New Religious Movements Flashcards
What is a world affirming movement?
They are similar to self help or therapy groups. They seek to unlock your secret individual powers and look for wide membership with low levels of commitment. An example would be transcendental meditation.
What does Wallis say about WAM?
They developed as a means of coping with crisis of identity in the middle class. They try to unlock human potential and help individuals solve their own problems.
What does Bruce say about WAM?
They are a response to the rationalism of the modern world where it is hard to find satisfaction at work.
What is a world rejecting movement?
Where individuals cut themselves off from society. They require total commitment and demand a significant lifestyle change. An example is The Unification Church. They are similar to sects and have a tendency to brainwash their members, therefore it is difficult to leave them.
What does Wallis say about WRMs?
These movements developed and grew in the 1960s where there was a high level of freedom and a sense of uncertainty. It was a period of radicalism with many alternative views of the world. Some people became disillusioned with this counterculture and wanted more concrete, traditionally rooted beliefs.
What is a world accommodating movement?
They often derive from religious background and look for religious purity. They are similar to denominations and aim for the purity that is lost over time by the main churches. An example would be Pentecostalism which is a movement within Christianity that aims to bring back the holy spirt into worship
What are the four main uncertainties people may face according to Weber?
Theodicy of dis-privilege
Relative deprivation
Social change
Modernity and post modernity
