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 society.

DAVID G. BROMLEY is Professor of Sociology and Affiliate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the past editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Among his recent books are The Satanism Scare (1991), edited with James Richardson and Joel Best, Handbook on Cults and Sects in America (1993), edited with Jeffrey K. Hadden, and Anticult Movements in Cross-Cultural Perspective (1994), edited with Anson Shupe.