How the Millennium Comes Violently: From Jonestown to Heaven's Gate

by Catherine Wessinger

Despite the great variety of social and political movements organized around millennial beliefs today, suspicion, fear, and ridicule typically govern society s treatment of these groups. Violence, as associated with Jonestown, the Branch Davidians, Aum Shinrikyo, Solar Temple, and Heaven s Gate, all too frequently is the consequence of this mistrust. Presented here are case studies of contemporary millennial religions that either became violent, or had the potential for becoming violent. Wessinger provides the essential tools for understanding millennial beliefs and the complex internal mix that shapes a group s decision to embrace or reject violence. Wessinger's fair-minded, practical approach will change misconceptions and, ultimately, help prevent the violence.

Genres: Cults, Nonfiction, Religion, Research, History

305 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

Catherine Wessinger is the Rev. H. James Yamauchi, S.J. Professor of the History of Religions at Loyola University New Orleans. She is the author or editor of a number of books, including Religious Institutions and Women’s Leadership: New Roles Inside the Mainstream.

Reviews

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid criticism of the anti-cult movement, shows how the dehumanizing of people considered to be in cults and the stereotyping of all religious movements considered cults directly contributed to events like group suicide or murder. Lots of really compelling points. Her whole premise is that cult conditioning of members isn’t that different from like, mainstream Christianity or military conditioning of members- basically, she thinks that bc the qualities considered cult like are everywhere, nothing really is what we say cults are and the world cult is a pejorative. Puts a lot of emphasis on agency of cult members. I think “cults are everywhere and many are mainstream” is more accurate than “there’s no such thing as cults” but she’s compelling!

While I do think she has a point, she overstates the agency of cult members, downplays the harm groups can do, and understates the power differentials that can exist between leader and member. And In trying to humanize the branch davidians and make clear how massively disproportionate the events of Waco were re: the threat Branch Davidians supposedly posed (in terms of either/both using their weapons stockpile to initiate violence against others or committing group suicide) she falls very far short of taking koresh’s sexual abuse of girls seriously

[Dani Kline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information presented respectfully and without bias on violent and potentially violent New Religious Movements and the elements of these groups that can lead to the decision to commit violence

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good summary of various religious groups implicated in violence over the past fifty years. Written for a lay audience and necessarily skimming the surface of several different stories, so it obviously has some oversimplifications, but overall you’d get the gist, both of what happened and what scholars of religion think about what happened.