Cults and New Religious Movements The Emergence of NRM’S
Jan 16, 2016
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