Social and pedagogical work with families to prevent the involvement of children and youth in destructive religious sects. On the prevention of sectarianism in schools in Germany and Austria Promoting the involvement of youth in organizations
Source: Law and Law
Sectarianism and crime are socially dangerous phenomena and have existed, probably, since the time when the first law began to operate in human society and the first ideology was accepted as the dominant (official) one. Sectarianism and crime were and are a product of the negative spiritual development of any society, regardless of time, social and territorial criteria. Organized crime in Russia, following the example of foreign criminal organizations, is mastering, in competition with representatives of religious, pseudo-religious and secular sects, such an area as the human psyche for criminal activity. Some researchers rightly suggest using a term such as “sectomafia”(1).
Sectarians (leaders, recruiters of sects), as well as representatives of criminal organizations, carrying out activities related to the sect, commit violent crimes, despite the fact that they influence a person in most cases with his consent, causing harm to somatic, “mental health... freedom of the individual” (2), undesirably changing it social status. Crimes committed by sectarians that harm human health have, like all crimes of this kind, “a considerable latent (hidden) part” (3).
Sectarianism and crime socially dangerous phenomena; and although they have a different ideological basis, they represent the interconnection of the various elements that form them, and are relatively independent systems with specific properties, these phenomena have a number of common features:
1) sectarianism and crime are part of negative social deviations (for all their differences, “their common antisocial nature determines mutual influence, dependence, connection various types social deviations into a single negative social process"(4));
2) sectarianism, like crime(5), has a combination of system-forming factors;
3) there is a relationship between sectarianism and crime with persons committing crimes (6) and participating in the activities of sects;
4) the activities of criminal organizations and the activities of sects are in many ways similar:
forms and methods of activity are hidden from outsiders;
sects and criminal groups are distinguished by high organization (cohesion of persons committing crimes (7) and participating in the activities of sects), discipline;
between sects, as well as criminal gangs, there is a certain competition in dividing spheres of influence (for example, in Russia, the sphere of education, as an area of activity, has been captured by the Muna “Unification Church” sect);
in many cases, activities are covered up by positive ideas approved by society (for example, patriotism; this is still done in Sicily since the 13th century by the organization of self-defense against French rule, which proclaimed the slogan: “Morte alla Francia, Italia anela” “Death of France , sigh, Italy"(8), abbreviated as MAFIA);
5) in order to cover up their criminal activities, most sects and criminal organizations keep records of opponents, often threatening them with physical violence (9);
6) sects, like criminal organizations, probably direct at least a third of their income “to bribing authorities and justice” (10);
7) in sects and criminal organizations the principle “the end justifies the means” is promoted, which is the leading principle; both in sects and criminal organizations they limit “possible access to approved means” (11) of achieving goals; most motives for criminal behavior largely coincide with “the aspirations of the typical average person” (12);
8) for sects and criminal organizations, a common criminogenic factor is alienation (socio-psychological isolation of sectarians and criminals from other people and, as a consequence, “from many of the most important social values” (13));
9) the etymology of some concepts denoting criminal activity has roots in concepts that are often used in relation to the activities of religious, pseudo-religious, secular sects (for example, the word “corruption” from the Latin corruptio in Russian has the meaning of “damage” "(14)); some researchers mistakenly believe that sectarianism, like corruption, is a social phenomenon that “is not subject to legal influence” (15) (the legal framework is a necessary and even the main condition in the fight against the antisocial phenomenon of sectarianism);
10) the classification of such a criminal act as terrorism is generally accepted: it exists both in political, ordinary criminal, military, and religious forms (16), when crimes are committed by representatives of radical religious groups (religious, pseudo-religious sects);
11) sectarianism is almost identical to political crime (17): in most cases, both politicians and sectarians openly speak out about confrontation with society; they challenge the legitimacy of the norms they violate; pursue the goal of changing the norms of morality and even law established in society; in many cases they act selflessly, without pursuing selfish interests (especially ordinary sectarians and members of political organizations); many researchers rightly note the growth of “the politicization of crime, especially in its organized forms” (18), which further indicates the convergence of the antisocial phenomenon of sectarianism with crime;
12) professional sectarianism (I think that this term can be used in relation to the creators and leaders of sects and people close to them) has much in common with professional crime (19):
for the creators and leaders of sects (almost all), their activity is, as for professional criminals, a source of livelihood and requires the necessary knowledge and skills (in particular, to create a sect you need to have knowledge in the field of psychology and psychiatry or develop your natural hypnotic and other abilities);
sectarians (in many cases), like criminals, come into contact with an antisocial environment;
professional criminals, as a rule, commit homogeneous crimes; professional sectarians (creators, leaders) also operate in a strictly defined sphere (religious, pseudo-religious, secular);
13) modern sectarianism, like “modern civilized crime, has... a characteristic feature: its social danger, due to the technogenic nature of civilization, takes on a transnational character” (20), and there is interaction between universal and local sects around the world.
Some researchers rightly note: the content of a person’s religious, aesthetic, and political consciousness is criminologically significant, especially in certain economic conditions “with the intensification of the activities of pseudo-religious totalitarian sects” (21).
Many tax crimes economic spheres committed by representatives of religious, pseudo-religious, secular sects. In the genesis of modern sectarianism (especially in newly formed sects), as well as in the genesis of crime (22), the determining importance of the economic factor can be identified.
Activities of sects and criminal organizations shining example anomie(23) (destruction social norms behavior), which arises “in connection with the contradictions between the goals pursued by social groups and the means used” (24). The social environment in which an individual exists largely determines his interests and value systems, which develop “in human social activity” (25). The environment of sects and criminal organizations contributes to the formation of antisocial qualities in individuals, approves of criminal behavior, which is the result of training individuals, their perception of the appropriate style of behavior in interaction with individuals who have adopted criminal values (26).
Unfortunately, unknown exact number adherents of sects who are serving sentences in the form of imprisonment (such statistics, alas, are not kept), but, undoubtedly, they exist. In places of imprisonment, sectarians are engaged in propaganda of their ideas, receiving material and moral support from adherents who are at large.
The environment of convicts is favorable for the development of sectarianism, since individuals with clearly delinquent activities are concentrated in one place. Such an environment cannot positively influence even law-abiding individuals; the consciousness and behavior of the individual is “actively (directly or indirectly, spontaneously or consciously) influenced” (27), the convicted criminal is given the opportunity to develop his own and acquire new antisocial skills. Almost all convicts fall into the risk category (potential adherents and leaders, creators and leaders of sects). This is due to the fact that: firstly, persons serving sentences in institutions of the penal system have a pronounced deviant-destructive and delinquent orientation of activity (behavior); they create a favorable environment for the development of asocial ideas; secondly, persons who have embarked on the path of correction, who differ from other convicts in their post-criminal behavior (i.e., non-criminal behavior after committing a crime (28)), who are trying to find a spiritual outlet in religion or secular teaching, do not have clear moral guidelines and therefore perceive any ideology without proper critical evaluation; for them, any ideology is primarily a system of “psychological defense” (29); thirdly, persons who have become followers of one or another religious or secular teaching even before serving their sentence, in most cases have a poor understanding of what they believe in and what they follow, therefore sectarians often mislead them, hiding behind one or another ideology; fourthly, many convicts were adherents of sects even before committing a crime, and some of them are serving sentences for committing ritual crimes (murder, rape, theft, etc.) associated with the activities of a particular sect.
Research allows us to assert that many adherents of sects (including satanic ones), once in institutions of the penal system, continue to perform “the entire... set of practical ritual actions” (30), despite the active work of penal correction officers to counter such activities. They try to isolate these convicts or place them in an environment where the sectarians do not enjoy authority.
Criminal groups adopt the means and methods used in sects to organize a rigid hierarchy and maintain strict discipline. At the same time, the organization of sects in penal institutions is impossible as easily as it happens in a free society.
Firstly, the leaders (organizers) of sects almost never commit any offenses (crimes) personally, therefore the most dangerous sectarians are rarely brought to justice; an even smaller number are sentenced to imprisonment.
Secondly, sects and criminal organizations have a clear antisocial orientation; the methods of their organization, activities, and goals differ, but in many ways (as already noted) they are similar. However, this similarity (for example, in a clearly defined, established hierarchy: initiates, adepts, neophytes in sects and thieves in law, thieves, men, lowlifes among the convicts) does not allow organizing a sect among the convicts, since any attempt to destroy the existing the criminal hierarchy is brutally punished by the convicts themselves. An exception is possible if an authoritative criminal wants to organize a religious, pseudo-religious or secular sect among the convicted.
Thirdly, if favorable conditions for the organization of a sect appear in a penal institution; the leader (or active member) of a sect ends up there and is supported by the authorities of the criminal world, which helps to increase influence among the convicts; the process of organizing a sect in the penal institution is opposed its employees, mainly operational workers.
Fourthly, those sentenced to imprisonment are under the constant control of employees of the penal system; Psychologists, sociologists, and operational workers work with individuals who are clearly aggressive.
Fifthly, the spiritual care of convicts in most penitentiary institutions is carried out by representatives of mainly traditional faiths, mainly Russian Orthodox Church, which in itself is a preventive measure against the development of sectarianism among convicts.
Currently, we can talk about such a phenomenon in modern society as a sectarian movement, which has a clearly expressed antisocial orientation and, like the “thieves’ movement” (31), can be considered one of the forms (a special form) of a criminal association.
Sectarian paraphernalia, rituals, and ideology have not yet become a full-fledged part of the criminal subculture, the acceptance of which is mandatory for existence in a criminal environment. However, in recent years there has been a tendency towards the active use by criminal organizations of means and methods of manipulating individuals, which are used by religious, pseudo-religious and secular sects.
Criminal authorities, as well as convicts seeking to improve their status, using methods of control and deformation of consciousness, can themselves create religious, pseudo-religious and secular sects among convicts on the basis of established criminal groups (or forming new ones).
The reasons for organizing sects in penal institutions may be:
the desire of individual convicts to improve their status in the criminal environment;
desire crime bosses to unite different categories of convicts around a common doctrine (goal) in order to further use the most fanatical convicts to commit actions (including crimes) that destabilize the situation in the institution executing punishment;
the desire to carry out criminal activities in an institution executing punishment, under the guise of studying religion or secular ideology; the thesis about the right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion is used as a cover;
The reason for a convicted person joining a sect may be:
the desire to derive material or moral benefit from this (to increase one’s status in a criminal environment);
search for new spiritual guidelines, as well as basic curiosity;
the desire to expand their knowledge (many sects, especially initially, present their teachings in the form of methods for improving a person’s spiritual and mental abilities or other programs and courses that are officially and at first glance not related to the sect);
active desire for confrontation (in any situation) with the administration of the institution executing punishment;
desire to realize your spiritual and physical potential;
exposure to the influence of consciousness control and deformation techniques used by the creator of a particular sect in relation to neophytes and adherents.
