„… megbántam, és az Úristen azt tudja, és megbocsátja nekem …” (S. története egy dél-erdélyi falu új vallási mozgalmáról)
“I have repented of it, and the Lord God knows that and will forgive me” S.’s Story about a New Religious Movement in a South-Transylvanian Village

Summary/Abstract: Through the story of S's conversion, the paper presents a case study of a denominational conflict within a closed village community. S left his/her Protestant denomination, re-christened and then left his/her new group as well to seek salvation, the true way and a community where he/she can live freely according to his/her belief. In 1998, after years of bitter denominational strife, the religious conflict in the Transyl-vanian village led to the local Protestant minister's losing his pulpit gown. Led by the dis-missed preacher, a new religious movement, the members of which called themselves Charismatics, began its missionary service in the village. The peculiar religious practices of the Charismatic movement were very different from the traditional Protestant practice the village community was used to. It was the differences in religious practice as well as in the administration of sacred time and place that led to tensions which reemerge from time to time even today whenever the Charismatic group organizes a public event. The story of S. casts a special light on the interpretation of this conflict. It shows what motivated those who joined the Charismatic movement, it highlights the new possibilities they had, and interprets the conditions of life of those who left the Charismatics but re-fused to rejoin the Protestant camp in the closed village community.

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