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Each year, INFORM organises two day-long seminars for counsellors, clergy, educationalists, social workers, members of religious movements, their families, former members - and anyone else who is interested in gaining and exchanging information that could be of practical use. The themes of past seminars have included New Religious Movements and Violence, New Religious Movements and Sexuality and New Religious Movements and the Millennium.
[click for past seminars] [click for Codes of Practice for Seminars]

Talks

INFORM provides speakers for schools, universities, religious and other institutions. The speakers provide basic information and stimulating discussion about what the movements appear to be offering converts, some of the practices involved in their methods of proselytising, and some of the potentially negative consequences of joining a movement.

Most people are unprepared for dealing with new and/or alternative or spiritual religious groups. Their actions are often based on insufficient, unreliable and/or over-generalised information. This can have (and frequently has had) unforeseen and undesired consequences.

1. The religious groups themselves are unlikely to reveal negative aspects of their beliefs and practices. Consequently,

   1. potential converts may take the groups' accounts at face value, without realising what they are letting themselves into until it becomes difficult for them to extricate themselves

   2. friends and relatives, unaware of the potential problems, may adopt a laissez-faire attitude.

2. The movements' opponents and the media tend to sensationalise the more 'bizarre' aspects of a few new and/or alternative or spiritual religious groups and/or to report only negative aspects of the movements and use blanket terms such as 'mind control', failing to distinguish the various attractions that different movements can offer. Consequently,

   1. potential converts who come across normal-looking members talking about the more ordinary and/or attractive aspects of their beliefs and practices:

      1. do not recognise them as part of the 'bizarre cults' about which they have heard

      2. become so convinced that the stories they have heard are totally ludicrous that they dismiss all warnings

      3. will not have prepared themselves for responding to the religious movement because they will have assumed that they could not possibly find anything attractive in such despicable groups.

INFORM provides the facts about religious groups, enabling people to make an informed response.

If you would like to book a speaker for your organisation, contact INFORM.