Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History.

New York:: Oxford University Press, 2000.. 1st Printing.. Hardbound . BINDING/CONDITION: red binding with dark gray cloth at the spine; a Very Good+ book, with a Very Good+ dust jacket; publisher's price on the jacket flap is intact.. 8vo (9.5 inches tall) . Notes, index. Description: The publisher's blurb reads: ''A full account of cults and anti-cults in American history. Jenkins shows that, contrary to popular belief, cults were by no means an invention of the 1960s. In fact, most of the frightening images and stereotypes surrounding fringe religious movements are traceable to the mid-nineteenth century when Mormons, Freemasons, and even Catholics were vehemently denounced for supposed ritualistic violence, fraud and sexual depravity. As Charles Ferguson observed in 1928, 'America has always been the sanctuary of amazing cults.' But America has also been the home of an often hysterical anti-cult backlash. Jenkins provides an insightful analysis of why cults arouse such fear and hatred both in the secular world and in mainstream churches.''