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Cult Controversies and Government Control of New Religious Movements in Argentina, 1985-2002

2004; Springer Nature; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/978-1-4419-9094-5_29

1572-1906

Alejandro Frigério, Hilario Wynarczyk,

Religion and Society Interactions

Beginning in the mid-1980s, the increased visibility and presence of non-Catholic religious groups in Argentina was considered, as in many other countries of Latin America, a social problem. The paper analyzes the State's response to this growth, considered an actual "invasion of sects" by the media. It emphasizes three main arenas in which this social problem was constructed: the media, law proposals in Congress, and the draft laws and modifications to the Penal Code proposed by government officers in charge of mediating between the State and religious groups. The claims-making efforts of anti-cult movement (ACM) activists, journalists, congressmen, government officers, and religious actors concerning the appropriate response of the State to the presence of "sects" in the country are examined.