Editing Anti-cult movement (section)

== Cult-watching groups and individuals, and other opposition to cults ==

=== Family-members of adherents ===

Some opposition to cults (and to some NRMs) started with family-members of cult-adherents who had problems with the sudden changes in character, lifestyle and future plans of their young adult children who had joined NRMs. [[Ted Patrick]], widely known as "the father of [[deprogramming]]," exemplifies members of this group. The former [[Cult Awareness Network]] (old CAN) grew out of a [[grassroots]]-movement by parents of cult-members.<ref name=":1">J. Gordon Melton. "Anti-cultists in the United States: An Historical Perspective." In ''New Religious Movements: Changes and Responses'', edited by Jamie Cresswell and Bryan Wilson, 213–233. London and New York: Routledge, 1999. 216.</ref> The [[American Family Foundation]] ({{As of|2007|alt= today}} the [[International Cultic Studies Association]]) originated from a father whose daughter had joined a high-control group, and other parents concerned about young adult offspring populated the American Family Foundation's membership.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Langone |first1=Michael D. |title=1979–2019: The Changing Population of ICSA |journal=ICSA Today |date=2019 |volume=10 |issue=1 |url=https://www.icsahome.com/articles/1979-2019-the-changing-population-of-icsa |publisher=[[International Cultic Studies Association]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307165540/https://www.icsahome.com/articles/1979-2019-the-changing-population-of-icsa|archive-date=7 March 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Clinical psychologists and psychiatrists ===

From the 1970s onwards some psychiatrists and clinical psychologists accused "cults" of harming some of their members.<ref>Louis J. West and Margaret Thaler Singer. "Cults, Quacks, and Nonprofessional Therapies." In ''Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry/III'', edited by Harold I. Kaplan, Alfred M. Freedman, and Benjamin J. Sadock, 3245–3358. 3rd ed. Vol. 3. London and Baltimore, MD: William & Wilkins, 1980.</ref><ref>David A. Halperin. "Psychiatric Perspectives on Cult Affiliation." ''Psychiatric Annals'' 20 (1990): 204–218.</ref> These accusations were sometimes based on observations made during therapy, and sometimes were related to theories regarding brainwashing or mind control.<ref>Thomas Robbins and Dick Anthony. "Cults, Brainwashing, and Counter-Subversion." ''Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science'' 446 (1979): 78–90.</ref>

=== Former members ===
{{See also|Apostasy#Other religious movements|l1=Apostasy in alleged cults and new religious movements}}

[[Anson Shupe]], [[David G. Bromley]] and Joseph Ventimiglia coined the term ''atrocity tales'' in 1979,<ref name=":3">Bromley, David G., Shupe, Anson D., Ventimiglia, J. C. [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1979.tb01710.x "Atrocity Tales, the Unification Church, and the Social Construction of Evil."] ''Journal of Communication'' 29, no. 3 (1979): 42–53.</ref> which [[Bryan R. Wilson]] later took up in relation to former members' narratives. Bromley and Shupe defined an "atrocity tale" as the symbolic presentation of action or events, real or imagined, in such a context that they come to flagrantly violate the (presumably) shared premises upon which a given set of social relationships should take place. The recounting of such tales has the intention of reaffirming normative boundaries. By sharing the reporter's disapproval or horror, an audience reasserts normative prescription and clearly locates the violator beyond the limits of [[public morality]].<ref>Jean Duhaime. "Les Témoigagnes de Convertis et d'ex-Adeptes." (English: "The testimonies of converts and former followers") In ''New Religions in a Postmodern World'', edited by [[Mikael Rothstein]] and [[Reender Kranenborg]]. ''RENNER Studies in New Religions''. Aarhus, Denmark: [[Aarhus University]] Press, 2003. {{ISBN|8772887486}}.</ref><ref>Anson D. Shupe and David G. Bromley. "Apostates and Atrocity Stories: Some Parameters in the Dynamics of [[Deprogramming]]." In ''The Social Impact of New Religious Movements'', edited by [[Bryan R. Wilson]], 179–215. [[Barrytown, New York|Barrytown, NY]]: Rose of Sharon Press, 1981.</ref>

