New Religious Movement (NRM)
Academic term for religious movements emerging since the 19th century. Used in scholarship instead of the loaded label 'cult'.
How it looks in practice
The Unification Church, Scientology, Sahaja Yoga, Falun Gong, Hare Krishna (ISKCON), and Soka Gakkai are all classified as NRMs in the academic literature. The label is neutral — many NRMs are low-control voluntary religious communities; only a subset display the BITE-pattern coercive control that earns them a high CLCI score.
BITE-model connection
Editorial-policy preference: this site uses 'NRM' as the neutral academic register when discussing religious newness, distinct from 'high-control group' or 'cult-like control patterns' which describe operational mechanics. A given NRM can sit anywhere on the CLCI spectrum from 5 to 35+ depending on its specific practices.