Growth of New Religious Movements - Essay Example

Growth of New Religious Movements New religious movements (NRM), sometimes referred to as cults, are groups that exist apart from the major religious culture in which they are situated however continue adhere their new host culture. Numerous of these new religious movements come evolved from smaller religious traditions such as the Punjabi Sant Mat tradition (Divine Light Mission), Shintoism (Mahikari), and Zoroastrianism (Mazdaznan).1 The continued growth and spread of these NRMs is considered to be a modern day phenomenon. Most of them operate vigorously in obscure ways. They usually have their own interpretation of the Bible and vary significantly in origin, beliefs, size, and means of recruitment, behaviour pattern, and attitude toward the Church, other religious groups, and society as a whole.2 Not only do these NRMs catch the attention of scholars, but they also caught also the interest of the general population. The most crucial moment for public awareness in cults or new religious movements occurred in November, 1978, when some 900 members of the The Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana died by murder and suicide. Moreover, some movements have been accused of ongoing human rights abuses, child abuse, brainwashing, prostitution, financial fraud and swindling.3 Only a small number of the older cults such as the the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have garnered huge membership all throughout the world. Of those groups formed in the twentieth century, only a few, such as the American Muslim Mission (found in 1930), can count their membership in the tens of thousands.4 Reasons for the growth of new religious movements National polls report that 19 in 20 Americans affirm a belief in God, and 4 in 10 said to join Sunday services regularly. Nevertheless, these surveys do not show how and what the people really believe in. Therefore, a number of new religious movements develop to fill these gaps. These new movements covers a wide spectrum of beliefs and organisations outside the more well-known Christian and Jewish religions, ranging from the exotic (spiritually oriented U.F.O. devotees) to the well-established (the Bahais), from the marginal and tragic (the suicidal Heaven's Gate group) to the large and upbeat (the evangelical Promise Keepers men's movement). Moreover, the rise of new religious movements and cults also reflects the tensions that exist in the society at large, usually evolve from pressures that increased public acceptance of ideas outside the established religious institutions. As an example, the cultural revolutions of the 1960's lessen the social taboos against religious testing. Furthermore, technological advancements, particularly the Internet and the access world travel, enable a lot of people to access wider beliefs and religious systems and making it easier for small religious groups to form.5 Additionally, new religious movements continue to grow due to: existence of man's spiritual needs, man's cultural identity search, filling a void in man's heart, man's seeking for answers to vital questions, cults cashing in on pastoral weakness of established religious institutions, a plot from the devil, existences of a charismatic leader/founder/guru, prevailing weaknesses of the members, and the doctrines uniqueness of the movement. Existence of spiritual needs. The evolution of cults or new religious movements often indicate that there are spiritual needs which have not been fulfilled or even identified, or which the Church and other established religious institutions have either not aware of or not able to provide.6 Cultural identity search. The new religious movements are able to attract huge number members because there are always people searching for meaning when they are feeling gone astray in a period of cultural revolution.7 Filling a void. Many Christians join the cults or new religious movements because their hunger for more Scripture reading, singing, warm fellowship, dancing, emotional satisfaction, and concrete and clear answers.8 Seeking answers to life's vital questions. There are people, for example in Africa, who seek in religion an answer to, and a protection against, witchcraft, failure, suffering, sickness, and death. The new religious movements to them seem to provide confront and answer to these prevailing problems openly and to promise instant remedies, especially physical and psychological healing.9 Cashing in on the Church's pastoral weakness. There are some weak points in the pastoral ministry and the life of Christian communities which the new religious movements or cults could fill in especially in locations where priests or pastors are few and scarce. These movements are usually equipped with charismatic leaders who are trained in a moderately short time.10 Action of the devil. The devil is a real person with plans of deceptions, even if this action is unknown to the people involved. The Devil is the enemy who sows darnel among the wheat when the people are asleep.11 Existence of a charismatic leader/guru. New religious movements arise usually around a father/mother figure who has gained authority after receiving a special revelation, communication, truth or insight. His charisma will attract huge loyal followers, even if he is living a questionable lifestyle. The leader may boost his prestige by claiming to follow the footsteps of an esteemed spiritual teacher, represent