Dr Tomislav Brankovic

Ministry of Religious Affairs

Belgrade

New religious movements

Summary

New religious movements, like a newer and growing in use term in observing activities of different religious groups, communities and organizations, is considered in at least two meanings. Thier main characteristic is that theu offer an exit from social and personal crisis to an individual.

New religious movements appear in the form of cults, pseudo-christian sects, most often as marginal newprotestants, occultistic and magic groups, different forms of yoga and meditation, far-east sects-pseudohinduistic sects and commercial cults. All these movements had a fertile ground to develop in the Former Yugoslav Republics, especially Serbia. Beside Churches and religious communities rooted in history, tradition and culture of nations and national minorities living in Serbia and neighboring countries, fertile ground to act gain new religious movements which grew in number like mushrooms because social climate was very suitable and gave them opportunity to start and find followers.

Legal vacuum that emerged when the Law on legal position of religious communites went out of effect on the 5 th of March 1993 contributed to complete disorientation of the state in this area, which already had too mild regulations considering evidence of religious communities through registration with internal affairs organs. It turned up that religious communities, mostly new religious movements, were now registred by the Association of citizens to associations, social and political organizations on the territory of SFRY Law. Few new religious movements were registered by this Law-and some psycho-relaxation groups that were to grow up to religious organizations.

In the text are represented some new religious movements in Serbia: Universal Life, Bahai and Bioreligion.

Key Words: New Religious Movements, Churches, Religious communities, Cults, Sects, Law on Legal Position of Religious Communities, Religious Freedoms, State, Society.