Adherents of religious, pseudo-religious, and secular sects, like other citizens, commit crimes for which many of them serve sentences of imprisonment. In this regard, employees of a penal institution, if they receive information about a convicted person’s membership in a religious, pseudo-religious or secular sect, must take additional measures to prevent sectarianism among those sentenced to imprisonment. Such measures could be:
1) additional control over the convicted adept by operational workers;
2) additional work with the convict-adept psychologist, the head of the detachment, and other representatives of the administration of the institution executing punishment;
3) special control over correspondence, transfers, parcels, parcels, and telephone conversations received by the convicted adept;
4) a thorough check of persons requesting a meeting with a convicted adept (if they are representatives of a religious, pseudo-religious sect, they should be denied a meeting), as well as control over persons who have received permission to meet with a convicted adept (thorough check things, literature, newspapers, magazines; if they contain propaganda of the activities, teachings of a religious, pseudo-religious, secular sect or conspiratorial information, they must be confiscated);
5) placement of an adept-convict in an environment (group) of convicts professing traditional religions of Russia.
In the early 90s, religious convicts of all faiths made up no more than “10% of the staff of the institution” (32). Materials from a special census of convicts conducted in 1999 show that 36.8% consider themselves believers. Of the religious convicts, 82.9% consider themselves Orthodox Christians (30.5% of the total number of convicts), 9% are Muslims (3.3% of the total number of convicts) (33).
Every year the number of active religious prisoners in prisons increases, i.e. those who participate in the cult practices of their religion. Thus, in 2000, “560 religious communities of various faiths were created in penal institutions, in which there are about 20 thousand believers, which is 2.5% of the total number of convicts.”
(34); in 2001 "668 religious communities of various faiths, in which there are about 25 thousand believers (3.7% of the average number of convicts); in 2002 "about 1000 religious communities of various faiths, in which there are more than 40 thousand . religious prisoners (5.5% of the average number)" (35).
Sectarianism among convicts is not yet a widespread phenomenon, however, in order to maintain this state, it is necessary to carry out targeted work to prevent this phenomenon. Surveys show that of the total number of convicted respondents, 15% encountered the activities of sects; 10.65% came into contact with the activities of: "Unification Church" (Muna) 2.84%; "Church of Scientology" (Hubbard) 2.84%; Jehovah's Witnesses 4.97%. These sects are recognized as dangerous in some European countries and Australia. Adherents of “Aum Shinrikyo” (new name “Aleph”), Satanists, and pagan idolaters are also serving their sentences in penitentiary institutions.
The conscientious work of employees of penal institutions, operational staff, psychological services, and the social service of representatives of traditional religious organizations in these institutions make it possible to prevent attempts to organize religious, pseudo-religious, and secular sects here. However, using the cover of officially registered organizations (secular and religious), sectarians try to penetrate the penal system with “charitable missions”, while demanding special conditions for themselves, promoting incomprehensible teachings that diverge from the official orientation of the organizations they are trying to represent .
The suppression of attempts by organizations providing “humanitarian aid” to go beyond the powers granted to them, as well as the penetration of religious, pseudo-religious, and secular sects into the institutions and bodies of the penal system must be carried out strictly in accordance with Russian and international legislation. For more successful prevention of sectarianism (and, therefore, crime in general), and improvement of the security system both in the penal system and throughout society, it is necessary:
introducing additions and changes to existing international legal norms and legislative acts of the Russian Federation, creating new criminal law norms, developing draft new laws (36);
the creation of “new bodies that ensure the security of the individual, society and the state” (37) (in particular, a body such as the Interdepartmental Committee or the Commission for Combating Socially Dangerous Activities of Religious, Pseudo-Religious, Secular Sects);
delimitation of powers and organization of coordinated actions (as in coordinating the fight against crime) of government bodies and the public (it is very important that “each subject of prevention... does not replace other bodies, avoids parallelism and duplication” (38)).
Prevention of sectarianism is, in fact, part of the state system for general crime prevention; it includes measures to improve not only the economic, social, political, but also the spiritual sphere of society (39).
1 Kondratyev F.V., Volkov E.N. CD-Religions and sects in modern Russia: Directory. Novosibirsk, 2001.
2 Antonyan Yu.M. Cruelty in our lives. M., 1995. P. 54.
3 Criminal situation at the turn of the century in Russia. M., 1999. P. 23.
4 Social deviations. M., 1989. P. 242.
5 Prozumentov L.M., Shesler A.V. Criminology. A common part. Krasnoyarsk, 1997. P. 43.
6 Struchkov N.A. Crime as a social phenomenon. L., 1979. P. 14.
7 Ovchinsky B.S. Criminological, criminal law and organizational foundations of the fight against organized crime in the Russian Federation // Diss. ... doc. legal Sci. M., 1994. P. 15.
8 Ivanov R. Mafia in the USA. M., 1996. P. 3.
9 Kondratyev F.V., Volkov N.N. Decree. op. 10 Nikiforov A. S. Gangsterism in the USA: essence and evolution. M., 1991. P. 15.
11 Merton R. Sociology of crime. M., 1966. P. 311.
12 White W. Crime and Criminals. New York, 1933. P. 43.
13 Antonyan Yu.M. Psychological alienation of personality and criminal behavior. Yerevan, 1989. P. 9.
14 Volzhenkin B.V. Corruption. St. Petersburg, 1988. P. 5.
15 Melnik N.I. The concept of corruption. Corruption and the fight against it. M., 2000. P. 17.
16 Terrorism: psychological roots and legal assessments // State and Law. 1995. N 4. P. 25.
17 Kerner H. J. (Hrsg.) Krimilogie Lexikon. Heidelberg, 1991. S. 43.
18 Dolgova A.I. Organized crime, its development and the fight against it // Organized crime-3. M., 1996. P. 34.
19 Gurov A.I. Professional crime. Past and present. M., 1990. P. 40-41.
20 Gorshenkov A.G., Gorshenkov G.G., Gorshenkov G.N. Crime as an object of managerial influence. Syktyvkar, 1999. P. 31.
21 Safety and health of the nation. M., 1996. P. 17.
22 Karpets I.I. The problem of crime. M., 1969. P. 57.
23 Durkheim E. Norm and pathology // Sociology of crime. M., 1966. P. 39.
24 Merton R. Social structure and anomie // Sociology of crime. M., 1966. P. 299.
25 Friedrich V. Gemini. M., 1985. P. 172.
26 Sutherland E. On Analyzing Crime. Ed by K. Schuessler. Chicago and London, 1972. P. 43.
27 Popov S. Consciousness and social environment. M., 1979. P. 31.
28 Sabitov R.A. Post-criminal behavior. Tomsk, 1985. P. 8.
29 Romanov V.V. Legal psychology. M., 1998. P. 47.
30 Baydakov G.P., Artamonov V.V., Bagreeva E.G., Buzhak V.E., Mokretsov A.I. Activities of religious organizations in correctional institutions: A manual. M.: All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, 1995. P. 73.
31 Criminology: Textbook / Ed. V.N. Kudryavtseva, V.E. Eminova. M.: Yurist, 1997. P. 265.
32 Baydakov G.P., Artamonov V.V., Bagreeva E.G., Buzhak V.E., Mokretsov A.I. Decree. op. P. 28.
33 Characteristics of those sentenced to imprisonment. Based on materials from the special census of 1999 / Ed. A.S. Mikhlina. T. 2. M.: Jurisprudence, 2000. P. 28.
34 On interaction with trustee, public, religious and other organizations in 2000: Review. M.: GUIN of the Ministry of Justice of Russia. 2001. N 18-15-1-145. P. 5.
35 Ibid. 2003. N 18-15-1-186. P. 7.
36 Kudryavtsev V.N. Criminalization: optimal models. Criminal law in the fight against crime. M., 1981.
37 Decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On approval of the Regulations on the Security Council of the Russian Federation” dated August 2, 1999 N 949 // SZ RF. 1999. N 32. Art. 4041.
38 Dolgova A.I., Krieger V.I., Serebryakova V.A., Gorbatovskaya E.G. Fundamentals of criminology for practitioners. M., 1988. P. 121.
39 Shlyapochnikov A.S. General crime prevention measures. M., 1972. P. 47.
In the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Austria, quite serious attention is paid to the prevention of sectarianism. All key institutions of society are involved in the process of preventing the influence of sects, including the education system represented by secondary and high school. In this article, Vladimir Martinovich analyzed the reasons and origins of the educational systems of Germany and Austria turning to the prevention of sectarianism in schools, as well as a brief description of all the main directions and forms of its implementation.
The beginning of the prevention of sectarianism in German schools
Awareness of the need to carry out preventive work in the field of sectarianism in German schools occurred gradually at all levels of government, in ministries and departments of the education system, among the leadership and teaching staff of schools, scientists and specialists in sects in Germany, and in traditional churches. Non-periodic, one-off lectures on the topic of sects were given in schools across the country both before and after World War II. In the “Religion” subject, 5–10 minutes were devoted to sects as part of a lecture devoted to religious organizations in general.
The situation begins to change in the early 1970s. Parents whose children began to join sects began to speak about the need for widespread and more serious warning of schoolchildren about the dangers of sectarianism. German youth joined sects before this, but at the end of the 1960s - beginning of the 1970s. in Western countries there was another surge in mass conversions of young people to sects. Following parents, school teachers are also paying attention to the problem of sects, who have begun to notice both serious changes in the behavior of their students and a drop in their academic performance. At the same time, teachers began to record some other dimensions of the problem:
a) academic performance often fell not only after children were involved in the sect,
but also after one or both parents go there;
b) by the mid-1970s. sects began to increasingly infiltrate the schools themselves
and convert disciples to their faith on their territory;
c) at the same time, cases of complete refusal to attend school for religious reasons became more frequent;
d) sects began to actively explore the niche of tutoring and were engaged in recruitment under the guise of helping lagging students master the school course, or, conversely, further developing the most talented of them.
As the number of problematic cases increased, teachers and parents increasingly began to express their concerns, write complaints, contact the media, and discuss the topic at various pedagogical conferences and seminars. Gradually, an entire social movement emerged that demanded that the country's leadership take action against sects. Many parents united and created parent committees on the fight against sects.
Around the same time, the first studies appeared showing that young people are one of the weakest age groups protected from joining sects and, at the same time, a priority target for their recruitment. In the public discourse of Germany, the entire phenomenon of sectarianism begins to be viewed through the prism of two specific terms that begin to refer to sects of all types at once: “youth religions” and “youth sects.” The country is beginning to talk about the problem of sectarianism primarily as a problem of preserving young people from the influence of sects. The country's intelligence services are increasingly drawing the attention of government authorities to plans to infiltrate sects into schools.
