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PHILOSOPHICAL SCIENCES
THE MAIN FEATURES AND TYPES OF NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT Lesnyanskiy D.A. (Russian Federation) Email: [email protected]
Lesnyanskiy Denis Aleksandrovich - PhD Student, DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY, TRANSBAIKAL STATE UNIVERSITY, CHITA
Abstract: this article is devoted to the emergence of new religious movements. A review of the new religious movements identified their common and different features analyzed the process of their appearance, the patterns of their classification depending on the criterion of relationship to the person, classification by socio-cultural context, as well as on the principle of their origin. The study of new religious movements is quite relevant today, because of an increase in their number and followers, according to modern sociological research.
Keywords: new religious movements, NRM, religion, beliefs, religious studies, philosophy of religion.
ОСНОВНЫЕ ЧЕРТЫ И ТИПЫ НОВЫХ РЕЛИГИОЗНЫХ
ДВИЖЕНИЙ Леснянский Д.А. (Российская Федерация)
Леснянский Денис Александрович - аспирант, кафедра философии, Забайкальский государственный университет, г. Чита
Аннотация: данная статья посвящена возникновению новых религиозных движений. Проведен обзор новых религиозных движений, выявлены их общие и различные черты, проанализированы процессы их возникновения, закономерности их классификации в зависимости от критерия отношения к человеку, классификация по социокультурному контексту, а также по принципу происхождения. Исследование новых религиозных движений достаточно актуально в наши дни, поскольку наблюдается рост их количества и последователей, согласно современным социологическим исследованиям. Ключевые слова: новые религиозные движения, НРД, религия, верования, религиоведение, философия религии.
UDC: 291.1:130.2:2 ГРНТИ: 02.71
New religious movements (hereinafter NRM) are a general and conditional designation of new religions. In a broad sense, new religious movements are called the entire range of religious studies that arose in the period from the beginning of the XX century and exist to this day [1, p. 6].
Among the scientific literature that analyzes the theoretical aspects of non-traditional religions, of paramount importance are the work of religious scholars P. Antes, A. Barker, P. Clark, E.G. Balagushkin, N.A. Trofimchuk, I. Kanterov, in which the main problems are actualized, the regularities and features of non-traditional religions are revealed. Especially should highlight the work of orientalists (S.V. Pakhomov, A.A. Tkachova, B.Z. Falikova), who studied the history, philosophy, religious psychology of eastern NRM.
Genetically NRM associated with traditional religions, they appeared on their basis, but borrowing diverse elements from a traditional religion, and often, even several without a deep religious and philosophical reflection describes the religious consciousness of NRM as eclectic and syncretic structure. The demand and popularity of NRM are due to their focus on healing, getting
rid of intrapersonal problems, harmonization of family and interpersonal relations and even the acquisition of material benefits.
Membership in the NRM, as a rule, is not elitist and is available to everyone, regardless of their social status, education and other things. When analyzing the age composition of NRM, a high percentage of young people is noteworthy - significantly higher than in organizations of traditional religions. Young people form a special subculture that gives a religious group the character of a «fashion hobby», serving as a means for self-expression and self-realization. Rites of initiation are simplified, from the neophyte does not require extensive training and knowledge. Recommendations of a certain way of life are not unconditional. However, violations, discrediting the religious group, entail unconditional exclusion from it [3, p. 26].
Simplified creed and unburdensome religious duties combined with wearing a variety of charms, the widespread use of magic tricks. Religious consciousness in NRM is characterized by amorphous, plasticity of religious provisions, priority is given to religious experiences, and not the consolidation of religious experience within the strict framework of canons and dogmas. In religious practice prevalent magic items: formula (incantations, mantras, prayers), amulets, secret signs, symbols, protecting from the influence of evil forces, giving supernatural powers to cure illnesses etc. The clerics who mediate between man and the supernatural are either completely absent or could be the next rank of initiation, the degree of knowledge.
In Eastern-oriented NRM the direct leadership of the community is not carried out by charismatic leaders, but by people with good organizational skills, who usually do not appeal to their supernatural qualities acquired on the way of self-improvement and self-knowledge. This is due to the worldview of Eastern religions, which postulates an individual path to enlightenment, starting from the overcoming of egoism and imperfection of the mind by each person independently. The purpose of religious practice is not to gain the «merits» of the holy mentor, but a personal way of ascension to perfection. The Eastern-oriented NRM centers are supervised by visiting teachers who give lectures to a general audience of interested persons, meet with a circle of adepts, answer their accumulated questions, talk about their spiritual experience, give some advice and recommendations on personal and organizational problems, practice joint meditations, etc. [5, p. 45].
In religious groups, great importance is attached to mutual assistance and team building, which is one of the important factors in attracting believers to their ranks. With this purpose often organizes joint events, the massive festival that contributes to the solution of the problem of individual alienation, which is particularly relevant for big cities. Mutual aid can be expressed both in real material form and in psychological support.
