This article is aimed at contributing to the study of the relationship that new religious movements entertain with technology and science. It focuses on an object that is central in Scientology's teachings and practice: the Electropsychometer or E-meter. In interaction with the general public, such as in a 2014 TV Super Bowl advertisement, Scientology seems to claim a unique relationship with science and technology in the form of a “combination” and a “connection” evoked while displaying this very E-meter. (...) Hence, exploring the teachings related to it is relevant in order to understand how such combination or connection is conceptualized. (shrink)

The article examines the concoction of religion and “science” contained in the revelation that substantiates a new religion: Raelianism, founded and led by the prophet Claude Vorilhon/Rael after having received a revelation in 1974. After a detailed examination both of Rael's prophetic message and his/the Raelians’ interpretative practices, an ad hoc model is presented to describe such concoction , and it is compared to other models. It is in particular claimed that Rael, while seemingly talking about “science,” is actually constructing (...) a science-fictional and even pseudoscientific narrative. The article finally raises the question whether the discussion of the science–religion interaction from the viewpoint of traditional religions can be considered to be immune to the usage of such rhetorical devices. (shrink)

For some years now the proliferation of new religious movements in Africa and the search by individuals for new meanings in belief have held the interest of scholars of religion. But their interpretations of the significance of these ‘religious flowerings’ raise a number of questions, in particular questions about the meaning and applicability of the word ‘new’ in religion. Instead of taking it literally, we should understand this religious ‘innovation’ on two planes of transaction with the (...) sacred, the horizontal and the vertical. First, on the horizontal plane this religious innovation may be discerned in the ongoing adjustments made by traditional African religions as they encounter, whether peaceably or violently, religions originating in the West or Asia; these encounters have given rise to neo-traditional and prophetic movements and to independent Churches. We shall touch later on the two-way borrowings and adaptations that have taken place in some prophetic religions as regards their organization, rites, liturgy and charismatic communication of religious truth. On the other hand, religious renewal is discernible in the adjustments and innovative processes of elaboration adopted by such ‘travelling religions’ as Pentecostalism and Charismatic Renewal in relation to the basic process of making sense of the life of the individual and the community of the faithful. (shrink)

The article offers a critical analysis of the cognitive science of religion (CSR) as applied to new and quasi-religious movements, and uncovers implicit conceptual and theoretical commitments of the approach. A discussion of CSR’s application to new religious movement (NRM) case studies (charismatic leadership, paradise representations, Aḥmadiyya, and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) identifies concerns about the theorized relationship between CSR and wider socio-cultural factors, and proposals for CSR’s implication in wider processes are discussed. The main (...) discussion analyses three themes in recent work relating CSR to religious and religion-like activities that extend and reframe the model. These include (1) identification of distinctive and accessible cognitive pathways associated with new forms of religious belief and practice (in particular in ‘New Age’ movements), (2) application of CSR to movements and practices outside traditional definitions of religion (near death experiences, conspiracy theories, virtual reality), and (3) engaging CSR in wider cultural processes and negotiations (religion in healthcare settings, and the definition of the study of esoteric religious traditions within academic domains). The conclusion identifies two particular findings: (1) that application of CSR in these areas renders underlying cognitive processes more available to scrutiny and (2) that CSR is employed to identify and enlarge the category of religion. The conclusion suggests that the study of CSR in its application to NRMs and quasi-religion identifies a wide field of common and overlapping themes and interests in which CSR is a more active operand than is commonly assumed. (shrink)

This work studied the Anioma Healing Ministry of the late prophet Eddy Okeke. The aim is to investigate the structure, demography, beliefs and practices of the ministry. The study adopts a qualitative phenomenological research design and historiographical method for data analysis. Personal interviews form a primary source of data collection, whilst the secondary sources include library and Internet resources. The study found that Okeke’s ministry was not organised or administratively structured like some of the well-established churches or ministries. Because the (...) ministry was structured after African traditional religion, it also held similar beliefs. The study also found that most of the practices of Okeke’s healing ministry were reflected in its belief system, and adherents to the ministry included the rich and the poor, men and women. It was also discovered that overzealous and excessive belief in Okeke’s magical and miraculous powers promoted him more than his actual spiritual deeds. Many who became disloyal to him or who opposed his interfused religiocultural practices suffered open attacks from him. Although now dead, this ministry still flourishes and Okeke’s spiritual powers continue to be held in high esteem.Contribution: Okeke’s ministry has given the world’s independent ministries a new socioreligious mentality and intellectual framework. This is, without a doubt, the only ministry constructed in the same way as African traditional religion and Christianity. As a result of the foregoing, the HTS Teologiese Studies journal will consider this article worthy of publication in their prestigious journal because it contributes to a greater understanding of the world’s emerging religious groups. (shrink)

