Minority Religions and Fraud

Minority Religions and Fraud PDF

Author: Amanda van Eck Duymaer van Twist

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-04-22

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1317095731

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Analysing both fraud and religion as social constructs with different functions and meanings attributed to them, this book raises issues that are central to debates about the limits of religious toleration in diverse societies, and the possible harm (as well as benefits) that religious organisations can visit upon society and individuals. There has already been a lively debate concerning the structural context in which abuse, especially sexual abuse, can be perpetrated within religion. Contributors to the volume proceed from the premise that similar arguments about ways in which structure and power may be conducive to abuse can be made about fraud and deception. Both can contribute to abuse, yet they are often less easily demonstrated and proven, hence less easily prosecuted. With a focus on minority religions, the book offers a comparative overview of the concept of religious fraud by bringing together analyses of different types of fraud or deception (financial, bio-medical, emotional, breach of trust and consent). Contributors examine whether fraud is necessarily intentional (or whether that is in the eye of the beholder); certain structures may be more conducive to fraud; followers willingly participate in it. The volume includes some chapters focused on non-Western beliefs (Juju, Occult Economies, Dharma Lineage), which have travelled to the West and can be found in North American and European metropolitan areas.

Minority Religions and Fraud

Minority Religions and Fraud PDF

Author: Amanda van Eck Duymaer van Twist

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-04-22

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 131709574X

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Analysing both fraud and religion as social constructs with different functions and meanings attributed to them, this book raises issues that are central to debates about the limits of religious toleration in diverse societies, and the possible harm (as well as benefits) that religious organisations can visit upon society and individuals. There has already been a lively debate concerning the structural context in which abuse, especially sexual abuse, can be perpetrated within religion. Contributors to the volume proceed from the premise that similar arguments about ways in which structure and power may be conducive to abuse can be made about fraud and deception. Both can contribute to abuse, yet they are often less easily demonstrated and proven, hence less easily prosecuted. With a focus on minority religions, the book offers a comparative overview of the concept of religious fraud by bringing together analyses of different types of fraud or deception (financial, bio-medical, emotional, breach of trust and consent). Contributors examine whether fraud is necessarily intentional (or whether that is in the eye of the beholder); certain structures may be more conducive to fraud; followers willingly participate in it. The volume includes some chapters focused on non-Western beliefs (Juju, Occult Economies, Dharma Lineage), which have travelled to the West and can be found in North American and European metropolitan areas.

Radical Transformations in Minority Religions

Radical Transformations in Minority Religions PDF

Author: Beth Singler

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-11-21

Total Pages: 187

ISBN-13: 1351851225

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All religions undergo continuous change, but minority religions tend to be less anchored in their ways than mainstream, traditional religions. This volume examines radical transformations undergone by a variety of minority religions, including the Children of God/ Family International; Gnosticism; Jediism; various manifestations of Paganism; LGBT Muslim groups; the Plymouth Brethren; Santa Muerte; and Satanism. As with other books in the Routledge/Inform series, the contributors approach the subject from a wide range of perspectives: professional scholars include legal experts and sociologists specialising in new religious movements, but there are also chapters from those who have experienced a personal involvement. The volume is divided into four thematic parts that focus on different impetuses for radical change: interactions with society, technology and institutions, efforts at legitimation, and new revelations. This book will be a useful source of information for social scientists, historians, theologians and other scholars with an interest in social change, minority religions and ‘cults’. It will also be of interest to a wider readership including lawyers, journalists, theologians and members of the general public.

Minority Religions and Uncertainty

Minority Religions and Uncertainty PDF

Author: Knott Kim

Publisher:

Published: 2020-05-20

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9781472484512

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Religions are at their core about creating certainty. But what happens when groups lose control of their destiny? Whether it leads to violence, or to non-violent innovations, as found in minority religions following the death of their founders or leaders, uncertainty and insecurity can lead to great change in the mission and even teachings of religious groups. This book brings together an international range of contributors to explore the uncertainty faced by new and minority religious movements as well as non-religious fringe groups. The groups considered in the book span a range of religious traditions (Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam), old and new spiritual formations such as esotericism, New Age and organised new religious movements, as well as non-religious movements including the straight edge movement and the British Union of Fascists. The chapters deal with a variety of contexts, from the UK and US, to Japan and Egypt, with others discussing global movements. Whilst all the authors deal with twentieth and twenty-first century movements and issues, several focus explicitly on historical cases or change over time. This wide ranging, yet cohesive volume will be of great interest to scholars of minority religious movements and non-religious fringe groups working across religious studies, sociology and social psychology.

