Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1994, Page 36
The Experience of the SPES Foundation:
Some Remarks on the Different Attitudes
Toward New Religious Movements
in Argentina and in Europe
José María Baamonde, Ph.D.
SPES Foundation
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Abstract
Cults appear to be as active in Argentina as in most European countries. At the end
of 1992, 2,986 distinct religious movements had been registered with the Ministry of
Cults and Foreign Affairs. Although “cult” has a less pejorative connotation in
Argentina than in the United States, many of these registered groups are probably
cults according to the usual definition of the term in the United States. The SPES
Foundation (Servicio Para el Esclarecimiento en Sectas) is a professional organization
founded to help deal with this problem. In 1992 the SPES Foundation responded to
1,745 inquiries. Argentina‟s cult situation differs from that of Europe in three ways.
First, in Argentina large numbers of “Pentecostal” groups are so psychologically
manipulative that they can be considered cults. Second, Argentina has had an influx
of Afro-Brazilian cults not seen in Europe. And third, in Argentina there is much less
understanding of the problem and more reluctance to take concrete action against it.
As far as the cult phenomenon or the New Religious Movements (NRMs) are concerned,
Argentina is no different from any other developed country in the First World. Our country not
only has been importing groups with cult characteristics for years, but also it already has the
sad privilege of becoming one more exporter of them, with movements such as La Comunidad
(The Community) and New Acropolis. Many of these groups also have political aspirations and
already have a certain degree of influence in various European countries.
The Reality of the Cult Phenomenon in Argentina1
Some figures illuminate the reality of the cult phenomenon in Argentina: At the end of 1992,
2,986 distinct religious movements had been registered with the Ministry of Cults and Foreign
Affairs. Of these, only 2% are associated with classic or traditional religions. Of those regis-
tered, 382 correspond to diverse spiritual cults 387 to different cults of Afro-Brazilian origin
and 1,790 to evangelical Christian cults, of which approximately 90% are of the “Pentecostal”
type.
In 1979 a national law (Law No. 21745) required the re-registration of previously registered
movements. From 1981 to 1990 the average registration was 185 cults per year. The yearly
registration was as follows:
1 In Spanish the word cult does not have the derogatory connotation that it sometimes has in English. It often
connotes the English “sect.”

Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1994, Page 37
Movements registered
1979 977
1980 57
1981 297
1982 152
1983 125
1984 122
1985 187
1986 226
1987 212
1988 199
1989 176
1990 157
1991 61
1992 38
_____
Total 2,986
The decline in registration during 1991 and 1992 was not because there were not any NRMs
or because they did not register. This decline was caused by the fact that in February 1992
the SPES Foundation published these numbers for the first time, thereby causing a certain
uneasiness among the members of the Ministry of Cults and Foreign Affairs. From that time
on, they were more restrictive about registrations (Baamonde, 1991b).
To these figures we must add a considerable but not yet fixed number of movements that do
not register with the Ministry of Cults and Foreign Affairs. Concealing their religious content,
these movements, disguised as “civilian associations” or “foundations,” register with the
General Inspector of Justice. Then, we must add another set of movements that register with
the Ministry of Education, under the guise of “centers,” “schools,” or “educational institutions.”
Finally, we must add the movements that do not register anywhere and function more or less
secretly.
Unfortunately, the foreseeable future in this area is a bit discouraging in Argentina at present.
A “Cult Law” project has been submitted to the National Congress. Its Article 7 proposes that
from now on registration be voluntary, allowing those groups not registered to develop their
activities freely,2 with the potential of our losing all record of the cults existing in our country
and any possibility of control. Should this legal ordinance concerning religion be approved,
those who will benefit are essentially those groups that include delinquent acts in their
practices.
The Beginning of Hope: The SPES Foundation
The concern resulting from the increase of the NRMs induced professionals who had been
studying the problem individually to join forces, and at the end of the 1980s this group
created the SPES Foundation (Servicio Para el Esclarecimiento en Sectas, or Organization for
Cult Awareness).
The SPES Foundation is the first institution in Argentina and Latin America whose purpose is
to study the NRM phenomenon from all possible disciplines and points of view, and at the
same time to offer a series of services through its four departments, outlined below.
2 Article 7 of the Cult Law project, put forth by the authorities of the Ministry of Cults and Foreign Affairs, states:
“The churches, communities, and religious beliefs will have legal capacity once they are registered in the
corresponding department ...The registration will be voluntary. Those that do not register will not be stripped of their
right to free association, nor will their members be restricted in their rights recognized under the law.”