The number of young people who grew up in the new, democratic conditions of an independent Ukrainian state, where the democratic foundations of freedom of conscience and religion are laid down, is constantly increasing. Youth is the founders and foundation of many religious movements in Ukraine. Thus, the Christian charismatic movement in Ukraine does not go without youth. It arose on the basis of the autonomous Pentecostal and youth wing of the Baptist communities. And now this current of (...) Protestantism fills its ranks at the expense of young adherents. (shrink)

An overview of current publications on new religious movements causes the researcher to feel uncertain. Whatever article or scientific review we have taken, everywhere we find diametrically opposite judgments about the same phenomenon, which is not even defined. The question arises: is there a general methodological research program for this phenomenon? Is there a comprehensive analysis of this phenomenon, in particular, the construction of a satisfactory classification? Here we can recall the words of the famous researcher M. Mueller (...) that the basis of all true science lies in the classification, and if we fail to classify religious beliefs, we will have to conclude that scientific study of religion is impossible. (shrink)

First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Soka Gakkai is one of the world’s fastest-growing religious movements and Italy figures among the western nations where this religious group has been most successful. This article aims at explaining this success-story: why has Soka Gakkai, and particularly its Italian affiliation, grown so rapidly in recent years? This research question gives the opportunity to assess the applicability of the economic theory of religion to the growth of new religious movements. Hence, in order to explain the (...) expansion of Soka Gakkai, this work begins with an examination of the adaptive strategies developed by a Japanese organization in the Italian religious market. It is claimed, however, that a rational choice explanation cannot stand on its own and that we must take into account the dynamics of pre-contractual solidarity that promote trust, especially when the expected benefits promised by this organization to its adherents do not materialize. Moreover, these solidarity dynamics generate intense emotional gratification that works as a highly motivating incentive to sustain members’ commitment and to prevent them from dropping out. This pre-contractual solidarity is actively produced and continuously reproduced by means of ritual interaction along the lines suggested by Collins’s theory. (shrink)

This book focuses on how 'cult rhetoric' affects our perceptions of new religious movements (NRMs). 'Cult' Rhetoric in the 21st Century explores contemporary understandings of the term 'cult' by bringing together a range of scholars from multiple disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, psychology, and religious studies. The book provides a renewed discussion of 'new religious movements', whilst also considering recent approaches toward a nuanced study of contemporary religion. Topics explored include online religions, political 'cults', 'apostate' testimony (...) and the current 'othered' position of the study of minority religions. (shrink)

In the development of any science, sooner or later, there comes a stage when it needs to extend its abstract theoretical positions on a particular material. Here the method of science achieves such an organic unity with the subject that one can speak of it as a historically completed science. The concept of "expertise" as applying specialized knowledge to a fact, is this achieved science identity. Humanities indistinguishable from natural. Only a slight difference in the term implies different forms relationships. (...) Science spirit, thus resulting science is performing examination, natural science - a science, conducting experiment. (shrink)

In the context of modern world religious processes, in recent years Ukraine has become a field of active attention from various non-traditional and up-to-date religious movements. According to the State Committee of Ukraine for Religious Affairs, as of January 1, 1995, there were registered 147 non-Christian communities, 52 communities of Orientalist orientation, 23 communities of the Russian Federation, etc., registered in Ukraine. And although in the confessional environment of Ukraine, the fate of such currents is negligible, (...) but their activities can not be ignored in state-church policy in solving the tasks of building a democratic society. (shrink)

Philosophy of religion is focused chiefly on theism. Yet there are a growing number of new and alternative religious movements that would also benefit from philosophical scrutiny. This book is the first collection of philosophical essays, by a team of international authors, focusing on new and alternative religious movements. The book begins with an examination of the definition of new religious movements, before offering an introduction to, and an analysis of, core beliefs held by (...) particular movements, including: Scientology, Raelianism, Siddha Yoga, the Arica School, the Church of the Latter Day Saints, Pantheism, Digital Theology, New Atheism, and the Word of Faith movement. Contributors offer an analysis of one or more of the core tenets of the religious movement, providing readers with both an insight into the group, and the methodology of philosophy of religion. (shrink)

Nicu Gavrilutã, Miscãri religioase orientale. O perspectivã socio-antropologicã asupra globalizãrii practicilor yoga Ed. Provopress, Cluj-Napoca, 2006.

