In 1993, an organization called Scientology was granted a full tax exemption from the United States government on the grounds that Scientology is a church - a religious movement - and should thus be subject to the same tax laws governing other major religions, such as Christianity and Judaism. Members of the organization, which had been calling itself a religion from its inception in the 1950s, were overjoyed, and considered the ruling a major victory (Franz, 1997). From that day forward, it was official thanks to the government backing: Scientology is a religion.
However, taking a closer look at Scientology’s beliefs and practices, it seems that Scientology shares more characteristics with magic than it does with religion. Magic and religion differ in four major ways. First of all, magic has a specific goal, while religion has a more general goal (K. Bowen, SOCI2333 lecture, September 16th, 2009). For example, someone practicing magic may aim to evoke rain immediately to nourish the crops, while someone practicing religion might pray for a generally good growing season. This leads into the next difference, which is that magic attempts to control or dominate the gods/holy figures, while religion merely makes requests to them (K. Bowen, SOCI2333 lecture, September 16th, 2009). Someone practicing magic may perform a certain ceremony or ritual to ensure something will happen, while a religious person will say a prayer and hope that the holy figures will listen. Third, magic is said to be falsifiable, while religion is unfalsifiable (K. Bowen, SOCI2333 lecture, September 16th, 2009). That is, if the intended result does not occur after a magic ritual, something clearly went wrong; with religion, however, if prayers do not work, it i...
... middle of paper ...
...iological Analysis, 41(2), 128-136.
Bell, C. (1997). Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions. London: Oxford University Press.
Franz, D. (December 31, 1997). $12.5 Million Deal With I.R.S. Lifted Cloud Over Scientologists. New York Times. Accessed online: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/31/us/12.5-million-
deal-with-irs-lifted-cloud-over-scientologists.html
Hubbard, R. L. (1950). Dianetics: The modern science of mental health (2007 printing). New York: Bridge Publications, Inc.
Miller, R. (1987). Bare-faced messiah: The true story of L. Ron Hubbard. London: Henry Holt & Co. Accessed online copy: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/miller/bfmconte.htm
Reitman, Janet. (February 2006). Inside Scientology. Rolling Stone, pp. 55-65.
Ross, M. (1988). Effect of membership in Scientology on personality. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 27(4), 630-636.
Jung, C. G., and Marie-Luise Von Franz. Man and His Symbols. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1964.
On the morning of August 12, 1995, Arnie Lerma’s house was raided by lawyers of the Church of Scientology two armed Federal Marshals. A...
For many decades, the cult phenomenon has fascinated the masses. A cult is an organization with deviant beliefs and practices, and is characterized by the apparent life-time membership of its participants. It seems to be very popular among troubled teenagers and adults. The psychology behind why some people are more susceptible to the charms and the lure of being in a cult is not very widely researched or understood. Many people are concerned with cultist behavior and the effect that they have on the individuals involved, believing that they have been “brainwashed” into this lifestyle. This paper deals with cult mentality and how people become involved in certain religious and secular cults. It will explore the personality traits of current and ex-cult members as well as look at case studies of members of particular cults. The format of this paper will first look at some preexisting dispositions, the psychological effects while in the cult, and any short term or long term effects upon leaving the cult, as well as some treatment options.
Bainbridge, William Sims. Stark, Rodney. “Scientology: To Be Perfectly Clear.” Sociological Analysis. 41. 2. 1980: 128-135. JSTOR. Web. 10 Nov. 2013
Cults have existed throughout history since the beginning of time. A cult is defined in Webster’s dictionary as a “system of religious worship with a devoted attachment to a person, principle, etc.” Over the past thirty years numerous religious cults have caused “ tens of thousands to abandon their families, friends, education’s, and careers to follow the teaching of a leader they will never meet”(Beck 78).
“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” ― Albert Einstein. According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, religion could be defined as, “an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group”. In other word a religion could mean a belief in a supernatural controlling power. In todays society there are many well renowned religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The main thing that all of these above mentioned religions have in common is that they serve as guides on how one should live their life. On the other hand many people started to question religions and their stories. Which in turn led to many individuals becoming atheist. According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, atheism is defined as, “a disbelief in the existence of deity”. Basically atheism is the belief that a supreme overlord does not exist. Let’s forget about atheism and concentrate on religions. There are many religions beside the big three that many people don’t know about. Many may not believe this but scientology is considered a religion. A science fiction author named L. Ron Hubbard created the religion, which is now known as scientology. Hubbard was born on March 13th, 1911 in Tilden, Nebraska. He later attended George Washington University, where he studies engineering and molecular physics. From 1934 to 1936 Hubbard started to write novels and gained much success in 1937. On 29th of March 1941, L. Ron Hubbard earned his Master of Sail Vessels license for Any Ocean. Three months later, he is commissioned as Lieutenant of the United States Navy Reserve. With United States involvement in the Second World War, Lieutenant Hubbard was dispatched to Australia. After a couple years in ...
