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Cult-watching group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A cult-watching group (CWG) is an organized or grass-roots assemblage of people who observe and comment on the largely marginal, often unpopular new religious movements which are often labeled "cults".
These groups generally fall into the following categories:
- anti-cult (movement) - Accuses NRMs of using "mind control" to recruit and retain membership
- counter-cult (movement) - Primarily concerned with the heresy of the NRMS, but somewhat allied with anti-cultists.
- researchers - sociologists of religion, psychologists, and other scientists who study the NRMs. Some support the CWGs and some criticize them.
- mind control debunkers - Assert that joinging an NRM is an uninfluenced freewill decision, and that choosing a religion is a matter of right
Professor Eileen Barker divides cult-watching groups into 5 types[1]:
- cult-awareness groups (CAGs)
- counter-cult groups (CCGs)
- research-orientated groups (ROGs)
- human-rights groups (HRGs)
- cult-defender groups (CDGs)
Her concept of "cult awareness" is more complex than the "anti-cult" category described above. (see her article)
- A Comparative Analysis of the Roles of Five Types of Cult-Watching Groups, Eileen Barker, hosted at CESNUR
- ^ A Comparative Analysis of the Roles of Five Types of Cult-Watching Groups, Eileen Barker, hosted at CESNUR