ODD GODS: New Religions and the Cult Controversy.(Review)(Brief Article)

EDITED BY JAMES R. LEWIS. Prometheus, $33 (425p) ISBN 1-57392-842-9 (New Religious Movements/Sociology)

This valuable compendium of data about religious minority groups, many of which have been branded as "cults" by the media, challenges commonly held stereotypes and offers objective criteria for determining the actual danger such religions may pose. Lewis (professor of religious studies at the University of Wisconsin and author of Doomsday Prophecies: A Complete Guide to the End of the World) presents an insightful critique of media representation, arguing that American society tends to project its own worst shortcomings on marginalized groups. The book's three dozen …