New Religion Adherents: An Overview of Anglophone Census and Survey Data

General estimates of the extent of the New Religions phenomenon vary considerably. The two basic quantitative questions in this area are: How many groups? And, How many people? These questions are not as simple as they might at first appear. A more fundamental question involves classification: Where...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marburg Journal of Religion
Main Author: Lewis, James R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Philipps-Universität Marburg 2004
Online Access:Online Access
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Summary:General estimates of the extent of the New Religions phenomenon vary considerably. The two basic quantitative questions in this area are: How many groups? And, How many people? These questions are not as simple as they might at first appear. A more fundamental question involves classification: Where does one draw the line between alternative and non-alternative religions? What one finds when one actually tries to determine where to draw such a line is that the difference between “mainstream” and “alternative” is a matter of degree rather than a sharplydefined distinction.
DOI:10.17192/mjr.2004.9.3632