an obscure tradition, be of noble descent, or channel the wisdom of a great mind.12 Uniqueness of the movement. New religious movements will usually exercise their control over others. Most cults would present themselves as being the sole way to spiritual enlightenment and salvation, being God's only selected people. Furthermore, making a promise of a benefit that is only reserved for its members.13 Weaknesses of members. The weaker the individual's independence or self-esteem, the more will the said member to dependent to the movement. Members who understand group-mechanisms, prepared to cope with them in order to direct their attention to the spirit, will benefit most as they are selective in picking up the cream of what is given and taking the rest with a grain of salt.14 Sociological theories of the formation of new religious movements Most religions started as cults or sects, i.e. groups in great tension with the prevailing society. As time passes by, some would either die out or become more established in the society. There are four models of cult formation: the Psychopathological Model, the Entrepreneurial Model, the Social Model and the Normal Revelations model.15 Psychopathological Model. Religions are founded during a period of severe stress in the life of the founder. The founder suffers from psychological problems, which they resolve through the founding of the religion. The establishment of the religion has become self-therapy for them.16 Entrepreneurial Model. Founders of religions act like entrepreneurs, developing new products (religions) to sell to consumers (to convert people to). According to this model, most founders of new religions already have experience in several religious groups before they begin their own. They take ideas from the pre-existing religions, and try to improve on them to make them more popular.17 Social Model. Emphasises not the founder of the religion, but rather the early religious group. According to this model, new religious movements are founded by means of social implosions. Members of the religious group spend less and less time with people outside the group, and more and more time with each other within it. The extent of affection and bonding amongst each other are increasing whilst their emotional bonds to members outside the group reduces. According to the social model, when a social implosion occurs, the group will naturally develop a new theology and rituals to accompany it.18 Normal revelations model. According to the Normal Revelations model, new religious movements are founded when the founder interprets ordinary natural phenomena as supernatural; for instance, ascribing his or her own creativity in inventing the religion to that of the deity.19 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Despite some of yesterday's new religious movements dies out overtime, some evolve into today's powerhouse. One example is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also referred to as the Mormons. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which started as a handful of people in an upstate New York village in 1830, now evolve into a 10 million strong church worldwide.20 Reasons for the growth of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Most new religious movements, as well as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints developed and expanded due to almost same reasons e.g. existence of an authoritative leader or guru, fresh teachings or uniqueness of the movement, and some self-sustaining measures. Authoritative leader Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe the testimony of Joseph Smith: that in the spring of 1820, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to a 14-year-old boy, Joseph Smith, Jr., in response to his prayer asking God as to which church he must join. He was commanded to join none of the existing churches, and through other angelic visits was eventually called as the first prophet of the restored church.21 This event set in motion the events that led to the earthly restoration of the ancient church of Jesus Christ with its truths and priesthood authority. Ten years later, after a series of other revelations and visitations to Joseph and others, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was officially organised by Joseph Smith, Jr. and five associates on 6 April 1830, in Fayette, New York. They were in the company of some 56 men and women. The church further teaches that over time, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery received the priesthood and its keys lost to the earth from resurrected beings who held the authority anciently, including John the Baptist (May 15, 1829, Aaronic Priesthood), the apostles Peter, James and John (May or June 1829, Melchizidek Priesthood), and the ancient prophet Elijah (April 3, 1836). These priesthoods brought with them the restoration of the authority to perform baptism and other ordinances.22 Uniqueness of the movement As the name of the church implies, Latter-day Saints regard Jesus Christ as the head of their church and count themselves as Christians, but do not consider themselves part of the Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant traditions. Rather, they believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to become the resurrected church which was founded Jesus Christ Himself. They believe that following the crucifixion of Jesus and the death of his apostles, the real Christian