Researching New Religious Movements: Responses and RedefinitionsNew religious movements such as the Moonies, Jehovah's Witnesses and Hare Krishnas are now well established in mainstream cultural consciousness. But responses to these 'cult' groups still tend to be overwhelmingly negative, characterized by the furious reactions that they evoke from majority interests. Modern societies need to learn how best to respond to such movements, and how to interpret their benefits and dangers. Researching New Religious Movements provides a cutting-edge analysis of the controversy around new religions in America and Europe today. Drawing on original fieldwork, it explores the battles between the recruiting factions of groups like the Moonies, and the anti-cult movements and Church societies that have mobilized to oppose these. It considers academic and media interventions on both sides, placing special emphasis on the problems of objectivity inherent in the language of 'sects', 'abduction' and 'brainwashing'. Ideal for students, researchers and professionals, this provocative and much-needed book takes the debate over new religious movements to a newly sophisticated level. |
Contents
1 What this book is about | 1 |
2 Milestones in a research itinerary | 8 |
3 Institutions and institutional knowledge | 27 |
4 Sketching in the cultural background | 65 |
5 The anticult movements response | 96 |
6 The response of the mainstream churches | 178 |
7 Conclusions | 326 |
| 334 | |
| 383 | |
New Religious Movements in Global Perspective | 391 |
New Religions and the Nazis | 392 |
Legal Political and Social Challenges in Global Perspective | 393 |
Other editions - View all
Researching New Religious Movements: Responses and Redefinitions Elisabeth Arweck Limited preview - 2004 |
Researching New Religious Movements: Responses and Redefinitions Elisabeth Arweck Limited preview - 2006 |
Researching New Religious Movements: Responses and Redefinitions Elisabeth Arweck No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
academic activities anti-cult anti-cult movement apologetics approach aspects Barker Beckford behaviour beliefs Bishops Board for Mission brainwashing Britain Bundestag Centre charitable status Christian Church co-operation concern conference considered context court criticism cultural debate deprogramming developed Dialogue and Proclamation dialogue with NRMs discussion documents ecumenical Ei’s Eileen Barker Elterninitiative enquiries established evangelization example experience EZW’s FAIR FAIR’s faith families Germany Haack Hummel ibid included individuals initiatives institutions involved ISKCON issues Jehovah’s Witnesses Jugendreligionen Junge Union King’s College London membership newsletter NRM members NRMs organizations paradigm parents participants pastoral perspective political practices problems question Rajneesh Redemptoris Missio regarding Religionswissenschaft religious freedom religious groups religious movements REMID role Saliba Scientology sects Sektenbeauftragte social society sociology of religion spiritual stance Synod teachings term theologians theological traditional UC’s Unification Church Vatican II Vatican Report Weltanschauungsfragen