num_pages: 272
description: There are many reports of strange cults which enthral their followers and cut themselves off from the world. Invariably led by gurus or spiritual leaders the fruit of these cults are mass suicides in the South American jungle or the self-immolation of hundreds in besieged fortresses. This study provides an examination of these men and women and of those who follow them. It takes as example some of those considered to be modern gurus - James Jones David Koresh the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Gurdjieff and others - and establishes what each of them has in common. It then examines what they share with other gurus whose teachings are accepted or at least respected - Jung Freud Ignatius Loyola Jesus himself - and finds some startling continuities.
language: English
title: Feet of Clay: A Study of Gurus
publisher: Harper Collins