A RESEARCH ON NEW RELIGIONS IN VIETNAM AND EAST ASIAN NATIONS – THEORETICAL QUESTIONS

Abstract

New religion is a phenomenon that exists in contemporary religious life and it has influenced many areas of society and is one of the central themes of modern religion. There are many new definitions of religion, and new religions are so diverse, complex that they cannot be sorted  in term of classification, especially new religions of indigenous origin. In the international conference on new religions in Korea in 2016, scholars and researchers from many countries have also set the subject of reasoning, classification, characteristics and theoretical framework for studying new religions in East Asian countries. Following the international trend, the purpose of this article is to examine the definitions, classifications and clarifications of common characteristics of new religions of indigenous origin in Vietnam and other East Asian countries.