The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, arguably the most authoritative international journal in the field of sociology of religion, opens its issue no. 2 of vol. 4 (June 2001) with a "Symposium on Government Policy Toward Unconventional Religions in Europe". The leading article is by James T.Richardson - Massimo Introvigne , “’Brainwashing Theories’ in European Parliamentary and Administrative Reports on ‘Cults’ and ‘Sects’”, pp. 143-168 and is a survey of the use of discredited "brainwashing" ideas in several Western European reports. The symposium continues with replies by Thomas Robbins and J. Christopher Soper, who move the discussion to why exactly this is happening in certain Western European countries rather than in others, and is concluded by Massimo Introvigne – James T. Richardson, “Western Europe, Postmodernity, and the Shadow of the French Revolution: A Reply to Soper and Robbins”, pp. 181-185. Copies and subscriptions to the Journal may be purchased from Blackwell Publishers suscrip@blackwellpub.com