RST2603 NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS
ASSIGNMENT 01
DEFINING THE CONCEPT: “NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT”
In my opinion, the term “New Religious Movement” can best be defined by breaking down the concept
in its component parts.
“New” would refer to a school of thought or belief system that has not yet been recognised as a
religion. It may either be that the belief system was only recently established, i.e. in the past one or
two generations; or that the belief system has only become known to the developed (Western) world
in the past few decades.
“Religion” for me implies a spiritual paradigm that is either completely original in its beliefs or which
is a splinter group of a mainstream religion. A religion would generally have a number of distinguishing
elements such as rituals, unique lifestyles, scriptures or dress code that are followed by a considerable
number of (at least a few hundred) people.
“Movement” means that it is an evolving, non-stagnant undertaking that can change in terms of
numbers, time, location and dogma.
A New Religious Movement can therefore be defined as a recently established or recognised spiritual
belief system that may still evolve.
I think this is a fair definition, because it includes all the aspects of the concept.
Liezl du Plooy
Student no. 6091 5528
16 September 2019
1
ASSIGNMENT 01
DEFINING THE CONCEPT: “NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT”
In my opinion, the term “New Religious Movement” can best be defined by breaking down the concept
in its component parts.
“New” would refer to a school of thought or belief system that has not yet been recognised as a
religion. It may either be that the belief system was only recently established, i.e. in the past one or
two generations; or that the belief system has only become known to the developed (Western) world
in the past few decades.
“Religion” for me implies a spiritual paradigm that is either completely original in its beliefs or which
is a splinter group of a mainstream religion. A religion would generally have a number of distinguishing
elements such as rituals, unique lifestyles, scriptures or dress code that are followed by a considerable
number of (at least a few hundred) people.
“Movement” means that it is an evolving, non-stagnant undertaking that can change in terms of
numbers, time, location and dogma.
A New Religious Movement can therefore be defined as a recently established or recognised spiritual
belief system that may still evolve.
I think this is a fair definition, because it includes all the aspects of the concept.
Liezl du Plooy
Student no. 6091 5528
16 September 2019
1
