The organization was supported by the UK Home Office and the British established churches and was designed to conduct research and disseminate accurate information about new religions.
[18] Barker established INFORM due to her "conviction that a great deal of unnecessary suffering has resulted from ignorance of the nature and characteristics of the current wave of [NRMs] in the West.
[20] In the United States, CESNUR gained representation through the Institute for the Study of American Religion in Santa Barbara, California, which was directed by J. Gordon Melton.
[21] Scholars of new religion often operate in a politicized environment given that their research can be cited in legal briefs and judicial decisions regarding NRMs.
[23] It can, for example, provide accurate information about a particular religious movement that can help guide an individual's reactions to the group; "an awareness of the complexity of a situation might help people to avoid precipitous actions that would later have been regretted.
"[24] Sympathetic scholarly groups have been accused of uncritically believing what NRMs tell them, being pro-NRM, or ignoring the issues raised by ex-members.