New religious movements and violence

Since the emergence of new religious movements (NRMs), the many issues concerned with them have been studied. Although some of these movements come to the fore by spectacular acts of violence such as murder and mass suicide, the relationship between them and violence has become the major topic of conversation. In this study, new religious movements and violence relationship is examined under two main headings on the basis of Peoples Temple, Branch Davidian, Solar Temple, Heaven's Gate and Aum Shinrikyo, which are called as the "big five" because of the nature of their violence acts. In the first section, there are three main headlines: the fact of violence, the relation between religion and violence, and new religious movements in the context of violence. In the second section, firstly it is mentioned from violence discourses of some NRMs, then is arranged the factors that lead to NRMs from theological elements to socio-cultural, economical and political causes. Later, it is emphasized the types of violence that NRMs apply to both their members and outsiders. Our findings show that some NRMs have tended towards violence with the effect of the various factors; the violence acts of NRMs have aimed at the members of these groups rather than the outsiders; and the types of violence in NRMs have varied a wide range from insult, humiliation and threatening to abuse, beating, killing and suicide. Key Words: New Religious Movements, Violence, Suicide, Homicide.