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Multifaceted approach of corpus analysis for characterizing Christian religious groups
Author(s)
Date Issued
August 1, 2025
Type
Article
Abstract
The use of a range of corpus-based methods to systematically examine religious groups from a language perspective remains relatively unexplored. This paper highlights the procedures and contributions of five corpus analyses used to examine various Christian religious groups. The target groups were categorized into mainstream religion, sect, cult, and destructive cult based on their social characteristics and the linguistic features in the sermons of the leaders were analyzed. The linguistic patterns reveal the similarities and differences between mainstream religious groups and sects, differentiate the characteristics of sects from cults, and highlight the potential progression of cults into destructive cults. All groups are elaborative and persuasive in discourse; however, cults and destructive cults are more elaborative and persuasive than mainstream religious groups and sects. This paper allows us to see the significance of language and various corpus-based methods for identifying the stage of development of a potentially harmful religious group.
Citation
Critical Research on Religion, 13(2), 222-245, 2025