The Sai Baba movement, one of the most widespread and popular modern South Asian religious movements, owes its origin to a saint, Sai Baba of Shirdi (d.1918), who was probably born around 1838. Through his successor, Sathya Sai Baba (b. 1926), the movement has become a transnational phenomenon in the late twentieth century and has also expanded the main centers of its charisma, including today Shirdi town in the Indian state of Maharashtra and Puttaparthi town in the neighboring (...) state of Andhra Pradesh. While most of the available literature is hagiographical in nature, some aspects of the movement have been studied - the figures of Shirdi Sai Baba and Sathya Sai Baba, the middle-class constituency of the Sathya Sai Baba movement, role of miracles, and the pedagogical role of movement, for instance. These studies are part of a growing interest in new religious and reformist movements in South Asia in the past century, their impacts on civil society and its institutions, and their relationships to the nation-state. (shrink)

This is a study of a religious movement with political overtones, the U.S. the Sanctuary movement, which lasted from 1982 to 1992. The movement was com- prised of about 500 congregations that gave shetler to Central American refugees in defiance of the U.S. gov- ernment. In its theology, Sanctuary had folk religious el- ements because, like liberation theology on which it was based, it involved the reinterpretation of scripture, it was oppositional in intent to official religion, it developed (...) a new social structure within the congregation, it utilized the concepts of folk saints and martyrs as well as new li- turgical elements, and it espoused an alternative version of Christ. Furthermore, Sanctuary, like liberation theol- ogy, emphasized action, namely the taking in of strang- ers, as an essential component of religion. (shrink)

Na dinâmica do campo religioso brasileiro, novas formas de crer surgem, algumas religiões têm maior expansão - como algumas correntes evangélicas - e religiões tradicionais - como o catolicismo - vão-se “desencantando”. Este artigo pretende, a partir dos dados sobre religião da Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF/IBGE, 2009), publicados em estudo da Fundação Getúlio Vargas - FGV (NERI, 2011), discutir a composição deste novo mapa religioso. Em relação às igrejas cristãs, o estudo da FGV mostrou, em termos quantitativos, a diminuição (...) do número de católicos, a estabilização do percentual de evangélicos pentecostais e o crescimento dos evangélicos não-pentecostais. Partindo da evolução histórica dos dados estatísticos sobre religião no Brasil, analisar-se-á, inicialmente, o declínio numérico do catolicismo, suas implicações e perspectivas. Em seguida buscar-se-á, através de uma análise crítica das conclusões do estudo da FGV sobre o campo protestante brasileiro, interpretar as possibilidades e os limites do uso dos dados da pesquisa para a compreensão da dinâmica do campo religioso brasileiro. Nesta via, o panorama religioso brasileiro deve ser interpretado além dos dados estatísticos. Palavras-chave: Pluralidade Religiosa. Campo Religioso Brasileiro. Catolicismo. Pentecostalismo. Demografia das Religiões.The article shows that within the Brazilian religious field new ways of believe have emerged. In this way, it also shows that some religions are in expansion – as some evangelical movements and traditional religions while some traditional religions – like Catholicism – are in a process of disenchantment. This article aims, from the 2009 Household Budget Survey – Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF/IBGE, 2009) – data on religion published in a recent study elaborated by Fundação Getúlio Vargas (NERI, 2011), discuss the composition of this new religious map. Regarding the Christian churches, the FGV` study showed, in quantitative terms, the decrease in the number of Catholics, the stabilization of Pentecostal evangelicals’ percentage and the growth of non-Pentecostal evangelicals. Initially, based on the historical development of statistics on religion in Brazil, the numerical decline of Catholicism, its implications and perspectives will be analyzed. Basing on a critical analysis of the FGV’s study conclusions about the Brazilian protestant field numbers, the article will interpret the possibilities and limitations of using survey data for understanding the Brazilian religious field dynamics. In this way, the Brazilian religious landscape should be interpreted beyond the statistics Keywords: Religious Plurality. Brazilian Religious Field. Catholicism. Pentecostalism. Demography of Religions. (shrink)

The old, controversial question of whether Confucianism is a religion or not has reemerged as a central issue in contemporary China's "Cultural Renaissance Movement." The papers in this issue offer a glimpse of some notable scholarly views in recent discussions on the religious properties of Confucianism and the possibility of the religious transformation of Confucianism. The major topics include the competition between Confucianism and Christianity, the necessity to establish Confucianism as a state religion, the conception of fashioning Confucianism (...) as a civil religion, the potential for Confucianism to provide the basis for a new Chinese cultural nationalism, and the role of Confucianism in the Chinese people's spirituality and daily lives. (shrink)

The study deals with a religious conversion of members of the Catholic Charismatic movement. This movement is characterised by the integration of those aspects of spirituality, which draw on traditional religious life as well as on the spirituality of new religious movements. The consensual qualitative research was used for analyses of thirty stories of personal conversions from the members of this movement. The stories were described in a public bulletin, published by the movement. They were analysed (...) in regard to the precedents of conversion, course of conversion and the consequences of conversion in personal life. The results of analysis showed that the typical process of religious conversion in this movement is preceded by some contact with religious issues in childhood and experiencing some problem in the period before conversion. The conversion is stimulated by meeting a religious person and attendance at prayer meetings, which lead to the experience of God's presence, and a cognitive insight into religious matters. Consequences of conversion include radical changes in spiritual life, increasing subjective well-being, improving social life and solving the antecedent problem. The results are discussed with regard to the previous theories and research on religious conversion as well as their limitations originating from the nature of the data. (shrink)