New Religious Movements

Abstract

This paper will talk about what an NRM is and why they appeal to so many people and the ways that we see them working in the political spectrum. The paper will go into a bit of history of cults and the ways in which NRM were created. I will talk about the characteristics of an NRM and show how although NRMs are normally benign they have the potential to become dangerous. That as we become more polarized and as populism grows it can lead to us seeing more and more characteristics of NRMs in our politics and this is a cause for concern because it can lead to a rise in authoritarian governments. 3