INFORM

The organization was created with the support of the Home Office (UK Home Office ), the Archbishop of Canterbury , Cardinal Hume and representatives of other major faiths in the UK. INFORM's activity is to collect data on various NSDs for public authorities, researchers, the media and individuals. Funding is provided by the Home Office, from the contributions of the founders and donations from major faiths, slightly from seminars and the sale of literature. According to the INFORM policy adopted, no new religious movements or organizations associated with them participate in the financing.

The official patrons of INFORM are: ^[4] Bishop of Norwich Churches of England Graham Richard James ; moderator of the “Group of Free Churches” and co-chair of the “Conference of Charismatic and Pentecostal Leaders of Great Britain” Hugh Osgood ; Metropolitan of Diocles Callist (Ware) ; auxilliary of the archparchy of Southwark and the titular bishop of Rosmark Roman Catholic Church Paul Hendricks ; Baron Meghnad Desai ; Baron Nazir Ahmed ; Baroness Sally Greengross .

Advisory Group: ^[4] Sir John Ellison and Lady Allison (Gillian) ; sociologist of religion Abby Day ^{[approx. 1]} ; Monsignor Peter Fleetwood , Priest of the Liverpool Archbishopric of the Roman Catholic Church and Advisor to the Pontifical Council for Interfaith Dialogue ; Priest of the Parish of St. Mary of Newington Canon Giles Fraser ; jurist Conor Gerti ; Theologian Ron Gives ; jurist Mark Hill ; economist and political scientist Mary Kaldor ; Royal Barrister Philip Katz ; Hugh Marridge ^{[approx. 2]} ; Hertfordshire County Public Health Director Jim McManus political scientist and writer Zia Meral , Management Advisor, Plectrum and Solicitor Sarah O'Grady ; journalist, publisher and writer Damian Thompson ; Robert Tauter ^{[approx. 3]} ; Religious sociologist David Voas ; LSE chaplain James Walters ; sociologist of religion Linda Woodhead .

The general INFORM policy is determined by the Board of Governors, which meets twice a year and, based on their results, submits an annual report and audit of financial activities to the Registration Chamber of Great Britain in and the Charity Commission of England and Wales .

Board of Governors: ^[4]

• Eileen Barker - Chairman
• James Beckford - Vice Chairman
• George Craisides
• Conor Gerti
• Graham Harvey
• Warwick Hawkins
• Kim knott
• William Kenny
• Andrew Maguire
• M.S. Shterin - University Relations Officer
• Alan Walker

The steering committee is responsible for developing monitoring and making daily decisions, including the appointment of new employees.

Composition of the Steering Committee: ^[4]

• James Beckford - Chairman
• Eileen Barker
• Andrew Maguire

Composition of INFORM employees: ^[4]

