Is still only Opinion. Beckford et al may be academics but without a process of observation, hypothesis and experiment  all that an academic has is opinion - and that is as much prone to personal prejudice as any other opinion. Certainly there is nothing in any of the published Sociological texts on apostasy that even begins to approach a falsifiable Theory of apostate behaviour.

The worst aspect of those Social Scientists promoting the 'deviant apostate' doctrine  is their own belief in their capacity to make psychology deduction - something for which they are patently not qualified. It mightbe fair to turn their naieve Freudianism back onto these unqualified psychologists and point out that their characterisations of apostates as ego inflated inadequates may actually an expression of the collective fear of Beckford, Wilson, Bromely and all,  that it is they who are inflating inadequate study, in the face of far more competent and demanding work carried out by others.

An alternative apostate model can be identified in the case of the reformed addict - undeniably the ex junkie, alky, or gambler may be enthused by a missionary zeal against addiction but no one denies the importance of that zeal, nor denounces the experience of the once addicted while crediting the currently addicted with overarching insight and understanding.

Social Science has always had a credibility problem, as a discipline it will have to get to grips with the prejudices of the 'new theologians' if it is not to be irreparably harmed. When the likes of Rawat and Scientology look upon Sociologists as natural alies - the rot may already have gone too far.