------------------------------------------------------------------- F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. (Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, Incorporated) a non-profit computer bulletin board and electronic library 601 16th St. #C-217 Golden, Colorado 80401 USA BBS 303 530-1942 FAX 303 530-2950 Office 303 473-0111 This document is part of an electronic lending library and preservational electronic archive. F.A.C.T.Net does not sell documents, it only lends them according to the terms of your library cardholder agreement with F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------- GUEST COLUMN 1 Prof. Aagaard on New Religious Movements by Johannes Aagaard What are labeled cults in the USA are normally called new religious movements (NRMs) in Europe. New Age should be added to these concepts, indicating the wider and more pervasive, but also more subtle, religiosity which is generally the basis of new religious movements. Although these phenomena have roots in past generations, the "age" of New Age takes it back to the last third of the last century. The World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 can be taken as the real beginning of the worldwide expansion of Neo-Hinduism (Vivekananda), Neo-Buddhism (Anagarika), and Theosophy (Annie Besant). From 1893 to this day, these three movements have grown as part of the same New Age Tree, the Tree of Knowledge, or Gnosis. Theosophy in various forms, including Anthroposophy, the Wisdom of Martinus, Alice Bailey, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Ananda Tara Shan (the Rosegarden), Benjamin Creme, etc., seems to be the common denominator of most of the New Age groupings. The theosophical paradigm seems to constitute in some way a synthesis of what might superficially be called East-West spirituality. The Light from the East Comes from the West The new paradigm -- one could call it the Pacific paradigm -- is called "the Light from the East," but in fact it most often comes from the West. It came over the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of the USA, crossed that country, continued across the Atlantic, included Western Europe, and is now entering the formerly Communist world as a sure winner. The capitalist market system quickly determined the financial prospects of this new paradigm. Gums and masters were caught up in the market mechanisms and transformed into managers and multinational leaders. New technological and streamlined pseudo-religions were created and their supermen came to lead organizations which are Mafia-likeinstruments of manipulation. Very few of the new expressions of synthetic spirituality survived this capitalist exploitation, and even fewer wanted to. Youth were and are caught up in the NRM invasion, and very large segments of Western culture, already influenced by the New Age paradigm, are ready to sell out their Christian heritage. Parent Organizations' Approach The immediate and understandable reaction against the new paradigm and its organizational and financial exploitation came from the parents of young people caught up in the "stormy weather" of "Cults" (the term common in the US), "Jugend- religionen" (in Gemany), and New Religious Movements (the term generally used elsewhere). It is a well-known fact that in many countries parents and relatives of people who have joined new religious movements have come together to create organizations to support one another and to counter the influence of what they call "cults." Children of parents who have become cult members also participate. These organizations understandably do not care much for subtleties and differentiations when they approach the NRMs. They generally take a very negative attitude toward research about NRMs because researchers do not stand up generally against the cults but rather set the "truth question" aside. The parents' organizations, however, also tend to set the truth question aside, for they consider the cults as solely exploitalive and without any genuine religious characteristics. To ask the truth question in relation to the NRMs would, for the parents' groups, be as phony as asking the truth question in relation to the Mafia. This means that the parents take no stand of their own. They do not operate as Christian bodies and do not deal positively with religion as a common option. Individual members are often Christians, especially the leaders (but not always). There seems to be a tendency for parents against cults also to be parents against Christianity. But it is impossible to generalize on this point. The Scholars' Approach Research on NRMs has become a force in itself. Sociology of religion, psychology of religion, history of religion, etc., all share in a general attempt to collect data and establish documentation to clarify, analyze, and understand the NRMs as contemporary expressions of the religious search of mankind. In this effort there is a general tendency to set the "truth question" aside because taking a stand on the truthfulness and the reliability of NRMs would impair the "objectivity" and "neutrality" of scholarly projects. This scholarly detachment is sometimes taken to the extreme that even value statements must be forsaken. For a scholar, Catholicism has the same value as Scientology, Quakerism, or the Ananda Marga. It is possible to ask, however, whether there is a tendency to fall into a rather naive and positivistic methodology in this approach. Is such neutrality and objectivity anything but a dream? Indeed, this dream sometimes turns into a nightmare when the "neutral" and "objective" scholar turns against the parents' organizations and attacks them for taking a stand against the cults. The simple fact of being against cults and working in anti-cult organizations seems to be objectionable when seen by the "neutral" and "objective" scholar. In fact, this scholar seems toplay the role of anti-anti-cult agent. But one cannot uphold neutrality by doubling one' s anti-attitude. Minus against minus means a plus, and that is a stand. I believe that the anti-anti-cult movement is methodologically in deep trouble, seen from scholarly and heuristic viewpoints as well as from social and political perspectives. Science for science' s sake is really old hat! Johannes Aagaard, a professor at the Institute of Missiology and Ecumenical Theology, Faculty of Theology, Aarhus University (Denmark), is Converter of the Dialog Center International, a Christian research organization that collects and disseminates information on cults and new religious movements. His remarks here are a transcription of a presentation he made during a recent visit to the U.S. ================================================================= If this is a copyrighted work, you are acknowledging by receipt of this document from FACTNet that on the basis of reasonable investigation, you have not been to obtain a copy elsewhere at a fair price, and that you are and will abide by the following copyright warning. WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photo copies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified by law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. FACTNet reserves the right to refuse to accept an order for copying or other duplication, or delivery of copied or duplicated material if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. ------------------------------------------------------------------- CARD CATALOG ENTRY DOS FILENAME OF TEXT FILE: CO0891AE.TXT DOS FILENAME OF IMAGE FILES: CO0891.TIF ADMINISTRATIVE CODE: OK SECURITY CODE: SCO DISTRIBUTION CODE: RO DESCRIPTION FOR BBS FILE LISTING: The Cult Observer, Vol. 8 No. 8, 1991. SORT TO: AFF CONTRIBUTOR: American Family Foundation (AFF) LOCATION OF ORIGINAL: American Family Foundation (AFF) NOTES: Back issues and selected reprints of the Cultic Studies Journal are available from the American Family Foundation, P.O. Box 2265, Bonita Springs, FL 33959-2265. THE EXPERTS WRITE ON CULTS | 1 Prof. Aagaard on New Religious | Movements For additional verification see the contributor of the document. This text below was produced by scanning a printed copy of the Cult Observer. Hence a few errors may have been introducted inadvertently. Please consult the printed copy if there is any question about the text. UPDATED ON: 10/13/94 UPDATED BY: FrJMc =================================================================