"Quo Vadis" the Scientific Study of New Religious Movements?

The article explores various implications of an increasing interest in the academic, sociological study of new religious movements (NRM) in the U.S. Research and scholarly analysis of American "cults" and NRM has been proceeding for three decades. The book "New Religions As Global Cultures," asserts that some neo-Hindu groups such as Hare Krishna are revitalization movements and not new religions" while the Bhagwan movement and Transcendental Meditation are authentic new religions, as is the Unification Church, a self-consciousness global religion that blends Korean traditions with Christianity and science in a manner that raises many important questions for students of religion. Authentic new religions are thus theologically innovative and globally studied. They intentionally combine elements from different cultures, and many of them contribute to an emerging transcultural theological paradigm of spiritual evolution, which is said to be supplanting the older Christian model of personal redemption.