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Your one-stop
resource for accurate information
on the wild and
wooly world of modern religious groups and teachers.
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If this is
your first visit to the Field Guide you will find it important to read
the material in the Introduction section
before continuing your explorations here.
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Web Resources for Religious Research
The following websites have extensive profiles and documentation regarding a wide variety of religious groups, ideas and teachers. Inclusion here should not be taken as an endorsement of all the material on a site, particularly any subjective evaluation of the factual material presented. These links are provided specifically as research resources for those wishing to delve more extensively into topics covered on this Field Guide website.
The Apologetics Index
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/"Apologetics Index (apologeticsindex.org, apologeticsindex.com, and countercult.com) provides research resources on religious cults, sects, new religious movements, alternative religions, apologetics-, anticult-, and countercult organizations, doctrines, religious practices and world views. These resources reflect a variety of theological and/or sociological perspectives. The site provides information that helps equip Christians to logically present and defend the Christian faith, and that aids non-Christians in their comparison of various religious claims. Issues addressed range from spiritual and cultic abuse to contemporary theological and/or sociological concerns. AI also includes ex-cult support resources, up-to-date religion news, articles on Christian life and ministry, and a variety of other features."
The Adherents.com website
http://www.adherents.com"Adherents.com is a growing collection of over 41,000 adherent statistics and religious geography citations -- references to published membership/adherent statistics and congregation statistics for over 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, ultimate concerns, etc.
Basically, researchers can use this site to answer such questions as "How many Quakers live in Indiana?", "What are the major religions of Nigeria?", or "What percentage of the world is Buddhist?" We present data from both primary research sources such as government census reports, statistical sampling surveys and organizational reporting, as well as citations from secondary literature which mention adherent statistics."
Banner Ministries' "Cross + Word" Christian Resource Website
http://www.banner.org.uk/articles.htmlThis site, the tireless work of one woman in England, particularly emphasizes documentation and commentary about "End Times Revival" groups, teachers and ideas. Website owner Tricia Trillin notes:
"Given the purpose of the Web Site, we have tried to present only material on that theme: endtimes false teaching within the Church. The articles here are the work of many different ministers and individual Christians, though many are of course authored by Tricia Tillin herself as the owner of the site. The central theme is the truth of the Word of God, and the discernment given by the Holy Spirit, as guiding lights illuminating our Christian walk.
Rather than depend on various words and prophecies, or revelations given while in the throes of a spiritual "experience", the writers here have tested all things by the scriptures - God's word. That is not to say that the writers have all rejected the power and presence of the Spirit. Far from it. Many are themselves pentecostals."
The Religious Movements Homepage of the University of Virginia
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/A website created in conjunction with a course on "New Religious Movements" offered by the University. The site has a sociological rather than theological approach to the material it presents.
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
http://www.religioustolerance.org"By "religious tolerance" we do not mean that everyone must accept other religions as truth. We can believe that members of another religion are hopelessly deluded, and still support their right to enjoy religious freedom.
We do not teach that all religions are the same. They are quite different. We do not teach that all religions are simply different paths to the same God. They clearly are not. They teach very different paths to different gods and goddesses. They have entirely different beliefs about deity, religious belief, sexual behavior, family structure, etc.
Some of our policies:
We feel that the best way to counteract religious intolerance is through education. Thus, we try to explain the full range of religious beliefs and practices. On our essays which deal with Christianity, we describe the beliefs of both conservative and liberal Christians. We some times also describe the belief of first and second century Christians as well. Similarly, on controversial topics involving religion, like abortion access and equal protection for homosexuals, we explain all sides to each topic. These policies make us a very different religious web site. Almost all the others promote a single point of view.We use the same definition of the word "Christian" as do pollsters and government census offices: we include as Christian any person or group which seriously, thoughtfully, prayerfully considers themselves to be Christian. About 88% of Americans and Canadians are Christian by this definition. We recognize that many conservative Christians have a more restrictive definition of what it means to be a Christian."
Rick Ross's Website
http://www.rickross.com/"This website was created to offer the public a resource of information concerning controversial and/or potentially unsafe groups, which may have drawn some concern, attention and/or interest. Some groups listed and/or mentioned may have been called "cults." But the mention and/or inclusion of a group or leader within this website does not define that group as a "cult" and/or necessarily denote an individual, organization or group mentioned as either destructive and/or harmful. Instead, visitors to this website must exercise their own judgment after reviewing and considering the information provided.
Here you will find an archive that contains thousands of documents, which includes news stories, related research, reports, court records, book excerpts, personal testimonies and hundreds of links to outside reference resources."
Unless otherwise noted, all original material on this Field Guide website
is © 2001-2006 by Pam Dewey.Careful effort has been made to give credit as clearly as possible to any specific material quoted or ideas extensively adapted from any one resource. Corrections and clarifications regarding citations for any source material are welcome, and will be promptly added to any sections which are found to be inadequately documented as to source.
Pam Dewey
Pam Dewey
Pam Dewey
