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{{COI|date=June 2009}}
{{COI|date=June 2009}}
'''James R. Lewis''' is a professional writer and academic specializing in [[new religious movements]] and [[New Age]]. He was born in Leonardtown, Maryland, and raised in New Port Richey, Florida. He 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. He currently teaches in the [[University of Wisconsin system]] and, on an adjunct basis, at [[DePaul University]]. A prolific author, he won Choice book awards for his ''Cults in America'' and for ''The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements''. He currently edits a series on Contemporary Religions for Brill, and co-edits a series on Controversial New Religions for Ashgate. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ebooks.com/ebooks/book_display.asp?IID=120076|title=Lewis, James R.|publishers=ebooks.com}}</ref>
'''James R. Lewis''' is a professional writer and academic specializing in [[new religious movements]] and [[New Age]]. He was born in Leonardtown, Maryland, and raised in New Port Richey, Florida. He 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. He currently teaches in the [[University of Wisconsin system]] and, on an adjunct basis, at [[DePaul University]]. A prolific author, he won Choice book awards for his ''Cults in America'' and for ''The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements''. He currently edits a series on Contemporary Religions for Brill, and co-edits a series on Controversial New Religions for Ashgate. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ebooks.com/ebooks/book_display.asp?IID=120076|title=Lewis, James R.|publishers=ebooks.com}}</ref>
== Controversy ==
In 1995, Lewis traveled to Japan upon a request from the [[Aum Shinrikyo]] cult, to help defend them against allegations of involvement with the [[Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway]]. Along with fellow Americans [[J. Gordon Melton]], [[Barry Fisher]] and a fourth member, Lewis spoke before a news conference. The Washington Post reported on May 5, 1999 that Lewis "told a hostile and evidently incredulous roomful of Japanese reporters gathered at an Aum office Monday that the cult could not have produced the rare poison gas, sarin, used in both murder cases. He said the Americans had determined this from photos and documents provided by Aum." The Post went on to report that Lewis "...said it was 'outrageous'" that some children had been removed by the police from an Aum dormitory where they were housed apart from their parents. He also said he was not familiar with details of how the children were treated at the cult."[http://www.rickross.com/reference/apologist/apologist7.html] It was also reported that Lewis and his three fellow apologists had all of their traveling expenses paid for by the Aum Shinrikyo cult.

== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==



Revision as of 20:38, 6 July 2009

James R. Lewis is a professional writer and academic specializing in new religious movements and New Age. He was born in Leonardtown, Maryland, and raised in New Port Richey, Florida. He 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. He currently teaches in the University of Wisconsin system and, on an adjunct basis, at DePaul University. A prolific author, he won Choice book awards for his Cults in America and for The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. He currently edits a series on Contemporary Religions for Brill, and co-edits a series on Controversial New Religions for Ashgate. [1]

Bibliography

  • Scientology
  • (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][2]
  • 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

References

  1. ^ "Lewis, James R." {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |publishers= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ 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