From Encyclopedia Britannica, primary contributor Murray Rubinstein, Professor of History, Baruch College
"New Religious Movement (NRM), the
generally accepted term for what is sometimes called, often with
pejorative connotations, a “cult.” The term New Religious Movement has
been applied to all new faiths that have arisen worldwide over the past
several centuries.
NRMs are characterized by a number of shared traits. These religions
are, by definition, “new”; they offer innovative religious responses to
the conditions of the modern world, despite the fact that most NRMs
represent themselves as rooted in ancient traditions. NRMs are also
usually regarded as “countercultural”; that is, they are perceived (by
others and by themselves) to be alternatives to the mainstream
religions of Western society, especially Christianity
in its normative forms. These movements are often highly eclectic,
pluralistic, and syncretistic; they freely combine doctrines and
practices from diverse sources within their belief systems. The new
movement is usually founded by a charismatic and sometimes highly
authoritarian leader who is thought to have extraordinary powers or
insights. Many NRMs are tightly organized. In light of their often
self-proclaimed “alternative” or “outsider” status, these groups often
make great demands on the loyalty and commitment of their followers and
sometimes establish themselves as substitutes for the family and other
conventional social groupings. NRMs have arisen to address specific
needs that many people cannot satisfy through more traditional
religious organizations or through modern secularism. They are also
products of and responses to modernity, pluralism, and the scientific
worldview."
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