Explaining the Growth in Religious Movements

• Since the 1960s, there has been rapid growth of sects and cults
• In the UK there is an estimated 800 NRMs
• These estimated 800 NRMs are projected to have around 500k members
• Marginality can be a reason for the growth in NRMs
• Marginality


  The poor and oppressed are usually attracted to sects according to Treltsch
• Marginality


  Weber claims minority groups become disillusioned with institutional religion so find another way to satisfy their spiritual needs, sects offer them a 'theodicy of disprivilege'
• 'Theodicy of disprivilege' states that marginalised members who have faced poverty will have a promise of salvation as they are 'Gods chosen people'
• However, the Unification church did take members from the Middle class, discrediting Troeltsch and Weber
• Relative deprivation can be a reason for the growth in sects
• Relative Deprivation


  Some people may feel deprived in some way despite being quite well-off objectively
• Glock and Stark identify 4 types of relative deprivation;

  • Social
  • Organismic
  • Ethical
  • Psychic
• Social Deprivation is stemming from a lack of power, prestige or status
• Organismic Deprivation is those who suffer physical or mental problems
• Ethical Deprivation is to perceive the world as being in moral decline and retreating into a introversionist sect
• Psychic Deprivation is searching for more than the dominant value system offers
• Social change can be another reason for a growth in NRMs
• Social Change

  Durkheim refers to this as an anomie, a sense that there is a lack of norms or insecurity
• Bellah argues that middle class youth experienced a crisis of meaning in the late 1960s, so began to join NRMs
• Bruce states that change in NRM membership is due to modernisation and secularisation, people become less attracted to traditional churches and sects as they demand too much commitment
• According to Bruce people prefer cults as they require little commitment and are open to anyone
• There is 3 ways to explain the growth of Religious Movements;

  • Marginality
  • Relative deprivation
  • Social change