Society for the Study of Sects and New Religious Directions

The Society for the Study of Sects and New Religious Directions (Czech: Společnost pro studium sekt a nových náboženských směrů, SSSNNS) is a Czech civic association and scholarly society dedicated to the study of sects and new religious movements. It was registered with the Czech Ministry of the Interior on 16 July 1993, transforming from an earlier organization called Exodos (Ecumenical Society for the Study of Sects and New Religious Movements). Its founding members were primarily experts and students concerned with new religious directions; the first chairman was Tomáš Novotný, with Prokop Remeš as vice-chairman and Zdeněk Vojtíšek as spokesperson. The society's membership base is small—fewer than 20 members—and comes largely from academic backgrounds, with representatives grounded in religious studies, psychiatry, psychology, and theology. Although it has close ties to a Christian worldview, its materials use argumentation typical of a secularly oriented opposition. Since the 1990s it has organized seminars and conferences, initially closed to members but later open to the public, and it runs a public advisory service. It publishes the quarterly journal Dingir through its own publishing house, with Zdeněk Vojtíšek as editor-in-chief. The society also offers researchers access to its library and part of its archive. It has been characterized by some religious studies scholars, including those around Dušan Lužný and Zdeněk R. Nešpor, as an anti-cult movement. Its current chair is Jitka Schlichtsová, and active members include Zdeněk Vojtíšek, Aleš Opatrný, and Prokop Remeš.

The Society for the Study of Sects and New Religious Directions (Czech: Společnost pro studium sekt a nových náboženských směrů, SSSNNS) was formed in 1993 as a transformation of an earlier organization called Exodos (Ecumenical Society for the Study of Sects and New Religious Movements). Its purpose was to gather information about new religious movements active not only in the Czech Republic. It was registered as a civic association by the Ministry of the Interior on 16 July 1993. At the time of registration, its members were primarily experts and students dealing with the issue of new religious directions. The first chairman was Tomáš Novotný, the vice-chairman was Prokop Remeš, and the spokesperson was Zdeněk Vojtíšek. In 1999, religious studies scholar Dušan Lužný described the society's representatives as frequently busy with media and as effectively shaping the public image of sects. Since the 1990s, the society has organized seminars and conferences, initially closed to members but later made public. Its publishing activities include the quarterly journal Dingir, published by its own publishing house, as well as several informational publications. The society also offers researchers access to its library and part of its archive. It has been criticized by some religious studies scholars, particularly those around Dušan Lužný, who classify it as an anti-cult movement. Milan Fujda notes that a significant characteristic of the society, as with other anti-cult movements, is public activity: 'It fights against the spread of beliefs and practices that they perceive as unorthodox, deviant and dangerous.' Zdeněk R. Nešpor, in his work for the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, cited the 1994 publication by Zdeněk Vojtíšek and Tomáš Novotný, 'Základní orientace v nových náboženských hnutích', as representing 'the perspective of anti-cult movements, where scientific description of the phenomenon dangerously mixes with its theological evaluation', and evaluated it as a 'problematic discourse' that is 'organizationally backed in the form of the Prague Society for the Study of Sects and New Religious Movements and its journal Dingir'. Andrea Beláňová, in her bachelor's thesis, states that an analysis of publications by members of SSSaNNS confirms the hypothesis of the society's anti-cult discursivity and demonstrates that the society's effort is to describe new religious movements as problematic and not entirely legitimate groups. Notable members include Ivan Štampach, Zdeněk Vojtíšek, Aleš Opatrný, Prokop Remeš, and Tomáš Novotný.

• 1999

  Dušan Lužný describes the society's representatives as media-busy and shaping the public image of sects.

• 1994

  Publication of 'Základní orientace v nových náboženských hnutích' by Zdeněk Vojtíšek and Tomáš Novotný.

• 1993

  Registered as a civic association by the Czech Ministry of the Interior on 16 July, transforming from Exodos.

A Czech scholarly society and civic association studying sects and new religious movements, known for its journal Dingir and public advisory activities.

• Dingir

  A quarterly journal published by the society's own publishing house, with Zdeněk Vojtíšek as editor-in-chief.

1. 1Society for the Study of Sects and New Religious Directions - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Společnost pro studium sekt a nových náboženských směrů - Czech Wikipediacs.wikipedia.org