Briefly Examine Some of the Causes for the Growth of Nrm’s?

An example of a NRM is Scientology. They offer a precise path leading to a compete understanding of ones true spiritual nature. They asses the spirit not the body or mind. NRMS are not homogenous groups. With the number of new religious movements present in the 1970s, Wallis classified these movements into three types according to their relationships to the outside world. The first type which is world-rejecting new religious movements is similar to sects as described by Troeltsch. Most movements of this type are not traditional and want a change in the world which seems to be evil or corrupt. The members have to obey strict rules and have to leave their social life behind them. The second type is world-accommodating movements, which are normally offshoots of a church or denomination. They neither accept nor reject the world but simply live within it. The last type which Wallis classifies is the world-affirming new religious movements. These do not have any form of organization and do not have specific rules because its members believe mostly in human growth. They normally tolerate other religions, and they try to attract people mostly from the middle class through the media. Therefore, they have different origins. Many factors may combine in the formation of NRM. This suggests the need for a multi casual explanation. Factors explaining the rise of NRM’s revolve around 3 levels of analysis which are wider tends in events in society, factors affecting particular groups in society and the needs f the individual. The linking concept between all these three factors is uncertainty.

Some of the causes of the growth in NRMS are breakaway form the established church and response to secularisation. Over the last 50 years people have started to believe that the church is no longer faithful to its traditional values and beliefs, forcing them to seek out to purer form of religion usually offered in a NRM leading to more people moving away from the church and mainstream religion and turning to NRM.

Furthermore, another cause is the breakdown of community. Over the last 60 years there has been a great decline in the community. Value consensus has also broken down leading to anomie. The original norms and values of the society have been continually breaking down into sub categories originally the Gemeinschaft society was known with a great emphasis on community and social relationships. These communities share a set of common norms and values. In contemporary society the Gesellschaft society is very self orientated and the community as a whole has depreciated greatly over time. NRMS have become more popular as they have offered people Gemeinshaft ways of life in modern society.