Publ. on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the publication "When prophecy fails" by Leon Festinger.

Includes bibliographical references.

Preliminary Material / Diana G. Tumminia and William H. Swatos -- Introduction: How Failure Succeeds / Diana G. Tumminia -- Revisiting When Prophecy Fails / Benton Johnson -- Where Prophecy Lives: Psychological and Sociological Studies of Cognitive Dissonance / Ralph W. Hood -- The Festinger Theory on Failed Prophecy and Dissonance: A Survey and Critique / Jon R. Stone -- Clearing the Underbrush: Moving beyond Festinger to a New Paradigm for the Study of Failed Prophecy / Lorne L. Dawson -- When Prophets Fail to Fail: A Case Study of Yuko Chino, Chino Shoho, and the Pana-Wave Laboratory / Salvador Jimenez Murguia -- Leadership and the Impact of Failed Prophecies on New Religious Movements: The Case of the Church Universal and Triumphant / Lorne L. Dawson and Bradley C. Whitsel -- Failed Prophecy and Group Demise: The Case of Chen Tao / Stuart A. Wright and Arthur L. Greil -- A Square Theory in a Round Reality: Thoughts on the Study of the Unarius Prophecy / Diana G. Tumminia -- The Sociology of Prophecy Sub Specie Æternitatis / William H. Swatos -- Contributors / Diana G. Tumminia and William H. Swatos.

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Taking its inspiration from the 50th anniversary of the publication of Festinger and others's 1956 seminal and controversial volume When Prophecy Fails , which introduced the notion of \'cognitive dissonance\' as an explanation for how a small group of flying saucer devotees handled the failure of a predicted visit from space aliens, this volume looks at both theoretical and empirical studies of religious groups for whom space beings and civilizations provided an inspiration to prepare for the nearness of events that would trigger \'the end of the world.\' Rather than examining merely the rationales adopted to account for the disappointments associated with such \'failures,\' the core of the present volume seeks to explore the dynamics that inspire not only such beliefs but also the vigorous participation in activities in which adherents engage to prepare for the coming of (or transport to) alien civilizations from \'outer space.\'

Description based on print version record.