Talk:Anti-cult movement/Old
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The anti-cult movement (ACM) is one of the sources of opposition to cults and new religious movements (NRMs) that it considers harmful. The movement grew out of concerned parents in the USA in the 1970s when their children joined high-demand groups, such as the Divine Light Mission, Children of God, ISKCON, and the Unification Church. See also opposition to cults and new religious movements.
The anti-cult movement believes that a set of groups can be distinguished from legitimate religious groups in that they appear to exploit and abuse their members; are often centered around an unreliable charismatic leader; and may use deceitful ways of recruiting and retaining members. The movement further believes that the public should be warned about these groups and, where necessary, their members removed from the group's influence. Anti-cultists do not trust information stemming from the leadership of these groups and believe that the only reliable information comes from disaffected former members.
The anti-cult movement promotes several methods for warning people about and, where necessary, extricating them from, groups considered harmful: for example, deprogramming techniques (now obsolete), exit counseling, and by providing information, mainly via websites and publications.
The anti-cult movement has been widely criticized by scholars, in particular about deprogramming methods they consider illegal and about the lack of scientific validity of some of the theories esposed by the movement such as mind control and brainwashing. Scholars have also challenged the validity of apostates' testimony, one of the central tenets of the movement. On the other hand, there are also scholars who agree with the anti-cult movement, or actively participate in it.
[edit] References
- Bromley, David G., Ph.D. & Anson Shupe, Ph.D., Public Reaction against New Religious Movements article that appeared in Cults and new religious movements: a report of the Committee on Psychiatry and Religion of the American Psychiatric Association, edited by Marc Galanter, M.D., (1989) ISBN 0-89042-212-5
- Hadden, Jeffrey K., The Anti-Cult Movement Available online
- Wilson, Brian R., Apostates and New Religious Movements, Oxford, England 1994
- Tomas Robbin and Dick Anthony, Cults in the late Twentieth Century in Lippy, Charles H. and Williams, Peter W. (edfs.) Encyclopedia of the American Religious experience. Studies of Traditions and Movements. Charles Scribner's sons, New York (1988) Vol II pp. ISBN 0-684-18861-9
- Tabor, Fames D. and Gallaher, Eugene V. -Why Waco?: Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America ISBN 0-520-20899-4
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