajan's 3HO, a new religious movement combining the teachings of kundalini yoga and Sikhism.[1] Feeling disenchanted with the organization, he formed a small and short-lived breakaway movement.[1]
Lewis received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Wales, Lampeter, in the United Kingdom, and pursued a career as a professional reference book writer in the 1990s. In 1992, he formed AWARE (Association of World Academics for Religious Freedom), with the primary goal "to promote intellectual and religious freedom by educating the general public about existing religions and cultures, including, but not limited to, alternative religious groups."[2] Describing its outlook as "scholarly and non-sectarian", AWARE stated that it sought to educate scholars and the general public about the persecution of religious and cultural minorities in the United States and abroad, and to assist the United States in its efforts to counter prejudice.[2] Other scholars involved in the formulation of AWARE as an "anti-anti-cult organization" included Eileen Barker, David G. Bromley, and Jeffrey Hadden, who felt a need for an organization of academics prepared to appear as expert witnesses in court cases.[3] AWARE proved controversial; critics complained that Lewis associated too closely with NRM members, and Lewis dissolved the body in December 1995 after concerns from members of its advisory board.[3]
Some months prior, in May 1995, Lewis, fellow scholar Gordon Melton and religious freedom lawyer Barry Fisher had flown to Japan in the early stages of investigations into the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway to voice their concern that police behaviour, including mass detentions without charge and the removal of practitioners' children from the group, might be infringing the civil rights of Aum Shinrikyo members.[4][5] They had travelled to Japan at the invitation and expense of Aum Shinrikyo after they had contacted the group to express concern over developments, and met with officials over a period of three days.[4] While not having been given access to the group's chemical laboratories, they held press conferences in Japan stating their belief, based on the documentation they had been given, that the group did not have the ability to produce sarin and was being scapegoated.[4][5] Lewis likened the group's treatment to a Japanese Waco.[5] The scholars' defence of Aum Shinrikyo led to a crisis of confidence in religious scholarship when the group turned out to have been responsible for the attack after all.[5]
Lewis edits a series on Contemporary Religions for Brill, and co-edits a series on Controversial New Religions for Ashgate.[6] He is a co-founder of the International Society for the Study of New Religions[7] and editor-in-chief of the Alternative Spirituality & Religion Review (ASSR).[8] He has taught in the University of Wisconsin system and, on an adjunct basis, at DePaul University, and is currently Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Tromsø and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Wales, Lampeter.[7]
Reception
A prolific author, Lewis won a Choice Outstanding Academic Title award for Cults in America in 1999.[9] The Choice review described it as a "very readable book" that offered a "balanced overview of controversies centering on cults in America", containing basic information on several dozen groups, as well as the more general conflict between "anti-cultists" seeking government assistance to eliminate cults, and religious "libertarians" defending religious liberty even for disliked groups.[9] The review stated that while Lewis differed with the anti-cult view, he presented "arguments and references from both sides – respectfully and in language free from insinuation or invective. Strongly recommended".[9] He won another Choice Outstanding Academic Title in 2005, for The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements.[10]
The work of AWARE was criticized by scholars such as Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, who felt that Lewis was disseminating movement "propaganda", and used poor research methods.[2] Jeffrey Kaplan stated that the aims of AWARE had been "laudable", but that the risks involved for academics in joining the "cult wars", as well as the organization's apparently unsuccessful appeals for funding from new religious movements, led to controversy.[3]
Bibliography
- Lewis, James R. (2009). Scientology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195331494.
- (with Sarah Lewis) Sacred Schisms
- (with Murph Pizza) Handbook of Contemporary Paganism
- The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements
- (with Jesper Petersen) Controversial New Religions
- (with Olav Hammer) The Invention of Sacred Tradition
- (with Daren Kemp) Handbook of New Age
- The Order of the Solar Temple
- Cults [in America][11]
- From the Ashes: Making Sense of Waco
- The Gods Have Landed
- Magical Religion and Modern Witchcraft
- (with J. Gordon Melton) Perspectives on the New Age
- Doomsday Prophecies
- (with Carl Skutsch) The Human Rights Encyclopedia
- The Dream Encyclopedia
- (with Evelyn Oliver) Angels A to Z
- The Astrology Encyclopedia
- The Encyclopedia of Afterlife Beliefs and Phenomena
- The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of UFO Religions
- The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of New Age Religions
- Odd Gods: New Religions and the Cult Controversy
- Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects and New Religions
- Legitimating New Religions
- Peculiar Prophets
- Seeking the Light: Uncovering the Truth About the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness and Its Founder John-Roger
- Satanism Today
- Sex, Slander, and Salvation
References
- ^ a b James R. Lewis (2010). "Autobiography of a Schism" (PDF). Marburg Journal of Religion. 15.
- ^ a b c Thomas Robbins; Benjamin David Zablocki (1 December 2001). Misunderstanding cults: searching for objectivity in a controversial field. University of Toronto Press. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-0-8020-8188-9. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ a b c Jeffrey Kaplan (1997). Radical religion in America: millenarian movements from the far right to the children of Noah. Syracuse University Press. pp. 139–140, 208. ISBN 978-0-8156-0396-2. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ a b c "Tokyo Cult Finds an Unlikely Supporter", The Washington Post, T.R. Reid, May 1995.
- ^ a b c d Ian Reader, "Scholarship, Aum Shinrikyo, and Academic Integrity", Nova Religio 3, no. 2 (April 2000): 368-82.
- ^ "Lewis, James R." ebooks.com.
- ^ a b James R. Lewis on the website of the Observatoire Européen des religions et de la laïcité
- ^ "Alternative Spirituality & Religion Review: Editorial board".
- ^ a b c Rebecca Ann Bartlett (July 2003). Choice's outstanding academic titles, 1998-2002: reviews of scholarly titles that every library should own. Assoc of College & Resrch Libraries. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-8389-8232-7. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ Oxford University Press: The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. Edited by James R. Lewis
- ^ Lewis, James R. Cults 1[in America]: A Reference Handbook. ABC-Clio, Contemporary World Issues series, 1998: ISBN 157607031X – 22005: ISBN 1851096183. At Google Book Search