Just a few years after the end of WWII, the American author Lafayette Ronald Hubbard developed the new religious movement Scientology, which has evolved over the years into one of the largest new religious movements in the world. Two decades later, an American pastor’s son named David Berg, received a revelation from God, which led to the founding of the new religious movement The Family International, formerly known as God’s Children. Over the years there have been a number of defectors that wanted to change and turn their life around. But only a few managed to gather confidence to tell the rest of the world of the circumstances and living conditions in the new religious movement that have characterized major parts of their lives. The main purpose of this study was to elucidate how former members and defectors portrayed and experienced the explicit and implicit exercise of power in two, American founded, new religious movements. In addition, the study applied the Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud’s theories in dynamic psychology and religion, in order to interpret the former members depictions, in relation to the attitudes expressed.  The didactic relevance of this study refers to the growth and the more frequent sight of new religious movements in our society. The society, primarily in the media, but also in scientific contexts, has associates these movements with the negative loaded word sect, which has led to appearance of difficulties in the education of religion. Therefore, contributes this study, based on a neutral and a non-evaluative perspective of new religious movements, to eliminate prejudices and create tolerance among all students. What emerged along the course of the study was that the explicit control and exercise of power was established in the charismatic attribute and, above all, the power holder’s ability to convince and persuade the members was one of the major parts in the power structure. The study also illustrates how the implicit exercise of power of the Scientology constantly revolved around money and The Family International around sex relations. In conclusion, the leaders explicit and implicit exercise of power integrates with each other and has its foundation in the charismatic leadership and the ability to convince and persuade its members. The conclusion also illustrates how the members adaption and submission to its leader was an unconscious act according to Freud’s theory, concerning defense mechanism.  As a result, the leaders achieved to manage the movements without resistance and questioning, and also got expression for their own manners.

What happens when an online community moves to a real space? Take the case of Anonymous. For several years now, this, loosely connected, entirely internet based group has been known for online pranks and griefing, often being labeled by the media as "hackers on steroids" or "the Internet Hate Machine". However, recently a significant portion of the group has taken up the cause of protesting what it sees as criminal injustices of the Church of Scientology. This move into the real world sparked various discussions which are relevant for online communities as a whole. What negotiations, compromises, and changes took place in order to move into the real world space? In what ways has the group succeeded (or failed) in maintaining the momentum needed for long term real-world protest and what can other online communities gain from this history?

The previous research in the field of new religious movements has mostly focused on the spectacular parts where phenomena such as “brainwashing” and the “charismatic leader” have attracted both media and the scientific studies of religion. Professor Liselotte Frisks has done several enquiries about sects and new religious movements in Sweden. One of her main conclusions is that the relation between these new religious movements and the rest of society has changed; a relation that used to be characterized by conflicts and tension is now becoming more open as both parts are changing. This study does not focus on the spectacular parts. Instead I have studied something more common and general. I have studied how members from new religious movements are apprehending subjects as school and education. I have chosen two well-known religious movements: the church of Scientology and the Family Federation of World Peace and Unification. My comprehensive purpose is to analyze the members' opinions and views, to see whether their ideas are on terms with what the majority says or if it differs from the norm. My conclusion is that the members of the Church of Scientology criticize the Swedish school system. They find it too theoretical and believe that there is not enough focus on aspects such as word-understanding. The Church of Scientology has their own pedagogy which is based on word-understanding. The members of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification shared the opinion of the majority to a larger extent, as they did not prescribe such harsh critics about the school. However, they do believe that the school has to take a huge responsibility raising the students since many young people of today come from broken families. Strong families are one of the corner pillars of this movement.

This study investigated the most common frames used in news coverage of the Church of Scientology from 2009 to 2013. Using textual analysis, with framing and public relations theories as lenses, this study examined recent news coverage – both print and television – to identify frames used, and the potential public relations crises the Church is currently facing due to this media exposure. Analysis showed three major frames used during coverage, along with their corresponding sub-frames, which highlight certain aspects of the frame: Culture of Abuse (Imprisonment, Controlling, Family Disconnection, Exploitation of Children, Violence, and Financial Abuse), The Information Paradox (Conflicting Information, Simple Misunderstanding, and Non-Traditional Approach), and Leadership Issues (The Problem Lies with Leadership, Celebrity Obsession). Also uncovered were three potential public relations crises: The Mistreatment of Church Members, The Misuse of Funds, and Bad Communication Strategy. The research showed a strong strategic preference of the Church to use legal tactics or denial strategies when dealing with crises. A review of public relations theory suggests that the Church use a more open approach and also incorporate mortification strategies to accept blame and repair their damaged image.