Cults

New Religions.

In the open cultural climate of the 1960s and 1970s a variety of religions new to, or previously unnoticed in, the United States attracted attention from the press and the general public. Some of these organizations engaged their converts in beliefs and activities that seemed strange by traditional American standards, occupied all their time, and frequently tried to break their ties with their families. The detractors of these groups labeled them "cults" and warned of the danger, particularly to the young.

Hare Krishna.

Some of these groups came from India, such as the International Movement for Krishna Consciousness, which incorporated itself in the United States in 1966. The organization attracted increasing numbers of young people, who were called Hare Krishnas by outsiders due to their chanting public worship. In cities with large numbers of hippies, passersby encountered Hare Krishnas, dressed...

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