The New religious movement reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

New religious movement

A new religious movement or NRM appears as a religious, ethical or spiritual grouping that has not (yet) become recognised as a standard denomination, church, or body. Some sociological observers prefer the term to the pejorative term of "cult." Most cults and some sects are NRMs. Eileen Barker, who is influential in this field, uses the adjective new in this context when the movement started after World War II and new for a certain culture. For example, ISKCON/ the Hare Krishnass is generally considered an NRM in the west because it is new to western culture, but it is not considered an NRM in India, where the Gaudiya Vaishnava sect of Hinduism that formed the basis for ISKCON has existed since the 17th century.

Examples of new religious movements might include:

• Neo-Paganism, in which followers seek to revert back to the pre-Christian earth and nature worship of Western Europe.

• Eclectic combinatory movements, such as Celestialism and Theosophy, which posit concordant elements to all religions.

• New-World African hybrid religions, such as Rastafarianism, Voodoo or Vodun, and Santeria, which combine African naturalistic religions with Judeo-Christian traditions.

See also

• List of controversial new religious movements

External Links

• Apologetics Index: research resources on cults, sects, and related issues. The publisher operates from an evangelical Christian point of view, but the site links to and presents a variety of viewpoints.
• ReligionNewsBlog.com Current news articles about religious cults, sects, and related issues.

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