Where are the new religious movements as of old?

[Lark]

I've been reading a book about the occult and they describe the Cathars and their grim end at the hands of the inquisition and a crusade, my question is why arent there outbreaks of things like that anymore? Is it just secularism and commercialism, more specifically consumerism, are too good at neutralising that tendency or the tendencies which act in unison to bring about those sorts of things? Or do new religious movements just involve shams, novelty or revivals of something old rather than something new?

 

[Eventhorizon]

Things like that dont happen anymore because people are allowed free knowledge now where they were not when those sorts of things were rampant.

 

[Dave Fallon]

I think things like that do happen, but there are two reasons we don't hear of them much: first that they have learned from movements of old and do not actively seek attention, second that on the surface they mat not seem like religions, but more like private fraternal organizations. Dig into them a little, and they have many of the same qualities as religions do.

 

[hk427f3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_new_religious_movements ?

Also, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_religion

 

[Lark]

I think things like that do happen, but there are two reasons we don't hear of them much: first that they have learned from movements of old and do not actively seek attention, second that on the surface they mat not seem like religions, but more like private fraternal organizations. Dig into them a little, and they have many of the same qualities as religions do.

See that is what I would suspect and expect and its also what interests me.