Böcker av James R. Lewis

A clear, concise overview of the origins and history of the Wiccan and Neopagan movements, with A-Z coverage of concepts, rituals, practices, and practitioners.

'Designed for the general reader, the essays on the religion of the Davidians are especially helpful....'-CHOICE

Sects & Stats aims to overturn the conventional wisdom by drawing on current quantitative data from two sources: questionnaire research on select NRMs and relevant national census data collected by Anglophone countries. Sects & Stats also makes a strong argument for the use of longitudinal methods in studying alternative religions.

This work deals with the issue of how emerging religions legitimate themselves. It contends that a new religion has at least four different areas where legitimacy is a concern: making converts, maintaining followers, shaping public opinion and appeasing government authorities.

Cults examines the history and current status of cults across the United States, Europe, and East Asia. Focusing on the principal controversial religions and movements that have attracted major media attention, the book also includes profiles of hundreds of minority religions.

Since the early 1970s, alternative religious movements known as cults have been the focus of ever-increasing controversy in America. Cults in America: A Reference Handbook compares present-day cults to events in earlier American history, focusing on cults as a contemporary phenomenon. The key issue of mind control is covered, overviews of the most controversial churches, and biographies of their leaders are prominent features of this book. Legislative efforts and court decisions, particularly those surrounding the issue of religious liberty, are covered in detail. Cults in America features a directory of organizations in both the United States and Europe, a selected bibliography, print and nonprint resources, a chronology with the dates of religious events in American history, and coverage of events such as the Solar Temple and Heaven's Gate incidents.

From religious beliefs and legends to movies and TV shows, from advertising and celebrities to Internet sites and photo ops, this illustrated A-Z encyclopedia makes it easy to locate each topic, and the opportunities for further research assure its timeliness.

Although speech is the most natural form of communication between humans, using speech to communicate with machines is anything but natural. Drawing from psychology, human-computer interaction, linguistics, and communication theory, this book provides a comprehensive yet concise survey of practical speech user interface design. The text presents research and practice-based guidance for the development of usable speech user interfaces, such as the interactive voice response applications designed to provide phone-based call routing and self-service. The author, a leading human factors engineer, covers both high- and low-level decisions and also includes VoiceXML code examples.

This authoritative reference work presents a full image of the Prince of Darkness as he appears throughout traditional theology, mythology, art and literature, and popular culture.