Thomas Robbins

Thomas Robbins (October 13, 1943 – August 31, 2015) was an American author and an independent scholar of sociology of religion.

Life and work Thomas Robbins was born October 13, 1943. He had a sister. In his youth, he was a follower of the guru Meher Baba. From the mid-1980s, Robbins became increasingly focused on legal and church-state issues related to new religious movements.

Robbins died August 31, 2015.

Publications

Articles and book chapters D. Anthony and T. Robbins, "Law, Social Science and the 'Brainwashing' Exception to the First Amendment," Behavioral Sciences and the Law 10(1992):5-30 D. Anthony and T. Robbins, "Religious Totalism, Violence, and Exemplary Dualism," in Terrorism and Political Violence 7(1995):10-50 T. Robbins, "Religious Mass Suicide Before Jonestown," Sociological Analysis 41(1986):1-20 T. Robbins and D. Anthony, "Cults, Brainwashing and Counter-Subversion," Annals 446(1979):78-90 T. Robbins and D. Anthony, "Sects and Violence," in Armageddon at Waco, ed. S. A. Wright (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995): 236-259 T. Robbins and D. Bromley, "Social Experimentation and the Significance of American New Religions," Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 4 (Greenwich, Conn.: JAI, 1992): 1-29 T. Robbins and R. Robertson, "Studying Religion Today," Religion 21(1991):319-339.

Books D. Anthony and T. Robbins (eds.), In Gods We Trust: New Patterns of Religious Pluralism in America, Transaction Publishers, 1981, 1990, 1996, R. Anthony, J. Needleman, T. Robbins, The New Religious Movements: Conversion, Coercion and Commitment, Crossroad Publishing Company, 1983, T. Robbins, W. C. Shepherd, J. McBride (eds.), Cults, Culture, and the Law: Perspectives on New Religious Movements, American Academy of Religion, Studies in Religion, No 36, Scholars Press, 1985, T. Robbins and R. Robertson, Church-state Relations: Tensions and Transitions, Transaction Publishers, 1987, T. Robbins, Cults, Converts, and Charisma: the Sociology of New Religious Movements, Sage Publications, 1988,

B. Zablocki and T. Robbins (eds.), Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field, Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 2001, P. C. Lucas and T. Robbins (eds.), New Religious Movements in the 21st Century: Legal, Political, and Social Challenges in Global Perspective, New York, Routledge, 2004,