=== Christian countercult movement ===
{{Main|Christian countercult movement}}
In the 1940s, the long-held opposition by some established Christian denominations to non-Christian religions or supposedly [[heresy|heretical]], or counterfeit, Christian sects crystallized into a more organized [[Christian countercult movement|Christian counter cult movement]] in the United States. For those belonging to the movement, all religious groups claiming to be Christian, but deemed outside of Christian [[orthodoxy]], were considered "cults."<ref>Douglas E. Cowan, ''Bearing False Witness?: An Introduction to the Christian Countercult''. London and Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003.</ref> Christian cults are new religious movements which have a Christian background but are considered to be [[Theology|theologically]] deviant by members of other Christian churches.<ref>[[J. Gordon Melton]]. ''Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America.'' Rev. ed. New York and London: Garland, 1992. 5.</ref> In his influential book ''[[The Kingdom of the Cults]]'', first published in the United States in 1965, Christian scholar [[Walter Ralston Martin|Walter Martin]] defines Christian cults as groups that follow the personal interpretation of an individual, rather than the understanding of the [[Bible]] accepted by [[mainstream Christianity]]. He mentions [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], [[Christian Science]], the [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[Unitarian Universalism]], and [[Unity Church|Unity]] as examples.<ref>[[Walter Ralston Martin]]. ''[[The Kingdom of the Cults]].'' Bloomington, MN: [[Bethany House]], 2003. 18. {{ISBN|0764228218}}.</ref>

The Christian countercult movement asserts that Christian sects whose beliefs are partially or wholly not in accordance with the [[Bible]] are erroneous. It also states that a religious sect can be considered a "cult" if its beliefs involve a denial of what they view as any of the essential [[Christianity|Christian]] teachings such as [[salvation]], the [[Trinity]], [[Jesus]] himself as a person, the [[ministry of Jesus]], the [[Miracles of Jesus]], the [[Crucifixion of Jesus]], the [[Death of Christ]], the [[Resurrection of Christ]], the [[Second Coming of Christ]], and the [[Rapture]].<ref>Walter R. Martin, ''The Rise of the Cults'', rev. ed. [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana, CA]]: Vision House, 1978. 11–12.</ref><ref>[[Richard Abanes]]. ''[[Apologetics|Defending the Faith]]: A Beginner's Guide to Cults and New Religions.'' [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids, MI]]: [[Baker Publishing Group|Baker Book House]], 1997. 33.</ref><ref>H. Wayne House and Gordon Carle. ''Doctrine Twisting: How Core Biblical Truths are Distorted.'' [[Downers Grove, Illinois|Downers Grove, IL]]: IVP, 2003.</ref>

Countercult literature usually expresses doctrinal or theological concerns and a [[missionary]] or [[apologetics|apologetic]] purpose.<ref>Garry W. Trompf. "[[Missiology]], Methodology and the Study of New Religious Movements," ''Religious Traditions'' 10 (1987): 95–106.</ref> It presents a rebuttal by emphasizing the teachings of the [[Bible]] against the beliefs of non-fundamental Christian sects. Christian countercult activist writers also emphasize the need for Christians to [[evangelism|evangelize]] to followers of cults.<ref>Walter R. Martin. ''The Kingdom of the Cults.'' rev. ed. Edited by [[Ravi Zacharias]]. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House, 2003. 479–493.</ref><ref>[[Ronald Enroth]], ed. ''Evangelising the Cults'', [[Milton Keynes urban area|Milton Keynes, UK]]: Word, 1990.</ref><ref>[[Norman Geisler|Norman L. Geisler]] and Ron Rhodes, ''When Cultists Ask: A Popular Handbook on Cultic Misinterpretations.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1997.</ref>

===Governmental opposition===
{{Further|Governmental lists of cults and sects}}

The secular opposition to cults and new religious movements operates internationally, though a number of sizable and sometimes expanding groups originated in the United States. Some European countries, such as France, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland have introduced legislation or taken other measures against cults or "cultic deviations."

In the Netherlands "[[cult]]s," [[sect]]s, and [[new religious movement]]s have the same legal rights as larger and more mainstream religious movements.<ref>Richard Singelenberg. "Foredoomed to Failure: the Anti-Cult Movement in the Netherlands". In ''Regulating Religion: Case Studies From Around the Globe'', edited by James T. Richardson. Critical Issues in Social Justice. New York: Springer, 2004. 214–15.</ref> As of 2004, the Netherlands do not have an anti-cult movement of any significance.<ref>Singelenberg, 213.</ref>