In this context, German governments have come to realize that it is necessary to extend sectarianism prevention programs to the education system. The exact date Since the beginning of education institutions’ study of the topic of sects, it is difficult to establish. At first, all work was carried out at the level of intradepartmental and interdepartmental correspondence. At the end of the 1970s. The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth has made a number of interesting statements on this topic. For example, in a ministerial bulletin dated July 10, 1978, it was stated that “The Federal Government has been dealing with the problem of cults for many years. At the same time, our ministry plays a key role in this.” In mid-1978, the ministry commissioned a study on the topic of “new youth religions” from the University of Tübingen, which was carried out that same year. The results of the study confirmed the importance and relevance of educational work on the topic of sects in schools. As a result, on January 16, 1979, Circular Letter No. 215–2000.013 appeared, addressed to the highest state authorities for youth affairs of all German states, in which the minister promised all support at the federal level for local initiatives to begin the prevention of sectarianism in German schools. It also talks about the need to develop teaching aids and recommends that schools initially take as a basis the works of the then famous sectologists F.V. Haack and G. Löffelman. From this moment on, the ministry begins to periodically publish materials on sects in its publications and enters into active correspondence on the topic of sects with a variety of government bodies and sect scholars in the country.
A key role in the beginning of the prevention of sectarianism in schools was played by the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Culture of the Lands in Germany - the main government agency, responsible for school education at the federal level. The conference began to study possible forms and methods of such prevention back in the mid-1970s. An official statement on this issue was made at the 192nd plenum of the conference on March 30, 1979. It begins with very revealing words: “For a long period, the conference has been observing with concern the conversion of young people to so-called youth sects.” The text further states that “a critical and objective analysis of problems associated with the activities of youth sects is the educational and educational responsibility of the school.” In a month, the German Bundestag will support the initiative of the conference, and in schools in Germany, starting in September 1979, the first planned lessons on the topic of sects will be held.
The topic of preventing sectarianism in the country's schools is rarely touched upon in Bundestag documents, which has one simple explanation: guided by the principle of subsidiarity, the Bundestag delegated the decision on this issue to the states. The latter, with the support of the conference of ministers of education and culture, dealt with it very successfully. Additional parliamentary intervention was simply not required, since no special problems arose that could not be solved locally. Nevertheless, in Bundestag documents one can still find references to this topic, the first mention of which is found in the response of the federal government to a small request from Deputy Vogel and the CDU / CSU faction regarding the activities of the Unification Movement. In it, the government talks about some measures to prevent sectarianism in Germany at that time that were quite sufficient from its point of view:
…Specialized church centers, including the Evangelical Center for Worldviews, Stuttgart, and the Evangelical Press Union of Bavaria, Munich, constantly offer detailed information materials on the various trends of “new youth religions.” These materials are aimed at educating parents, youth, teachers, social workers, social educators, and are also intended for distribution in church communities, schools and youth assistance institutions...
These words do not indicate the active and widespread supply of schools in Germany in the mid-1970s. anti-sectarian literature. There were isolated cases of the transfer of books, but in this situation, much more important and interesting is the fact that the German government considered sectologists of the Lutheran Church as one of the completely legitimate tools for the prevention of sectarianism, including in the education system. However, reliance on civil society institutions to convey a variety of information about sects to the population runs like a red thread through a significant number of Bundestag documents.
On April 27, 1979, the German Parliament expressed support for the above-mentioned initiative of the conference of ministers of education and the Ministry of Youth Affairs with the approval of two main directions for its implementation: giving educational lectures on the topic of sectarianism in schools and improving the qualifications of the teaching staff of the country's schools on this topic. Twenty years later, in 1998, the Bundestag research commission “So-called sects and psychogroups”, for its part, recommended that schools hold lectures on sects, and universities and research institutes in the country - intensify research in the field of non-traditional religiosity in general and the development of the most effective pedagogical approaches to preventing the phenomenon of sectarianism in particular. The commission also recommended further training for school teachers in the field of occult prevention.
The German state parliaments also publish a significant number of documents devoted to the topic of sects in general, but much more often the Bundestag touches on the issue of preventing sectarianism in schools. This is quite expected, since with general approval at the federal level, each land decides for itself more or less autonomously on the specific details of preventive work. For example, the parliament of the state of Baden-Württemberg of the 9th–14th convocations repeatedly devoted Special attention the topic of preventing sectarianism in schools. At the same time, not only the need for education in the field of sectarianism in general was mentioned, but also the importance of a critical analysis of the activities of specific sects. A similar position is taken by the parliaments of the states of Bavaria, Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, Saxony-Anhalt, etc.
The beginning of the prevention of sectarianism in schools in Austria
In Austria, as well as in Germany, long before the state turned to the prevention of sectarianism in the education system, religion lessons in schools spent some time on the topic of sects. However, compared to Germany, the country has been much slower to respond to problems arising in this area. Discussion on this topic in Austrian government began in the late 1970s. At that time, there was no talk of preventing sectarianism in the school education system, but the issue of the danger of sects in general and the measures taken by the government to protect against possible threats in this area were discussed.
Meanwhile, the work of sects led to the emergence among parents and teachers of the country of the same protest sentiments as in Germany in the early-mid 1970s. The Austrians, however, reacted more slowly: only in the early 1980s. The number of appeals to government bodies with requests to pay special attention to the prevention of sectarianism in schools has reached a critical mass. Research by Austrian scientists, for their part, shows a significant level of youth involvement in sects and openly talk about the need for educational work in schools. Individual officials and politicians are beginning to address the problem. For example, in 1981, a group of parliamentarians from the state of Upper Austria made a public statement in which they called on all federal and state government agencies involved in education and youth issues, including the country’s schools: a) take on the work of informing the population and teachers , schoolchildren and their parents on the problem of sects; b) organize advanced training courses for teachers in the field of preventing sectarianism; c) conduct regular events on the designated topic for teachers and youth workers; d) publish information materials on this topic. Also in 1981, parent councils in different regions of Austria ensured that the Federal Ministry of Education and Culture, together with the Federal Ministry of the Interior, began developing a special brochure on the topic of sects for teachers, parents and secondary school students. In 1982, the brochure was published in a very modest format of 36 pages. It gave a brief description of some sects and published information about the School Councils of all the Lands of Austria, where it was recommended to contact for consultations on sects. A comparative analysis of the Austrian and German campaigns to initiate the prevention of sectarianism in schools reveals several fundamentally important differences.
First, the German public began to raise this issue even before a series of major scandals surrounding cults in the 1970s. (for example, before the mass suicide of members of the People's Temple in Guyana in 1978). The latter greatly increased the importance attached to this issue and contributed to the adoption of all the necessary decisions to begin work. In Austria, this issue began to arise almost 10 years later, after the end of the scandals of the 1970s, when sects in general behaved more cautiously. The lower intensity of public discussion somewhat slowed down the momentum of anti-sectarian initiatives and complicated their progress.
Secondly, Austria itself was never a priority goal for the sects, which devoted all their main forces and resources to the conquest of Germany. As a result, sects in Austria behaved somewhat “quieter” and less aggressively than in Germany.
Thirdly, sect studies in Austria were almost always less developed than in Germany. There were fewer sectologists in the country, and they worked less professionally in this area, lagging behind their German colleagues by fifteen to twenty years. Therefore, Austrian sectologists actively relied on the research results of their colleagues from Germany, including in the field of preventing sectarianism, but were somewhat less clearly, distinctly and reasonably able to present and defend their position in society.
Fourthly, in the 1980s. Around the world, there has been an increase in criticism of any anti-sectarian actions and initiatives, including those aimed at preventing sectarianism. The sects, having felt the first results of the anti-sectarian campaigns of the 1970s, decided to repel any criticism in their direction.
As a result, the very context in which the issue of starting to prevent sectarianism in Austrian schools was raised was not as favorable as in Germany. The protagonists of this work feel some internal uncertainty in their positions, a constant glance at the experience of Germany, a lot of discussions, hints and declarations without a sense of readiness to implement them. As a result, the Austrian public actively discussed the importance of preventing sectarianism throughout the 1980s, but it only began to take concrete action in the early 1990s, when the general conditions for starting this work were even worse.
It is quite difficult to reconstruct, bit by bit, all the main stages of the emergence and development of this work. The author was able to establish that on January 27, 1993, the National Council of Austria held hearings on the topic “The influence of sects on the youth of Austria”, at which numerous examples of the recruitment of children by sects in schools in Austria were examined, and various ways of preventing sectarianism among youth in general and in the school education system in particular. A year later, on July 14, 1994, the National Council of Austria adopted a historic resolution “On measures regarding the activities of sects, pseudo-religious groups and organizations, as well as destructive cults.” It spoke of the need to organize educational events on the topic of sects in schools, as well as educational institutions. Apparently, by that time schools were already actively teaching lessons on the problem of sectarianism. In 1994–1995 following the resolution of the National Council, under the patronage Federal Ministry An inter-ministerial working group “Sects” was created on issues of education and culture. Representatives of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Family and Youth, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the University of Vienna, the City School Council, the Catholic and Lutheran Churches, as well as the Vienna Society against the Danger of Sects and Cults were invited to participate in its work. The group was supposed to examine in detail all the key issues related to the prevention of sectarianism in the country's schools.
November 23, 1995 The Federal Ministry of Education and Culture expands the powers of its Department V/8, which previously specialized in the entire range of issues related to preventive, preventive and rehabilitation work. From now on, the department was supposed to deal with “the psychological aspects of destructive ideologies and behavior patterns (sects, radicalism, addictive behavior).” It is important to note that Dr. Harald Aigner was placed at the head of the department, who six years after the formation of this structure developed the most famous and serious course of lectures on sects for schools in Austria. The department began to collect all information related to the prevention of sectarianism in schools in Austria, as well as to respond to requests and complaints from parents and teachers on the topic of sects. By that time, all the key areas for preventing sectarianism in schools had already been launched in the country.
The experience of Germany also prompted Austria to place a serious emphasis on the institutions of civil society in the issue of preventing sectarianism. At the same time, in Austria, public organizations that carried out this work also received government funding. Such societies were expected to take an active part in organizing educational and preventive activities in the country's schools, as well as helping parents whose children had joined sects. In addition to all this, in 1998, the Federal Center for Sect Issues was created under the Federal Ministry of Family and Youth Affairs, which also still actively works with schools, advises teachers and participates in improving their qualifications, conducts preventive classes with schoolchildren in its territories.
Lessons on cult studies and sects at school
The main form of preventing sectarianism in schools in Germany and Austria is conducting lessons on the topic of sects. In both countries, the problem of sectarianism is addressed in the form of one or more lectures within the framework of such subjects as “Religion” (in several main varieties: “Evangelical Religion” and “Catholic Religion”, “Muslim Religion”), “Ethics”, “Social Studies” , “Values and Norms”, “Psychology, Pedagogy, Philosophy”. In rare cases, entire courses of lectures are offered, usually on an elective basis. The topic of sects is dealt with in grades 7–11. The Catholic and Lutheran churches of Germany and Austria are responsible for the content of the “Religion” subject. Children who do not attend the “Religion” course must take the “Ethics” or “Values and Norms” course, the content of which is the responsibility of the state. That is, the children attend lessons taught about sects at school under any circumstances.
