typology

organisations change over time 

• church to sect (Stark and Bainbridge) - schism in the church causes sectarian breakaways,so the church becomes less strict to recruit more people, changing the way the church looks.
• leaders die (Weber) - charismatic leader that recruited origional members dies, charisma is lost so sect must change recruiting techniques, become less strict to grow so become a denomination. 
• sects become denominations (Niebuhr) - second gen lack commitment to sect as they didn't choose membership, sect becomes less strict to recruit next gen, ********* members don't like this so break way. - sectarian cycle (s & b) 
• churches cause cults (Bruce) - church is not liberal with views, people don't want strict views but still want to follow something, so they join cults.
• different kinds of sect (Wilson) - adventists remove themselves from soc to purify themselves for judgement day, conversionists try to grow to save as many people as possible. 

Types of cults - Stark & Bainbridge 

• Audience cults - the least organised, do not involve formal membership, nor much commitment. Participation could be through the media. e.g. UFO cults 
• Client cults - bases on relationship between consultant & client, provides a service to followers, therapies promise self fulfilment and self discovery. Offer ways of enhancing life e.g. scientology 
• Cultic movements - most organised, demand higher levels of commitment. Aims to meet religious needs, followers are rarely allowed to be apart of another religious group at the same time. e.g. Moonies. 

Client cults can become cultic movements for most enthusiastic members, e.g. dianetics in scientology. This begins to look more like a sect 

New religious movements 

• World rejecting - highly critical of outside world, require a sharpe break from it. Strong notion of God. e.g. Moonies, Peoples Temple. people join due to marginalisation e.g. wc 
• World accommodating - Neither reject nor accept the world, wish to focus on religious matters. e.g. Neo-pentecostalists. people join due to social change e.g. elderly 
• World affirming - Offer members spirituality & accept the wolrd as it is. e.g. scientology. people join due to relative deprevation e.g. middle class 

Wallis - Last 30 years USA &  Europe have witnessed rapid growth of NRM. Goes hand in hand with decline in established churches. Beliefs are not declining, they are changing. 

Typology is not polythetic, group does not have to meet  multiple characteristics. There is a middle ground, Wallis realises some organisations appear to be in the middle. e.g. Jehovahs Witnesses reject some aspects of soc e.g. taking blood yet they accept other e.g. going to school.