Category Close-Ups


Religion Update, March 2001


What's Inside

America is a land of apparently limitless choices, in religion as in everything else. Many of the early settlers came to find a place to practice their faith by their own lights, and in the centuries since then, new religions have sprung up alongside the older ways. Since teachings must be preserved and ideas spread to others, publishing is a key function for these groups, who have become increasingly active in the book industry and whose books are more widely available than ever before. They also find a more eager market in today's wide-open, spiritually curious environment.

In this issue of Religion Update, we examine the publishing activities of a range of faiths that have come on the scene since the 18th century, from the massive and growing Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to groups that claim far fewer--though no less passionate--adherents. Many grew up around the ideas of a single visionary leader, and all have added new ways of approaching the divine and ordering human existence. Most of these faiths were American-born, though some had roots in Europe, the Middle East or Asia. And even in this nation of seemingly boundless opportunity, some of these groups have been vilified and labeled as cults (there's nothing like religion to arouse strong feelings). Their books and publishing programs allow them to tell their own stories.
--Lynn Garrett

Mormon Publishing Comes Into Its Own
Believers in one of today's fastest growing faiths seek more resourcesThe Many Facets Of Faith
Religion, Philosophy or Metaphysics?
Interviews
Alan Wolfe
Catherine Albanese
Roland Vernon
Nori MusterAll Faiths Calendar
Selected Observances for April and May