申論題

一、英翻中(三選二,每題30%)

1. These groups can all be considered as "New religious movements" (NRMs). There is no scholarly consensus on a definition of NRMs, except that they are "new" at the time of their appearance in a particular place. How long do they stay "new"? According to one vicw, the novelty of NRMs is a function of their being exotic foreign implants- a conception which is too coloured by the Western experience of Asian-originated NRMs (and bence exotic to Westerners), to be of any comparative analytical value. By another perspective, an NRM is a group whose membership consists entirely of new converts, without second-generation believers. On the other hand, groups almost 200 years old, such as the Mormons, are still often considered as NRMs. Most Western NRM scholarship has focused on groups that appeared in the West after World War II; the term "NRM," however, is derived from the Japanese shinshukyo 新宗教,or shinko shikyo 新興宗教whichin Japanese scholarship, efers to religious groups wbich have emerged since the mid 19th century. Chinese cases have only recently entered academic discussions of NRMs, referring to studies of groups such as Yiguandao, the qigong movement and Falungong.