church which Jesus founded began to disappear rapidly. As a result, new doctrine influenced by Hellenistic philosophy came to the fore, and by the eighth century, the Priesthood -or the authority to act in the name of God- had been lost from the Earth completely.23 Children One reason for the Mormon Church's rapid growth is the babies born into Mormon parents. Moreover, a few weeks after a child is born to Mormon parents, they are required to bring the baby to the church to receive a special blessing during the weekly worship service. When the baby is blessed in this manner, the name of the child is recorded by the church, even though he or she won't be an official member of the church until he or she is baptised after turning eight.24 It is estimated that in 1999, there were over 129 million births to the 5.9 billion people in the world at that time.25 This represents a world average birth rate of 2.18 per 100. The LDS increase in children of record in 2001 was 0.61 per 100. When comparing LDS natural increase to world birth rates, one finds that the LDS natural increase is approximately 28% of the world average.26 Future of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Despite having all the requisite of a successful cult, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maybe slowing down its growth. This maybe due to the fact that a very high saturation of so-called "anti-Mormon" media, especially the relatively recent development of the internet, there are fewer LDS missionaries on the field, there has also been a momentous increase in Evangelical efforts to create public dialogue between LDS and Christians.27 Although some statistics would show that the Mormon Church membership is fast accelerating, some argue that it is actually declining. For example, The 2005 'Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches' published by the U.S. National Council of Churches (NCC), noted that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with a reported membership of 5.5 million members, is now the fourth largest sect in the United States, up from fifth in the 2004 rankings. It experienced a growth rate of 1.71 per cent, the yearbook reported.28 Furthermore, sociologist Rodney Stark (1984) predicted that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would grow at a rate of 30-50% per decade for the next several decades, reaching from 70 million to possibly as high as 280 million members by the year 2080. Actually, from1984 to 2000, the Mormon Church grew at an average rate of 52% per decade, outpacing the upper bound on Stark's prediction. However, despite increasing the member base and missionary force by 50% over the last decade, the church has been unsuccessful at increasing the number of baptisms by even 1%. Considering the actual growth rate of the church from 1983 to 2000, there is strong statistical evidence that the slowing growth is due to an underlying trend rather than random fluctuations. The above indicators show that it will continue to go down, but at slower rates, reaching about 30 million members by the year 2080.29 In contrary to what the Mormon church claims, the Church of Jesus-Christ is not the fastest growing religion, nor is it the fastest growing U.S. based religion. The truth is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' membership is declining. The Church, whilst still growing, is growing at a much slower pace today than it has over the last 30 years. The indicators include much slower membership growth, a decline in conversions, a decline in conversions for each missionary, and a lack of retention. Furthermore, the amount of missionaries on the field went down by 10,571 from 2002-2004, the Church experienced the least amount of converts per missionary in 2003, the Church experienced one of the biggest declines in converts in 2003, and retention is a growing problem.30 For the church to grow exponentially it must do two things: first it must baptise new members that are homogenous with established members in their ability to generate new converts. Second it must be in an environment where it has a competitive advantage. The church is doing a good job of baptising people who are willing to go on missions, but a poor job of baptising people who have lots of children that they raise in the church. The Mormon Church is not doing a very good job of producing new members who are active in the church and thus part of a growing social network. There are many religions that fast growing than Mormonism, and Mormonism would not have a competitive edge over other religions.31 Conclusion New religious movements or cults will undoubtedly be the subject of continued public and scholarly debate. Despite religious freedom serve as an important value to democratic nations, there is a clear interest in regulating new religious movements or cults in order to prevent future violence on the part of these religious groups. Whilst more opportunities for expression on all sides of the issue have been afforded by the Internet, this new medium of expression and information has also created new avenues for legal conflict. The perspectives of various parties involved in the debate are so far apart that it seems unlikely that many questions raised on this topic will be settled unquestionably.32 Bibliography Anderson, Duwayne. (n.d.). Estimates of the future membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 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