10.17192/mjr.2004.9.3632 Lewis, James R. James R. Lewis New Religion Adherents: An Overview of Anglophone Census and Survey Data Marburg Journal of Religion : Vol 9 No 1 (2004) Philipps-Universität Marburg 2004 Institute for Comparative Cultural Research - Study of Religions and Anthropology 2015-06-03 2015-06-03 en JournalArticle https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0004/2004/117/3632 urn:nbn:de:hebis:04-0004-2004-117-36320 https://doi.org/10.17192/mjr.2004.9.1 https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0004/2004/117/3632/3632.png 1612-2941 application/pdf General estimates of the extent of the New Religions phenomenon vary considerably. The two basic quantitative questions in this area are: How many groups? And, How many people? These questions are not as simple as they might at first appear. A more fundamental question involves classification: Where does one draw the line between alternative and non-alternative religions? What one finds when one actually tries to determine where to draw such a line is that the difference between “mainstream” and “alternative” is a matter of degree rather than a sharplydefined distinction. 1612-2941 Marburg Journal of Religion Vol 9 No 1 (2004)