Minority Religions and Uncertainty

Minority Religions and Uncertainty examines how religions, at their core, strive to create certainty. However, it delves into the dynamics of what happens when groups lose control of their destiny. Whether this loss leads to violence or nonviolent innovations, as seen in minority religions following the death of their founders or leaders, uncertainty and insecurity can spur significant changes in a religious group's mission and teachings. This book assembles an international array of contributors to explore the uncertainty faced by new and minority religious movements, as well as non-religious fringe groups.

The groups discussed span a diverse range of religious traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. It also considers both old and new spiritual formations, such as esotericism, New Age, and organised new religious movements. Additionally, the book includes non-religious movements like the straight edge movement and the British Union of Fascists. The chapters cover various contexts from the UK and US to Japan and Egypt, with some discussing global movements. While all authors focus on twentieth- and twenty-first-century movements and issues, several also explicitly examine historical cases or changes over time.

This wide-ranging yet cohesive volume will be of great interest to scholars of minority religious movements and non-religious fringe groups working across religious studies, sociology, and social psychology.