In Germany, the federal states independently develop school textbooks in all disciplines, including lessons on sects. The Permanent Conference of Ministers of Education and Culture is responsible for their compliance with a certain level of standards. At the same time, the widespread practice of publishing textbooks and manuals not for the entire course as a whole, but for its individual parts and lessons. The first educational and methodological developments on the topic of sects appeared in the late 1970s - early 1980s. . At the same time, independent textbooks are written for lessons on sects. Most of them are created by a team of authors, which usually includes at least one professional sectologist. In some cases, manuals may be ordered by some anti-sectarian organization, a separate sectologist, or written by individual teachers.
In Austria, the general structure of plans for all subjects, including the “Religion” course, is approved by special regulations of the Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture. The details and content of specific predetermined topics remains a matter for both educational institutions and teachers themselves, and churches (in the case of the subject “Religion”). Thus, in the programs of almost all types of schools in Austria, the topic of sects is fixed at the level of ministerial regulations. Moreover, depending on the subject and type of school, more or less attention is paid to it. The situation with the development of textbooks in Austria compared to Germany looks much more modest: the topic of sects is given some place in textbooks on the subjects “Religion”, “Ethics”, etc., but no more. At the same time, the author knows only one independent teaching aid on the topic of sects for schools. It was developed by Harald Aigner and is very popular among teachers, and the ministry and its subordinate Federal Center for Sect Issues provide constant information support to teachers who give lectures on this manual.
In the early 1980s. a number of new studies of sectarianism have shown that youth are neither the main object of missionary work of sects, nor the age category of citizens most often joining them. This discovery contributed to the development of discussion on the content of lessons on the topic of sects. Discussions in which teachers from both countries were involved. The main question was: should lessons focus on preventing students from joining specific sects or on developing their skills and abilities for critical thinking, as well as recognizing sectarianism as a phenomenon? In other words, should the school provide specific knowledge on sects, or should it engage in the education and development of qualities in schoolchildren that prevent them from joining sects? The discussion is still ongoing, but the specifics of its argumentation date back to the 1980s. influenced the expansion of the motivational range for the prevention of sectarianism in schools and somewhat adjusted the content of the process itself. Working with schoolchildren began to be presented not only as a means of preventing them from joining sects, but also as a tool for developing their critical thinking in general. In the latter case, sects increasingly began to be used only as a convenient example illustrating what the lack of independent, responsible and critical thinking skills can lead to. At the same time, the analysis of specific sects is increasingly beginning to be supplemented, and sometimes completely replaced by the analysis of amorphous forms of non-traditional religiosity: superstitions, beliefs in corruption, astrology, UFOs, the existence of occult forces, etc. At the same time, the justification for these changes is given with reference to the results of research : Schoolchildren and young people are much more likely to join such non-institutionalized forms of sectarianism than to join specific sects.
When analyzing teaching aids used in schools in Germany and Austria, four important factors should also be taken into account.
First, teachers in German and Austrian schools may also refer to Swiss teaching aids on sects or borrow teaching aids from each other.
Secondly, teachers in both countries often turn to educational, methodological and didactic materials designed for lecturing young people outside of the schools themselves.
Thirdly, traditional churches and sect scholars in Germany and Austria publish various preventive literature on sects, aimed at schoolchildren and young people, which are also used in the educational process in regular schools.
Fourthly, teachers actively use not only specialized teaching aids, but also a huge amount of other literature on sects. The same government bodies responsible for working with schools publish not only and not so much teaching aids, but ordinary information materials on the topic of sects.
All this indicates that there is no particular shortage of teaching materials on the topic of sectarianism in German schools. In schools in Austria there is a certain paucity of materials, which is compensated only by the active use of teachers in German manuals.
Extracurricular forms of preventing sectarianism
The executors of the second most important form of prevention of sectarianism in German schools are the so-called “consultant teachers” (from German: Beratungslehrer), “trust teachers” (from German: Vertrauenslehrer) or “communication teachers” (from German: Verbindungslehrer). This position exists in the vast majority of schools in the country, and its introduction had nothing to do with the problem of sects. The job responsibilities of teacher-consultants include working with lagging and difficult children, improving the level of education of teachers, organizing and conducting meetings and conversations with parents. After the education system turned to the issue of preventing sectarianism, the issue of sects was added to the responsibility of these teachers. The corresponding powers to prevent sectarianism are prescribed in their job responsibilities. It is these teachers who are responsible for holding special lectures and events to prevent sectarianism in schools during extracurricular hours, including working with children who have fallen into sects. Quite often, teacher-consultants play the role of a link between schoolchildren, their parents and school administration, government agencies at all levels, and professional sectologists.
In the mid-1990s. in Bavaria, concern about the problem of sects reached the point that a group of deputies made an official request to the Bavarian government to “introduce a new position of “sect expert” in secondary schools and ensure his close cooperation both with his colleagues from other schools and with sect experts of all churches and bodies public administration of Bavaria and the Federation as a whole." The deputies’ request was not granted, but the very fact of its nomination and the number of people who supported it speak of the importance attributed to the problem of preventing sectarianism at the country’s school level.
Austria also has a similar system of “teacher consultants”. However, Austrian teachers and parents much more often seek specialized help from the Ministry of Education (the previously mentioned department V/8), the Federal Center for Sect Issues and other structures. In Austria, due to the smaller size of the country, contacts between teachers and federal departments are established more easily and quickly than in Germany. However, there is a designated position in all schools in the country. It is interesting that the handbook on the methodology for resolving emergency situations in schools, issued by the state of Styria, in the event of any situations related to sects, recommends contacting school teacher-consultants, and in particularly difficult cases - cult specialists, social workers and the police.
Distribution of information materials on the topic of sects in schools
The third form of prevention is the centralized distribution in one, several or all schools of a particular state of Germany or Austria of information materials on sectarianism in general or a specific sect in particular. As a rule, such actions are initiated by local authorities in a planned manner. For example, in 2000, the parliament of the state of Baden-Württemberg initiated the publication and distribution to schools of the anti-sectarian brochure “Sects promise a lot... Should we believe everything?” . However, there are also examples of unscheduled publications aimed at reflecting specific threats. In this regard, the example of the Bavarian parliament is very indicative, which on November 11, 2004, urgently adopted an order to urgently print and distribute in schools a new edition of the anti-sectarian brochure “The Dangers of the Psychomarket. Prevention manual for schools in Bavaria." The need for this measure was justified by information from German intelligence services about Scientologists' plans to launch a campaign to work among schoolchildren. In Austria, much fewer such brochures are published and distributed. Thus, following the resolution of the National Council of Austria in 1994, Franz Sedlak’s brochure “The World is Not Just Black and White” was published, and in 1996 the brochure “Sects. Knowledge protects!” . The latest brochure has been reprinted many times with changes and additions and is the most widely circulated and widespread not only in the school environment, but also far beyond its borders, the official publication of the Republic of Austria on the topic of sects.
Currently, several versions of anti-sectarian leaflets and posters made in the form of comics have been developed in Germany. Most often, they include the so-called criteria of unfamiliar groups that can cause harm. They look like a set of 10–20 pictures with short abstracts accompanying each of them. For example, one of the drawings depicts a funny bearded old man flying over the city in a Superman suit, trousers, without shoes and with the inscription “super guru” on his shirt. The caption to the picture reads: “The world is heading towards disaster! Only the group knows how to save him.” It is assumed that if a child encounters an organization telling him that the world will end soon, he will have to behave more carefully with it. These leaflets are cheap, simple, understandable, and fun for students of all ages. It is noteworthy that similar leaflets are also distributed in schools in Austria, however, unlike the German counterpart, they contain the coordinates of not only sect studies centers, but also the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education.
Advanced training for teachers, youth workers and parents
It was already noted above that the training of teaching staff in schools in the field of sects and the occult was considered by the German Bundestag to be an essential component of the prevention of sectarianism in the education system. Back in the early 1970s. teachers, on their own initiative, actively took part in various seminars and conferences on the topic of sects, which were organized by German sectologists. The beginning of targeted preventive work in this area by the state influenced the manifold increase in the number of teachers involved in this process and the differentiation of institutes offering relevant lecture courses. Currently, responsibility for this work is shared between state institutes for advanced training of teachers, private charitable foundations and youth protection organizations. In Germany, lecture courses and seminars for teachers on the topic of sects were organized by the Academies for Advanced Education of Teachers in the cities of Comburg, Esslingen, Donauerschingen, Calw, Bad Wildbad, etc., the Institute for Retraining and Advanced Training of Teachers of the city of Mainz, the Pedagogical Institute of the city of Landau, the Institute of School and Education of the Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, various state centers political education, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and many other academies, institutes, organizations and foundations.
In Austria, this work was carried out by the Pedagogical Institute of Salzburg, the Higher Church Pedagogical School of Vienna, the Institute of Religious Pedagogical Education of Salzburg and many other organizations. An analysis of the correspondence of various ministries and departments responsible for the school education system shows that in the country there is always an opportunity for all interested teachers to improve the level of their qualifications in this area. At the same time, this task is performed not only by institutions for further training of teachers, but also by specialized state and public associations specializing in working with youth. For example, the state Commissions for Children and Youth Affairs of all states of Austria (KYA) in one form or another are involved in the prevention of sectarianism among young people, increasing the level of education of the population on this topic, and even providing assistance to school students in resolving problems they have with sects. For example, KYY Tirol conducts courses for young people, parents, teachers and youth workers in 13 different modules, one of which is entirely devoted to the topic of sects. In addition, the state is developing various programs to improve the skills of parents themselves. For example, the government of the State of Lower Austria offers parents to take special courses “Sects are a danger to young people.”
For their part, sect studies centers in both countries continue to organize events aimed at improving the qualifications of teachers. Their attendance is recognized by school management as a full-fledged advanced training on this topic. In the events themselves, teachers are often indicated as one of the target audiences, along with social workers, psychologists, and clergy.
German pedagogical magazines for teachers and parents regularly publish both educational and methodological materials and developments on the topic of sects, as well as critical reviews of this phenomenon as a whole. This, in turn, helps to increase the level of knowledge of school teachers in the field of sect studies. The number of articles in these publications is so large that it is not possible to make even the simplest review of them within the framework of this article. Therefore, let us dwell on a simple mention of the names of some magazines that addressed the topic of sectarianism: “School Time”, “School from the Inside”, “Magazine for Parents”, “Teach and Learn”, “Focus 6 - a magazine for vocational schools”, “Workshop: information service for youth and school newspapers”, etc. The problem of sectarianism is not ignored in special pedagogical magazines devoted to the teaching of religion in German schools, for example, in the magazine “Religion”, Journal of Lessons on Religion and Life, etc. Several issues of the collection “are devoted to sects” Workbooks", aimed at school teachers and published by the Pedagogical Center of Berlin. To improve the prevention of sectarianism in German schools, surveys of teachers and students are periodically conducted (for example, a study of Bavarian schoolchildren by W. Müller, a survey of Berlin schoolchildren by H. Zinzer, etc.). In accordance with their results, the content of lectures on sects is adjusted, and other organizational and methodological conclusions are made.
