GSU Library Research Guides: New Religious Movements: Subject Guide: Encyclopedias & More

Reference Sources

Use Reference Sources, such as encyclopedias, to get a general overview of your topic. They are not intended to be read cover-to-cover, but rather provide you with more concise information as you begin to explore a topic. Reference sources generally provide several things:

Background information about a topic.
Brief, factual overviews of topics.
Information about important dates, events, and people associated with a topic.
Terminology and definitions of terms related to a topic.
Articles written by authors with exertise in the subject matter.
Bibliographies of sources for further reading.

Types of Sources

Different types of reference sources answer different types of questions.

Listed below are common types of reference sources for research in religious studies and the kind of information contained in each:

Click on the type of source to retrieve a list of titles owned by the Library.

Dictionary - Definitions of terms, either general or in relation to a specific subject or discipline.
Encyclopedia - Comprehensive summaries of factual information, providing more detail than a dictionary.

Search GIL, the Library Catalog to find additional reference sources in the Library.

Online Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

The following online encyclopedias and dictionaries are available to you from both on- and off-campus. For off-campus access, use your University logon and password (the same logon/password you use to log onto the campus computer lab computers).

GALE Virtual Reference Library
Provides access to numerous online encyclopedias, including the Encyclopedia of Religion, the Encyclopedia of Buddhism, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, the Encyclopaedia of Judaica, and others.

Print Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

The following print encyclopedias and dictionaries are just a few of the sources you will find in in the Library. Please contact me if you need help finding additional reference resources for your research.

Encyclopedic dictionary of cults, sects, and world religions by Larry A. Nichols, George A. Mather, Alvin J. Schmidt
Call Number: BL31 .M295 2006
Location: Atlanta Library North 5
ISBN: 0310239540
Includes, well-known groups and world religions, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Islam, and Baha’i; and groups with a significant North American influence, including Santeria, Rastafarians, Haitian Voodo, white supremacy groups, Wicca, and Satanism.
The encyclopedia of cults, sects, and new religions by Edited by James R. Lewis
Call Number: BL2525 .L49 2002
Location: Atlanta Library North 5
ISBN: 1573928887
"Contains information on approximately 1,000 religious groups, ranging from small churches with less than a hundred members (Chishti Order of America) to organizations such as the Assemblies of God that number in the millions. Most entries are relatively short. The more controversial religions, as well as religious groups that have had a high profile lately, receive more lengthy treatments. Also included are entries on broader religious movements such as the New Age and the Charismatic Movement." -- Description from Amazon.com.
Historical dictionary of new religious movements. by By George D. Chryssides
Call Number: BP601 .C47 2012
Location: Library North 5
ISBN: 0810861941
Traces the rise and development of new religious movements throughout the world.
Oxford handbook of new religious movements. by By James R. Lewis
Call Number: BP603 .H36 2004
Location: Library North 5
ISBN: 0195149866
Covers the current state of the field and breaks new ground. Its contributors are drawn equally from sociology and religious studies and include both established scholars and "rising stars" in the field.
Oxford handbook of millennialism. by Edited by Catherine Wessinger.
Call Number: BL503.2 .O94 2011
Location: Library North 5
ISBN: 0195301056
Begins with a section that examines four primary types of millennialism. Chapters in the next section examine key issues such as charismatic leadership, use of scripture, prophetic failure, gender roles, children, tension with society, and violence. The rest of the book explores millennialism in a wide variety of places and times, from ancient Near Eastern movements to contemporary apocalyptic and new age movements, including the roles played by millennialism in national and international conflicts.
Cults and new religions : a brief history by Douglas E. Cowan, David G. Bromley
Call Number: BL80.3 .C69 2008
Location: Library North 5
ISBN: 1405161280
Reviews the origins, leaders, beliefs, rituals and practices of a variety of new religious movements, highlighting the specific controversies surrounding each group.

Noteworthy Books

New religious movements : a guide for the perplexed. by By Paul Oliver
Call Number: BL80.3 .O45 2012 - Library North 5.
ISBN: 1441101977
Analyses the concepts wused to discuss new religions, and surveys a range of different movements which were established in the second half of the 20th century.
Philosophical explorations of new and alternative religious movements. by Edited by Morgan Luck.
Call Number: BL80.3 .P45 2012
Location: Library North 5
ISBN: 1409406539
Begins with an examination of the definition of new religious movements, before offering an introduction to, and an analysis of, core beliefs held by particular movements, including: Scientology, Raelianism, Siddha Yoga, the Arica School, the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormonism), Pantheism, Digital Theology, New Atheism, and the Word of Faith movement.
New religions : a guide : new religious movements, sects and alternative spiritualities. by By Christopher H. Partridge
Call Number: BP603 .N492 2004
Location: Library North 5
ISBN: 0195220420
Illustrated guide to more than two hundred groups and movements. The volume is organized according to an entirely new method of classification, which associates movements, sects, and spiritualities with the religious traditions from which they arose.