In Russia, NRM has begun to emerge in the last decade of the twentieth century, a period of acute social crisis. In such a situation, the «surge» of non -traditional religiosity of society was an unexpected and uncontrolled phenomenon for Russia, which led to religious extremism, introduction into the education system, human rights violations in religious organizations. Currently, the «peak» of non-traditional religiosity has been passed, laws regulating the activities of religious organizations have been developed, and the activities of NRM are being monitored by law enforcement agencies. At the same time, new religions have taken their place in poly-confessional Russia.
Among the Russian NRM there are local religious formations of neo-pagan type, seeking to revive archaic, pre-Christian spiritual traditions, they satisfy the need for national self-determination of Russian society's part. There are NRM of the neo-Christian type, which see the quintessence of Russian spirituality in Christianity, but specifically meaningful; often they have a fundamentalist orientation and openly oppose the modern Russian Orthodox Church. Most of the new religions in Russia owe their origin to the activities of missionaries, mainly European and American branches of neo-Christianity or East-oriented NRM.
NRM is a very heterogeneous and large-scale phenomenon. There are several thousand different NRMS in the world. The exact number of followers is very difficult to establish, because, on the one hand, NRM leaders and adherents tend to exaggerate the number of their supporters, and
on the other hand, in a number of NRM believers satisfy their religious needs, remaining adherents of any traditional religion [2, p. 37].
NRM have a wide range of ideas about the supernatural, differ in the composition of believers, attitude to the world, distribution area and many other features. Based on this, non-traditional religions can be systematized on the basis of their ideological sources, socio-cultural context, attitude to the individual and society.
The specificity of ideas about the supernatural in non-traditional religions is largely determined by the influence of the main ideological source. The content base of the source is originally transformed, combined with new religious ideas, other accents are put, forms of worship, objects of worship are changed, and as a result a new religious system is formed [4, p. 21]. On the basis of the origin of NRM can be classified into the following groups.
1. Non-traditional religions, which transform and reinterpret religious doctrine of the world religions.
2. The neo-national non-traditional religions which have arisen mainly on the basis of religious and philosophical provisions of national and state religions of the East countries where process of distribution of world religions has passed slightly or there was a full syncretization with national beliefs.
3. Neo-pagan non-traditional religions that have appeared in Christianized or Islamized regions, having the form of revival of archaic religious traditions.
4. Science-like non-traditional religions, which arose on the basis of religious interpretation of scientific theories, hypotheses, data.
5. Occult non-traditional religions that use diverse ideas about hidden natural forces that can be used for practical purposes.
The classification of religions according to the socio-cultural context of functioning allows to determine the possibilities of specific religious associations, which are reduced to local, adaptive, ecumenical types.
1. Local NRM are spread in a certain region and have a strong national and ethnic affiliation (neo-Slavic groups, Afro-Christian movements, etc.). The religions in this group emphasize their cultural identity and never engage in missionary activities.
2. Adaptive NRM extend beyond their cultural range. The adaptation of religion to a completely different social and cultural environment is impossible without their qualitative transformation, popularization, correction and even complete elimination of certain theological and ethical principles alien to this culture. Such religions include neo-orientalist religions (neo-Buddhism, neo-Hinduism), which interpret the provisions of their religion for followers with a different mentality, but do not include ideas borrowed from other religious teachings to their own teaching.
3. Ecumenical non-traditional religions see as their main goal the unification of all beliefs and all mankind into a single religion («Bahai», «Church of Unification», etc.). These religions see themselves as the bearers of the last, true revelation and are represented in various countries of the world where they conduct active missionary work.
Classification of NRM on the basis of the criterion of the attitude to the person and society allows to estimate degree of negative influence on adherents of concrete religious associations. In this context, non-traditional religions of destructive and constructive type are distinguished [3, p. 65].
Destructive NRM are characterized by the following features: the practice of deceptive recruitment of adherents; the requirement to break all social and family ties; control over the consciousness and behavior of a person; harm to the mental and physical health of adherents; the division into lower and higher levels of initiation; opposition to society and the state; criticism of traditional religion.
Constructive NRM have the openness of a religious organization; freedom to leave the organization; programs to help overcome drug dependence, alcoholism, stress, frustration, etc.; positive impact on the psychological health of a person; lack of exhausting religious obligations; compromise attitude to society and the state; allow participation in the religious life of traditional religion; conducting charitable activities.
Thus, we can conclude that new religious movements are social movements and continue to emerge today. They are very diverse, but have a number of common features that allow to classify them on different grounds. Such a phenomenon as new religious movements requires deep research
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from different sciences, such as philosophy of religion, religious studies, cultural studies, anthropology and sociology.
References / Список литературы
1. Clarke Peter B. New Religions in Global Perspective: A Study of Religious Change in the Modern World. New York: Routledge, 2006.
2. Davis Derek H., Hankins Barry. New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America, Waco: J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies and Baylor University Press, 2002.
3. Hammer O. and Rothstein M. The Cambridge Companion to New Religious Movements. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
4. Partridge Christopher. Encyclopedia of New Religions: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities. Oxford: Lion, 2004.
5. Zeller Benjamin. Prophets and Protons: New Religious Movements and Science in Late Twentieth-Century America. New York University Press, 2010.
