Abuse in New Religious Movements: Challenges for the Sociology of Religion
Abuse in New Religious Movements: Challenges for the Sociology of Religion
This chapter provides an overview of the study of abuse in new religious movements. Drawing on the literature on patriarchal charismatic movements, the chapter explores the dynamics of physical and sexual abuse that characterized leader-follower relationships across a diverse number of religious groups. Case studies are used to illustrate the types of violence that were reported by devotees. Feminist theories of patriarchal social structure and feminist analyses of violence are used to help explain this troubling aspect of religious commitment. Finally, various strategies for teaching about violence in NRMs are discussed, with an emphasis on the difficulties that these issues raise for classroom teaching.
Keywords: sexual abuse, feminist theory, patriarchy, violence, charismatic authority, abuse of power
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