11AR16-35

( - previous issue - )

Apologia Report 16:35 (1,085)

October 28, 2011

Subject: Is anti-Catholic rage transforming Ireland?

In this issue:

NEOPAGANISM - how Pagans respond to media claims citing "the risks involved in neo-pagan worship and certain New Age practices"

NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS - introducing "The International Society for the Study of New Religions"

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM - Hindu press note: "Christians Issue Rule Book for Ethical Conversion"

ROMAN CATHOLICISM - the greatest fallout from the global pedophilia scandals may be occurring in Ireland

------

NEOPAGANISM

Earlier this year, Pantheon (the Pagan blog at Patheos - "the premier online destination to engage in the global dialogue about religion and spirituality and to explore and experience the world's beliefs") featured "Tilting at Wikimills" by Cara Schulz.

Schulz, a promoter of "Hellenic polytheism" <www.hellenion.org>, discusses some of the difficulties encountered by Pagans in their efforts toward "gaining acceptance and inclusion in mainstream society." Schulz identifies the best Pagan journalism sources in her quest to ensure that "good, solid information about Paganism can be found in the places that people go to look for it, like Wikipedia." She concludes that "This is especially needed whenever there is another article reprinted in a newspaper that uses a tragedy as an excuse to warn readers of 'the risks involved in neo-pagan worship and certain New Age practices.'" <www.bit.ly/qB7wHZ>

---

NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS

The International Society for the Study of New Religions (ISSNR,<www.issnr.com>) was incorporated four years ago in Sweden and had its first membership meeting at the CESNUR (www.bit.ly/CECnZ) conference in Taiwan on June 21, 2011. Its board includes Liselotte Frisk (chairman/Sweden), Carole M. Cusack (vice chairman/Australia), James R. Lewis (secretary/Norway), Henrik Bogdan (treasurer/Sweden), Eileen Barker (of INFORM/UK), Jean-François Mayer (of Religioscope/Switzerland), and Mike Kropveld (of Info-Secte/Canada).

The ISSNR publishes the twice-annual IJSNR (International Journal for the Study of New Religions) <www.bit.ly/q8eadB>. The journal's home page includes the following summary: "The term 'New Religions' can be defined in several ways. ISSNR and IJSNR has chosen to adopt a broad definition. In the narrow sense, 'New Religions' is a term applied especially to religious phenomena that emerged in the West after the mid-1900s. More widely understood, the term can also include older religious movements or organizations that are 'new' in a specific historical context. The term encompasses organized groups as well as less organized movements or observable trends. Many of these groups and movements are international and can be found in numerous countries. There are also new religious movements that are specific to a particular country or to a particular area of the world. In recent decades, new religions or new religious movements outside of the Western context have attracted attention. Additionally, the concept of New Religions includes less organized phenomena, such as the so-called New Age and alternative spirituality, as well as new expressions within established religions."

A sampling of IJSNR content includes:

"How Prophecy Succeeds: Jehovah's Witnesses and Prophetic Expectations" by George Chryssides (1:1 - 2010)

"Fit for the Devil: Toward an Understanding of 'Conversion' to Satanism" by James Roger Lewis (1:1 - 2010)

A review of Comprehending Cults: The Sociology of New Religious Movements, by Lorne L.Dawson [1]. (1:2 - 2010)

A review of The Devil Is a Gentleman: Exploring America’s Religious Fringe, by J.C. Hallman [2]. (1:2 - 2010)

A review of Hidden Intercourse: Eros and Sexuality in the History of Western Esotericism, Wouter J. Hanegraaff and Jeffrey J. Kripal, eds. [3] (1:2 - 2010)

Regarding the board of the ISSNR, it's worth noting that veteran cult-watcher Anton Hein and others have long regarded secretary James R. Lewis as a "cult apologist" <www.bit.ly/vFxbKF>, whereas Mike Kropveld is well known for his collaboration with Michael Langone and the International Cultic Studies Association <www.icsahome.com>.

---

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

"Christians Issue Rule Book for Ethical Conversion" -- an entry from the Hindu Press International wire of July 10, 2011, which reads: "A coalition of major Christian churches including the Vatican launched a rule book ... for spreading their faith that aims to reduce hostility from Islam and other religions to efforts to convert their followers.

"The code, entitled 'Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct' [www.bit.ly/vkAj9E], comes amid growing tension between small local Christian communities and majorities from other religions in many, especially Muslim, countries. It was unveiled at a Geneva news conference by the World Council of Churches, a senior Roman Catholic prelate and the World Evangelical Alliance [WEA].

"It urges Christians wanting 'to share the good news of God's kingdom' - missionary work or simply publicly testifying to their faith - 'to build relations of respect and trust with all religions' and adapt their approaches to local conditions.

"It reaffirms their right to proselytize, or promote their beliefs and seek converts. But it also urges them to abandon 'inappropriate methods of exercising mission by resorting to deception and coercive means,' saying that such behavior 'betray the gospel and may cause suffering to others.'"

HPI cites the following as its source for this item: <www.bit.ly/m0KAME>. And, for the WEA press release, see <www.bit.ly/neuVSc>.

A "Code of Ethics for Christian Witness" was developed in the 1980s by the secular cult-watching American Family Foundation (now International Cultic Studies Association) and various evangelical groups, including InterVarsity. See <www.bit.ly/uZIVik>.

---

ROMAN CATHOLICISM

"Rupture with Vatican Reveals a Changed Ireland" by Sarah Lyall -- reports that "Ireland is in the midst of a profound transformation, as rapid as it is revolutionary: it is recalibrating its relationship to the Roman Catholic Church, an institution that has permeated almost every aspect of life here for generations.

"This is still a country where abortion is against the law, where divorce became legal only in 1995, where the church runs more than 90 percent of the primary schools and where 87 percent of the population identifies itself as Catholic. But the awe, respect and fear the Vatican once commanded have given way to something new - rage, disgust and defiance - after a long series of horrific revelations about decades of abuse of children entrusted to the church’s care by a reverential populace.

"While similar disclosures have tarnished the Vatican’s image in other countries, perhaps nowhere have they shaken a whole society so thoroughly or so intensely as in Ireland. And so ... the normally mild-mannered prime minister, Enda Kenny, unexpectedly took the floor in Parliament this summer to criticize ... 'the dysfunction, the disconnection, the elitism' that he said 'dominate the culture of the Vatican.'

"He continued: 'The rape and torture of children were downplayed, or "managed," to uphold instead the primacy of the institution - its power, its standing and its reputation.'"

The result? The Vatican "immediately withdrew its ambassador from Dublin" (he has since been "reassigned to the Czech Republic"). And, "While most people have not abandoned their religion, many seem to have abandoned the habit of practicing it. The archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, recently estimated that only 18 percent of the Catholics in his archdiocese attended Mass every week." New York Times, Sep 19 '11, <www.nyti.ms/q0UEGQ>

-------

SOURCES: Monographs

1 - Comprehending Cults: The Sociology of New Religious Movements, by Lorne L.Dawson (Oxford Univ Prs, 2nd ed., 2006, paperback, 272 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/43ptmxs>

2 - The Devil Is a Gentleman: Exploring America’s Religious Fringe, by J.C. Hallman (Random House, 2006, hardcover, 352 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/6j4p3bb>

3 - Hidden Intercourse: Eros and Sexuality in the History of Western Esotericism, Wouter J. Hanegraaff and Jeffrey J. Kripal, eds. (Brill, 2008, hardcover, 544 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/3tqbu66>

--------

( - next issue - )