About the Author

J. Gordon Melton is the director for the Institute for the Study of American Religion in Santa Barbara, California, and is a research specialist with the department of religions studies at the University of California. He is the author of more than twenty-six books, including several encyclopedias, handbooks, and almanacs on American religion, new religious movements, and directories of churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship. He is also an ordained elder in the United Methodist church and a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Society for the American Study of Religion, the American Society of Church History, the Communal Studies Association, and the Society for the Study of Metaphysical Religion.

Reviews

"In this pioneering study of JZ Knight's teachings, J. Gordon Melton brings to bear his deep knowledge of new religious movements and his willingness to listen carefully to those whose spiritual quest takes them beyond the bounds of conventional thought."
—Michael F. Brown, author of The Channeling Zone: American Spirituality in an Anxious Age

"Almost single-handedly, J. Gordon Melton has salvaged an enormous literature published by small sects, and he alone brought the immense and transient occult world within the purview of conventional religious history. To do so, he had to convince hundreds of groups and individuals that, unlike the news media, he would be objective—that he would listen, record, and report as well as categorize and compare. Anyone who would like to know how he does it can learn much from this remarkable study of JZ Knight and Ramtha's School of Enlightenment."
—Dr. Rodney Stark, Professor of Sociology and Comparative Religion, University of Washington

"Finding Enlightenment is a fascinating study of an American woman shaman, the entity she channels, and his Gnostic teachings. In addition to Ramtha's students, this book will be of interest to students of new religious movements, women and religion, and the New Age and Theosophical movements."
—Dr. Catherine Wessinger, Associate Professor, Loyola University

"The knowledge I have gained from Ramtha's teaching has enabled me to 'know' and 'experience' the power of God that is within me and lives within all people. I have learned to take the pain in my life and turn it into wisdom. Most importantly, I have found the love in me that I searched for from others. Ramtha is the greatest teacher I've ever known."
—Linda Evans, actress

"Before entering Ramtha's Ancient School of Wisdom, I had the privilege of traveling throughout the United States and in over 63 different foreign countries. I have been educated in the most advanced school our country and our government have to offer in my fields of specialty. To me this school has been the greatest source of knowledge and wisdom I have ever experienced. It has exceeded all of my expectations and stretched my mind beyond anything I have ever dreamed."
—John Betts, NASA test pilot, command pilot, US Air Force