Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi

Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, Ph. D.

Residence	Haifa, Israel
Nationality	Israeli
Fields	psychology, religion, new religious movements, cults
Institutions	University of Haifa
Alma mater	Michigan State University
Religious stance	Judaism

Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi (Hebrew: בנימין בית-הלחמי‎) is a professor of psychology at the University of Haifa, Israel. Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos A new religious movement or NRM is a term used to refer to a religious faith or an ethical spiritual or philosophical movement of recent origin that is not part This article does not discuss "cult" in the original sense of "veneration" or "religious practice" for that usage see Cult (religious practice The University of Haifa (אוניברסיטת חיפה is a University in Haifa, Israel. Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval Michigan State University ( MSU) is a co-educational public Research university in East Lansing, Michigan USA. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and The University of Haifa (אוניברסיטת חיפה is a University in Haifa, Israel. In 1970 Beit-Hallahmi received a PhD in clinical psychology from Michigan State University. Michigan State University ( MSU) is a co-educational public Research university in East Lansing, Michigan USA.

1 Views on use of "apostasy" as applied to cults/NRMs
2 DIMPAC review
3 Bibliography
- 3.1 Books
- 3.2 Papers
4 References
5 External links
6 See also

Views on use of "apostasy" as applied to cults/NRMs

Beit-Hallahmi argues that academic supporters of New religious movements are engaged in a rhetoric of advocacy, apologetics and propaganda, and writes that in the cases of cult catastrophes such as Peoples Temple, or Heaven's Gate, accounts by hostile outsiders and detractors have been closer to reality than other accounts, and that in that context statements by ex-members turned out to be more accurate than those of offered by apologists and NRM researchers. A new religious movement or NRM is a term used to refer to a religious faith or an ethical spiritual or philosophical movement of recent origin that is not part Peoples Temple was an organization founded in 1955 by Jim Jones that by the mid-1970s possessed over a dozen locations in California including its headquarters in San Heaven's Gate was an American UFO religion based in San Diego California and led by Marshall Applewhite (1932-1997 and Bonnie Nettles (1927-1985 ^[1]

DIMPAC review

He was one of the two outside reviewers of the APA taskforce on Deceptive and Indirect Techniques of Persuasion and Control report. The rejection memo was accompanied by two letters from external advisers to the APA that reviewed the report (the internal review of the APA was not made public). The letter from Beit-Hallahmi stated amongst other comments that "lacking psychological theory, the report resorts to sensationalism in the style of certain tabloids" and that "the term 'brainwashing' is not a recognized theoretical concept, and is just a sensationalist 'explanation' more suitable to 'cultists' and revival preachers. It should not be used by psychologists, since it does not explain anything", and asked that the report should not be made public. ^[2]

Bibliography

Books

Psychoanalysis and religion: A bibliography, Norwood Editions, 1978
Israeli Connection, 1982, ISBN 0-394-55922-3
Prolegomena to the Psychological Study of Religion, 1989, ISBN 0-8387-5159-8
Despair and Deliverance: Private Salvation in Contemporary Israel, 1992, ISBN 0-394-55922-3
The Annotated Dictionary of Modern Religious Movements, 1994, ISBN 0-7172-7273-7
Religion, Psychopathology And Coping. (International Series in the Psychology of Religion 4), 1996, Rodopi Bv Editions , ISBN 90-420-0101-1
Psychoanalytic Studies of Religion : A Critical Assessment and Annotated Bibliography, 1996, ISBN 0-313-27362-6
The Psychology of Religious Behaviour, Belief and Experience, 1997, w/ Michael Argyle, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-12331-3
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Active New Religions, Sects, and Cults, 1997, ISBN 0-8239-1505-0
Original Sins: Reflections on the History of Zionism and Israel, 1998, ISBN 1-56656-130-2
Misunderstanding cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field, Contributor

Papers

Old Identities and New Religions in Israel, Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture, Volume 1: Issue 2-3,
Scientology: Religion or racket?, 2003, Marburg Journal of Religion, Volume 8, No. Misunderstanding Cults Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field was edited by Benjamin Zablocki and Thomas Robbins. 1 [2]
Dear Colleagues: Integrity and Suspicion in NRM Research, presented at the 1997 annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion [3]

References

^ Beit-Hallahmi 1997 Beith-Hallahmi, Benjamin Dear Colleagues: Integrity and Suspicion in NRM Research, 1997, [1]
^ APA memo and two enclosures, NOTE: hosted on CESNUR website. Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi (בנימין בית-הלחמי is a professor of Psychology at the University of Haifa, Israel CESNUR (Italian Centro Studi sulle Nuove Religioni) is a Center for Studies on New Religions, based in Turin, Italy.

External links

Search

Media/Press mention

The Mideast: A Century of Conflict, National Public Radio, Sep 30, 2002
"Independence Day" in Tel Aviv, Berliner, (German)

Persondata
NAME	Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Israeli psychologist
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH

Contents