Violence, Conspiracies, and New Religious Movements

Stimulated by the vast scholarly output of James Lewis, experts opine on violence, conspiracies, and new religious movements. On violence, Mark Juergensmeyer explains his 'epistemic worldview analysis' in interviewing religious terrorists; Michael Barkun describes transnational conspiracy theories such as the Sovereign Citizens Movement and QAnon; David Bromley highlights the 'lost cause movement' which built up confederate identity for Southerners long after the Civil War; Mattias Gardell explores the link between bibliocaust and holocaust from 1499 Granada through the National Socialists of WWII to the Qur'an burnings of Rasmus Paladan in contemporary Sweden. On new religious movements, Rebecca Moore critiques the reputed pathology of the leader in 'suicide cults,' the problem with 'monolithic inferences' in examining members' willingness to die, and the elusiveness of comparative new religions to rigid stereotyping; Catherine Wessinger investigates the extraordinary charisma of