Religious Studies

Osric University's Religious Studies Department will focus on religious sects that are ignored at other institutions. Any religious studies major will be expected to have prior experience studying major world religions at other institutions of higher learning, or to complete additional coursework elsewhere. Osric University's courses will be devoted to religious beliefs and practices that often goes unstudied by other institutes of higher education.

The areas that we would like to concentrate on at first are as follows:

• Branch Davidians
• Jim Jones and the People's Temple
• Heaven's Gate
• Mandarom Sect and the Cosmic Christ
• Cult of the Solar Order
• The Cathars, Bogomils, and Albigenses

With the exception of historical groups such as the Cathars and Albigenses, and much popular literature concerning Jim Jones, many fringe religious sects have little to no scholarly literature available. Coursework will consist primarily of searching newspaper and magazine archives from the era, and telephone interviews with current or former members, or in the case of suicide cults, members' families.

If you would like to study one of fringe religious sects in-depth, or if you have already gathered information on one of these topics and would like to share it, please email chris@osric.com.

Updated 08-17-2005. Problems? Contact chris@osric.com