Cults and New Religious Movements

Cults and New Religious Movements

The Emergence of NRM’S

Questions

• Why did NRMs emerge?

• How do NRMs develop?

• What role does secularization play in emergence of NRMs?

The Secularization Thesis

• Suggests that as society becomes more industrial and technological, religion is replaced by science

Secularization: Two Views

• The Old Paradigm– Peter Berger & Thomas Luckmann– Assumptions

• Religion has become an individual choice (privatization)

• We have been exposed to new cultures and religions from which to choose (pluralism)

– This leads to the relativism of all religions

• Secularization leads to the eventual decline of religion

• The New Paradigm– R. Stephen Warner– Roger Finke, Rodney Stark & William

Bainbridge– Assumptions

• Secularization leads to religious revival or innovation

Has Secularization Occurred In the Way That the Old Paradigm Suggests?

• Question: What do you think?• Seems to be the case in Europe, but not in the

U.S.– Churches receive more money than any other charity– Over 90% say they believe in God– Around 57% say they pray on a regular basis– Around 70% report that religion is “very important”

in their lives– Church membership has increased over the years, not

decreased

Rates of Church Affiliation, U.S., 1776-1995Rates of Church Affiliation, U.S., 1776-1995

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1776 1850 1890 1916 1952 19951860 1870 1906 1926 1980

Pe

rce

nt

of

Ch

urc

h M

em

be

rsh

ip

Year

An Alternate View

• Others suggested that secularization leads to religious revival and/or innovation– Religion will not be replaced by science

Why Does Religion Remain Relevant In The U.S. ?

1. Cultural Compatibility– Early churches emphasized self-government and

voluntary affiliation• Fits well with cultural values about freedom of choice and

individual initiative

2. Social Identity– Churches help those who move around find a sense of

community

3. Disestablishment & Competition (Finke, Stark & Bainbridge)– Separation of church and state ensures that no one religion or

denomination is funded by the government• Thus, religious monopolies are prevented due to competition

– This wasn’t the case in many European countries

» Catholicism as an example

• This creates an environment that encourages competition between churches

– Churches have to adapt to meet the needs and wants of “the marketplace”

» a.k.a. “a religious economy”

• But how do these denominations emerge to provide a religious economy?

Church/Sect Theory

• Formulated by H. Richard Niebuhr

• Tried to explain why there were so many denominations

• He distinguishes between two types of religious organizations, churches & sects

Church-Sect Theory

Churches intellectualize religious teachings and

restrain emotionalism in their services.

Characterized by low degree of tension with society

Churches intellectualize religious teachings and

restrain emotionalism in their services.

Characterized by low degree of tension with society

ChurchesChurches

Sects stress emotionalism and individual mystical

experiences and tend toward fundamentalism. Sects are

based on intense local networks. Characterized by high degree of tension with

society

Sects stress emotionalism and individual mystical

experiences and tend toward fundamentalism. Sects are

based on intense local networks. Characterized by high degree of tension with

society

SectsSects

Churches and SectsChurches and Sects

Degree of Tension With SocietyDegree of Tension With Society

Attitude Towards Other Institutions and ReligionsAttitude Towards Other Institutions and Religions

Type of AuthorityType of Authority

OrganizationOrganization

MembershipMembership

ChurchesChurches

LowLow

TolerantTolerant

TraditionalTraditional

BureaucraticBureaucratic

EstablishmentEstablishment

SectsSects

HighHigh

Intolerant,Rejecting

Intolerant,Rejecting

CharismaticCharismatic

InformalInformal

AlienatedAlienated

Rankings on the Church-Sect ContinuumRankings on the Church-Sect Continuum

Church Sect

Expert Rankings of Selected Denominations on theChurch-Sect Continuum

Episcopal

United Churchof Christ

UnitarianPresbyterian

Methodist

Disciples of Christ

AmericanBaptistEvangelicalLutheran

Reform

Catholic

MissouriSynodLutheran

SouthernBaptist

QuakerNazareneAssembliesof God

MormonSeventh-DayAdventist

Jehovah’sWitness

The Process of Church/Sect Formation

• Sects– Dense social networks– Members who are predominately lower in

social status

• Churches– Cosmopolitan social networks that are not as

dense– Members who are higher in social status

• The most important variable is social class– As the sect grows it attracts members from

higher social classes• These members are more likely to want trained

leadership, intellectual teaching, etc.

• Eventually, class schism results between the upper and the lower social classes

Church-Sect Formation

Church

Church

Sect Sect

Sect

Expanding The Theory

• Niebuhr limited his theory to religious organizations

• Stark and Bainbridge have expanded it– They link church-sect theory with their

concept of religious economies– They argue that secularization creates either

revivals or innovations (nrms)

Secularization And Revival

• In the 60’s & 70’s many social scientists predicted that religion was going to be replaced by science – They noticed that the largest established

denominations were losing members

Market Shares of Mainline per 1,000 Church Members, 1940-1985

Denomination 1940 1960 1985 Percentage loss or gain

United Methodists

124.7 93.0 64.3 -48%

Presbyterian, U.S.A.

41.7 36.4 21.3 -49%

Episcopal 30.9 28.6 19.2 -38%

Christian (Disciples)

25.7 15.7 7.8 -70%

United Church of Christ

26.5 19.6 11.8 -56%

• Yet, these scientists neglected to look at other non-mainline denominations

Market Shares of Evangelicals per 1,000 Church Members, 1940-1985

Denomination 1940 1960 1985 Percentage lossor gain

SouthernBaptists

76.7 85.0 101.3 +32%

Assemblies ofGod

3.1 4.4 14.6 +371%

Church of theNazarene

2.6 2.7 3.7 +42%

Church of God(Cleveland, TN)

1.0 1.5 3.6 +260%

• In short, these social scientists had mistaken the decline of once powerful denominations (The Mainline Churches) for a general decline of religion

• Stark argues that “secularization is a self-limiting process that leads not to irreligion but to a shift in the sources of religion” – In short, “secularization” creates either:

• Revivals: The process by which sects form to re-embrace the emotionalism at the roots of a religion

• Innovations: The emergence of NRMs as new religions with new beliefs and traditions

The Geography of NRMs• NRM’S typically arise in those areas

where sects and churches have failed to satisfy the religious market

• What are NRMs?– “The beginning phase of an entirely new

religion”• Differs from a sect in that sects attempt to purify

or return to elements of an established religion

• Research has shown that NRMs are more successful in areas where “secularization” has occurred– The unchurched belt in the Western U.S.– Scandinavian countries have low church

membership but many NRMs

588.37 To 747.3

547.63 To 587.84

460.98 To 546.46

405.98 To 453.63

313.11 To 399.18

Church Membership Rates Per 1,000

Why Have NRMs Emerged?

• Several Theories– NRMs as a response to cultural change

• Changes in values– The 1960s

• Changes in social structure– E.g. the family

• Changes in the role and character of religious institutions– Churches have declined in authority & influence

– NRMs as an expression of cultural continuity• NRMs and American Religious History

– Feel that NRMs are simply part of a Fourth Great Awakening

• NRMs and the History of Religions– Point out that all religions borrow from others, adapt, and

change