Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1994, Page 75
Mystical Diets. Jack Raso. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, 1993, 291 pages.**
Jack Raso, M.S., R.D., presents Mystical Diets which exposes paranormal, spiritual, and
occult nutrition beliefs and practices. Chapter One, “From believer to skeptic: my personal
odyssey,” is worth the price of the book as Raso describes his past experiences as a
supplement junkie, health food store “nutritionist,” health seeker, and his eventual
acceptance of reality. Raso identifies the thread that runs through most of the healing
systems covered by the book as a belief in a “vital force” (“healing power”) that goes by
many names. Included among the mystical diets are Macrobiotics, Natural Hygiene
(naturopathy, T.C. Fry, Harvey Diamond), Edgar Cayce (A.R.E. Clinic), Ayurvedic Medicine,
FAIM (Atkins, Huggins, Schachter, Wright, McGrady), Anthroposophical Medicine, Gerson
cancer treatment, Matol Km, Nature's Sunshine, Nutripathy, mail order nutrition (a survey
of products advertised in popular publications), chiropractic nutrition, nutrition diploma mills
(“nontraditional” health education), [along with] a useful glossary to help sort out terms.
The individuals, products, and services named in this short review are only a sampling of
what this book covers. The book is available through NCAHF Book Sales, P.O. Box 1747,
Allentown, PA 18195, for $24 +$2 p&h.
NCAHF Newsletter
Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult. George A. Mather and
Larry A. Nichols. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1993, 342 pages.
From A.A. (abbreviation for the occultic Argentium Astrum) to Zwinglianism (of Christian
origin), the numerous listings in the Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult
present an impressive, encyclopedic composite of religious and pseudoreligious groups
found in America today.
The book is coauthored by the Reverends George Mather, founder and director of the New
England Institute of Religious Research, and Larry Nichols, an ordained minister in the
Lutheran Church and a philosophy instructor, with a Foreword by Ronald Enroth, an
authority on current religious movements in America. According to Enroth, it is critical,
especially for Christians, to develop discernment skills and a basic knowledge concerning
the multitude of conventional and unconventional religious organizations found in a society
encouraging religious pluralism.
In 1989 I was exposed to a religious group within a traditional Protestant church whose
terminology and behavior were foreign to anything I had ever witnessed in my lifelong
Christian experience. I became so frustrated with the buzzwords and strange nomenclature
that I began compiling a list of the alien verbal expressions and “Christian” notions. Later, I
determined, I would convert my list into a “religious talk” dictionary for the enlightenment
of others—once I could decipher the mumbo-jumbo myself. After conducting a bit of
research, I sent questionnaires composed of religious groups and terminology to several
ministers as well as a group of Christian laypeople. Though my mailing list was restricted,
the responses to the questionnaire indicated a definite need for a dictionary of current
religious movements—one including terminology used by the groups.
I was delighted when I saw the first advertisement for the Dictionary of Cults, Sects,
Religions and the Occult, four years after wishing for one. I ordered it immediately and put
my project aside. After perusing my new dictionary, I initially felt disappointed. Some major
authoritarian, “shepherding” groups I am personally interested in were not included neither
was their lingo. However, the authors explain in their introduction that they were only able
to select a small percentage of groups for inclusion in their first volume as there are
thousands of groups in existence. The selection process was based on two criteria: the
choosing of groups most accessible through availability of information and those perceived
Mystical Diets. Jack Raso. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, 1993, 291 pages.**
Jack Raso, M.S., R.D., presents Mystical Diets which exposes paranormal, spiritual, and
occult nutrition beliefs and practices. Chapter One, “From believer to skeptic: my personal
odyssey,” is worth the price of the book as Raso describes his past experiences as a
supplement junkie, health food store “nutritionist,” health seeker, and his eventual
acceptance of reality. Raso identifies the thread that runs through most of the healing
systems covered by the book as a belief in a “vital force” (“healing power”) that goes by
many names. Included among the mystical diets are Macrobiotics, Natural Hygiene
(naturopathy, T.C. Fry, Harvey Diamond), Edgar Cayce (A.R.E. Clinic), Ayurvedic Medicine,
FAIM (Atkins, Huggins, Schachter, Wright, McGrady), Anthroposophical Medicine, Gerson
cancer treatment, Matol Km, Nature's Sunshine, Nutripathy, mail order nutrition (a survey
of products advertised in popular publications), chiropractic nutrition, nutrition diploma mills
(“nontraditional” health education), [along with] a useful glossary to help sort out terms.
The individuals, products, and services named in this short review are only a sampling of
what this book covers. The book is available through NCAHF Book Sales, P.O. Box 1747,
Allentown, PA 18195, for $24 +$2 p&h.
NCAHF Newsletter
Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult. George A. Mather and
Larry A. Nichols. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1993, 342 pages.
From A.A. (abbreviation for the occultic Argentium Astrum) to Zwinglianism (of Christian
origin), the numerous listings in the Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult
present an impressive, encyclopedic composite of religious and pseudoreligious groups
found in America today.
The book is coauthored by the Reverends George Mather, founder and director of the New
England Institute of Religious Research, and Larry Nichols, an ordained minister in the
Lutheran Church and a philosophy instructor, with a Foreword by Ronald Enroth, an
authority on current religious movements in America. According to Enroth, it is critical,
especially for Christians, to develop discernment skills and a basic knowledge concerning
the multitude of conventional and unconventional religious organizations found in a society
encouraging religious pluralism.
In 1989 I was exposed to a religious group within a traditional Protestant church whose
terminology and behavior were foreign to anything I had ever witnessed in my lifelong
Christian experience. I became so frustrated with the buzzwords and strange nomenclature
that I began compiling a list of the alien verbal expressions and “Christian” notions. Later, I
determined, I would convert my list into a “religious talk” dictionary for the enlightenment
of others—once I could decipher the mumbo-jumbo myself. After conducting a bit of
research, I sent questionnaires composed of religious groups and terminology to several
ministers as well as a group of Christian laypeople. Though my mailing list was restricted,
the responses to the questionnaire indicated a definite need for a dictionary of current
religious movements—one including terminology used by the groups.
I was delighted when I saw the first advertisement for the Dictionary of Cults, Sects,
Religions and the Occult, four years after wishing for one. I ordered it immediately and put
my project aside. After perusing my new dictionary, I initially felt disappointed. Some major
authoritarian, “shepherding” groups I am personally interested in were not included neither
was their lingo. However, the authors explain in their introduction that they were only able
to select a small percentage of groups for inclusion in their first volume as there are
thousands of groups in existence. The selection process was based on two criteria: the
choosing of groups most accessible through availability of information and those perceived
