RELS 147 "Cults" and "Sects": New Religious Movements in the Americas

In the recent history of the Americas, many groups have founded intentional communities shaped by the ideals of what a faithful, utopian society ought to look like. Some aspiring utopias, like that of the People's Temple in Jonestown, Guyana, ended in dramatic displays of violence and death. Others, like the Mormons in Salt Lake City, have succeeded in the face of sustained adversity. But most land somewhere in between, sustaining themselves through partial integration with dominant society. In this course, we will study different intentional religious communities - often called "cults" or "sects" by outsiders - throughout the Americas. As we study the Oneidan "free love" community, an ayahuasca church in Brazil, an early Rastafari group in Jamaica, we'll ask questions like: Why have religious people sought to separate themselves from society? How have they appealed to scripture or revelation to justify their separation? What challenges - such as external political pressure or internal strife - have they faced? What groups have been "successful," and what are the measures of success? And what do these attempts  at establishing utopias tell us about what it means to be religious?