ABSTRACT
New religious movements (NRMs), although relatively small in absolute numbers of participants, have been controversial almost from when they began attracting public attention in the late 1960s in America. Controversy developed in many nations, sometimes in somewhat different ways, over how to manage and exert social control over the NRMs that were attracting some of the "brightest and best" youth in many societies. NRMs may become pawns in much larger political machinations, and be used to justify broader social control and restructuring efforts. Recruitment was the most controversial issue associated with NRMs bursting on the scene in the United States in the late 1960s, a time of great turmoil in American society. In some nations where the government has engaged in direct actions the negative posture of the state towards NRMs may encourage other extra-legal self-help activities.
