New Religious Movements : Some Problems of Definition

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The author analyzes the problems of defining religious groups as "New Religious Movements" (NRMs). The Bahá'ís are treated as a case in point, which may be better classified as an independent world religion, although it is not mainstream and is very recent, which would tend to lead scholars to consider it an NRM. Unlike some other NRMs, the Bahá'í Faith defines itself as independent from the religious matrix from which it arose. Chryssides considers the Bahá'í Faith borderline, not clearly NRM, not clearly mainstream.