In both Germany and Austria, the prevention of sectarianism in the education system has never been a priority in the work of the federal and state governments in the field of preventing the influence of sects. In the best traditions of an open society, these countries do not resort to prohibitive measures against certain sects, but engage in free and open discussion with them in the media, on public platforms and podiums, on university campuses and within the walls of schools. In resorting to such measures, the governments of these countries proceed from the quite reasonable assumption that a few lectures on the topic of sectarianism in school do not constitute any significant restriction on the rights of specific religious groups, which can, during their free time from school, day and night, present to young people an alternative point of view. Moreover, the very desire of many sects to ban any criticism of them in schools is seen as an attempt to establish a sophisticated type of censorship, in which an entire class of religious groups is completely removed from the sphere of any critical assessment and analysis.
In this article, only the most general analysis of the stated topic was carried out. The tasks of future research on this topic should include the analysis of educational, methodological and didactic materials on the topic of sects, the study of the history of the development of pedagogical thought in Germany and Austria in this area, as well as the question of how necessary, possible and useful it is in Eastern European countries to take into account and adopt the experience of these countries in this area.
Literature
1. Anlaufstelle für spezielle Fragen. GZ 33.542/301-V/8/95. - Wien: Bundesministerium für Unterricht und Kulturelle Angelegenheiten, 23. November, 1995. - 1 S.
2. Antrag der Abgeordneten Radermacher, Egleder, Engelhardt Walter, Goertz, Irlinger, Memmel, Werner-Muggendorfer SPD. - Bayerischer Landtag. 13. Wahlperiod. Drucksache 13/6939, 1996. - 1 S.
3. Antwort auf die schriftliche parlamentarische Anfrage No. 487 / J-NR/1996. GZ
Introduction
The youth environment, due to its social characteristics and acute perception of the environment, is the part of society in which the accumulation and implementation of negative protest potential occurs most quickly. Under the influence of social, political, economic and other factors among young people, those most susceptible to destructive influences, radical views and beliefs are more easily formed. Thus, young citizens join the ranks of extremist and terrorist organizations that actively use Russian youth for their own interests.
In recent years, there has been an intensification of a number of extremist movements that involve young people in their activities. According to expert estimates, on average, 80 percent of participants in extremist organizations are people under 30 years of age.
Extremist movements seek to take advantage of representatives of parties and movements that are actively playing the “national card” and trying to attract skinheads and members of football fan groups to their side. As a rule, this category of young people has good physical fitness and skills hand-to-hand combat, including the use of bladed weapons and improvised means (rebar, bottles, etc.).
When the negative protest potential is realized, immoral views and principles develop, causing harm to the interests of individuals or the whole society, consisting in the destruction of generally accepted norms of morality and law. The commission of crimes that impede the formation and development of institutions of democracy and civil society and, as a rule, this occurs on an unconscious level, that is, the consciousness of the individual is under the control of the ideology of extremist activity, manipulation of an organization of extremist orientation.
Almost all extremist youth groups usually wear informal character. Often, members of such groups have no idea about the ideological basis of extremist movements; they are influenced by loud slogans, external paraphernalia and other accessories. They perceive participation in extremist groups as a pleasant time spent with their peers. Groups of extremist youth are united according to the “network” principle, which presupposes greater independence of the cells forming the network (youth extremist groups), which, acting autonomously in normal times, at certain times unite to carry out group illegal actions, unite in large groups to carry out illegal actions.
Criminalization of a number of spheres of public life (among young people this is expressed in the widespread involvement of young people in criminal spheres of business, etc.), entailing a change in value orientations (foreign and religious organizations, sects that instill religious fanaticism and extremism, denial of norms pose a significant danger and constitutional duties, as well as values alien to Russian society).
Manifestation of the so-called “Islamic factor” (propaganda of ideas of religious extremism among young Muslims in Russia, organization of travel for young Muslims to study in countries of the Islamic world, where recruitment work is carried out by representatives of international extremist and terrorist organizations).
The presence of illegal circulation of means of committing extremist actions (some youth extremist organizations, for illegal purposes, are engaged in the manufacture and storage of explosive devices, teach the use of firearms and knives, etc.).
Use of the psychological factor for destructive purposes (aggression, characteristic of youth psychology, is actively used by experienced leaders extremist organizations for carrying out extremist actions).
Exacerbation of social tension among young people (characterized by a complex of social problems, including problems of the level and quality of education, “survival” in the labor market, social inequality, decline in the authority of law enforcement agencies, etc.).
1. Strategy for the prevention of extremist activities
Today, youth subcultures can be considered as structures that form and implement extremist activity. In this regard, the prevention of extremist activity among youth should go in the direction of destroying the potential of such youth subcultures. Taking into account the above, two basic strategies for preventing extremist activity can be identified.
The first strategy is prevention, focused on the destruction and/or reorientation of youth subcultures. For these purposes, it is necessary to create fields for the implementation of aggressive, extreme manifestations of young people, keeping them within the framework of current legislation and social norms. This strategy will be most successfully implemented through the development of extreme sports that contain elements of risk - mountaineering, speedway, snowboarding, parkour, etc. At the same time, the “managerial core” of the carriers of the subculture is destroyed, as well as the youth community is transferred to a new channel of a positive orientation.
The second strategy is prevention, aimed at creating and introducing new subcultures into the youth field, which are socially positive components as a counterweight to extremist subcultures. Here the authorities create and finance a youth association that has an attractive image, style of relations, type of activity for young people and involves as much as possible in its sphere of influence. a large number of youth. It seems optimal to create several such movements that realize the interests and preferences of different categories of youth.
When organizing work to prevent youth extremism, it is necessary to take into account that it is a system that includes several levels. It is necessary to carry out work with young people, that is, special “youth programs” that provide for regular meetings among young people and adolescents in educational institutions, clubs, when round tables are organized together with representatives of local authorities and social workers.
In Russia, there is no systematic approach on the part of all bodies involved in countering extremist activities. In this regard, the main actions to reduce extremist manifestations among young people should be focused on:
1) optimization of the youth social environment (in general), its improvement, creation of spaces in it for constructive interaction, stimulating positive emotions among young people from participating in the implementation social projects, from the analysis of achieved results, as well as from real experience in solving the problems of the younger generation;
2) the formation of mechanisms for analyzing the youth extremist field, the development of methods for its destruction, and the organization of constructive social zones in its place;
3) creating mechanisms for effective influence on the process of socialization of a young person’s personality, including him in the sociocultural space of the immediate community and society as a whole. The result of such work should be the formation of a tolerant, responsible, successful personality, focused on the values of citizenship and patriotism;
4) development of a system of psychocorrectional work aimed at preventing non-normative aggression, developing skills social interaction, reflection, self-regulation, developing skills of tolerant behavior, leaving destructive cults, organizations, subcultures.
The strategy for the prevention of extremist activity should be aimed at strengthening and integrating the educational influence of the family, school, vocational education institutions at various levels, public associations, and the media.
The main attention should be focused on the special socio-psychological situation in the life of any person, which falls on the age period from 14 to 22 years. Youth who are in a situation of possible “falling” into the field of extremist activity (youth in the “risk zone”). In this context, activities to prevent extremist manifestations among youth are aimed at young people whose life situation suggests the possibility of their inclusion in the field of extremist activity. These categories may include:
1) people from dysfunctional, socially disoriented families, with a low socio-economic status, insufficient intellectual level, with a tendency to behavior that violates social or cultural norms, causing wary and hostile attitude of others (alcoholism, drug addiction, physical and moral violence);
2) “golden youth”, prone to impunity and permissiveness, extreme leisure and considering participation in an extremist subculture as a natural form of pastime;
3) children, adolescents, and young people with a tendency toward aggression, forceful methods of solving problems and disputes, and with undeveloped skills of reflection and self-regulation; carriers of youth subcultures, participants in informal associations prone to behavior that violates social or cultural norms, causing a wary and hostile attitude of surrounding street companies;
4) members of extremist political, religious organizations and movements.
When organizing preventive work, it is important to take into account socio-economic and age characteristics different periods in which adolescents and young people find themselves.
The most dangerous, from the point of view of entering the field of extremist activity, is the age from 14 to 22 years. At this time there is an overlap of two important psychological and social factors. Psychologically, adolescence and youth are characterized by the development of self-awareness, a heightened sense of justice, and the search for the meaning and value of life. It is at this time that the teenager is preoccupied with the desire to find his group, the search for his own identity, which is formed according to the most primitive scheme of “we” - “they”. He is also characterized by an unstable psyche, easily susceptible to suggestion and manipulation. Socially, most young people aged 14 to 22 find themselves in a marginal position, when their behavior is not determined by practically any socio-economic factors (family, property, promising permanent job, etc.).
Young people, continuing their education, leave school, family, go to another city or region, finding themselves in a situation of freedom and social insecurity. As a result, the young man is mobile, ready for experiments, participation in actions, rallies, pogroms. At the same time, the readiness for such actions is enhanced due to his low material security, and therefore participation in protests paid for by someone can be considered as an acceptable opportunity for additional income.
The search for identity, attempts to gain a foothold in life lead to uncertainty, the desire to form a circle of like-minded people, to find someone responsible for all troubles and failures. Such a circle could well be an extremist subculture, an informal association, a political radical organization or a totalitarian religious organization, giving them a simple and concrete answer to the questions: “What to do?” and “Who is to blame?”
3. Methods of destroying extremist space, creating constructive ones in its place
social areas for youth
It is necessary to take into account the fact that immediate, direct prevention has virtually no effect. In this connection, it is necessary to build a system of this activity based on indirect, “soft” methods and forms of work that optimize both the environment and the individual.
The basis for organizing a system of preventive work, especially with groups of people at a crisis age, is the idea of controlled socialization, when the socio-psychological processes occurring with a teenager are professionally accompanied by relevant specialists, who are not always representatives of official institutions. Methods for destroying extremist space should be aimed at:
1) impact on the individual;
2) development of a tolerant, responsible, successful personality, focused on the values of citizenship and patriotism;
3) development of a system of psychocorrectional work focused on the prevention of non-normative aggression and extremist activity.
4. Rational reduction of the free, uncontrolled space of socialization of a young person
The life activity of a teenager or young man takes place in artificially created constructive, positive fields, within which he grows up, assimilates norms and stereotypes of behavior in society, and solves the most important ideological problems. The main resource for the prevention of extremist activity is the education system, which is the most organized, penetrating almost all spheres of society.
Prevention is based on an environmental approach, when conditions are created for a young person that significantly reduce the manifestations of extremist activity. To successfully implement the model, it is necessary to create and develop positive youth media
(with these media fully ensuring freedom of the press), capable of performing a civic, socializing function.
An important place in the prevention system is given to the activities of children's and youth public associations, whose task is to organize positive developmental leisure for adolescents and youth. In order for their activities to be effective and attractive to the younger generation, it is necessary to provide systematic, comprehensive support to such associations. This will allow developing the material and technical base, personnel, social, and creative potential of public organizations.
