Back CESNUR German CESNUR Esperanto CESNUR Spanish Centre pour l'étude des nouvelles religions French Centro studi sulle nuove religioni Italian CESNUR Japanese Centro de Estudos Sobre Novas Religiões Portuguese CESNUR Russian
Center for Studies on New Religions | |
Centro Studi sulle Nuove Religioni | |
 | |
| Founded | 1988 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Massimo Introvigne, Jean-François Mayer, Ernesto Zucchini |
| Type | Public non-profit |
| Purpose | "Promote scholarly research in the field of new religious consciousness, and are dedicated to exposing the problems associated with some movements, while defending the principles of religious liberty" |
| Headquarters | Turin, Italy |
| Services | Academic study of new religious movements |
Membership | Private persons |
Director | Massimo Introvigne |
Key people | Luigi Berzano, J. Gordon Melton, Eileen Barker, Giuseppe Casale, Massimo Introvigne, Michael Homer, Reender Kranenborg, Gianni Ambrosio |
| Website | cesnur.org |
The Center for Studies on New Religions (Centro Studi sulle Nuove Religioni), otherwise abbreviated as CESNUR, is a nonprofit organization based in Turin, Italy that focuses on the academic study of new religious movements and opposes the anti-cult movement.[1] It was established in 1988 by Massimo Introvigne, Jean-François Mayer, and Ernesto Zucchini.
CESNUR has been described as "the highest profile lobbying and information group for controversial religions".[2] CESNUR's scholars have defended such diverse groups as the Unification Church, the Church of Scientology,[2] and Shincheonji Church of Jesus, accused of having aided the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea.[3]
CESNUR describes itself as an independent scholarly organization, but the organization has met with criticism for alleged personal and financial ties to the groups it studies; anthropologist Richard Singelenberg questioned in 1997 whether CESNUR is "too friendly and does not make enough critical comments about new religious movements and sects".[4] According to sociologist Stephen A. Kent, "many scholars, however, see both CESNUR and INFORM in a favourable light, and they share its criticism of the 'sect-monitors' in France, Germany, and Belgium."[2]
CESNUR publishes The Journal of CESNUR, focusing on the academic study of new religious movements, and Bitter Winter, a daily magazine on religious issues and human rights in China.[5]
- ^ Chryssides, George D., ed. (2012). "CESNUR". Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-8108-6194-7. LCCN 2011028298.
- ^ a b c Kent, Stephen A. (January 2001). "The French and German versus American debate over 'new religions', Scientology and human rights". Marburg Journal of Religion. 6 (1). University of Marburg: 15. doi:10.17192/mjr.2001.6.3742. ISSN 1612-2941.
- ^ "Human Rights without frontiers release white paper on Coronavirus". Risingbd.com. Dhaka. 18 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ^ "Een sektencongres kan nooit rustig zijn" [A sect congress can never be quiet]. Trouw (in Dutch). 7 August 1997. Archived from the original on 25 March 2024.
- ^ ""Bitter Winter", in Italia un nuovo quotidiano online su religione e diritti umani in Cina" ["Bitter Winter," a new online newspaper in Italy on religion and human rights in China]. La Stampa (in Italian). 14 April 2018.