Do NRMs/NAMs attract more members of the poor and deprived classes? (18 marks)
Deprivation is the lack of material benefits considered to be basic necessities in society, there are many different types of deprivation which will be discussed and analysed. Glock and Stark identified them to include gender; the disabled (organismic deprivation – mental/physical problems); ethical; social; or economic. The poor and deprived classes could include the working social class and ethnic minorities who are marginalised, and reject from wider society for example afro-Caribbean’s.
Barker has adopted the concept of new religious movements as an overarching idea that embraces both sects and cults, it is a more neutral term to highly negative meanings of sects and cults in popular culture. A new religious movement (NRM) is a religious community or spiritual group of modern origins, which has a peripheral place within its nation dominant religious culture. Wallis’s typology of NRMs looks at the relationship between wider society and sect’s, he identifies 3 – world affirming, world accommodating and world rejecting. World affirming NRMs try to gain the most from society, and seen as a less threatening ‘loose’ organisation for personal achievement. Specifically they lack religion and use internet and technology for contact, levitation or meditation are examples. World accommodating disagree with society but choose to accept it and live normal lives, they seek to restore faith and religion into society, and an example includes Neo-Pentecostalism, where they believe in speaking in tongues. Then there is world rejecting who are seen as the scariest to society as they make a strong commitment to their movement, disowning family and friends. The Branch Davidians and the Moonies are examples of world rejecting movements. Wilson’s typology of NRMs include conversionists that see the world