5. Preventive work aimed at reducing the destructive potential of youth subcultures
Preventive work is based on comprehensive activities to develop mechanisms aimed at optimizing the functioning of various youth communities that are carriers of certain subcultures that exist in modern Russia. The younger generation today is experiencing rapid growth in a variety of informal youth associations, movements, groups united for a variety of reasons. Some of these subcultures are clearly extremist in nature.
Preventive work has a number of positive features. Thus, in particular, it is based on the use of natural processes occurring among young people, which implies a “soft” version of the prevention of extremist activity, taking into account the interests and preferences of young people.
At the same time, the implementation of this model is difficult due to the lack of appropriately trained specialists, a limited number of specialized institutions that systematically work with representatives of youth subcultures, and insufficient awareness of state and municipal authorities about youth subcultures and the processes taking place in youth communities.
6. Interethnic relations
Prevention of extremist activity is impossible without targeted work to create interethnic relations among young people. A significant part of extremist manifestations among young people occurs on interethnic and religious grounds, which in most cases come from national minorities.
Extremist manifestations are significantly evident among students. Many of them occur on interethnic grounds. In order to prevent extremism and form interethnic harmony among students, it is necessary:
1. Increase the role of student public associations in the life of the university, the degree of their influence on processes in the student environment.
3. Organize monitoring of educational programs and manuals in order to identify materials aimed at inciting interethnic conflicts.
4. Establish as one of the criteria for the quality of educational work in universities a quantitative indicator reflecting the dependence of its condition on the number of students brought to criminal and, in some cases, administrative liability. It is also possible that this criterion should be taken into account when examining the performance indicators of universities for their state accreditation.
5. To develop and implement, with the participation of national diasporas, a set of measures to develop interethnic dialogue and internationalism among students, including the creation of international friendship clubs.
6. Enter in learning programs educational institutions teaching the basics of interethnic communication and international education of students.
7. As part of the educational work of educational institutions, increase attention to activities to promote the culture and traditions of the peoples of Russia and teach conflict-free communication skills, as well as educate students about the social danger of hate crimes for Russian society.
8. Introduce special comprehensive programs at universities for the adaptation and integration of students from the constituent entities of the Russian Federation of the North Caucasus Federal District and provide assistance to initiatives for their
support from various public organizations, incl. national diasporas.
9. Introduce specialists in educational work with nonresident and foreign students into the staff of student dormitories.
10. Create voluntary international student squads in universities to maintain public order and prevent conflicts based on ethnic hostility in the territory educational institutions, dormitories and campuses.
11. Develop mechanisms for a special system of training personnel from among representatives of various nationalities who have an all-Russian state consciousness and mentality, in order to form a new generation of regional elites. For these purposes, it is necessary to more carefully select the participants in targeted admissions to universities and create a system for searching for the most gifted young people in educational institutions with the aim of sending them for further education in prestigious universities countries.
Elements of the presented program are being implemented to one degree or another in modern Russia. For example, youth affairs authorities implement the traditional model of preventing extremist activity, relying on the activities of institutions for working with youth, registered youth associations, trying to involve adolescents and young people in socially approved forms of activity, and solve some socio-economic problems of young people. The best option today is a synthetic model, which includes the main elements described above.
7. Regulatory and legal support for the system of preventing extremist activity among youth
The direction is focused on creating institutional conditions that reduce the risk of the younger generation becoming involved in extremist activity. This direction is based on legislative work aimed at reducing socio-economic tensions among teenagers and young people, creating real opportunities for a successful start in life for the younger generation, and expanding opportunities for their self-realization. This direction proposes the implementation of the following activities:
1) development and adoption of legislative acts aimed at creating conditions for the successful socialization of youth;
2) development and adoption of by-laws aimed at: increasing the life chances of the younger generation in education, employment, housing;
3) support for talented youth, support for youth in difficult life situations;
4) development and implementation of juvenile justice as a mechanism for protecting the rights of children and youth, creating a modern legal framework for their life activities;
5) development of regulations regulating the implementation of a system of psychological “dispensary examination” of children, adolescents and young people in order to conduct regular examinations of the younger generation to identify mental disorders, negative overly expressed character traits, abnormal aggression and a tendency to deviate, psychological problems associated with inadequate self-esteem, etc.;
6) development of a regional target program aimed at preventing extremist manifestations among young people;
7) development or introduction into regional regulations concerning the support of children's and youth public associations, changes that provide for the introduction into legal circulation of the concepts: informal youth association, youth subculture, models, mechanisms for their support, etc.;
8) development and adoption of regional targeted programs aimed at increasing the life chances of adolescents and young people in the “risk zone”;
9) development municipal programs prevention of extremist manifestations among young people;
10) development of regulations aimed at including youth in the management of municipalities through the creation of systems of public councils and parliaments under local governments;
11) formation of the legal consciousness of young people, informing them about the legal consequences of participation in extremist activities.
8. Scientific, methodological and analytical support for the prevention of extremism among youth
Successful prevention of extremism among young people is impossible without an effective system of scientific, methodological and analytical support for this work. The direction is focused on creating technologies for studying youth extremism, creating a system for monitoring the dynamics of its changes, and developing adequate modern forms and methods of preventive work. Within the framework of this direction, the following activities are proposed:
1) development of research tools and conducting annual monitoring aimed at studying the problems and social well-being of children, adolescents, young people, studying deviations in human behavior among youth, analyzing the activities and development of youth subcultures;
2) development and implementation of a system of state grants aimed at supporting research and projects aimed at optimizing the system for preventing extremist activity among young people;
3) organization and holding of scientific and practical conferences dedicated to the study of problems of youth extremism;
4) the formation of a scientific community of researchers involved in studying the problems of extreme behavior, nationalism, chauvinism, xenophobia, and the development of tolerant self-awareness among young people;
5) development, publication and wide dissemination in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation of scientific and scientific-methodological works on designing and ensuring the functioning of a system for the prevention of extremism among youth;
6) creation of a thematic Internet resource for teachers, psychologists, social workers, managers and employees of youth centers, clubs, leaders and activists of youth public associations, dedicated to the problems of preventing extremist behavior of young people;
7) creation at the departments of social pedagogy, social work, social psychology universities operating in the relevant region, laboratories for studying regional aspects of manifestations of youth extremism, radical behavior, laboratories for the study of youth subcultures;
8) creation of experimental testing sites on the basis of state and municipal institutions for working with youth, youth centers innovative forms prevention of youth extremism, development of methods of “soft” management of youth subcultures, implementation of changes in the attitudes, goals, norms and values of their representatives;
9) creation of a register of children's and youth subcultures operating in the territory of a region or municipality with a description of their numbers, main types and forms of activity. Creation of a system of alternative fields, platforms for realizing the potential of young people and including them in socially approved activities.
The direction is focused on creating platforms where teenagers and young people will have the opportunity to satisfy their needs, which, in an unrealized form, can stimulate their participation in informal associations whose behavior deviates from generally accepted, socially approved, most widespread and established norms in society.
9. Main measures for the prevention of extremist activity among young people
1. Development and updating in the public consciousness of young people of a new value model of personality based on tolerance, a culture of peace, patriotism, and civic responsibility.
2. Creation of mechanisms for the organized inclusion of young people in extreme sports through the formation of regional associations of extreme sports, holding open championships for “extreme sports”, organizing specialized sports shifts in summer health camps, etc.
3. Establishment of youth media (TV channel, radio, magazines, newspapers) promoting tolerance, citizenship, patriotism, healthy image life, success, etc. among young people.
4. Activation of youth social movements, the basis of which is the idea of a positive solution to various youth problems.
5. Organization and holding of festivals of youth musical subcultures (punks, hippies, rockers, hip-hop culture, etc.).
7. Formation of a system of educational work with youth at the place of residence through the creation of organized platforms for developing leisure time for youth.
8. Creation of an effective system of rehabilitation centers for adolescents and young people who find themselves in difficult life situations.
9. Development of club forms of work based on the ideas of informal relations, democracy, self-government and self-organization.
10. Creation and development of “street” services for working with youth, whose specialists can carry out preventive activities directly among yard street groups and companies.
11. Development of yard sports, organization and holding of competitions in yard football, volleyball, streetball, etc.
12. Creation of clubs and centers in student dormitories that organize leisure time for students.
13. Construction of sites for youth extreme sports; creation, development of practical activities of youth councils under government agencies, ensuring their inclusion in real processes of managing the development of the region.
14. Personnel and organizational support for the functioning of the system for the prevention of youth extremism.
The direction is focused on training, professional retraining, and advanced training of specialists working with adolescents and youth, in accordance with the characteristics of the current stage of development of radical and extremist manifestations among youth.
Within the profile educational activities it is necessary to reconsider the goals, principles, methods, forms of training, as well as the standards regulating the activities of educational institutions in training specialists to work with youth.
Conclusion
The presented measures, strategy and directions for the prevention of extremist activity among youth will allow optimizing activities for the prevention of extremist activity among youth, distributing “areas of responsibility” between different levels of government.
Based on the interaction of the object and subject of prevention, the goals and objectives of this activity can be formulated:
1) creating conditions to reduce aggression, tension, and extremist activity among young people;
2) creating conditions for raising a successful, effective, tolerant, patriotic, socially responsible person; creating conditions to improve the life chances of adolescents and young people who find themselves in difficult life situations;
3) development of constructive social activity of adolescents and youth; development of positive youth subcultures, public associations, movements, groups;
4) creation of alternative forms of realizing the extreme potential of youth.
All this will make it possible to gradually reorient the trend in the development of youth extremism towards its reduction, as well as to use the potential of young people for constructive purposes, thereby finding a balance between the interests of young people, local communities, the state and society as a whole.
The article examines the experience of the Austrian education system in the field of preventing the involvement of students in sects and cults. The course of preventive lectures for students of secondary educational institutions, topics and principles of constructing classes are analyzed in detail. The material will be useful to domestic teachers - theorists and practitioners.
The active involvement of the population of all countries of the world in the activities of sects and cults has raised many questions for scientists about the phenomenon of sectarianism, its origins, the dynamics of development, the degree of influence on individuals and society. In the 80s of the 20th century, research into the prevention of sectarianism began in Europe and America. Lectures were introduced in secondary educational institutions to prevent students from joining sects and cults. The first educational and methodological developments in this area appeared. In the modern world, courses on sects and cults are taught in thousands of educational institutions at all levels of education. Next, we will consider the most famous course of lectures in Austria, dedicated to the prevention of sectarianism in secondary educational institutions of the country.
