User:Zappaz/scrapbook/Controversy surrounding new religious movements and their critics
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Contents |
[edit] Criticism vs. freedom of belief
[edit] Critics of NRMs
TBD - types of critics summary
[edit] The religious fundamentalism and their criticism of NRMs
religious right anti NRM positions TBD
[edit] The left and their criticism of NRMs
Same for left
[edit] Criticism by the media
Media effect in relation to NRMs criticism. Myths vs reality
[edit] Negative summary events
[edit] Controversies
[edit] Reliability of apostates' testimony
[edit] The apostate's narrative
- need of self-justitfication
- apostates as a minority of ex-members
- apostate not characteristical of ex-members in general
[edit] Allegations of hate group behavior
Advocates who regard certain fringe religious organizations, new religious movements or (controversially) "cults" as spurious and condemn their methods, also call them "hate groups". For example, the prominent counter cult activist Anton Hein considers Scientology a hate group because that religious movement has, in his opinion, a long, documented history of hate and harassment activities[1], which—along with lying and deception—are condoned and encouraged in Scientology's own 'scriptures.' (See, for example, Scientology's Fair Game [2] policy.)
In turn, a number of new religious movements have used the term "hate group" to label certain former members of these groups. Disaffected former members of these organizations have worked to expose what they believe is the "truth" about the groups in question, though the methods used by some of these former members have been known to be polemic, hostile and verbally abusive. Alleged cults and new religions have seized upon the hostile acts of their former members and cited them as examples of persecution and bigotry by these former members. Supporters of these groups have waged campaigns of their own to label former members as hate groups, even to the point where they publish literature and Web sites dedicated to attacking these disaffected persons.
CESNUR’s president Massimo Introvigne, writes in his article "So many evil things: Anti-cult terrorism via the Internet"[3], that fringe and extreme anti-cult activism resort to tactics that may create a background favorable to extreme manifestations of discrimination and hate against individuals that belong to new religious movements. Critics of CESNUR, however, call Introvigne a cult apologist who defends harmful religious groups and cults. Somewhat in concurrence with Introvigne, professor Eileen Barker asserts that the controvery surrounding certain new religious movements can turn violent by a process called deviancy amplification spiral. [4]
Elan Vital, an NRM and an organization that supports the work of Prem Rawat, accuse its vocal critics that call themselves "Ex-Premies", to harbor the hatred and ill-will typical of a hate group as demonstrated by their actions and expressions [5], and question their character and motives as well as their tactics. The Ex-Premies reject these allegations and consider the evidence publicized by Elan Vital as the basis for being labeled a hate group, to be uncorroborated and not sufficient.
In a paper by Anson Shupe and Susan Darnell presented at the 2000 meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, they affirm that although the American Family Foundation has presented "slanted, stereotypical images and language that has inflamed persons to perform extreme actions", the extent to which the AFF and other anti-cultist organizations are hate groups as defined by law or racial/ethnic criteria in sociology, is open for debate See also Verbal violence in hate groups.
The Foundation against Intolerance of Religious Minorities, associated with the Adidam NRM, sees the use of terms "cult" and "cult leader" to suggest that these are to be detested, avoided at all costs and see this as the exercise of prejudice and discrimination against them in the same manner as "nigger" and "commie" were used in the past to denigrate blacks and Communists[6].
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Web sites attacking former members of new religious movements
