ABSTRACT
Schism and revisions in religious movements can occur for different reasons, including tension and rivalry between members, disagreement over succession after the death of the leader, internal crisis, failure of prophecy and so on. Regarding the groups discussed in this chapter, Aum Shinrikyō (now Aleph) and Hikari no Wa, the process that eventuated in a schism in 2007 was the result of members’ reactions to traumatic events; that is, a series of violent acts perpetrated by some of Aum’s members up to 1995. The schism, however, did not occur immediately after the arrest of the leader and members who were accused of the crimes in 1995; rather, the decision to split off from Aum developed over a 12-year period.
