Abstract
Based mainly upon the results of research conducted between 1987 and 1990 on new religious movements and alternative religiosity in Switzerland, this article - following some initial considerations about various possible levels for the analysis of changes in NRMs - first deals with the evolution of the alternative religious scene in Switzerland, which appears similar to the situation observed in neighbouring countries. No individual NRM has been able to gather a large number of members, but ever-increasing numbers of NRMs are to be found in the “religious market place” - including several which had not found their way to Switzerland before the 1980s. The second part of the article is a case study concerning some aspects of the evolution of Sukyo Mahikari (a new religion from Japan) in Switzerland. More specifically, it focuses on the evolution of the members themselves and analyses the way in which they come to integrate the values and practices of the group. It becomes clear that full acceptance of the ideology of the movement is a lenghty process. In conclusion, the article offers some considerations about the future. On the basis of changes during the past 20 years, an increasing number of movements might be expected, but none of them is likely to secure a prominent position in mainstream Swiss society.