The course was developed by the inter-ministerial working group “Protection and Information”, created under the Ministry of Education and Culture of Austria. The course manual, authored by Harald Aigner, is preceded by a foreword by the Austrian Minister of Education and Culture Elisabeth Herer. Madam Minister notes in the preface that the most important task of educational institutions is to conduct lectures aimed at preventing students from falling into destructive societies, regardless of the religious or secular orientation of the latter. Accordingly, the course does not aim to list the names of specific sects and cults that children may encounter. It is assumed that effective prevention of sectarianism is possible without mentioning specific organizations. It is much more important to teach schoolchildren to recognize the main signs characteristic of sects and cults. Show what the sect will say and promise to a young man when meeting him, how it will present itself and the surrounding society to him. This approach allows, on the one hand, to prevent the involvement of students in significantly large quantity sects and cults, than can be mentioned within the boundaries of any, the most comprehensive course. On the other hand, unnecessary problems with religious organizations that are offended by the use of the terms “sect” and “cult” are eliminated. This course is one of many elective courses that are taught at the request of students and teachers in schools in Austria. However, it may also be offered as a separate series of lectures within another course on religion, for example the compulsory subject “Religion” in Austrian schools. Accordingly, the teacher can read the entire course or reduce it at will to several preventive lessons.
Aigner's manual is intended for teachers and is extremely popular. In 2003-2004 alone, the State Center for Sectarianism, operating under the Austrian Ministry of Social Welfare, Generations and Consumer Protection, sent out about 5,000 copies of the manual to targeted requests from Austrian teachers. If necessary, this Center provides other information support to teachers teaching this course (visual aids, books, audio and video products, etc. are offered).
Let us dwell in more detail on the analysis of the manual itself. The book is divided into three parts. The first part offers educational and methodological recommendations for conducting lessons. The entire course is divided into 17 topics. Accordingly, the analysis and discussion of each topic is designed for one lesson. The topic is revealed in a clearly defined sequence. First, students are given information in one thesis sentence - a description of the specific characteristics of the group, or rather its promises and calls to action, which, as a rule, children and young people recruited into the sect face. Then the thesis is clearly revealed in the form of a short story, not exceeding 15-20 sentences. Describes a specific situation they may encounter in a way that is simple and easy for students to understand. The thesis and story are presented orally by the teacher. After this, in accordance with the recommendations set out in the manual, the teacher works with the class on this topic. Among the proposed working methods, the following can be mentioned: individual tasks, independent work on a task common to all; group discussion of the topic; organizing meetings of students with former members of sects and cults; watching films about religious organizations, not only exposing films, but also propaganda products of the sects themselves, followed by discussion; study of existing concepts that consider the phenomenon of sectarianism; presentation of the results of sociological research and psychological experiments in the field of sectarianism. In this case, role-playing games are used with the active participation of students, in which they are asked to take turns playing the roles of a sectarian, a sect leader, a potential victim, a victim of a sect, etc. At the final stage, the teacher, together with the students, must come to the main conclusion, which is formulated in the form of a recommendation or food for thought.
Briefly, in a few adapted version, we will retell the theses, goals of working with the class and conclusions of all 17 topics.
Thesis 1. “In the group you will find what you have been looking for and what you have been striving for until now. The group knows what you're really missing."
Target. Teach to recognize cult recruitment strategies.
Conclusion. There are no one hundred percent correct and final decisions and answers to questions about the meaning of life. Life presents us with new and new questions to which we must seek answers.
Thesis 2. “The very first contact with the group will open completely new horizons for you.”
Target. Help schoolchildren understand that assurances that if they join a group they will be able to solve all the world's problems are nothing more than a way of recruiting into a sect.
Conclusion. The desire of every person to make the world a better place is very valuable. However, there are no universal recipes here, and a person is not able to change the whole world by joining any organization.
Thesis 3. The group’s ideas about the world are very simple and answer all questions without exception.
Target. Explain to schoolchildren what motives lead people to make “simple” decisions.
Conclusion. It's nice when others offer simple solutions to our problems. However, there is no one solution to all questions and problems, and it is very dangerous to let others think and decide for you.
Thesis 4. It is difficult to form a clear picture of the group. The group does not provide the opportunity to verify the information offered: “This cannot be explained, you must experience it from your own experience: come with us and you will see everything for yourself.”
Target. Teach to critically perceive those people who, from the first meeting, make a bewitching, incredibly good impression. Young people must remember that under the mask of friendliness there may be a desire to use them and manipulate them.
Conclusion. We must always be aware of what exactly we are striving for in this life and what the acceptance of this or that proposal will lead to.
Thesis 5. There is a teacher, leader or guru in the group, and only he owns the fullness of the truth.
Target. Teach to critically perceive everyone who claims to have absolute knowledge.
Conclusion. Truly great people are distinguished by modesty, respect for others, politeness and do not allow the creation of a cult around their personality.
Thesis 6. The teaching of the group seems to be the only correct and true one. Academic science, rational thinking, and reason are presented in an extremely negative light.
Target. Young people must understand that pseudoscientific theories and mysticism, as well as unfounded claims to the absoluteness of solutions, will not help them resolve complex problems. life problems.
Conclusion. The world is not black and white, but colorful. One who inspires doubt and distrust is one who condemns and scolds others in order to strengthen his own position.
Thesis 7. Criticism from the outside is perceived by the group as proof of its own rightness.
Target. Help students understand: sects do not tolerate any criticism, either from outside or from within.
Conclusion. Anyone who is afraid of criticism and is unable to criticize himself inevitably falls into dependence. Independence obliges us to constantly critically reconsider both our own positions and the views of those around us.
Thesis 8. The group claims that the world will soon suffer a catastrophe, and only the group members know how to avoid it.
Target. Explain that the sect takes an individual approach to each person, and quite often this approach comes down to intimidation.
Conclusion. Fear-mongering and pressure to “do something with the group before it’s too late” are not a normal way to resolve any problems.
Thesis 9. The members of the group are saved, and the rest of humanity is doomed to destruction.
Target. Students must learn that there are situations in every person's life when he wants to give up everything and run away from the world around him. Sects masterfully exploit this situation.
Conclusion. Beware of those people who proudly talk about their elite position and salvation, while all those who disagree are doomed to death.
Thesis 10. The group insists that the person join it immediately.
Target. Identify strategies for initiating a quick decision to join a sect.
Conclusion. Beware of people who demand quick decisions from you. All serious decisions require time to think, weighing the pros and cons.
Thesis 11. The group delimits itself from the entire surrounding world with the help of a special language, strict intra-group discipline, and prohibitions on communicating with people who are not members of the group.
Target. Teach to understand that all problem communities distance themselves from the outside world.
Conclusion. It is necessary to talk more with each other to overcome various barriers and avoid any artificial restrictions in communication.
Thesis 12. The group invites a person to sever all his old connections, stop acquaintances, as they supposedly interfere with his development.
Target. Show that totalitarian formations strive to take possession of all of a person’s time, to control all of his connections and contacts.
Conclusion. Beware of those who encourage you to abandon your entire previous life in the name of a new, bright cause - that is, membership in a group.
Thesis 13. The group completely regulates all connections of its members with the opposite sex.
Target. Explain that sex can act as a lever of pressure on an individual and that for the sect a person’s individual preferences do not play any role.
Conclusion. Be wary of people who claim to control your personal life. Don't let them do this.
Thesis 14. “The group fills everything you have free time various work: selling books and newspapers, recruiting new members, attending lectures, long meditations.”
Target. Students must understand that real goal Such comprehensive use of people's idealism ensures the economic success of the group and enriches its leaders.
Conclusion. Be careful with those who waste your time for their own selfish purposes.
Thesis 15. “It’s hard to be alone, but in a group there is always someone nearby.”
Target. Explain that for effective recruitment, the sect often offers to become familiar with its teachings away from any external influences, in an environment completely controlled by her, alone with her adherents.
Conclusion. Be extremely careful with groups that seek to isolate themselves from the outside world with the help of special guards and security systems.
Thesis 16. If you fail on a new path, you are told that you yourself are to blame, because you have little faith in the teachings of the group or do not work enough for it.
Target. Explain that feelings of guilt and fear support a person’s dependence on the group and play into the hands of its leaders.
Conclusion. If doubts are prohibited and persecuted, this should immediately raise alarm bells. Doubt is the main means of self-control. What is important is not the number of people who adhere to our point of view, but its truth and the depth of our beliefs. Doubt is a good tool for testing any position.
Thesis 17. The group demands strict compliance with its rules and declares that this is the only way to salvation.
Target. Schoolchildren must understand that unquestioning obedience to the group inevitably leads to the loss of the most important human rights and turns him into a slave.
Conclusion. Resist coercion, do not allow yourself to be turned into spiritual slaves in this way. The assertion that a person can “earn” salvation if he, like a robot, unquestioningly obeys and works on command is a sure sign of danger.
Upon careful examination of the topics of the lessons, it becomes clear that they are designed not only to prevent students from being drawn into a sect, but also, to some extent, to work with young people who have already been drawn into it. The course itself is intended primarily for high school students.
The second part of the manual contains a selection of additional materials about sects and cults, allowing teachers to become more deeply familiar with the topic. Extensive quotes from various scientific works on this topic are used, a definition of the very concept of “sect” is given, the main characteristics of sects are listed, and their classification is given. The whole range of possibilities is considered negative impact similar organizations on the person and society. Data from sociological surveys are presented showing the degree of prevalence of sectarian ideas in society in general and educational institutions in Austria in particular, and the main stages of recruiting a person into a sect are examined in detail. Contemporary psychological theories are outlined that interpret cult entry and membership. A theological analysis of the non-traditional religiosity of society is also provided. The entire range of measures that parents can take to strengthen their children’s “immunity” to recruitment into sects is listed.
The third part provides a brief excerpt from Austrian legislation and provides a list of secular and church anti-sectarian centers and government institutions to which victims, as well as anyone interested in issues of sectarianism, can apply. In total, the list lists 6 secular and 16 ecclesiastical centers. In addition, a short list of references is provided to further enhance knowledge in this area.
In conclusion, it should be noted that in Austria there are other teaching aids and reference materials on sects intended for secondary schools. Moreover, special seminars on the problem of sectarianism are regularly held with teachers. Similar school courses are taught in other countries European Union. Familiarization with the experience of Western countries in the prevention of sectarianism in the education system can help domestic specialists in improving existing domestic approaches to solving this problem.
1. Aigner, H. Gemeinschaft kann Gefahrlich werden / H. Aigner. - Wien: Bmbwk, 2001. -80s.
2. Bericht der Bundesstelle fur Sektenfragen an den Bundesminister fur soziale Sicherheit, Generationen und Konsumentenschutz. Berichtszeitraum: 2003. - Wien: Bundesstelle fur Sektenfragen, 2004. - 116s.
3. Bericht der Bundesstelle fiir Sektenfragen an den Bundesminister fur soziale Sicherheit, Generationen und Konsumentenschutz. Berichtszeitraum: 2004. - Wien: Bundesstelle fur Sektenfragen, 2005. - 116s.
4. Sekten. Wissen schutzt! - Wien: Bundesministerium fur Umwelt, Jugend und Familie, 1999.-74s.
5. Traditional religions and new religious movements in Belarus: a manual for the hands. educational institutions, teachers, educators / comp. A.I. Osipov; edited by A.I. Osipova. - Minsk: Belarus, 2000. - 255 p.
6 people. Society. State: textbook, manual for the 11th grade. general education institutions with Russian language training: in 4 books. / T.M. Alpeeva, E.V. Belyaeva, G.A. Vasilevich [and others]; edited by Yu.A. Kharina. - Minsk: Narodnaya Asveta, 2002. - Book. 4: Man in the world of culture. - 191 p.
