Book Summary: The Routledge Handbook on Deviance brings together original contributions on deviance, with a focus on new, emerging, and hidden forms of deviant behavior. The editors have curated a comprehensive collection highlighting the relativity of deviance, with chapters exploring the deviant behaviors related to sport, recreation, body modification, chronic health conditions, substance use, religion and cults, political extremism, sexuality, online interaction, mental and emotional disorders, elite societal status, workplace issues, and lifestyle. The selections review competing definitions and orientations and a wide range of theoretical premises, while addressing methodological issues involved in the study of deviance. Each section begins with an introduction by the editors, anchoring the topics in relevant theoretical and methodological contexts and identifying common themes as well as divergence. Providing state-of-the-art scholarship on deviance in modern society, this handbook is an invaluable resource for researchers and students engaged in the study of deviance across a range of diciplines including criminology, criminal justice, sociology, anthropology, and interdisciplinary departments, including justice studies, social transformation, and socio-legal studies.

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.

My diploma thesis, called "The new religious movements and brainwashing", could be divided into two imaginary units. The first one is more general but technical. This part analyzes the term brainwashing as a whole, from a different point of views. The term brainwashing appears throughout the whole paper; from its formation, across the development, until its usage in everyday life. This contains the usage in media, advertising, and other spheres. This chapter should point out the importance of this topic, which is often forgotten. The second part of the thesis aims to contrast the book by Ted Patrick and Tom Dulack, which describes the term deprogramming. This term was allegedly invented for the new religious movement practices and brainwashing purposes. This chapter outlines the Ted's Patrick stances and gives an impartial reaction on it. The third part of the thesis is more of a narrative. It gives a fundamental explanation and typology of new religious movements, which connects the previous two parts. The following chapter clarifies the opposition theories. Nonetheless, it focuses on the anti-cult movements, but also the perception of media, the majority society, or a role of the state. This part of the thesis is vital in order to take a stand on the brainwashing itself. Its careless usage is an...

This study sought to investigate and redefine the initial training of pastors, including the management training of student pastors at the colleges of the International Assemblies of God Church (IAG) of South Africa. Unlike in the past when pastors could lead churches without proper formal training based on their spirituality as viewed by the IAG and them professing to be called as ministers, today in this church tradition the need for the formal educational formation of pastors is taken for granted. This stance raises questions about the quality of graduates as well as matters of curriculum development, as the world is continually in a state of flux with far- reaching consequences for training institutions. It is generally accepted that churches play an important role in the lives of citizens in a predominantly Christian country like South Africa. On the other hand there is a continuing contestation and debate regarding the role pastors play in their churches in management and administrative issues. This also relates to the preparedness or unpreparedness of graduate pastors for their job. The day to day performance of duties by serving pastors in their organisations is generally viewed as below expectation compared to their counterparts in other occupations. A qualitative research approach was followed to elicit the necessary information to answer the research questions. Participants who were regarded as information rich cases on the training of pastors of the IAG were selected to shed more light on this particular aspect. Two focus group interviews and seven individual interviews were conducted. The interviews included members of the national and provincial executive committees, serving pastors, directors of the training colleges, pastor trainees in their final year of study and a newly graduated student. The current curriculum of initial training programmes was reviewed. Within a transformational management framework and utilising a purposeful intervention strategy, the study posits the Community Needs Responsive Management Training Model (CNRMTM) to enhance the initial training programmes of pastors and to use aspects of this model in the development and presentation of life-long learning programmes arranged for serving pastors. Recommendations and suggestions for future research were made. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

This study sought to investigate and redefine the initial training of pastors, including the management training of student pastors at the colleges of the International Assemblies of God Church (IAG) of South Africa. Unlike in the past when pastors could lead churches without proper formal training based on their spirituality as viewed by the IAG and them professing to be called as ministers, today in this church tradition the need for the formal educational formation of pastors is taken for granted. This stance raises questions about the quality of graduates as well as matters of curriculum development, as the world is continually in a state of flux with far- reaching consequences for training institutions. It is generally accepted that churches play an important role in the lives of citizens in a predominantly Christian country like South Africa. On the other hand there is a continuing contestation and debate regarding the role pastors play in their churches in management and administrative issues. This also relates to the preparedness or unpreparedness of graduate pastors for their job. The day to day performance of duties by serving pastors in their organisations is generally viewed as below expectation compared to their counterparts in other occupations. A qualitative research approach was followed to elicit the necessary information to answer the research questions. Participants who were regarded as information rich cases on the training of pastors of the IAG were selected to shed more light on this particular aspect. Two focus group interviews and seven individual interviews were conducted. The interviews included members of the national and provincial executive committees, serving pastors, directors of the training colleges, pastor trainees in their final year of study and a newly graduated student. The current curriculum of initial training programmes was reviewed. Within a transformational management framework and utilising a purposeful intervention strategy, the study posits the Community Needs Responsive Management Training Model (CNRMTM) to enhance the initial training programmes of pastors and to use aspects of this model in the development and presentation of life-long learning programmes arranged for serving pastors. Recommendations and suggestions for future research were made. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)