Religious conversion Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Other religions and sects == In the second half of the 20th century, the rapid growth of [[new religious movements]] (NRMs) led some psychologists and other scholars to propose that these groups were using "[[brainwashing]]" or "[[mind control]]" techniques to gain converts. This theory was publicized by the popular news media but disputed by other scholars, including some [[Sociology of religion|sociologists of religion]].<ref name="BromleyEncy">{{cite book |chapter=Brainwashing |last=Bromley |first= David G. |year=1998 |pages= 61β62 |title=Encyclopedia of Religion and Society |editor1=William H. Swatos Jr. |publisher=AltaMira |location= Walnut Creek, CA |isbn=978-0-7619-8956-1}}</ref><ref>Barker, Eileen: ''New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction''. London: Her Majesty's Stationery office, 1989.</ref><ref name="Wright">{{cite journal |author= Wright, Stewart A. |year=1997 |title=Media Coverage of Unconventional Religion: Any 'Good News' for Minority Faiths? |journal=Review of Religious Research |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=101β115 |doi=10.2307/3512176 |publisher= Review of Religious Research, Vol. 39, No. 2 |jstor=3512176}}</ref><ref name="BarkerAReview">{{cite journal |author= Barker, Eileen |year=1986 |title=Religious Movements: Cult and Anti-Cult Since Jonestown |journal=Annual Review of Sociology |volume=12 |pages=329β346 |doi=10.1146/annurev.so.12.080186.001553}}</ref> In the 1960s sociologist [[John Lofland (sociologist)|John Lofland]] lived with [[Unification Church]] [[missionary]] [[Young Oon Kim]] and a small group of American church members in [[California]] and studied their activities in trying to promote their beliefs and win converts to their church. Lofland noted that most of their efforts were ineffective and that most of the people who joined did so because of personal relationships β often family relationships β with existing members.<ref>[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/conversion.htm Conversion], [http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/Unification.htm Unification Church], ''Encyclopedia of Religion and Society'', Hartford Institute for Religion Research, [[Hartford Seminary]]</ref> Lofland summarised his findings in 1964 in a doctoral thesis entitled "The World Savers: A Field Study of Cult Processes", and in 1966 in book form (published by [[Prentice-Hall]]) as ''[[Doomsday Cult: A Study of Conversion, Proselytization, and Maintenance of Faith]]''. It is considered{{by whom|date=July 2021}} to be one of the most important and widely cited studies of the process of religious conversion, and one of the first modern sociological studies of a new religious movement.<ref>''Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America: African diaspora traditions and other American innovations'', Volume 5 of Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America, W. Michael Ashcraft, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006 {{ISBN|0-275-98717-5}}</ref><ref>''Exploring New Religions'', Issues in contemporary religion, George D. Chryssides, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001 {{ISBN|0-8264-5959-5}}</ref> The [[Church of Scientology]] attempts to gain converts by offering "free stress tests".<ref>The [[Foster Report]]. Chapter 5, "The Practices of Scientology;" section (a), "Recruitment;" pages 75β76.</ref> It has also used the celebrity status of some of its members (most notably that of the American actor [[Tom Cruise]]) to attract converts.<ref>"Artists Find Inspiration, Education at Church of Scientology & Celebrity Centre Nashville." ''The Tennessee Tribune'', Jan 20 β Jan 26, 2011. Vol. 22, Iss. 3, pg. 14A</ref><ref>{{cite web | first = Dana | last = Goodyear | title = ChΓ’teau Scientology | url = http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/01/14/080114fa_fact_goodyear?printable=true | work = Letter from California | publisher = [[The New Yorker]] | date = 2008-01-14 | access-date = 2008-01-10 }}</ref> The Church of Scientology requires that all converts sign a legal [[waiver]] which covers their relationship with the Church of Scientology before engaging in Scientology services.<ref>{{cite news|last = Friedman |first = Roger|title = Will Scientology Celebs Sign 'Spiritual' Contract?|publisher = FOX News|date=3 September 2003|url= http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,96299,00.html#1|access-date=2008-12-07}}</ref> Research in the United States and in the Netherlands has shown a [[Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient|positive correlation]] between areas lacking mainstream churches and the percentage of people who are members of a new religious movement. This applies also for the presence of [[New Age]] centres.<ref>Schepens, T. (Dutch) ''Religieuze bewegingen in Nederland'' volume 29, ''Sekten Ontkerkelijking en religieuze vitaliteit: nieuwe religieuze bewegingen en New Age-centra in Nederland'' (1994) [[Vrije Universiteit|VU]] uitgeverij {{ISBN|90-5383-341-2}}</ref><ref>Stark, R & W.S. Bainbridge ''The future of religion: secularization, revival and cult formation'' (1985) Berkeley/Los Angeles/London: University of California press</ref> On the other end of the proselytising scale are religions that do not accept any converts, or do so very rarely. Often these are relatively small, close-knit minority religions that are ethnically based such as the [[Yazidi]]s, [[Druze]], and [[Mandaeans]]. The Parsis, a [[Zoroastrianism]] group based in India, classically does not accept converts, but this issue became controversial in the 20th century due to a rapid decline in membership.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sherine |first1=Ariane |title=Zoroastrianism needs to adapt its archaic laws β or die {{!}} Ariane Sherine |url= https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2013/dec/08/zorastrianism-adapt-archaic-laws-die-parsi |access-date=25 February 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=8 December 2013}}</ref> [[Chinese folk religion|Chinese traditional religion]] lacks clear criteria for membership, and hence for conversion. However, [[Taoism]] does have its own religious conversion ceremony which seems{{original research inline|date=July 2021}} to be adopted and modified from [[Chinese Buddhist]] refuge-taking ceremonies. The [[Shakers]] and some Indian [[Eunuch (court official)#India|eunuch]] brotherhoods do not allow procreation, so that every member is a convert.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page