Among the dangers facing young people, one should consider religious totalitarian sects. They involve young people using the technologies of network organizations and relying on a powerful material base (usually foreign). Their ministers are persistent and patient. A young man can only laugh at a fellow traveler who starts talking about a religious topic, hide the propaganda brochure away, and forget about a chance visit to a seminar. However, the subconscious continues to work. And under some circumstances, a person can return to these thoughts, believe the sectarians and fall under their complete influence.
How to be?
First, let's define the terms.
The word sect has negative associations and is usually used polemically or pejoratively. Political correctness requires other expressions: confession, church, denomination, religious or public organization, spiritual teaching, brotherhood, movement, school.
The boundaries of designation here are fluid.
The following levels of organizations are distinguished:
- Churches (Churches, Ecclesia) – the main religious organizations.
- Directions (denominations) – large branches of the main denomination.
- Sects – fence themselves off from the main confession, establish a priority for intra-group relations and values over state and public ones. They develop into denominations.
- Cults (New Religious Movements) - young, local, arise around the leader.
Sects have an additional classification.
According to sources:
- Occult
- Pseudo-Hindu
- Pseudo-biblical
- Pseudo-Orthodox
By time of occurrence:
- Classic
- Post-war
- Newest (post-Soviet)
By area of activity:
- Commercial
- Healing
- Pedagogical
- Psychological
- Environmental
By danger to society:
- Totalitarian
- Destructive
- Killer sects
Among the signs of a sect:
- the indisputability of the authority of primary sources,
- strict pyramidal hierarchy and guruism,
- the presence of an open (for the masses) and closed (for the initiated) creed,
- psychological influence through rituals,
- the desire to change the thinking and actions of its followers,
- exploitation and receipt of material values in exchange for psychological reward.
In essence, these signs apply to both “non-totalitarian sects” and orthodox religion, and even to non-religious organizations. Who enjoy no less authority, actively involve influential people and collect huge amounts of money from their flock.
I believe that to recognize a sect as “totalitarian” there are two main criteria:
1. Unfreedom. The desire to involve as many followers as possible and control all aspects of their lives and activities, including their most secret thoughts.
2. Hostility. On the one hand, the sect’s propaganda is based on the denial of something, some traditions or codes. On the other hand, public opinion is negative.
3. Position of the official authorities. A sect is recognized as totalitarian if it is required by the executive, judicial, legislative powers, as well as the media and the church.
Destructive cults call for destruction, murder, suicide.
It should be noted that recognized religions throughout history have motivated much more destruction and death (the Inquisition, the fight against infidels, persecution, incitement to suicide, etc.) than the most aggressive sects.
Condemnation, exposure and analysis of the activities of various sects are often carried out by representatives of other competing religious organizations.
Typically, totalitarian sects arise as a type of business to enrich and satisfy the ambitions of a small group of people: leaders, propagandists and recruiters. They introduce the principle network marketing: The more people you involve, the higher your position in the hierarchy. Even if only one conversation out of a hundred, only one brochure out of a thousand, turns out to be effective, the work will continue. A properly processed follower will work for the benefit of the sect, donate money or bequeath real estate. And all costs will be paid off.
What preconditions can make a young man a victim of totalitarian sects? This is more common:
- keen interest and craving for everything unusual and mystical;
- weak, unstable psyche, increased suggestibility;
- difficult situation (family problems, health and mental disorders, unfavorable social background, vicissitudes of fate, etc.);
- the presence of relatives, friends and idols who are passionate about religion and mysticism;
- drug addiction experience.
When INVOLVED in sects, the following methods are used:
- Psychological pressure. Threat of supernatural punishment. Provoking feelings of guilt, shame, compassion (manipulating images of sin, pride, pity). Inertia of agreement (having said “yes” five times, it’s difficult to say “no” on the sixth).
- Active reinforcement. Vivid approval of necessary judgments and actions - and condemnation of undesirable ones. "Love Bombing" Anticipating reactions, “mind reading,” and extraordinary persuasiveness can be achieved using neurolinguistic programming methods.
- Tricks. Demonstration of unusual insight, the ability to heal, predict the future, and control events. Usually through fabricated “miracles” or technical means.
- The use of streamlined, universal formulas (“you have one sin...”, “there will be one meeting, it will change the whole fate...”), which the listener himself thinks out, gives significance, special meaning.
- Introduction to trance-like states of consciousness (numbness, relaxation, changes in emotions, flow of images are felt). Techniques of suggestion leading to uncritical perception of information. Possibly with the use of psychoactive drugs (alcohol, hallucinogens, etc.).
- Stimulation of individual craving for mysticism. Many people have a special sensitivity to the processes of the “subtle world” and reverence for the other world.
To CONFIRM your stay in a sect, other methods are used:
- Psychological enslavement. Suppression of will.
- Development of addiction: psychological, narcotic. Creating the effect of “family”, “soul mates” - an artificial kinship that cannot be abandoned.
- Burdened by material debts, the requirement to “work off”, etc.
- Involvement in criminal activities - “entanglement”.
- Use of force (detention, imprisonment, corporal punishment, etc.).
- “There is no turning back.” Proof of the irreversibility of the transition beyond a certain limit. Such a “transition” can be an initiation rite, deprivation of property, or sexual violence.
- The illusion of involvement in great mysteries, the promise of revealing even more significant knowledge.
- Inflating self-esteem, emphasizing one’s own importance. In its own way, the development of “delusions of grandeur”.
- Creating the effect of a career, a costly climb up the ladder of improvement, which is a pity to quit.
In influencing the psyche, sectarians use archetypes of the collective unconscious. These are universal stimuli that trigger an unconscious response, associations, incentives to action and determine value choice.
Innate archetypes of the collective unconscious.
Based on instincts inherent in the entire human species.
Fear of death and punishment, interest in death (“thanatos”) makes one fear divine forces (or rather, people who act on their behalf) - and obey.
- Sexual instinct (“eros”) causes attraction to individuals, images or situations that symbolize a given sect. Interest in a sect can be provoked, for example, by the external charm of its representatives or rumors of orgies.
- The desire for knowledge (“gnosis”) is a powerful instinct. Causes an attraction to the mysterious, unknowable, transcendental, the desire to seek patterns, order in chaos. This instinct fuels the myth of “secret knowledge” that allows one to control the world. Accordingly, cults satisfy these aspirations by explaining the “structure” of the world through a certain “truth”, introducing order, discipline,
- Instinct of searching for food (“trophos”). Sometimes involvement in a sect is a simple act of feeding the hungry and homeless.
- Social instinct. A person strives to be among people, to communicate, to love and receive love, to care and receive care, to subjugate and obey, to divide people into friends and enemies, “friends” and “strangers.”
Cultural archetypes of the collective unconscious.
The culture of sects uses images not only of ancient mythology, mentioning various deities and heroes, but also the myths of modern mass culture and science. They deftly manipulate scientific terms and concepts such as extraterrestrial civilizations, waves, fields, rays, genes, etc.
The image of the Beyond (incomprehensible, unattainable, inexhaustible) and traditional storylines are widely used:
- Great journey,
- Victory of good over evil,
- Liberation from shackles,
- Resurrection, immortality
- Correction of shortcomings, sins,
- Saving the world,
- Introduction to the secrets of the past and future,
- Achieving universal happiness.
Similar archetypes can be found in any dialogue that accompanies involvement in a cult.
The key task of the sectarians is to appropriate a person’s property, preferably cash. Main methods:
To be drawn into a false education and career system. It is proposed to develop personality. Subsequent levels of training cost more and more. The need to improve status is increasingly acute. Tempting prospects (to become a “superman”, to earn a lot from teaching or leadership). It is not profitable to interrupt your career. A vicious circle arises. They can squeeze everything out of a person and then eliminate them (expel them under the pretext of sin or imperfection, drive them to prison, a clinic, or suicide). At the same time, the person remains faithful to the sect and promotes it.
- Induce to donations, gifts, bequests.
- To impose the purchase of books and other attributes.
- Directly collect money from event participants. Encourage attendance at future events.
What to do?
1. Be aware of the existing problem. Be educated. Don't get hooked.
2. Understand that recruitment into sects most often takes place in transport, on the territory of universities, at exhibitions, and also in places where you have to wait and cannot leave. Also, recruitment is often carried out in the form of official “personal development courses” and “promising job” offers.
3. If a conversation is unavoidable, be laconic, do not ask questions, do not argue. Thank you and leave quickly. It is not advisable to read propaganda literature.
4. Do not dive deeply into collective spiritual practices. Be able to stop studying in time by taking something useful for the individual.
5. If you have become involved in a sect, you can seek support from law enforcement agencies, the health care system (psychiatry, psychotherapy) and orthodox religion (church), or in special centers psychological rehabilitation of victims of spiritual and psychological violence and destructive cults.
Applications:
Literature:
1. Healing from cults: Help for victims of psychological and spiritual violence / Ed. Michael D. Langoney: Trans. from English E. N. Volkova and I. N. Volkova. - Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny Novgorod State University. N. I. Lobachevsky, 1996.
2. Classification of totalitarian sects and destructive cults of the Russian Federation (To help the diocesan missionary) / Missionary Department of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church. - Belgorod, 1996.
3. Korolenko T.P., Dmitrieva N.V. Sociodynamic psychiatry. - Novosibirsk - 1999
4. Leary T. Technology of changing consciousness in destructive cults. 2002
5. New religious organizations in Russia of a destructive and occult nature. Directory. Belgorod, 1997.
6. Oleinik I., Sosnin V. Totalitarian sect: how to resist its influence. M., Genesis, 2005, 79 p.
7. Orel N. Psychological mechanisms of the influence of totalitarian groups on the individual: prevention and overcoming addiction // Control of consciousness and methods of suppressing personality: Reader / Comp. K.V. Selchenok. Mn.: Harvest, M.: ACT Publishing House LLC, 2001. 624 p.
8. Pocheptsov G. Psychological wars. M.: Refl-book. M., 1999 - Page. 53-55.
9. Khvyli-Olintera A.I., S.A. Lukyanova “Dangerous totalitarian forms of religious sects”
10. Cialdini R. Psychology of influence. St. Petersburg: Peter Kom, 1999.
11. Cherepanin O. Totalitarian sects in the Yaroslavl region // Missionary Review (Belgorod). - 1996.
12. Shapar V.B. Psychology of religious sects. Harvest, 2004
Internet sources:
1. Destructive cults. Conversation of specialists on the pages of the newspaper "September 1".
2. Materials on consciousness control and destructive cults. Page of an expert on this topic, psychologist Evgeniy Volkov. Expertise, articles, websites. Where to go for help (addresses of centers and specialists).
3. Psychological mechanisms of involvement in religious totalitarian sects
4. Secrets of totalitarian cults and destructive sects. Collection of articles online on Psifactor.
5. Center of the Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyons. The site reflects the diversity of sects.
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