Visioning New and Minority Religions

Visioning New and Minority Religions PDF

Author: Eugene V. Gallagher

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2016-11-25

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 1315317893

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Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of illustrations -- Notes on contributors -- Part I Theoretical perspectives on new and minority religions -- 1 Introduction: projecting the future for new and minority religions -- 2 The changing scene: what might happen and what might be less likely to happen? -- 3 'The silent majority?': understanding apostate testimony beyond 'insider/outsider' binaries in the study of new religions -- 4 Seekership revisited: explaining traffic in and out of new religions -- 5 Economies of love and squalor: fraud and deception in religious milieus -- 6 No leader, no followers: the Internet and the end of charisma? -- 7 A guaranteed future for new religious movements -- Part II International perspectives on the future of specific new religious groups -- 8 The changing face of contemporary Paganism in Britain -- 9 You can't smash the Internet: a historical analysis of the LDS Church's negotiation of technology and how the Internet has changed the rules of the game -- 10 From Japanese Buddhist sect to global citizenship: Soka Gakkai past and future -- 11 Christian Scientists: has-beens or twenty-first century spiritual pioneers? -- 12 Anticipating the future: the growth of practice-oriented spiritualities -- 13 Pop culture-a new source of spirituality? -- 14 A neo-orthodox Buddhist movement in transition: the Diamond Way -- Index

Law and Politics of Religious Fraud Regulation

Law and Politics of Religious Fraud Regulation PDF

Author: Jianlin Chen

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2023-12-11

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 180220024X

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In comparing the ways in which China, Taiwan and Hong Kong punish religious claims and practices considered by the state to be false or fraudulent, Jianlin Chen presents a seminal contribution to the interdisciplinary study of religious freedom. The book not only reveals how these legal tools sustain a hierarchy of religion, but also the political dynamic behind the design and utilization of these legal tools.

Visioning New and Minority Religions

Visioning New and Minority Religions PDF

Author: Eugene V. Gallagher

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-11-25

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 1315317885

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Rather than being ephemeral fads, new religious movements (NRMs) have always been and will always be with us. So will their study. Offering an assessment of the state-of-the-field of the study of NRMs, Visioning New and Minority Religions begins by considering the analytical tools for the study of new or minority religions, drawing on the perspectives of diverse academic disciplines. The second part focuses on individual groups in a variety of geographical settings. Chapters in this section review the histories of particular groups in order to extrapolate future developments. They cover new religions that have persisted well past the first generation, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Christian Scientists, and groups with comparatively shorter histories, such as various forms of contemporary Paganism, Soka Gakkai, and the Diamond Way Buddhist group. This volume will be of interest to scholars from across religious studies and sociology, as well as members of new and minority religious groups and those in "cult watching" groups.

The Public Face of African New Religious Movements in Diaspora

The Public Face of African New Religious Movements in Diaspora PDF

Author: Afe Adogame

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-02-24

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 1317018648

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The growing pace of international migration, technological revolution in media and travel generate circumstances that provide opportunities for the mobility of African new religious movements (ANRMs) within Africa and beyond. ANRMs are furthering their self-assertion and self-insertion into the religious landscapes of Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Their growing presence and public visibility seem to be more robustly captured by the popular media than by scholars of NRMs, historians of religion and social scientists, a tendency that has probably shaped the public mental picture and understanding of the phenomena. This book provides new theoretical and methodological insights for understanding and interpreting ANRMs and African-derived religions in diaspora. Contributors focus on individual groups and movements drawn from Christian, Islamic, Jewish and African-derived religious movements and explore their provenance and patterns of emergence; their belief systems and ritual practices; their public/civic roles; group self-definition; public perceptions and responses; tendencies towards integration/segregation; organisational networks; gender orientations and the implications of interactions within and between the groups and with the host societies. The book includes contributions from scholars and religious practitioners, thus offering new insights into how ANRMs can be better defined, approached, and interpreted by scholars, policy makers, and media practitioners alike.