Cult Problems and Social Order: Comparative Sociological Study of Formation of Public Sphere

以比较视角研究邪教问题与社会秩序的研究者不仅要考察邪教问题，还要考察文化和社会的背景现象。承认我们的研究成果是现代世界最近的邪教问题的一部分，我们三年的研究项目达到了我们期望的结果：1)樱井义英对欧洲、北美地区和日本的邪教问题和反邪教运动进行了比较研究；2)土家博司从研究者的立场角度重新思考灵性和宗教。3)Manabu Watanabe描述了信徒在邪教中的归属、皈依和叛逃，并评估了他们所经历的退出咨询的心理效果。4)渡边修士论述了邪教信徒退出咨询的合法性，并将他们的康复与日本大量的闭门者进行了比较。5)小池康士论述了幸存者的诉求，侵犯了他们的人权，这反映了现代文化的自决和自我责任。(6)Hiroko Nakanishi比较了日本和韩国媒体对统一教会的报道。(7)研究生也在各个领域进行了有价值的研究。虽然有不少研究者对这个问题感兴趣，一些年轻的研究者也意识到了宗教社会学的重要性，但首席研究者应该指出组织研究小组面对邪教问题的困难，并通过对邪教的批判性和实践性认识来回应平民的期望。然而，对邪教问题的研究应该继续下去。

Researchers who study cult problems and social orders in the comparative perspective should conduct survey not only cult issues but background phenomena of culture and society. Admitting that our research results are partials of recent cult problems in modern world, our three years' research project reached our desired result as follows:1)Yoshihide Sakurai conducts comparative study of cult issues and anti-cult movements in Europe, North American region and Japan.2)Hiroshi Tsuchiya reconsiders spirituality and religion in the perspective of researcher's positionality.3)Manabu Watanabe describes believers' affiliation, conversion, and defection in cults, and evaluates psychological effects of exit counseling they experienced.4)Hutoshi Watanabe argues legitimacy of exit counseling for cult believers and compares their recovery with large numbers of shut-in person in Japan.5)Yasushi Koike deals with survivors' claim, infringement of their human rights, which reflects modern culture of self-determination and self-responsibility.6)Hiroko Nakanishi compares media reports concerning the Unification Church in Japan with those in Korea.7)Graduate students also conduct valuable researches in various fields.Although not a few researchers are interested in this issue and some young researchers are aware of significance in the sociology of religion, head investigator should indicate the difficulties of organizing research group that will face cult issues and respond civilian's expectation by critical and practical recognition of cults. However, study of cult issues should be continued.