honorary

• Gene Sibylla Lafontaine
• Bernard Doherty

full-time

• Amanda Van Ek Deymayer Van Twist - Deputy Director of INFORM
• Sarah Jane Harvey - Researcher since 2001 . She received a bachelor of arts in comparative religion and social anthropology at the University of Manchester and a master of science in sociology (methods of social studies) at the London School of Economics and Political Science. In 2009, she began to study at the Department of Psychosocial Studies at Birkbeck College , University of London, preparing to receive a Ph.D. on the topic of spirituality and childbearing. At INFORM, she is primarily responsible for maintaining a database of new religious movements and responding to requests from outside. Her research interests include paganism , as well as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( Mormons ) and the Pentecostal Church of Penuel . In 2009, she acted as the guest editor of the journal The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies (T. 11, No. 1).
• Sybil Macfarlen - She started working at INFORM as an intern in the summer of 2010, after she received a Master of Arts in Religious Studies from King's College, Cambridge University , defending a thesis on the role of modern Christian music as a religious experience for young people. Previously, she received a bachelor of arts in history and religious studies from McMaster University . Currently, she is an office manager and research assistant, studying various religious groups and working with INFORM archives.
• Susan Newcomby has been an INFORM employee since 2002 . In addition, she is a lecturer ( Associate Lecturer ) of the Open University in London and lectures on new religious movements / alternative religions at Kingston University . She received a Bachelor of Arts in Religion at Amherst College , a Master of Science in Religion in Modern Society at the London School of Economics and Political Science . She received PhDs from Cambridge University for her research on the popularization and development of yoga in the UK and is currently continuing her research in this area (see modernyogaresearch.org). He is the author of articles in collective monographs, as well as in scientific journals of the Journal of Contemporary Religion , Religion Compass and Asian Medicine .
• Silke Steidinger - since 2006, is an assistant researcher and is engaged in the study of various religious groups for the database, as well as compiling INFORM catalogs. In 1999, at the Royal College of Cambridge University, she received a bachelor of arts in religion. In 2004, she received a Master of Science in Religion in Modern Society (Sociology) at the London School of Economics and Political Science , defending a dissertation on the topic of death in new religious movements. In addition, she is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist certified by the Psychotherapeutic Council of the United Kingdom .

British religion sociologist Brian Wilson noted that INFORM often manages to resolve or neutralize deeply emotional conflicts arising in connection with new religious movements. ^[five]

The information network center for religious movements is criticized by anti - cult organizations, in particular, FAIR , for the soft attitude to sects ^[6] . British politician, vice president of FECRIS Thomas Jeffrey Sackville who in 1995-1997 was the parliamentary deputy secretary of state in 1997, he canceled INFORM funding from the Home Office ^[7] , which brought the organization to the brink of closure. ^[8] However, when funding was resumed in 2000, Sackville warned the government that INFORM would have poor peer reviews and said: “I canceled the INFORM grant and I think it’s ridiculous that it was restored.” ^[7] Barker, in turn, stated that she and her organization, “are not apologists for cults ”And that the noise is raised out of the blue by those who do not conduct serious scientific research and are as closed to the arguments of the mind as those cults that are criticized. In addition, in her opinion, the FAIR was disappointed that it had not received the funding from INFORM. ^[7]

• Cesnur

• Beckford, James A. & Richardson, James T. (2003), "Introduction", in Beckford, James A., Challenging religion: essays in honor of Eileen Barker , Routledge Taylor & Francis Group , ISBN 978-0-415-30948 -6  
• Chryssides, George D. (1999a), Exploring New Religions , Continuum International Publishing Group , ISBN 978-0-8264-5959-6  
• Chryssides, George D. (1999b), "Britain's anti-cult movement", in Wilson, Bryan R. , New religious movements: challenge and response , Routledge , ISBN 978-0-415-20050-9  
• Chryssides, George D. & Wilkins, Margaret Z. (2006), A reader in new religious movements , Continuum International Publishing Group , ISBN 978-0-8264-6168-1  
• Fautré, Willy (2006), "Non-state actors and Religious Freedom in Europe", in Andreopoulos, George J., Non-state actors in the human rights universe , Kumarian Press , ISBN 978-1-56549-213-4  
• ICSA (2009), Profiles: Eileen Barker, Ph.D., OBE, FBA , < http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_profile/barker_eileen.asp > . Retrieved December 19, 2009.   Archived January 3, 2010 on Wayback Machine
• Telegraph staff (2000-07-31), Cult advisers in clash over clampdown , < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4253550/Cult-advisers-in-clash-over-clampdown.html > . Retrieved December 19, 2009.  
• Thomson, Alan (1999-02-12), Cult-watch center faces closure , < http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=144989§ioncode=26 > . Retrieved December 19, 2009.  
• Wilson, Bryan R. (2003), "Absolutes and relatives: problems for NRMs", in Beckford, James A., Challenging religion: essays in honor of Eileen Barker , Routledge Taylor & Francis Group , ISBN 978-0-415-30948 -6  

• Official website