Cults, spirituality, and new religious movements
We are currently accepting article submissions regarding one or all of the above.
These categories are open to interpretation, so we encourage you to approach each term critically, especially when it comes to cults. *
Nevertheless, cults are regularly intertwined with spiritual and religious elements, often using words such as healing, salvation, and obedience, and the veil between cults and spiritual abuse is thin. Too often.
Perhaps as a result of this, stories about cults, spirituality, and new religious movements are attracting more people’s attention. We are collectively and rightfully fascinated by the posthumous revelations of Tuberculosis Joshua, the ongoing Twin Flame Universe scandal, Mother God being kicked out of Hawaii and turned blue (!) . So, I would like to focus on the research and theoretical analysis behind popular cult stories.
At the same time, US statistics show an increase in people self-defining themselves as ‘spiritual’ rather than ‘religious’, and in the UK around half of the population declares themselves ‘none’ (religious). people who are). (non-religious), although many believe in prayer, higher powers, and the supernatural. As people move away from more established and historic religious groups, we want to take a closer look at emerging trends in spirituality and new religious movements, whether groups or individuals.
Here are some more topics we suggest.
- Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Policy Responses, State Regulations, and the Policing of Cults, Spirituality, and/or New Religious Movements
- Cyber sectarianism and the digital spread of new religious movements (particularly during or after the pandemic)
- Religion and economic coercion.Where spirituality meets multi-level marketing schemes, personal branding, and business development
- The enduring popularity and growing popularity of astrology and magic
- Different healing practices and interpretations
Due to the personal interests of the current editors, we are particularly interested in the following analyses.
- Mary Cosby on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
- Rajneesh movement
- Shamanism, witchcraft, and magic vs. Vladimir Putin
These lists are by no means exhaustive, so we’d love to hear your thoughts.
How to contribute
To contribute to the blog, contact Flora Rustamova at fdrustamova@lse.ac.uk or tweet us. @LSE_RGS. You can send us a draft, a completed article, or simply provide us with your feedback.
Click here for complete guidelines and other current series.
* We have to stay within the confines of “religion and international society,” so if you’re researching things like cult-like soccer fans and whether improvisation is a cult, that’s fascinating, but here’s the thing: It may not be the place to publish it.
