A sociological explanation of the growth of new religious groups

Saeedi, Mohammad Masoud

doi:10.22034/jsi.2023.534018.1455

A sociological explanation of the growth of new religious groups

Author

Mohammad Masoud Saeedi

assistant professor,islamic research organization of islamic sciences and culture, Mashhad Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/jsi.2023.534018.1455

Abstract

In recent decades, Iranian society has experienced the formation and growth of new spiritual groups. Given the obvious differences that most of these groups have with the traditional culture of the society and the official institution of religion, their proliferation has created problems for the society in general. Maintaining social order in the face of this social reality is based on recognizing it scientifically. Globalization and the similarity between new spirituality in Iran and religious transformation in other parts of the world lead researchers to pursue the identification of religious transformation from a global perspective. One dimension of this identification is the recognition of macro-social trends and facilitating factors that provide a suitable basis for the emergence of these developments in the world, including Iran. Accordingly, the aim of this research paper is providing a sociological explanation of the growth of new religious groups from a global perspective and evaluating the current encounter with it. Here, using logical analysis and inference from research and findings in the field of sociology of religion, the relevant explanations are categorized and explained, and, then, some suggestions are made about the common and appropriate encounter with spiritual groups.

Keywords

Sociology of religion

religious changes

encounter with new religious groups

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