NZ Cults & Religious Groups List: N

Hot picks: Narconon, Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), New Age Movement

N

Name Above Every Name Inc. Alternative name for Kingdom of Jesus Christ, a cult started in the Philippines by Apollo C Quiboloy.

Nar-Anon. Similar to Al-Anon but to help the families and friends of drug addicts. Nar-Anon has an international web site but it isn't well designed so may not work for your browser.

Narconon. A Scientology front group present in New Zealand. Related to Criminon. Supposedly for the treatment of narcotic addictions, the treatment can actually be quite harmful. Stay well clear of it. In other countries they have tried to push their message by lecturing at schools. Do not confuse with Nar-Anon, Narcotics Anonymous or Al-Anon.

Narcotics Anonymous. Started in New Zealand in the mid-1980s. From the NA web site:

Narcotics Anonymous sprang from the Alcoholics Anonymous Program of the late 1940s, with meetings first emerging in the Los Angeles area of California, USA, in the early Fifties. The NA program started as a small US movement that has grown into one of the world's oldest and largest organizations of its type. ... NA's earliest self-titled pamphlet, known among members as "the White Booklet," describes Narcotics Anonymous this way: "NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We … meet regularly to help each other stay clean. ... We are not interested in what or how much you used ... but only in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help."

Also see Nar-Anon. Do not confuse with Narconon.

Necromancy. Speaking with the dead, an occult practice which Christians should stay well clear of.

Nee, Watchman. Watchman Nee was born around 1903 in mainland China. Became a Christian in 1920. Trained Witness Lee. Imprisoned in 1952 where he remained until his death in 1972. Apparently held a few questionable doctrines (such as the belief that each city should only have one church) but was more orthodox than Witness Lee was.

Neo. Character in the cult movie The Matrix. The word means "new".

Neuro-liguistic Programming (NLP). NLP appears to be at best pseudoscience, at worst a self-sustaining con. It can be regarded as a Large Group Awareness Training (LGAT) program - being taught in seminars and workshops - and thus possibly competes with Landmark Education, although less well known than that LGAT and less likely to harm its participants. It is also distributed in audio programmes and books. NLP does not itself seem particularly New Age, but many practitioners do have very strong New Age (and even occult) beliefs, and use NLP to support and disseminate their own teachings. In this respect NLP seems tailor-made for their purposes. Wikipedia outlines some of the scientific problems with NLP.

... critics argue that NLP's claims for scientific respectability are not based on the scientific method. In response, advocates of NLP argue that NLP is a pragmatic discipline, largely interested in what "works" rather than existing theory. ... critics maintain that the experimental research that does exist has been overall unsupportive of the central assumptions and core models of NLP, and that it is therefore up to the proponents to back up their models and claims of effectiveness with evidence.

This is sadly similar to how Theophostic Counseling operates - the pragmatic attitude of "it works so we should do it" without bothering to figure out if it does really work (and in the case of Theophostic, if it's something that Christians should be involved with anyway). What people perceive as working is not a test of reality or scientific truth. If it works it should be scientifically testable to be shown to work. The attitude of NLP supporters that they don't need to provide rigorous scientific evidence for NLP's assumptions reminded the New Zealand Cult List editor of how the Gentle Wind Project marketed its healing instruments - GWP claimed scientific studies had been performed but when pressed for details claimed the studies had been cut short because the healing instruments obviously worked so well they didn't want to deny the control group the use of the instruments. So, does NLP work? And just what scientific evidence for NLP is there? A segment of Wikipedia's summary:

... there is a lack of empirical research or evidence to support the core aspects of NLP or the claim that NLP is an effective and rapid set of techniques for enhancing psycho-therapeutic practice, interpersonal communication and social influence. ...

The experimental research that does exist was mostly done in the 1980s and 1990s, and on the whole was unsupportive of the central assumptions and core models of NLP. It consisted of laboratory experimentation testing Bandler and Grinder's hypotheses that a person's preferred sensory mode of thinking can be revealed by observing eye movement cues and sensory predicates in language use. A research review conducted by Christopher Sharpley which focused on preferred representational systems, in 1984, followed by another review in 1987 in response to a critique published by Einspruch and Forman, concluded that there was little evidence for its usefulness as an effective counseling tool. Reviewing the literature in 1988, Michael Heap also concluded that objective and fair investigations had shown no support for NLP claims about "preferred representational systems". A research committee working for United States National Research Council led by Daniel Druckman came to two conclusions. First, the committee "found little if any" evidence to support NLP's assumptions or to indicate that it is effective as a strategy for social influence. "It assumes that by tracking another's eye movements and language, an NLP trainer can shape the person's thoughts, feelings, and opinions (Dilts, 1983). There is no scientific support for these assumptions."

