| Abstrakt: |
The article presents information on repression of religious cults. Early in the 1970's a number of new religious movements, which were subsequently labeled "cults" by their opponents, appeared in the United States and Europe. The best known among this diverse set of religious and quasi-religious groups were the Unification Church, Divine Light Mission, Scientology, Children of God, Transcendental Meditation and Hare Krishna. Virtually all of these new religious movements were charged with some combination of brainwashing and mind control, financial exploitation, political intrigue, ruthless and authoritarian leadership and sexual impropriety. These allegations stirred up enormous public hostility, making "cults" a source of controversy and conflict throughout the decade. Among the new religions the Unification Church was deemed the archetypical "cult" and became the focus of the "cult" controversy. This article shall examine the sources of strain between the Unification Church and other major institutions in the United States, precipitating factors in the conflict which emerged and the process whereby repressive social control measures were invoked. The broader objective will be to move toward a general statement of the conditions under which social movements come into conflict with the larger society, are labeled deviant and are repressed. |
