Religious organisations Flashcards
What are the traditional religions?
- Hinduism
- Judaism
- Christianity
- Islam
What are the New Religious movements?
- Sects
- Cults
- NAMs
How does Walllis define cults?
Wallis- cults are individualised, loosely organised, tolerant make very few demands
Cult analysis by VICE regarding cults in the UK?
VICE estimated that there are over 500 cults in the UK
Why would someone join a cult?
- marginalisation
- occupy ones time in a economically secure environment
- fill spiritual void
- religion = consumer based now and cults facilitate this
Who joins cults?
- M/C
- flexible free time
- ethinic majority- ASK SOMEONE WHY THO?
Who joins Sects?
- W/C
- EMs
- Marginalised
Why do those type of groups (w/c/EMs/Marginalised) join sects?
- promises to fill a spiritual void
- still has a religious root
How does Wallis say there are 3 types of NRMS what are they?
- World rejecting -SECTS- see world as evil and corrupt. And the way society is organised is against the will of God thus needs radical change
- World affirming - CULTS- often do not include belief in God, has few demands for members,focus on personal fulfilment, meditation
- World accommodating - neither reject nor accepts the world
How does Stark and Bainbridge define sect?
sect is a religious movement founded by persons who leave another religious body for the purpose of starting a new group
Wilson argues there are 3 types of sect what are they?
- Introversionists- sects that cut themselves off from this sinful secular world
- Conversionists- sects that use evangelical methods to convert and save people from damnation
- Revolutionists- sects hat believe one day God will transform the world by destroying the cause
Example of a revolutionist sect that believes one day God will destroy the cause of the problem of this world?
Nation of islam- revolutionists
Example of of interventionist sects that cut themselves form this sinful secular world?
Amish
Example of a conversionist sect that use evangelical methods to convert people to their faith ?
Jehovah’s witness
Evaluation of NRMs?
commitment = may not be high levels of commitment
Terminology = Beckford argues there are too many negative associations with the term cult
Measuring = difficult to say who is member of NRMs as smaller groups don’t record membership
Oversimplified- no sect has the same ideas Bruce and Wallis have tried to fit them into small categories
Classification = some NRMs are difficult to classify
