Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
ICSA International Conference 2025 - Montreal, QC
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Aled Thomas, Edward Graham-Hyde
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Abstract: The history of minority religions has been marked by (often hostile) interactions between minority religions and ‘anti-cult’ networks, usually consisting of former members of minority religions and/or concerned friends and relatives. Since the advent of online communication, hierarchical forms of anti-cult organisations (such as the Cult Awareness Network) have faded, giving way to more fluid networks of exmembers and ‘never-ins’ (anti-cult activists who were ‘never in’ the groups they are protesting).
Ex-member narratives have often been neglected, or even ignored, within scholarship on minority religions (see Wilson 1990). This paper seeks to remedy this by exploring the emergent forms of anti-cult activism activated in online spaces. It will demonstrate how online anti-cult discourses allows ex-members to navigate their lives following departure from a minority religion, in addition to framing their former experiences. The use of social media and podcasting platforms has allowed ex-members to publicly voice opposition and level accusations against their former movements, whilst allowing them to build an audience of ‘followers’ to engage with their activism. The paper will also demonstrate how these activisms have often developed beyond digital spaces into in-person protests and campaigns.
ICSA International Conference 2025 - Montreal, QC
-
Aled Thomas, Edward Graham-Hyde
-
Abstract: The history of minority religions has been marked by (often hostile) interactions between minority religions and ‘anti-cult’ networks, usually consisting of former members of minority religions and/or concerned friends and relatives. Since the advent of online communication, hierarchical forms of anti-cult organisations (such as the Cult Awareness Network) have faded, giving way to more fluid networks of exmembers and ‘never-ins’ (anti-cult activists who were ‘never in’ the groups they are protesting).
Ex-member narratives have often been neglected, or even ignored, within scholarship on minority religions (see Wilson 1990). This paper seeks to remedy this by exploring the emergent forms of anti-cult activism activated in online spaces. It will demonstrate how online anti-cult discourses allows ex-members to navigate their lives following departure from a minority religion, in addition to framing their former experiences. The use of social media and podcasting platforms has allowed ex-members to publicly voice opposition and level accusations against their former movements, whilst allowing them to build an audience of ‘followers’ to engage with their activism. The paper will also demonstrate how these activisms have often developed beyond digital spaces into in-person protests and campaigns.