But it's not just 1980s papers which point out the lack of scientific evidence for NLP. Gareth Roderique-Davies, Principal Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Glamorgan, wrote a rather interesting paper (PDF) in the July 2009 edition of Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education that looks at the cargo cult psychology of NLP. He summarises quite succinctly in the introduction:

This paper explores what NLP is, the evidence for it, and issues related to its use. It concludes that after three decades, there is still no credible theoretical basis for NLP, researchers having failed to establish any evidence for its efficacy that is not anecdotal.

And in the conclusion:

... NLP masquerades as a legitimate form of psychotherapy, makes unsubstantiated claims about how humans think and behave, purports to encourage research in a vain attempt to gain credibility, yet fails to provide evidence that it actually works. Neuro-linguistic programming is cargo cult psychology.

Not all our readers agree with our Caution rating. A Christian who was involved with NLP "prior to being saved and born again" had this to say:

NLP is very dangerous; seems great as most things do - a form of brain washing, and changing one's belief systems and values very subtly. Used a lot in business and motivational type programmes, and become very secular in its appeal.

The Skeptic's Dictionary NLP article highlights various inconsistencies between NLP beliefs and reality, such as:

One NLP guru, Dale Kirby, informs us that one of the presuppositions of NLP is "No one is wrong or broken." So why seek remedial change? On the other hand, what Mr. Kirby does have to say about NLP which is intelligible does not make it very attractive. For example, he says that according to NLP "There is no such thing as failure. There is only feedback." Was NLP invented by the U.S. Military to explain their "incomplete successes"? When the space shuttle blew up within minutes of launch, killing everyone on board, was that "only feedback"?

The basic NLP tenet that "no one is wrong or broken" is not only self contradictory, but contradicts the Christian concept of sin. NLP also turns the focus of a Christian from depending on God to depending on their own efforts, abilities and attitude, in a similar way to Christian Science, Scientology and hypnotism.

Our thanks to British NLP practitioner Andrew Bradbury for his help in preparing this listing, grudgingly given though it was at times.

New Age Movement. Basically Hinduism for the West, has no central teaching or leader, but is a collection of beliefs and practices, including the mistaken ideas that truth is relative, people have power (for supernatural healing etc) within themselves, that they will evolve to become gods, etc. The New Age Movement is not new; the name comes from New Agers themselves, referring to a new astrological age that was supposed to start a few years back. For more information see the New Age Movement Closeup or read the article about The School of Philosophy (Auckland), a pretty typical New Age group.

New Apostolic Reformation. A cross-denominational movement centred around the restoration of the ministry of an apostle (from Acts) overseeing a local church or group of churches and even geographical areas. This could well provide the avenue for Super Apostles to arise. Chief leaders of this movement include Peter Wagner and Rick Joyner. Even now, at its early stages there are signs of doctrinal traits similar to Kingdom Theology or Dominion Theology surfacing in major proponents' writings, which gives cause for concern. Submissions for this listing are now being accepted. Please see the Contact page.

New Church in New Zealand. Probably a Swedenborg group.

New Testament Church of God New Zealand. Local branch of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee).

New Zealand Spiritual School. New Age outfit founded in Auckland and Christchurch in January 2005 by Lynne Towner. She was quoted in The Aucklander as saying 'the school might attract claims of "quackery"'. One wonders why. When founding it, she was hoping for NZQA recognition. Since that time its name has changed to Soul Dynamics.

New Zealand Training Centre. Apparently a Local Church of Witness Lee front group in Hamilton.

NZ Revival Network. Pushes the false revival movement from Lakeland, Florida.

NZ School of Meditation. New Age group. Holds free meditation classes at Ferndale House (a historic building) in Mt Albert, Auckland.

Niagara Therapy. A strange treatment that apparently uses no medicine, no herbs, and not much of anything else, but is supposed to work wonders for all sorts of conditions, especially on older people. Probably related subject - placebo effect. Also note Consumer NZ's note on Niagara Therapy.

NLP. See Neuro-linguistic Programming.

Noni Juice. Juice from the noni fruit, claimed to have all sorts of miraculous medicinal properties. Apparently it tastes like horse pee.

Nooma. See Nooma on the Movies page.

Nutritionals. USANA Nutritionals is the name of a range of products by USANA Health Sciences.