Isn criticism of so-called “new religious movements”–a form of religious bigotry, hatred and persecution?
Americans historically have been sensitive to the issue of religious intolerance since before the Revolutionary War. Roger Williams, a dissenter who disagreed with the Puritans founded Rhode Island as a safe haven for religious minorities. But the members of many groups called “cults” often characterize virtually any criticism of their behavior as religious “persecution” and “bigotry.” It seems that many cult groups have forgotten that the First Amendment is expansive and protects both their freedoms and their critics. Margaret Singer has said that “The conduct of certain cults, however, — especially groups that tend to overtly exploit and abuse people and engage in deceptive, unethical, and illegal conduct –does provoke the surrounding society into a critical stance.
Americans historically have been sensitive to the issue of religious intolerance since before the Revolutionary War. Roger Williams, a dissenter who disagreed with the Puritans founded Rhode Island as a safe haven for religious minorities. But the members of many groups called “cults” often characterize virtually any criticism of their behavior as religious “persecution” and “bigotry.” It seems that many cult groups have forgotten that the First Amendment is expansive and protects both their freedoms and their critics.
Related Questions
- How can you "diminish" the influence of Judeo-Christian religious symbols in the Golden Dawn system? Isn’t the Golden Dawn a form of esoteric Christianity?
- Isn criticism of so-called "new religious movements"--a form of religious bigotry, hatred and persecution?
- Are not all people called to a religious life?
