Abstract
Some researchers and reporters have labeled MSIA a cult. This labeling process stems from the dynamics within a polarized debate in academia and in the tagline sound bites used in investigative journalism. Before the emergence of the anticult movement (ACM) (Needleman 1972; Glock and Bellah 1976; Stoner and Parke 1979; Shupe and Bromley 1980; Bromley and Shupe 1981; Lewis 1994), new religions mushroomed within a sense of experimentation and amidst an atmosphere of searching for new meaning. California played a strong role in the development of New Religious Movements (NRMs) because of its proximity to Asia and its population that had broken with many established traditions by means of extended migration. Upstart religions and westernized offshoots influenced by Eastern traditions found audiences especially among disenchanted youth. More often than not, these innovative expressions were characterized cults.
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