Legal Cases, New Religious Movements, and Minority Faiths

James Richardson, JD, PhD, is Professor of Sociology and Judicial Studies at the University of Nevada in Reno, where he directs the Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies, as well as the Judicial Studies graduate degree program for trial judges. His latest books include Regulating Religion: Case Studies from around the Globe (2004) and Saints under Siege: The Texas Raid on the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (with Stuart Wright, 2011). He has published over 250 articles and book chapters, and worked on 10 books, mostly on new and minority faiths. In recent years his focus has been on legal aspects of social control of religions. He is the incoming president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. François Bellanger, PhD, Professor of Law (University of Geneva), Attorney at Law, has been a legal expert on cults for the Department of Justice of the Canton of Geneva (Switzerland) and is one of the authors of the official report on illegal sectarian practices published in Geneva in 1997 (’Audit sur les dérives sectaires’). He has published several articles on cults and religious freedom. He is the President of the Information Center on Beliefs in Geneva.

Preface by Eileen Barker PART I: Controversial Religious Groups and the Legal System 1 Courts, Crusaders and the Media: The Family International Claire Borowik 2 Scientology in Italy: Plagio and the Twenty Year Legal Saga Massimo Introvigne 3 The Order of the Solar Temple: From Apocalypse to Court Jean-François Mayer PART II: Specific Legal Cases Involving Minority Religious Groups 4 The Mohan Singh Case: What Is the Price of Confidentiality? Philip Katz QC 5 The Resurrection of Religion in the U.S.? "Sacred Tea" Cases, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the War on Drugs James T. Richardson and Jennifer Shoemaker 6 Religion or Sedition? The Domestic Terrorism Trial of the Hutaree, a Michigan-based Christian Militia Susan J. Palmer 7 The Dang Case: When Chakras Opening Leads to a Belgian Criminal Court Henri de Cordes PART III: Legal Issues Raised by Cases Involving Minority Faiths 8 How to Know the Truth: Accommodating Religious Belief in the Law of Libel Alastair Mullis and Andrew Scott 9 Religious Libel: Are the Courts the Right Place for Faith Disputes? Hardeep Singh 10 The European Court of Human Rights, Minority Religions, and New Versus Original Member States Valerie A. Lykes and James T. Richardson PART IV: Minority Religious Groups in Court: Experimental Evidence 11 Cults in Court: Jury Decision-Making and New Religious Movements Jeffrey E. Pfeifer 12 Parents’ Use of Faith Healing for Their Children: Implications for the Legal System and Measuring Community Sentiment Monica K. Miller 13 Muslims and the Courtroom: Legal Issues and Empirical Research Evelyn M. Maeder and Jeffrey E. Pfeifer