Types of Sacred Space and European Responses to New Religious Movements

New Religious Movements (NRMs) have existed throughout history, but the visibility, extent, and variety of the movements in Europe, as elsewhere, has increased dramatically since World War II. This change is due partly to increased social and geographical mobility, partly to the exponential increase in the mass media, particularly the Internet, and partly to the general economic, political, and cultural globalizing tendencies of contemporary society. Whereas geopolitical boundaries have tended to circumscribe religious boundaries, the spread of alternative religions has resulted in unprecedented confusions and contestations over “what belongs where.” The author considers locations of religious identity promoted from a variety of theological or ideological perspectives, including cosmic, global, national, local, biological, ethnic, lineage, cultural, individual, inner, and virtual space. She also compares reactions to religions that offer an alternative to the accepted orthodoxy within the countries of contemporary Europe and briefly outlines a variety of responses (both by individuals and by institutions such as governments, traditional religions, the media, and “cult-watching groups”) to the question “What should be done about those minority religions?”