New Religious Movements

New Religious Movements (NRMs) is the term sociologists use for the diverse range of religious and spiritual groups that have emerged since the 1950s, particularly from the 1960s onwards. These groups differ significantly from traditional churches and denominations in their beliefs, organisation, and relationship with wider society. This lesson examines the classification of NRMs, explanations for their growth, and key case studies.

Key Definition: A New Religious Movement (NRM) is a religious or spiritual group of relatively recent origin that differs from established mainstream religions in its beliefs, practices, or organisational structure. The term is sociologically neutral — it avoids the loaded connotations of terms like "cult" or "sect."

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Troeltsch: Church and Sect

Before examining NRMs, it is helpful to understand the classic church-sect typology developed by Ernst Troeltsch (1912). Troeltsch distinguished between two ideal types of religious organisation:

Feature	Church	Sect
Size	Large, often national	Small
Membership	Born into it; inclusive	Join voluntarily; exclusive
Relationship with state	Close; supports the status quo	Oppositional; rejects mainstream society
Clergy	Professional, trained	Often no formal clergy; charismatic leaders
Theology	Conservative, traditional	Radical; claims monopoly of truth
Social composition	All social classes (especially upper/middle)	Often drawn from the marginalised and deprived
Lifespan	Enduring — last for centuries	Often short-lived; may die out or become a denomination

Niebuhr: Denomination

H. Richard Niebuhr (1929) added a third type — the denomination — occupying a middle position between church and sect. Denominations (e.g., Methodism, Baptism) are tolerant of other religions, do not claim a monopoly of truth, are broadly accepting of mainstream society, and have professional clergy. Niebuhr argued that sects are inherently unstable and tend to become denominations within a generation as the initial charismatic enthusiasm fades and the group becomes more routinised and respectable.

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Wallis: A Typology of New Religious Movements

Roy Wallis (1984) developed the most widely used typology of NRMs. He classified them according to their relationship with the outside world into three categories:

1. World-Rejecting NRMs

World-rejecting movements are critical of the outside world and seek to create an alternative way of life separate from mainstream society. They are the closest to the traditional concept of a sect.

Characteristics:

• They condemn mainstream society as corrupt, sinful, or spiritually bankrupt.
• Members are expected to make a total commitment — giving up their previous life, possessions, relationships, and identity.
• They often live in communes or closed communities, separated from the outside world.
• They tend to have a charismatic leader who claims divine authority.
• Strict moral codes govern every aspect of members' lives.
• They may be millennialist — anticipating an imminent transformation of the world.

Examples:

• The Unification Church (Moonies) — Founded by Sun Myung Moon in Korea, this movement required members to give up their previous lives, enter into arranged marriages, and devote themselves entirely to the movement.
• The People's Temple (Jim Jones) — A utopian community that ended in the mass suicide/murder of over 900 members in Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978.
• Heaven's Gate — A UFO-based group whose 39 members committed suicide in 1997, believing they would be transported to a spaceship.
• ISKCON (Hare Krishna) — Requires members to adopt a distinctive lifestyle, including vegetarianism, celibacy (except within marriage), and public chanting.

2. World-Accommodating NRMs

World-accommodating movements neither fully accept nor fully reject the outside world. They focus primarily on religious experience and personal spiritual renewal rather than on transforming society or withdrawing from it.

Characteristics:

• They typically break away from an existing mainstream religion, seeking to recapture the original spiritual purity of the parent tradition.
• Members continue to live normal lives in mainstream society — they do not withdraw into communes.
• The focus is on deepening the individual's personal relationship with God or achieving spiritual experiences.
• They are relatively tolerant and do not demand total lifestyle changes.

Examples:

• Neo-Pentecostalism (Charismatic Renewal) — A movement within mainstream Christianity emphasising the gifts of the Holy Spirit (speaking in tongues, faith healing, prophecy). Members remain within their existing churches but seek a more intense, experiential faith.
• Subud — A spiritual movement originating in Indonesia that emphasises spontaneous spiritual experiences (latihan) but does not require members to leave their existing religion.

3. World-Affirming NRMs

World-affirming movements accept the goals and values of mainstream society and offer members techniques or knowledge that will help them achieve success, happiness, and fulfilment within the existing social order. They are the least "religious" in the traditional sense.

Characteristics:

• They do not require members to reject or withdraw from society.
• They often lack many conventional features of religion — no church, no collective worship, no theology in the traditional sense.
• They offer practical benefits — improved health, career success, personal growth, self-confidence.
• They often operate through courses, seminars, and training programmes for which participants pay fees.
• They are closest to a client cult or self-help movement.