Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1994, Page 39
and the Afro-Brazilian cults. The third difference relates to the approach and the way the cult
phenomenon is regarded.
The Pentecostal Groups
During the past few years, not only Argentina but all of Latin America has witnessed a
continuous multiplication of various evangelical groups of the “Pentecostal” type. This increase
is seen favorably not only because of a certain underlying “montanism,” which generates a
favorable reception in sections of a Latin society, but also because the individuality, or self-
ruling trait, characteristic of these groups is attractive to many.
On more than one occasion we were astonished to note that the only requirement for the
creation of a new “church” was someone‟s having received “the order of the Lord” to create a
new ministry, and some people having attended it as members for a few months of training.
The figures reflect this phenomenon. In a country with 30 million inhabitants, the number of
pentecostal-type groups easily surpasses the figure of 1,500 registered churches, a figure that
represents only the main church or central headquarters, on which other subsidiary churches
depend.3
This imbalance between inhabitants and churches has caused a true battle among some
ministers who criticize and attempt to discredit one another in order to acquire “new sheep.”
These groups exhibit, in general, a strong hostility toward all classic or traditional religions,
and especially toward the Catholic Church for being the main religion on the continent. Some
of these pentecostal groups have even referred to the Catholic Church as “the biggest of all
the cults.”
The aggressive proselytizing encouraged by newspapers and compulsory “seminars” or “plans
of growth” has consequently inspired some ministers to demand that their parishioners recruit
a certain number of new members per month, subjecting them to great social pressure to
reach the stated goals and using various veiled punishments for those who do not succeed.4
Finally, there is a growing use of techniques of psychological manipulation and coercion,
which are implemented during the well-known “healing” and “exorcism” sessions.5 These
techniques combine with the previous elements to such a degree that we can confidently
judge these groups to be true cults. Such a judgment, in general, is not typically made in
European countries with regard to these groups.
The Afro-Brazilian Cults
An interesting aspect concerning the NRM is that represented by the Afro-Brazilian cults, such
as the Candomblé, the Quimbanda or Macumba, and the Umbanda.
The wide and varied range of these groups is strongly syncretic, since they mix elements of
African, Native American, Christian, and spiritual origin. In the case of the Umbanda, for
example, we find cults with “kardecist” tendencies and others with “cipranist” tendencies that
include practices of Satanism and black magic.
3 The “Waves of Love and Peace” ministry (Ondas de Amor y Paz), directed by Pastor Hector Aníbal Giménez, for
example, has approximately 60 churches dependent on the central church.
4 A project of these groups proposes different guidelines to measure growth per year, with the objective that at the
end of the present decade the Christian evangelicals will be the majority religion in Latin America.
5 The most common is a technique known as “crisis induction,” which step by step blocks the logical thought
capacity in recruits (Baamonde, 1991a, pp. 76B82).
and the Afro-Brazilian cults. The third difference relates to the approach and the way the cult
phenomenon is regarded.
The Pentecostal Groups
During the past few years, not only Argentina but all of Latin America has witnessed a
continuous multiplication of various evangelical groups of the “Pentecostal” type. This increase
is seen favorably not only because of a certain underlying “montanism,” which generates a
favorable reception in sections of a Latin society, but also because the individuality, or self-
ruling trait, characteristic of these groups is attractive to many.
On more than one occasion we were astonished to note that the only requirement for the
creation of a new “church” was someone‟s having received “the order of the Lord” to create a
new ministry, and some people having attended it as members for a few months of training.
The figures reflect this phenomenon. In a country with 30 million inhabitants, the number of
pentecostal-type groups easily surpasses the figure of 1,500 registered churches, a figure that
represents only the main church or central headquarters, on which other subsidiary churches
depend.3
This imbalance between inhabitants and churches has caused a true battle among some
ministers who criticize and attempt to discredit one another in order to acquire “new sheep.”
These groups exhibit, in general, a strong hostility toward all classic or traditional religions,
and especially toward the Catholic Church for being the main religion on the continent. Some
of these pentecostal groups have even referred to the Catholic Church as “the biggest of all
the cults.”
The aggressive proselytizing encouraged by newspapers and compulsory “seminars” or “plans
of growth” has consequently inspired some ministers to demand that their parishioners recruit
a certain number of new members per month, subjecting them to great social pressure to
reach the stated goals and using various veiled punishments for those who do not succeed.4
Finally, there is a growing use of techniques of psychological manipulation and coercion,
which are implemented during the well-known “healing” and “exorcism” sessions.5 These
techniques combine with the previous elements to such a degree that we can confidently
judge these groups to be true cults. Such a judgment, in general, is not typically made in
European countries with regard to these groups.
The Afro-Brazilian Cults
An interesting aspect concerning the NRM is that represented by the Afro-Brazilian cults, such
as the Candomblé, the Quimbanda or Macumba, and the Umbanda.
The wide and varied range of these groups is strongly syncretic, since they mix elements of
African, Native American, Christian, and spiritual origin. In the case of the Umbanda, for
example, we find cults with “kardecist” tendencies and others with “cipranist” tendencies that
include practices of Satanism and black magic.
3 The “Waves of Love and Peace” ministry (Ondas de Amor y Paz), directed by Pastor Hector Aníbal Giménez, for
example, has approximately 60 churches dependent on the central church.
4 A project of these groups proposes different guidelines to measure growth per year, with the objective that at the
end of the present decade the Christian evangelicals will be the majority religion in Latin America.
5 The most common is a technique known as “crisis induction,” which step by step blocks the logical thought
capacity in recruits (Baamonde, 1991a, pp. 76B82).
