Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1994, Page 45
According to the Belgian cardinal Godfried Danneels, the New Age or New Era is very
difficult to define: “It is not a religion, but it is at least religious it is not a philosophy, but it
is at least a vision of man and the world, like a code of interpretation it is not a science,
but it leans against „scientific‟ laws even though you must search for it in the stars. The New
Age is an enigma that possesses esoterica and occultism, mystic and magical thoughts,
respect for the secrets of life, with a dash of Christianity, all mixed with ideas that originate
from astrology.”
In Latin America these groups have proliferated with unheard-of success in the last five
years. For example, editors in Argentina point out that 30% of the publishing market is
comprised of so-called self-help books, with an average of 500 different titles on the
shelves.
One of the characteristics of the New Age is that it pretends to relive the events of birth and
also have close encounters with death. New Age thinking systematically proposes rebirth or
new births to escape traumas and contact with things or beings beyond the known. Some
New Agers believe that mystical experiences are small openings pointing to a personal
belief, to be one with God. This can be dangerous because if a person does not fear death
and believes that he or she is part of the Cosmos, that person might risk life freely.
Sadly, in many cases these groups are founded by doctors or psychologists who have
discovered that all they need is to impose some type of organization to convert their
patients into their true slaves. Many of these groups that begin with a totally commercial
purpose evolve into new destructive cults.
What do we foresee related to all this on the Latin American continent? We can expect that
the destructive cults, which appeared in the early 1970s and worked exclusively with
adolescents, will maintain their historical level. The controversial groups, which had a
dizzying growth in the last two decades thanks to the Electronic Church, have been slowing
down and have tended to decline, in part because the North American religious corporations
are no longer interested in Latin America since the disappearance of Communism. Finally,
the risk groups (New Age) that have appeared on the scene in the last five years tend to
multiply, and we believe they will be the next great challenge.
What to Do?
Nine years ago, when no one else in Argentina was concerned, I alone began to research
the cult phenomenon. Today it is a theme of debate in the Catholic Church, in the Protestant
churches, and in some universities where they study the complex factors that revolve
around the cult world. In 1991 a group of parents, relatives, and professionals
(psychologists, lawyers, sociologists, and linguists) met in order to form the Argentinean
Foundation for the Study of Cults (FAPES), which offers legal, psychological, and social
counseling to those people who suffer from this scourge. One of the principle characteristics
of the Foundation is its independence from the central government, the Catholic Church, or
any of the cults.
To give a sense of our activities during 1992, we will review the figures however, they do
not genuinely represent the feelings of each dramatic testimony from the families destroyed
by the practices of these groups.
Between the months of March and November, FAPES received more than 1,000
telephone calls, 300 being personal interviews. Of these, 10% of those consulted
contacted our Department of Psychology and another 10% contacted the Judicial
Department.
According to the Belgian cardinal Godfried Danneels, the New Age or New Era is very
difficult to define: “It is not a religion, but it is at least religious it is not a philosophy, but it
is at least a vision of man and the world, like a code of interpretation it is not a science,
but it leans against „scientific‟ laws even though you must search for it in the stars. The New
Age is an enigma that possesses esoterica and occultism, mystic and magical thoughts,
respect for the secrets of life, with a dash of Christianity, all mixed with ideas that originate
from astrology.”
In Latin America these groups have proliferated with unheard-of success in the last five
years. For example, editors in Argentina point out that 30% of the publishing market is
comprised of so-called self-help books, with an average of 500 different titles on the
shelves.
One of the characteristics of the New Age is that it pretends to relive the events of birth and
also have close encounters with death. New Age thinking systematically proposes rebirth or
new births to escape traumas and contact with things or beings beyond the known. Some
New Agers believe that mystical experiences are small openings pointing to a personal
belief, to be one with God. This can be dangerous because if a person does not fear death
and believes that he or she is part of the Cosmos, that person might risk life freely.
Sadly, in many cases these groups are founded by doctors or psychologists who have
discovered that all they need is to impose some type of organization to convert their
patients into their true slaves. Many of these groups that begin with a totally commercial
purpose evolve into new destructive cults.
What do we foresee related to all this on the Latin American continent? We can expect that
the destructive cults, which appeared in the early 1970s and worked exclusively with
adolescents, will maintain their historical level. The controversial groups, which had a
dizzying growth in the last two decades thanks to the Electronic Church, have been slowing
down and have tended to decline, in part because the North American religious corporations
are no longer interested in Latin America since the disappearance of Communism. Finally,
the risk groups (New Age) that have appeared on the scene in the last five years tend to
multiply, and we believe they will be the next great challenge.
What to Do?
Nine years ago, when no one else in Argentina was concerned, I alone began to research
the cult phenomenon. Today it is a theme of debate in the Catholic Church, in the Protestant
churches, and in some universities where they study the complex factors that revolve
around the cult world. In 1991 a group of parents, relatives, and professionals
(psychologists, lawyers, sociologists, and linguists) met in order to form the Argentinean
Foundation for the Study of Cults (FAPES), which offers legal, psychological, and social
counseling to those people who suffer from this scourge. One of the principle characteristics
of the Foundation is its independence from the central government, the Catholic Church, or
any of the cults.
To give a sense of our activities during 1992, we will review the figures however, they do
not genuinely represent the feelings of each dramatic testimony from the families destroyed
by the practices of these groups.
Between the months of March and November, FAPES received more than 1,000
telephone calls, 300 being personal interviews. Of these, 10% of those consulted
contacted our Department of Psychology and another 10% contacted the Judicial
Department.
