In the face of the popular crusade to link new religious movements to dangerous cults, brainwashing, and the need for deprogramming, Irving Hexham and Karla Poewe argue that many cults are in fact the product of dynamic interaction between folk religions and the teachings of traditional world religions. With the widespread loss of belief in biblical mythology in the nineteenth century, new mythologies based on science and elements derived from various non-Western religious traditions emerged, leading to the growth and popularity of new religions and cults. Drawing on examples from Africa, the...