New Religious Movements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

New Religious Movements - Essay ExampleNot only do these NRMs catch the attention of scholars, but they too caught also the interest of the general population. The most crucial moment for public awareness in cults or new apparitional movements occurred in November, 1978, when some 900 members of the The Peoples synagogue in Jonestown, Guyana died by murder and suicide. Moreover, some movements have been accused of ongoing human rights abuses, child abuse, brainwashing, prostitution, financialfraud and swindling.3 Only a small recite of the older cults such as the the Jehovahs 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.4National poll report that 19 in 20 Americans affirm a belief in God, and 4 in 10 said to join Sunday operate regularly. Never theless, 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. ... 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 ethnic revolutions of the 1960s lessen the social taboos against religious testing. Furthermore, technological advancements, particularly the Internet and the access world travel, en equal 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 mans spiritual needs, mans cultural identity search, filling a void in mans heart, mans seeking for answers to vital questions, cults cashing in on pastoral weakness of established religious instit utions, a plot from the devil, existences of a charismatic leader/founder/guru, wonted 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 mean 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 thirst