Cult versus Church Religiosity: Comparative Study of Hare Krishna Devotees and Catholics in Slovenia

Abstract

The leading question addressed by the author is whether there are any notable differences between religiosity performed either within cults or within Churches (as ideal types of religious organizations). To find an answer, the author compares the religious practices (and their influence on everyday life of believers) of Slovene adherents of the Hare Krishna movement and Catholics. He presents the results of the systematic case study research into the Hare Krishna movement in Slovenia, and compares them with some results of international surveys (Aufbruch, 1997 and ISSP, 1998). The findings prove that Krishna adherents are considerably more active in their religious activities than Catholics and quite orthodox when it comes to the application of religious rules to everyday life. The differences are sufficient to allow the possibility of distinguishing between two distinctive types of religiosity. But counter to the general conviction this leads neither to noticeable exclusiveness on the part of the Krishna community and its isolation from society, nor to extreme conservatism among its members.