| Edition |
First edition. |
| Description |
xviii, 245 pages ; 24 cm. |
| Series |
Religion and politics |
|
Religion and politics.
|
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-236) and index. |
| Contents |
The American millennial community -- Christian identity -- Odinism and Ásatrú -- The B'nai Noah -- The anti-cult movement/watchdog groups -- A confederacy of seekers? |
| Summary |
Jeffrey Kaplan takes a provocative look at three religiously based apocalyptic movements, their radical doctrines, and their rejection of mainstream American culture: the Christian Identity, whose members believe they are the true Aryan descendants of Israeli biblical tribes; Odinism and the related Asatru movement, which attempts to reconstruct the practices of Norse-Germanic paganism; and B'nai Noah, the anti-Christian movements in favor of God's covenant with Noah. Kaplan describes how the groups interact, probes the internal organizational friction, and shows how watchdog groups like the Anti-Defamation League, Klanwatch, and Cult Awareness Network monitor these groups' activities. He argues that violence takes several forms, which at its apex may culminate in millenarian violence, but maintains that right-wing violence is primarily an impulsive act carried out by part-time revolutionaries against convenient targets or against that which represents change in the status quo. |
|
Thought-provoking in his analysis, Kaplan defines the primary issue for current debate: how sectarian organizations, far outside the mainstream of American religious life, pose a significant challenge to prevailing conceptions of constitutional rights. He contends that the cost of denying such protection to even the most antagonistic and despised groups is, in the end, too high a price for a free society to pay. |
| Subject |
Millennialism -- United States.
|
|
Cults -- United States.
|
|
United States -- Religion.
|
| Indexed Term |
Cults United States |
|
Millennialism United States |
|
United States Religion |
| ISBN |
0815626878 cloth alkaline paper |
|
9780815626879 cloth alkaline paper |
|
0815603967 paperback alkaline paper |
|
9780815603962 paperback alkaline paper |
|
