Catherine Lowman Wessinger (, born 1952) is an American religion scholar. She is the Rev. H. James Yamauchi, S.J. Professor of the History of Religions at

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a Private university, private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the nam ...

where she teaches

religious studies Religious studies, also known as religiology or the study of religion, is the study of religion from a historical or scientific perspective. There is no consensus on what qualifies as ''religion'' and definition of religion, its definition is h ...

with a main research focus on

millennialism Millennialism () or chiliasm (from the Greek equivalent) is a belief which is held by some religious denominations. According to this belief, a Messianic Age will be established on Earth prior to the Last Judgment and the future permanent s ...

, new religions, women and religion, and religions of India. She served as a consultant to federal law enforcement during the Montana Freemen standoff and has been cited for her expertise concerning the

Branch Davidians The Branch Davidians (or the General Association of Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, or the Branch Seventh-day Adventists) are a religious sect founded in 1955 by Benjamin Roden. They regard themselves as a continuation of the General A ...

and other apocalyptic groups.

Early life and education

She earned her Ph.D. in History of Religion from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

in 1985.

Works and career

She is the Rev. H. James Yamauchi, S.J. Professor of the History of Religions at

where she teaches

with a main research focus on

, new religions, women and religion, and religions of India. Wessinger is co-general editor of '' Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions''. She served as a consultant to federal law enforcement during the Montana Freemen standoff and has been cited for her expertise concerning the

and other apocalyptic groups. She is the editor of the ''Women in Religions'' series at New York University Press and she is co-editor of the ''Women in the World's Religions and Spirituality Project'', part of the ''World Religions and Spirituality Project''.

Bibliography

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References

External links

Catherine Wessinger Academia.edu page
Living people 1952 births Researchers of new religious movements and cults American religion academics Loyola University New Orleans faculty Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-academic-bio-stub