1982/09/01 by James T. Richardson · 12 citations
Social Sciences · #Religion, Society, and Development #Religious Tourism and Spaces #Religion and Society Interactions #Sociology #Economics #Positive economics
paper · doi:10.2307/1385890
published in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 21(3), 255 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 1982/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
Little research has dealt with economic policies and practices of the new religions, and treatments that do exist focus mainly on street solititation as the major fund-raising devise. This study examines alternative fund-raising methods for a number of new religions and self-help groups, revealing numerous ways in which new religions support themselves financially. Also, groups such as the Unification Church and Children of God, which are best known for their aggressive street solicitation have engaged in a number of different money-raising techniques. The research reveals that experimentation is the major thrust of fund-raising efforts in the new religions, as they try many different methods, singularly and in combination, in efforts to support themselves. The paper closes with a discussion of ideas from the literature on communal studies that could be examined in studies of economic policies of new religions.