Hostility towards victims

Assistant professor Center for the Study of Religions of the Russian State Humanitarian University Boris Falikov discusses the reasons for hostility to new religious movements in Russian society and the main myths that have formed around the NRM.

Few what causes such irritation in Russia as new religions. We usually have them called "sects" and "cults", which is already a value judgment. On the ground dislike converge conservatives and liberals. The former are outraged that the new religions encroach on age-old foundations, the latter see them as an attempt on human freedom. Scientists, however, prefer to call this phenomenon indiscriminately - "new religious movements. In religious studies, a whole trend has developed, which researching NRD. Along the way, he has to deal with a variety of myths with which the new religious movements have grown like shells in the bottom of a ship. Here are some of the more common ones.

New religions are financial schemes to withdraw money from the population.

Cause The accusations are that, unlike the old religions, the NRMs do not have traditional ways of self-financing (tithe), so they have to resort to such modern means, as the sale of religious services. Founder of Scientology Ron Hubbard is even credited with the dashing phrase that the best way to get rich is is to create a religion. First, the joke does not belong to Hubbard, but sarcastic George Orwell, did Hubbard ever repeat it publicly - the question is open, Scientologists say no, their enemies say yes. Secondly, trying to get rich on new religious ideas does not bring quick profits: real virtuosos of financial fraud Bernard Madoff and Sergey Mavrodi preferred to do without them. Thirdly, in our economically difficult time the sale of religious services, to an almost greater extent, sin even the old religion.

New religions are source of mass terror and collective suicides.

terrorist attack there were only two on behalf of the NRM. In 1984, a follower of Guru Rajneesh Ma Anand Sheela (Shila Silverman) contaminated food at several Oregon locations with salmonella. cafes so that their visitors cannot take part in local voting. On the closing of the ashram was at stake. Rajneesh himself handed over the zealous adept to the authorities. There were no human casualties. The second much more serious terrorist attack was carried out in Tokyo subway "Aum Shinrikyo" in 1995. There were collective suicides counted four - "Peoples Temple" in Guyana (1978), "Branch of David" in Texas (1993), Temple of the Sun in Switzerland and Canada (1994) and Heaven's Gate in California (1997). However, the first two cases are questionable. "People's Temple" is, according to a number of religious scholars, rather than the NRM, but an ordinary Protestant denomination, pastor which Jim Jones attempted to realize the ideal of interracial equality by crossing Christianity with Marxism (John R. Hall, Gone From the Promised Land: Johnstown in American Cultural History. New Brunswick, NJ 1987). The attempt ended in tragedy. And in the case of the "Branch of David" it is possible spontaneous combustion during an FBI assault on her compound. Texas dry wind - a thing dangerous. But the main thing against the backdrop of religiously motivated violence, which is violently flourishes today in the Middle East (but not only in it), the number of these tragedy is minimal. ISIS can hardly be enrolled in the NRM. His teaching goes back to radically interpreted Sunni Salafism, which is many centuries old. But at the same time, ISIS does immeasurably more harm than Aum Shinrikyo, which is rather an exception among NRMs. A typical example of NRMs is the harmless Hare Krishnas and Transcendental Meditation.

NRMs are not religions, so they should be stripped of their religious status.

home the characteristic of religion is the acquisition of transcendental ends, and the means can differ greatly from each other (this is prayer, and liturgy, and yoga). Under it definition fall almost all NRMs. The same Scientology, according to major British sociologist of religion, Brian Wilson, aims to achievement of a transcendental goal (liberation from the captivity of matter, energy, space and time) by rationalistic means. How outlandish are these goals would not seem to an external observer, according to religious scholars, they are specifically religious. The old religions, from the point of view of the modern secular consciousness, oddities, by the way, no less.

New religions are criminal organizations that lure into their networks and forcibly keep them from through brainwashing.

concept "brainwashing" is a tracing-paper from a Chinese phrase. The point is that one of authors psychologist Robert Lifton investigated cases of ideological reforging American prisoners in Chinese captivity during the Korean War. results, and in Truth be told, they were amazing. But the transfer of these methods to the religious sphere impossible, since conversion is ultimately an act of free will. That's why American Psychological Association Rejects Flushing Claim brains as unscientific back in 1987. The main thing in such techniques is violent imprisonment. But the NRM is by no means prisoner of war camps, but sociologists have recorded a high turnover of their composition, so the version of the washed brains are gone. A deprogrammer tried to literally follow the Chinese example (cult fighter) Ted Patrick, who kidnapped members of the NRM, locked them up and tried to convince, often resorting to physical violence. Sometimes his victims they pretended to be “deprogrammed”, but when they broke free, they complained to the authorities. For these dangerous experiments on people, Ted Patrick was convicted several times. By the way, not a single American prisoner retained faith in the greatness of Mao, returning to the homeland.

NSD is the source spiritual danger.

religious studies does not use such concepts as spiritual danger/security. Similar assessments are given within the confessional approach. But based on experience research and common sense, the religious scholar can also express his opinion on this issue. High fluidity composition of the NRM indicates that their members are religiously seeking people. AND this search can lead them not only into the bosom of new religions, but also into the bosom of old. Many of today's Orthodox have gone through the fascination with new religions. It is unlikely that their falling away from their former faith is the merit of Orthodox fighters against sects, which missions prefer the counter-mission, that is, the fight for destruction, which only repels potential neophytes from them. Rather it reflects the spirit the time when religion ceases to be broadcast in the traditional way and becomes an object of human free choice.

myths about new religions make it difficult to see the real dangers that sometimes lurk.

First - "guruism". This term arose relatively recently from Skt. guru but has negative connotation and denotes abuse of authority by spiritual leader. David Koresh from Branch David, Gerff Applewhite from Heavenly vrat" are typical examples of guruism. We in Russia also have a similar character - Konstantin Rudnev from Shambhala Ashram. It must be admitted that with guruism in themselves new religions are fighting much more effectively in the West than in the East. Democratic ethos spews out such things: in 1984, members of the San Francisco neo-Buddhist center expelled their leader - Roshi Baker. Yes, the term originated in the West.

Second danger of "radical apocalypticism". California's "Heaven's Gate" expected the arrival of the comet Hale-Bopp, in the tail of which the alien ship “lurked”. The aliens were supposed to take away their spiritual essences and destroy the Earth, and the adepts did not need their own bodies and they poisoned themselves. Aum Shinrikyo members expected the end of the world, and when it did not happen, they decided to bring it closer with their hands and sprayed with sarin in Tokyo metro. What all three tragedies have in common is the authoritarian leaders who managed to convince of their adherents that the end of the world is imminent and urgent need to be saved. It's obvious that "Guruism" and "apocalypticism" are often linked.

But they are by no means found only in new religions. A considerable number of Orthodox are fighting with TIN, because the number of the Beast is encrypted there, and some are completely underground bury themselves - waiting in apocalyptic ecstasy for the coming of the Antichrist. vice "Guruism" old religions also suffer. Orthodoxy has a term "young senility", when the confessor turns people around as he wants, having no reason for this, that is, one's own spiritual maturity. According to G. S. Pomerants, the old religions are simply better developed defense mechanisms against this kind of distortion. Another question is how often they use them. Patriarch Alexy II officially stigmatized "youthful old age", but little has changed, many confessors lead yourself indecent.

So that it is not the new or old religions that must be fought. It is necessary to fight against "guruism", "radical apocalypticism" and etc., which - like a cancerous tumor - can also appear on the body of new religions, and on the body of the old. It is necessary to identify the causes of the appearance of these "tumors", develop mechanisms to deal with them.

Myths and stereotypes only hinder this struggle.