World Religions - Chapter 13: Encountering New Religious Movements: Modern Ways to Alternative Meanings
Note: This is a reading guide, not a study guide. Complete it while you read. It directs you to specific passages, keeps you engaged, and helps you gather evidence as you move through the chapter. The goal is comprehension and evidence-gathering, not review.
World religions can involve unfamiliar beliefs, practices, historical developments, texts, and ways of understanding the world. This guide will help you identify the chapter's most important concepts so that by the time you finish reading, you will have a solid grasp of the material and be prepared for the Chapter Quiz.
Step 1: Go to each page indicated. Find the sentence using the opening words provided, then type the entire sentence verbatim into the matching evidence box. Step 2: Answer the review question in your own words using the anchor sentences and the surrounding textbook passage as evidence. No outside research is needed or permitted.
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Anchor 2 - Page 329: Find the sentence beginning with: “Fourth, most NRMs…”
What are the main features of New Religious Movements (NRMs)?
Focus Areas for Students: Review the common characteristics shared by these diverse groups. Note how they are typically led, how they organize their members, and how they generally relate to the mainstream culture of the modern world.
Question 2
Section:
New Religious Movements in the World Today: A Survey
What were the main features of Baha'i's teachings regarding world religions?
Focus Areas for Students: Review how this movement views the unfolding of religious history and divine messengers. Note their inclusive stance toward figures from other traditions, such as Moses, Jesus, and Buddha.
Why did the Chinese government launch a harsh crackdown on the Falun Gong movement in 1999?
Focus Areas for Students: Review the events following the massive sit-in protest in Beijing. Consider the government's fears about public order, Communist Party rule, and independent religious activities.
Question 4
Section:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: History
Anchor 2 - Page 342: Find the sentence beginning with: “The Mormons aimed…”
What caused the early Mormons to migrate to Utah in the 1840s?
Focus Areas for Students: Review the events in Nauvoo, Illinois, following the death of founder Joseph Smith. Note the Mormons' goals for establishing a new territory free from local opposition.
Question 5
Section:
The Book of Mormon
Anchor 1 - Page 344: Find the sentence beginning with: “They record a…”
Focus Areas for Students: Review the origins and contents of this primary LDS scripture. Note what it records about ancient American peoples and the appearance of Jesus Christ in the Americas.
Question 6
Section:
Institutions, Practices, and Structure of the LDS Church
Anchor 1 - Page 345: Find the sentence beginning with: “Single young men…”
What role does missionary work play in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
Focus Areas for Students: Review the specific service expectations for young, single men and women in the LDS Church. Consider how this voluntary work impacts the church's global growth and the role of youth in the religion.
Anchor 2 - Page 347: Find the sentence beginning with: “White people are…”
What were the main features of the early Nation of Islam's teachings?
Focus Areas for Students: Review the core beliefs taught by Elijah Muhammad regarding the origins of African Americans and white people. Note the specific promises made to Black people who submit to God.
Question 8
Section:
Malcolm X
Anchor 1 - Page 347: Find the sentence beginning with: “Malcolm X (born…”
Anchor 2 - Page 347: Find the sentence beginning with: “He began a…”
How did Malcolm X affect the development of the Nation of Islam?
Focus Areas for Students: Review the impact of his 1960 pilgrimage to Mecca on his racial views. Note what kind of new organization he envisioned before his death and how it influenced the movement's later direction.
Question 9
Section:
L. Ron Hubbard's Life and Teachings
Anchor 1 - Page 349: Find the sentence beginning with: “This is a…”
Anchor 2 - Page 349: Find the sentence beginning with: “The goal of…”
What role do engrams and auditing play in the Church of Scientology?
Focus Areas for Students: Review L. Ron Hubbard's teachings regarding the "reactive mind." Note the specific counseling process used to identify and remove negative memories in order to reach a "clear" state.
Anchor 2 - Page 349: Find the sentence beginning with: “In time, all…”
What are the main features of the "thetan" in the teachings of Scientology?
Focus Areas for Students: Review Hubbard's conclusions regarding the true spiritual self of every person. Consider the thetan's history and its relationship to the physical universe (MEST).
Anchor 2 - Page 328: Find the sentence beginning with: “Although the terms…”
Why do scholars generally prefer the term “New Religious Movements” over terms such as “sect” and “cult”?
Focus Areas for Students: Review the original meanings of sect and cult and why those words have become prejudicial. Also consider the advantages and limitations of terms such as alternative religious movements, emergent religions, and new religious movements.