Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1989, Page 29
It must be stated that there is, however, a hard core of facts the reliability of which cannot
be easily undermined: legal decisions, official reports, documents and writings of groups,
accumulative and substantiating reports in the media, and articles by doctors,
psychologists, and other professionals --often dealing with the same facts and
corroborating one another. Nevertheless, it is true that difficulties exist on certain issues
concerning the phenomenon, due to the scarcity of facts and research, and because some
facts may be interpreted in differing or even opposing ways depending on the prevailing set
of values of the interpreter.
The accumulated material regarding the new groups reveals that the phenomenon is multi-
faceted and complex. The groups can be categorized by various criteria, such as:
ideological sources (Eastern/Western) self-definition of the groups (religious, therapeutic,
scientific, political, etc.) central ideological themes (which do not always concur with the
groups‟ declared goals/definitions) the degree of secrecy and screening of information the
nature and quantity of conversion techniques the nature of the hierarchy and authority
lifestyle (communal or dispersed living arrangements) extent of economic power the
organizational structure (small/large local/international) and so on.
The degree of attention paid to the various characteristics and the way in which each group
combines these characteristics depends, by the very nature of things, on the field of interest
of the author and on the goal of any research or analysis. In books and publications dealing
with new groups various focal points can be found. Some concentrate on the description of
a particular group or on the effect involvement in a group has on the individual, others
examine the phenomenon as a whole and strive to reach a definition and an exhaustive
description of its essence. There are those who attempt to reveal what the groups have in
common and those who try to uncover the differences.
The wealth of material written on the subject concentrates on two major themes: a) the
description and analysis of particular groups b) generalized analyses of the groups‟
activities and of their influence on the individual involved. Attempts to find a common
denominator for the wide spectrum of new groups (religious and pseudo-religious) which
have appeared in the last few decades, have often generated broad generalizations. These
generalizations neglected the uniqueness of the groups whose arrival and activity created at
the time a sense of mystery, fear, and a need for special terminology. Efforts have been
made to comprehend the differences between the various new groups within the framework
of a general theory that purportedly relates to all of the characteristics and to their
reciprocal impact. These have not yet yielded results which are likely to assist an individual
investigator of the phenomenon wanting to know whether there is an ongoing or potential
violation of the basic values of the culture in which we live.
The literature analyzing the new groups (from a general perspective) interprets their growth
against the background of man‟s condition in modern society. Fundamental questions
dealing with existence, values and morality, which in the past were resolved, even if only
partially, in the context of the traditional religions, have surfaced with added force with the
erosion of the status of these religions. People, particularly the young, have difficulty coping
with the complexity of the new relationship between the individual and society in a
pluralistic culture and finding a solution to their individual problems. The advantage of new
groups over alternatives (either within traditional religious or conventional therapeutic
frameworks, or involving personal search in various other directions) is to be found in the
fact that they are unfamiliar, different, and therefore more attractive and promising, yet at
the same time organized and readily available.
Some of those dealing with the subject point out in any case that some groups have
significantly expanded and grown (both numerically and in economic power) in a short
period relative to other new groups. The intensive use of a range of persuasive means --
It must be stated that there is, however, a hard core of facts the reliability of which cannot
be easily undermined: legal decisions, official reports, documents and writings of groups,
accumulative and substantiating reports in the media, and articles by doctors,
psychologists, and other professionals --often dealing with the same facts and
corroborating one another. Nevertheless, it is true that difficulties exist on certain issues
concerning the phenomenon, due to the scarcity of facts and research, and because some
facts may be interpreted in differing or even opposing ways depending on the prevailing set
of values of the interpreter.
The accumulated material regarding the new groups reveals that the phenomenon is multi-
faceted and complex. The groups can be categorized by various criteria, such as:
ideological sources (Eastern/Western) self-definition of the groups (religious, therapeutic,
scientific, political, etc.) central ideological themes (which do not always concur with the
groups‟ declared goals/definitions) the degree of secrecy and screening of information the
nature and quantity of conversion techniques the nature of the hierarchy and authority
lifestyle (communal or dispersed living arrangements) extent of economic power the
organizational structure (small/large local/international) and so on.
The degree of attention paid to the various characteristics and the way in which each group
combines these characteristics depends, by the very nature of things, on the field of interest
of the author and on the goal of any research or analysis. In books and publications dealing
with new groups various focal points can be found. Some concentrate on the description of
a particular group or on the effect involvement in a group has on the individual, others
examine the phenomenon as a whole and strive to reach a definition and an exhaustive
description of its essence. There are those who attempt to reveal what the groups have in
common and those who try to uncover the differences.
The wealth of material written on the subject concentrates on two major themes: a) the
description and analysis of particular groups b) generalized analyses of the groups‟
activities and of their influence on the individual involved. Attempts to find a common
denominator for the wide spectrum of new groups (religious and pseudo-religious) which
have appeared in the last few decades, have often generated broad generalizations. These
generalizations neglected the uniqueness of the groups whose arrival and activity created at
the time a sense of mystery, fear, and a need for special terminology. Efforts have been
made to comprehend the differences between the various new groups within the framework
of a general theory that purportedly relates to all of the characteristics and to their
reciprocal impact. These have not yet yielded results which are likely to assist an individual
investigator of the phenomenon wanting to know whether there is an ongoing or potential
violation of the basic values of the culture in which we live.
The literature analyzing the new groups (from a general perspective) interprets their growth
against the background of man‟s condition in modern society. Fundamental questions
dealing with existence, values and morality, which in the past were resolved, even if only
partially, in the context of the traditional religions, have surfaced with added force with the
erosion of the status of these religions. People, particularly the young, have difficulty coping
with the complexity of the new relationship between the individual and society in a
pluralistic culture and finding a solution to their individual problems. The advantage of new
groups over alternatives (either within traditional religious or conventional therapeutic
frameworks, or involving personal search in various other directions) is to be found in the
fact that they are unfamiliar, different, and therefore more attractive and promising, yet at
the same time organized and readily available.
Some of those dealing with the subject point out in any case that some groups have
significantly expanded and grown (both numerically and in economic power) in a short
period relative to other new groups. The intensive use of a range of persuasive means --
