NRM

N1R1M3

A form of new religious movement — (abbreviated NRM) Any religious community or spiritual group of modern origins, having a peripheral place within a state's dominant religious culture.

Less commonScrabble 5

Meanings

nounNRM (countable and uncountable, plural NRMs)

plural NRMs

  1. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablelifestyleInitialism of new religious movement.

    Although est and the Forum are frequently characterized as NRMs or 'cults' (q.v.), leaders and participants have typically denied that undergoing the seminars involves following a religion.

    2006, George D. Chryssides, The A to Z of New Religious Movements, Scarecrow Press, →ISBN, page 121
    4 more examples

    TM, Erhard Seminars Training (est), and the Rajneesh Foundation are currently the most visible NRMs offering a release service to clients in Western Europe, but a large number of smaller groups are also in operation.

    1987, James A. Beckford, New Religious Movements and Rapid Social Change, SAGE Publications Ltd, →ISBN, page 44

    To illustrate rather than to define: among the better-known NRMs are the Brahma Kumaris, the Church of Scientology, the Divine Light Mission (now known as Elan Vital), est (erhard Seminar Training, now known as the Landmark Forum), the Family (originally known as the Children of God), ISKCON (the Hare Krishna), Rajneeshism (now know[n] as Osho International), Sahaja Yoga, the Soka Gakkai, Trandscendental Mediations, the Unification Church (known as the Moonies) and the Way International. One might also include Neo-Paganism, Occultism, Wicca (or witchcraft) and several movements that are within mainstream traditions, such as part of the House Church (Restoration) movement from within Protestant traditions, and Folkolare, the Neo-Catechumenates, Communione e Liberazione and perhaps even Opus Dei from within the Roman Catholic traditions.

    1996, Eileen Barker, “New Religions and Mental Health”, in Dinesh Bhugra, editor, Psychiatry and Religion: Context, Consensus and Controversies, London and New York: Routledge, →ISBN, page 126

    The prospect of a new global order is also central to many variants of the Human Potential and New Age movements and Scientology. All these very different kinds of NRM nevertheless share a conviction that human beings have, perhaps for the first time, come into possession of the knowledge required to free them from traditional structures of thought and action. Hence, the confidence of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of Transcendental Meditation, and of Werner Erhard, the founder of est (now largely reconfigured as the Landmark Trust), that the state of the entire world would improve if a sufficient number of people became sufficiently energetic and disciplined about their spiritual practice.

    2004, James A. Beckford, “New Religious Movements and Globalization”, in Phillip Charles Lucas, Thomas Robbins, editors, New Religious Movements in the 21st Century, Abingdon and New York: Routledge, →ISBN, page 208

    The majority of NRMs are, however, not indigenous to Europe. Many can be traced to the United States (frequently to California), including offshoots of the Jesus Movement (such as the Children of God, later known as the Family); the Way International; International Churches of Christ; the Church Universal and Triumphant (known as Summit Lighthouse in England); and much of the human potential movement (such as est, which gave rise to the Landmark Forum, and various practices developed through the Esalen Institute).

    2005, Eileen Barker, “New Religious Movements in Europe”, in Lindsay Jones, editor, Encyclopedia of Religion, Detroit: Macmillan Reference, →ISBN, page 6568
  2. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablemedicineInitialism of non-relapse mortality.
  3. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableInitialism of natural resource management.

    Local knowledge, experience, and traditions of NRM are valuable assets when harnessed for research and action.

    2006, Stephen R. Tyler, Comanagement of Natural Resources, →ISBN, page 4
  4. UKabbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablerail transportInitialism of National Railway Museum.
proper noun
  1. UgandaabbreviationinitialismgovernmentInitialism of National Resistance Movement.

    “The thieves are parasites that must be stamped out,” Museveni said about his administration’s fight against graft last month, adding that his ruling NRM party “does not victimize anybody without proof (of corruption).”

    2024 July 22, Nimi Princewill, “Uganda’s President Museveni warns citizens they are ‘playing with fire’ over planned protests”, in CNN
Cite this entry
APA

NRM. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/NRM

MLA

“NRM.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/NRM. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “NRM,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/NRM.

Source: NRM on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.