New Religious Movements: Challenge and Response

by Cresswell,Jamie

• ISBN13: 9780415200509
• ISBN10: 0415200504
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1999-05-05
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This collection explores the modern phenomena of new religions, and the relationship these religions have with various social institutions. The essays discuss the relevance of various religious movements such as Hare Krishna, Jesus People and Wicca, and show the relationship between those religions and economics, law media, mental health, women and other traditional religious institutions.New Religious Movementsprovides a balanced overview of the scope of influence and complexity of new religions.

Table of Contents

List of contributors	xi
Foreword	xv
List of abbreviations	xvii
Introduction	1	(12)
Bryan Wilson
Notes	11	(2)
Summary of Chapter 1	13	(20)
New Religious Movements: their incidence and significance	15	(18)
Eileen Barker
Introduction	15	(1)
Statistical significance	15	(1)
How many NRMs are there now?	15	(2)
How many members?	17	(1)
The cultural milieu	18	(2)
Generalising about NRMs	20	(1)
Who joins NRMs?	20	(1)
Temporal differences	21	(1)
Spatial differences	21	(4)
The significance of NRMs for individuals	25	(1)
The significance of NRMs for the rest of society	26	(3)
Concluding remarks	29	(1)
Notes	30	(3)
Summary of Chapter 2	33	(16)
The Easternisation of the West	35	(14)
Colin Campbell
Introduction: a changing vocabulary	35	(2)
Changing beliefs	37	(1)
Spiritual and mystical religion	38	(2)
Easternisation	40	(4)
Why has this happened?	44	(1)
Problems with the thesis	45	(1)
Instrumental activism	45	(1)
Conclusion	46	(1)
Notes	47	(2)
Summary of Chapter 3	49	(30)
Prosperity and the New Age Movement: the efficacy of spiritual economics	51	(28)
Paul Heelas
Introduction	51	(1)
A frame of reference	52	(3)
Prosperity beyond the counter-culture	55	(5)
Numerical significance	60	(2)
New Age understanding of the efficacy of prosperity practices	62	(5)
Matters of efficacy	67	(2)
Some broader considerations	69	(2)
Notes	71	(8)
Summary of Chapter 4	79	(22)
New Religious Movements: the legal dimension	81	(20)
Anthony Bradney
Introduction	81	(4)
Religious freedom under British law	85	(3)
Freedom of belief and freedom of practice	88	(2)
The secular analysis of religion	90	(1)
Objectivity and New Religious Movements	91	(2)
Conclusion	93	(3)
Notes	96	(5)
Summary of Chapter 5	101	(20)
The mass media and New Religious Movements	103	(18)
James A. Beckford
Introduction	103	(1)
Controversial cults	104	(1)
The anti-cult movement	105	(2)
The portrayal of NRMs in the mass media	107	(5)
Journalists and academic researchers	112	(4)
Conclusion	116	(1)
Notes	117	(4)
Summary of Chapter 6	121	(20)
New Religious Movements and mental health	123	(18)
Lawrence Lilliston
Gary Shepherd
Introduction	123	(3)
Deep theories and empirical studies	126	(3)
The effects on children	129	(1)
Mental health and religion in general	130	(2)
Stress, defence, coping -- and religion	132	(3)
Stress and NRMs	135	(2)
Notes	137	(4)
Summary of Chapter 7	141	(22)
Women in New Religious Movements	143	(20)
Elizabeth Puttick
Gender roles in NRMs	143	(2)
Women in power in the Osho movement	145	(1)
Discipleship: the path of feminine spirituality?	146	(1)
Sexual abuse: the shadow side of the master--disciple relationship	147	(3)
Sexuality and marriage in NRMs	150	(4)
Motherhood and community: beyond the nuclear family	154	(3)
Female spiritual leadership in NRMs	157	(2)
A new typology of spiritual needs and values	159	(1)
Notes	160	(3)
Summary of Chapter 8	163	(18)
New Religious Movements and the Churches	165	(16)
Colin Slee
An example of the challenge	165	(1)
NRMs are not a new phenomenon	166	(1)
NRMs in theological perspective	167	(2)
Teaching truth	169	(4)
Parallels	173	(3)
Contrasts	176	(2)
Conclusions	178	(1)
Notes	179	(2)
Summary of Chapter 9	181	(14)
Damanhur: a magical community in Italy	183	(12)
Massimo Introvigne
Alternative spirituality in Piedmont	184	(1)
The origins and history of Damanhur	185	(2)
Damanhur's world-view	187	(2)
The Underground Temple	189	(2)
The future of Damanhur	191	(2)
Notes	193	(2)
Summary of Chapter 10	195	(16)
Japanese New Religious Movements in Brazil: from ethnic to `universal' religions	197	(14)
Peter B. Clarke
Introduction	197	(1)
The salient features of Japanese NRMs	198	(3)
The response to modernity	201	(1)
The Brazilian context and the Japanese heritage	202	(4)
The process of Brazilianisation	206	(3)
Conclusion	209	(1)
Notes	209	(2)
Summary of Chapter 11	211	(24)
Anti-cultists in the United States: an historical perspective	213	(22)
J. Gordon Melton
Introduction	213	(2)
From Freecog to CFF	215	(2)
Programme and ideology	217	(3)
Jonestown and the revival of anti-cultism	220	(5)
International anti-cultism	225	(1)
The rise and fall of brainwashing	226	(2)
The collapse of the Cult Awareness Network	228	(1)
The revival of anti-cultism in Europe	229	(2)
The future	231	(1)
Notes	232	(3)
Summary of Chapter 12	235	(20)
The response to New Religious Movements in East Germany after reunification	237	(18)
Frank Usarski
The background	237	(2)
Labelling theory and the Jugendreligionen	239	(1)
The moral crusade in the former East Germany	240	(3)
Strategies in opinion formation	243	(2)
The case of Scientology	245	(3)
The role of the Churches	248	(2)
Clerical motivations	250	(2)
Notes	252	(3)
Summary of Chapter 13	255	(20)
Britain's anti-cult movement	257	(18)
George D. Chryssides
Introduction	257	(2)
Types of opposition	259	(1)
The secular anti-cult groups	260	(4)
Christian anti-cult groups	264	(1)
De-programming	265	(2)
Assessing anti-cult achievements	267	(1)
Effects of the anti-cult movement	268	(3)
Notes	271	(4)
Index	275