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University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 83 No. 53
71 i
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By Christopher Galea ; . .. ?-
This is the first article in a series about
non-traditional religions. In today's article,
sociology professors, epelscsnssa from main
stream reunions .and a Etate senator give
their .opinions on eo-called "cults." Subse-.-qncnt
articles will chre the icw3 cf leaders of
two non-traditional religions and of a UNL
student ;. who said she had to be depro
grammed after joining such a group.' " .
"Congress shall make no law respecting an estab
lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof;" . ;.: :- . -jz.
' The First Amendment
While Americans have always cherished their
religious freedoms, seldom has the right to practice
a religion been disputed as it is today, with many
new denominations having sprung up outside the
traditional bounds of mainstream religions.
Many, branded as "cults," conjure images of fanat-
ics following a demi-god in search of something
more than salvation and indoctrinating susceptible
young believers. The whole issue of what is legal and
legitimate and what is dubious and dangerous can
present a dilemma to sociologists, lawyers, clergy
and most of all, the American public.
"A cult technically is a religious belief system that
is different from mainstream religions," said Hugh
Whitt, a UNL sociology professor who has re
searched religious trends.
"There is a kind of deep paranoia in this society
about these religious groups," he said.
Because most people in the United States regard
themselves as followers of some religious tradition,
the growth of unconventional and unfamiliar new
denominations has many people 'confused and
frightened, Whitt said.
Also, because the influence of "mainstream"
churches is dropping, new denominations can
greatly appeal to certain types of people, he said.
This is especially true of people raised in a religious
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SUN. senators givetesti
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Following last week's decision to research specific
areas of proposed budget change, ASUN members
presented ' testimony to the ; Academic Planning ' ;:
.Committee after their meeting Vednesday.V;- Cir -
Agriculture College Sen. John Langemeier spoke
on the proposed cutting of funding for teaching
laboratories and intercollegiate' judging teams. ''.
- Since apiculture h an applied science, Lan- .
racier said that laboratory exercises are essential to ,
the quality of applied education.
... AFC member Kevin Geidstein asked if monitor
labs, which show labcrctory activity on film or iizo
tape, would adequately replace current labs. Lar
meisr replied that teaching laboratories wouldn't be
o beneficial without hand3-cn experience. - . y
lie al:o said that intercollegiate judging teams are. -crucial
for building leadership. The program f ives
students the opportunity to express what they have
learned and to j-jeiify their reasons in' a ccrr.petitive
atrrterpIiere.TT.u cvcr.t" . re.""s in stream araai
euppert, Laa.":mc!:r zzi ile added that meet ccn- -tz'S
are funded by freati and f'Jts.
Arts cr.i Ceier.cci Cen. Andy Crethers iafarmcd
the ATC tbaut fUl?3 cppeeltien to the prepe::! to -reduce
the Ctate llaeeum rceearch budget ty 3
m&ez cn&nges
percent. Carothers said that the proposal is inaccu
rate in stating that the museum is entirely research
oriented. He found that the museum currently sup
ports 10 curators, which accounts for 64 percent of
their total budget. Actual research takes up 53 per
cent cf their time, he said. Iliia other 47 percent of a
curator's time is spent in teaching, public relations
type activities and the care and collection of speci
mens, a according -'to' Carothers. flndin'gs,;. r .. :. '
In regard to this, Carothers questioned the state
ment that the museum reduction would not impair
ether university programs. He said that State Muse
um's collections are used directly by 13 university
The proposed budgetary reduction also states
museums are infrequently associated with universi
ties. Carothers said he found that over 50 North
American universities have natural history muse-.?
urns, includir.1 Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas and
llieeourL Tks IU State Museum h ranked among the
tcp fve university cc"?ctior.3 in the country. ,
"Over the part 112 years . . . , it (the museum) has
md2 many diveree teieattflc contributions to the
wcrii cf feicr.tie thought," Csrothers seid. "The
raae ;i::r. z:.:o
family who turned away from religion, only to fad
something missing. v
"They're ready for a return of religion in thek
lives," Whitt said. "These other religions can give
them a sense of community and meaning."
Charles Harper, a sociology professor at
Creighton University in Omaha, has researched
"cults" in Nebraska.
"America has always had lots of exotic religious
groups," Harper said. "Now they're becoming more
popularized, with more attention focused on them.
Something happened and it became a large issue."
That "something" probably is the number and
type of persons entering new faiths apart from the
mainstream, he said.
"Historically, they have recruited marginal per
sons, from the fringes of society," he said. "Now, it's
more young middle-class people, whose parents
become outraged when they find out."
'Many people who enter cults do so because
they want to, but some may be misled.
Those groups that take people out of the
mainstream are the most controversial"
Charles Harper, ,
sociology professor at Creighton University
Harper said there is a tendency to lump all ! :
unconventional religions into a group and call thexn-
cults, which he said is a prejudiced stereotype. f
"We've developed this public image of them that is
really malevolent " he said. ;
One of the, main reasons for this poor image is the
idea that new religions brainwash and depersonal
ize their adherents, removing their individuality as
: they take them from what is considered a "normal"
lifestyle, Harper said.
"Many people who enter cults do so because they
want to, but some may be mislead," he said. "Those
groups that take people out of the mainstream are
the most controversial" -
Because many of these denominations do repres
ent a drastic and sudden change in lifestyle, espe
cially for young people, parents perceive this con
version as a rejection of their values and the
resulting hurt motivates them to act, Harper said.
"They believe their child has been brainwashed, so
they want to deprogram him," he said.
Whitt said a negative bias definitely exists against
non-traditional religions and sociologists debate the
methods some of them use to recruit new followers.
"Some say it's brainwashing, others don't," he said.
"There's no doubt most such methods work and as
long as they respect the dignity of the person, you
might as well use them."
One person who questioned some of the recruit
ment tactis used is Mark Randall, director of Wesley
House, a Christian, ministry of UNL sponsored by
United Ministries and Higher Education.
Continued cn Pans 3
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Inside
James Evans, chairman of the board of the
Union Pacific corporation, speaks on railroad
deregulation;-.'.'. . ." .V. .v.. ffv.'.- Pap3 8.
UNL could loss its two major cultural out
lets if budget recommendations go through
....... . . . ...... . . .......... . . . . . . Pa-3 12
Ticket officials, students offer opinions on
basketball lottery .... . . . . , . . . . . . . . 1 3
Index
Arts and Entertainment. . .... . . . ..... . . 12
- Classified .......... '13
Crossword 13
Editorial . . . . . . .'. . . . . . .................. 4
Off The Wire 2
Sports ..............J........... 13
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