The Politics of Religious Apostasy

An analysis of the role, motivation, and impact of apostates in the current controversy surrounding new religions.

The current controversy surrounding new religions has brought to the forefront the role of apostates.

The current controversy surrounding new religions has brought to the forefront the role of apostates. These individuals leave highly controversial movements and assume roles in other organizations as public opponents against their former movements. This volume examines the motivations of the apostates, how they are recruited and play out their roles, the kinds of narratives they construct to discredit their previous groups, and the impact of apostasy on the outcome of conflicts between movements and soci