1.
new religious movement; new religion; newly established religious group
A religious organization founded in relatively recent times, typically from the 19th century onward. In Japan, the term covers a wide range of groups from mainstream organizations with millions of members to smaller, controversial sects.
日本には多くの新興宗教がある。
There are many new religious movements in Japan.
新興宗教の勧誘を受けたが、断った。
I was approached by a new religious group to join, but I declined.
幕末から明治にかけて、社会不安を背景に多くの新興宗教が誕生した。
From the end of the Edo period into the Meiji era, many new religions were born against a backdrop of social unrest.
Composed of 新興 (newly risen, emerging) and 宗教 (religion). Japan has an unusually rich landscape of new religious movements, with major waves of founding in the late Edo/early Meiji period and again after World War II.
USAGE:
The term is descriptive but can carry negative connotations in casual speech, especially after high-profile incidents involving certain groups. The more neutral academic term is 新宗教. Well-known examples include 天理教, 創価学会, and 大本.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 新興宗教の信者: followers of a new religion
- 新興宗教の勧誘: solicitation by a new religious group
- 新興宗教に入信する: to convert to a new religion
- 新興宗教団体: new religious organization
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 新宗教: new religion — the academic, more neutral term preferred by scholars of religion
- カルト: cult — a borrowed English term with strongly negative connotations, implying dangerous or manipulative practices
- 既成宗教: established religion — traditional religions like Buddhism and Shinto, in contrast to newer movements
- 宗教法人: religious corporation — the legal status that religious groups can obtain in Japan