Recent years have observed significant change in the landscape of American religious/spiritual environment and religious/spiritual groups called new religious movements (NRMs) have developed as an alternative for many individuals to engage in religious/spiritual beliefs and practices outside the traditional religions. It was unclear if participation in NRMs provide adherents with similar mental health benefits as participation in traditional religious groups, or whether there might be important differences. The current study examined the link between participation in NRMs and relevant social and psychological outcomes including mental health symptoms, emotional well-being, attachment style, and social relationships. I recruited participants from three groups: (1) NRMs, (2) traditional religious groups, and (3) no religious/spiritual identification. I explored group differences in five key areas of mental health and well-being: (1) mental health symptoms, (2) subjective well-being, (3) attachment, (4) social belonging, and (5) meaning in life. The overall results suggested that NRM participants showed relatively few differences compared to traditional religious participants in regard to the above psychological profile. NRM participants reported more differences compared to participants who were neither religious nor spiritual. In this regard, NRM involvement was associated with some positive outcomes, including positive emotional well-being and meaning in life, and some negative outcomes, including anxious adult attachment, low sense of belonging compared to non-religious individuals, and higher rates of depression. Limitations, suggestions for future research, and practical applications are discussed.

<p>The purpose of this study was to try to develop a better understanding of the process that being a member in a new religious movement might imply, and to find out how the identity of a defector changes from the time upon entering the movement, while they are within the movement and after leaving the movement. We also wanted to examine what kind of help and support would be needed around a defection. The study focuses on identity and our questions were: How does the defector describe him/herself and his/her identity before joining the new religious movement until the period after defecting? What demand for support and help may there be when defecting from new religious movement? The theoretical starting point was The Identity Theory, Structural Role Theory and KASAM. A qualitative method was used and four defectors from new religious movements were interviewed. The findings were that they described themselves as ”seekers” and ”lost” when they entered the movement and within the initial phase they repressed their personal identity whilst their social identity increased in strength. In due course, doubts began to arise and these continued to grow until the time of defection with mental instability as a result. The process led to the creation of a new selfidentity. Primarily support and help with strengthening the personal identity was needed. It would be advantageous if this support could be given by someone that had defected previously and with whom they could identify.</p>

The purpose of this study was to try to develop a better understanding of the process that being a member in a new religious movement might imply, and to find out how the identity of a defector changes from the time upon entering the movement, while they are within the movement and after leaving the movement. We also wanted to examine what kind of help and support would be needed around a defection. The study focuses on identity and our questions were: How does the defector describe him/herself and his/her identity before joining the new religious movement until the period after defecting? What demand for support and help may there be when defecting from new religious movement? The theoretical starting point was The Identity Theory, Structural Role Theory and KASAM. A qualitative method was used and four defectors from new religious movements were interviewed. The findings were that they described themselves as ”seekers” and ”lost” when they entered the movement and within the initial phase they repressed their personal identity whilst their social identity increased in strength. In due course, doubts began to arise and these continued to grow until the time of defection with mental instability as a result. The process led to the creation of a new selfidentity. Primarily support and help with strengthening the personal identity was needed. It would be advantageous if this support could be given by someone that had defected previously and with whom they could identify.

The purpose of this study is to analyze how two former members of the Church of Scientology describe their lives and the process from member to non-member. This will be achieved by answering how they describe their lives within the church and how they describe their process leaving the church. Also, by analyzing what crucial factors influenced their decision to leave the church. The study uses a qualitative text analysis to analyze two biographies written by two former members, Miscavige Hill and Tunedal. The study concludes that the two former members lives in the church differ. Of that reason that one of them grew up in the movement and the other joined as an adult. Also, one of them were an ordinary member of the movement and the other were a member of the very exclusive “sea organization” within the Church of Scientology. Furthermore, the result of the study shows that the process from member to non-member is a lengthy process, and that there are a number of factors that contributed to the members decision to leave the Church of Scientology, such as the church demands for donation and the church control over its members. The study demonstrates the need for source criticism, and to be critical of stories from both members and former members. Not everyone has the same experience of new religious movement and each member has an individual experience. Whereby there will always be different versions of “the truth”.

The aim of this essay is to investigate if there exists any relation between what is generally considered Britain’s foremost elite military unit, HM Royal Marines and a manipulative religious sect. With theoretical data defining a manipulative religious sect, and empirical data gathered from interviews with a number of former royal marines, this essay looks at the attributes common to these two very different organisations. Interestingly, even though the experiences of members of such organisations seemed to bare some resemblance; the motivation for any comparability was quite different. This phenomenon seemed to affect the whole study, and the findings did not confirm any substantial relation between the two organisations in accordance with the strict definitions applicable to a manipulative religious sect.

