The Church of Scientology

by J. Gordon Melton

Overview

 L. Ron Hubbard—best-selling science fiction writer, former naval officer, and people’s philosopher—did not initially intend to found a new religion. But neither did he object when followers organized a church based on his teachings. The resulting movement has attracted millions of adherents from around the globe.

Much of Scientology applies common sense solutions to life’s perplexities. If a church should be judged according to its good works, then Scientology receives high marks for its addiction treatment, literacy, and civil rights programs. But there is more, including mysticism, mythology, some secrecy, and a healthy dose of what might be termed eccentricity. Some observers wonder how a church that promotes mental and emotional well being, which it does, can itself at times appear to be paranoid or dysfunctional? Dr. Melton explores these questions and the major aspects of the church’s hierarchical structure and theology, showing, among other things, that the study of religion is seldom dull.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781560851394
Publisher:	Signature Books, Incorporated
Publication date:	05/28/2000
Series:	Studies in Contemporary Religions
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	4.75(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	17 Years

About the Author

 J. Gordon Melton is the director in Santa Barbara, California, of the Institute for the Study of American Religion. He is the author of the influential Encyclopedia of American Religions and some twenty other works, co-author of the award-winning Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, and a frequent contributor to scholarly books and journals on the subject of new religions.

Read an Excerpt

 BIRTH OF A RELIGION

As the twenty-first century opens, the Church of Scientology1 has emerged as one major focus of the ongoing controversy on new religions and their role in the rise of religious pluralism in the west. The teachings of founder L. Ron Hubbard enjoyed some immediate success with the public following their initial appearance in 1950, but one could have hardly predicted Scientology’s meteoric rise or its history of public conflict from its modest beginning. The controversy over Scientology has extended at times to almost every aspect of the church and its founder, and while those issues have been largely resolved in North America, the very status of Scientology as a religion continues to be seriously questioned in some quarters and has been the subject of multiple court cases. True, it has been recognized as a religion in many countries of the world, including the United States; but opposition continues in some quarters. In the modest space allowed, this essay cannot cover every point at issue, but does attempt to provide (1) an overview of the life of L. Ron Hubbard anchored by the generally agreed upon facts; (2) an introduction to the church’s beliefs, practices, and organization; and (3) a summary of the major points of the controversy.

Table of Contents

1.	Birth of a religion	1
	The Founder
	The Disruption of War
	Encountering the Powers That Be
	The 1960s and Beyond
	The Church of Scientology International
2.	What Is Dianetics/Scientology?	25
	Dianetics
	From Dianetics to Scientology
	Ethics and Justice
3.	The Organization of Scientology	39
	The Structure of the Church
	Social Betterment Programs
	Association for Better Living and Education
	Narconon/Criminon
	Applied Scholastics
	The Way to Happiness Foundation
	Social Reform Programs
	Citizens Commission on Human Rights
	National Commission on Law Enforcement and Social Justice
	World Institute of Scientology Enterprises
4.	But Is It a Religion?	53
	Critics Abound
	The Future
	Notes	65
	Selected Bibliography	79