Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Hutchinson, Dawn L.
Author's Email Address	dhutchin@cnu.edu
URN	etd-04092007-153203
Title	Antiquity and Social Reform: Religious Experience in the Unification Church, Feminist Wicca and Nation of Yahweh
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Religion, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title John Corrigan Committee Chair Amanda Porterfield Committee Member Amy Koehlinger Committee Member Irene Padavic Committee Member
Keywords	New Religious Movements American Religious History Feminist Wicca Nation of Yahweh Unification Church
Date of Defense	2007-03-27
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract ABSTRACT Although religious innovation in America historically has been the norm rather than the exception, mainstream Americans have often viewed new religious movements with suspicion and occasionally with outright alarm. The question motivating many studies of new religious movements has been “why would someone join these religions?” In this dissertation I offer at least one answer to this often repeated query. I argue that followers of new religious movements in the 1960s-1980s, specifically the Unification Church, Feminist Wicca and the Nation of Yahweh, considered these religions to be legitimate because they offered members a personal religious experience, a connection to an ancient tradition, and agency in improving their world. Utilizing an historical approach, I consider the conversion narratives of adherents and primary literature of the formative years of these movements which demonstrate that the religious experiences of the adherents and a resonance with the goals of these religions propelled individuals into social action.
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