Too often women have a secondary place in religious institutions, with no possibility to influence or come into leading positions. This thesis aims to understand women’s empowerment by searching for such examples in Neo-Paganism, a growing New Religious Movement (NRM) in the west. Grace Jantzen’s development of Foucault’s power theory is utilized to analyze and understand the results. A mixed method is used; four interviews are conducted with Wiccan and Druid women, a survey of 332 women is analyzed, and literature and studies on Neo-Paganism are analyzed. I draw the conclusion that Neo-Paganism can empower women in different ways, however, this can be influenced by socio-cultural factors, as empowerment can look very different in different countries. The result is meant to provide us with an understanding of women’s needs in a religious and spiritual context, so that women may become empowered within their religious communities.

Depuis sa création en 1838, le mouvement New Thought poursuit son chemin à la tête de la mouvance religieuse métaphysique aux Etats-Unis. Considéré comme un croisement d’idées politiques et religieuses, le mouvement constitue un élément incontournable de la construction de l’identité américaine. Se présentant comme un métissage de théologies occidentales et orientales, ce mouvement thérapeutique s’impose comme un phénomène culturel pertinent dans l’étude du champ religieux. Evoluant de la substantialité vers le procès, le mouvement s’est engagé tout récemment vers une transformation idéologique, à la recherche d’un renouveau spirituel et d’une ré-activation de son pluralisme religieux et de son dynamisme sous la forme du Process New Thought. / Since its creation in 1838, the New Thought Movement has led the metaphysical religious movement in America. It is a landmark in the construction of the American identity since it has always been at the crossroads of spiritual and political ideas. As a blend of Western and Eastern theologies, this therapeutic movement stands out as a cultural landmark in religious studies. Moving from Substance New Thought to Process New Thought, it has recently engaged in an ideological transformation leading to both a spiritual renewal and a re-activation of its dynamic religious pluralism.

Denna uppsats analyserar och diskutera läroboksbilden av nya religiösa rörelser i fya läroböcker för religionskunskap på gymnasiet. De generella frågorna som ställs är hur läroboksbilden ser ut och vad man kan säga om den i jömförelse med nu gällande läro- och kursplan. Analysen görs i två steg. Först analyseras texten enligt innehållsanalysen som den presenteras av Hellspong och Ledin. Sedan analyseras resultatet utifrån tidigare forskning. Slutsatserna av undersökningen är att läroböckerna skulle limma beskriva de nya religiösa rörelserna mer ingående och använda sig mindre av begreppet sekt eftersom det är negativt laddat. Man skulle också kunna lägga mer fokus på individen, för att få en mer nyanserad bild. / The aim of the study that is presented in this essay was to analyze the image of new religious movements in four religion textbooks in the upper secondary school of Sweden and to discuss this image in comparison to the swedish curriculum for upper secondary school and the religion syllabus. The conclusions of the study are that the new religious movements are generalized in many ways inte the four textbooks that have been analyzed. Two books give a more neutral image. In comparison to the curriculum and the syllabus the books could give a deeper presentation of the new religious movements. They could also focus more on the individual, to reach the aims of the curriculum and syllabus, which is tolerance, understanding and a neutral education.

The aim of this essay is to investigate if there exists any relation between what is generally considered Britain’s foremost elite military unit, HM Royal Marines and a manipulative religious sect. With theoretical data defining a manipulative religious sect, and empirical data gathered from interviews with a number of former royal marines, this essay looks at the attributes common to these two very different organisations. Interestingly, even though the experiences of members of such organisations seemed to bare some resemblance; the motivation for any comparability was quite different. This phenomenon seemed to affect the whole study, and the findings did not confirm any substantial relation between the two organisations in accordance with the strict definitions applicable to a manipulative religious sect.

1 Název diplomové práce v anglickém jazyce, abstrakt v anglickém jazyce a tři klíčová slova v anglickém jazyce Legal aspects of New Religious Movements in the Czech Republic Abstract The main purpose of this master's thesis is a critical analysis of Czech legislation of New Religious Movements. This thesis should describe a legal relationship between New Religious Movements and Czech legal order. This thesis focuses on the topic while studying public and private law's aspects. It also focuses on sociological considerations. New Religious Movements are a necessary part of a religious development of every society. There is a lot of different religious movements. Therefore, it is especially challenging to make legislation related to them. The legislator should consider religion a private part of everyone's life. Act No. 3/2002 Coll., which is the most important piece of legislation for New Religious Movements, does not distinguish terminologically between New Religious Movements and the traditional churches. A long tradition in the Czech Republic and a lot of members have for example Seventh-day Adventist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Being a member of a New Religious Movement can particularly affect man's life. Conflicts between New Religious Movements and...