McBride, James, Sheperd, Williams C., & Robbins, Thomas (Eds.). (1985). Cults, Culture, and the Law: Perspectives on New Religious Movements. The American Academy of Religion.
Fine lines proceed to subsequently blur the separation between a religion and a cult. Throughout history, the label cult has consistently succeeded in disparaging numerous religions including Christianity. To bring a standstill to the confusion amidst all personages, the narrow slash between these two matters need to be entirely divulged and established. Distinctions separating a religion and a cult are elucidated primarily by their treatment of individuals and relations. Variances can be seen through examples of behaviors, the “Moonies” cult, and the works of the Christian religion.
Within the past twenty years scientology has dominated celebrity culture. The religion has increased its celebrity following, and as a consequence has been put in the spotlight. Scientology is a fairly new religion that was founded in the 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard started his career as a science fiction writer, but one day when he was under anesthesia at the dentist he had an epiphany that inspired Scientology. He believed he knew all the answers to the universe, and he wrote Dianetics, which has become a guide book for the religion (Christian Century). Scientology focuses on the soul and clarity of the mind. In scientology the soul is called a thetan, and followers are required to “undertake the path of mental liberation with the help of another person, a spiritual counselor called an auditor” (Molloy). Auditing how scientologists free and overcome problems from past lives that their thetan inhabited. Molloy says, that scientology has roots in Buddhism and Hinduism because of the connection to past lives and liberation of the soul. L. Ron Hubbard set out to make a thriving religion that would grow and prosper.
The key of Scientology is that it deals mainly with the human spirit and its salvation and rehabilitation. It preaches that an individual is a spirit; not a body, not a brain, not something of genes and chemicals. It is this single recognition of the nature of an individual that forms the foundation of this religion. Throughout the ages, man has viewed himself as more of a spiritual being then anything else. It has only been within the last 100 years or so that the materialistic idea that man is merely another animal similar to a monkey or rat has taken place. Scientology teaches that this idea is incorrect and acts as a barrier to a personal understanding of life. Its like if you skip a step and don't believe in something, then you can not fully understand the religion in its entirety. Scientology basically answers all the questions in life that people long for, such as "Who am I" & Where do I come from." It truly helps give understan...
Scientology is a religion that is becoming more and more popular and known. One of the reasons for this is the amount of press it gets. One of the biggest churches for scientology is located in LA this could result in the amount of celebrities involved in this religon. There is also a great amount of controversy concerning this religion. After taking this world religions class I have come to learn that this controversy is true with all religions.
Many people have heard of the revolutionary new religious practice called Scientology. However, the majority of people who have heard of it, have little knowledge of the principles and practices behind the religion. In fact, there is a dark side behind Scientology, and much speculation that the religion is a brainwashing cult. Many people are opposed to the religion because of its secretiveness, its extreme methods of teaching and its alleged use of mind control.
He first became involved with the organization in 1990 with his first wife Mimi Rogers. Cruise battled dyslexia as a child and claims that scientology helped him overcome the battle. He campaigned for Scientology to become a recognized religion in Europe and promoted various programs that introduce people to Scientology. He even received the Scientology Freedom Medal of Valor in 2004. Scientology is well known for its opposition to drugs made to help with psychic type patients. His views have caused many media troubles as they are not popular and have even caused conflicts with co-workers such as Steven Spielberg. A documentary in 2015, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, casted a spotlight on Cruise’s support for and role in Scientology (Biography). Another notable Scientologist in the film industry is John
Barry, Peter. "Psychoanalytic criticism." Beginning Theory: an Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 3rd ed. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2009. 92-115. Print.
The word cult, as defined by Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary denotes “a usually small circle of persons united by devotion or allegiance to an artistic or intellectual movement or figure.” According to this interpretation, all religious groups can be classified as having this characteristic. However, due largely in part to stereotypes portrayed in the media, much of society perceives the word cult as definable by “a close-knit, unorthodox religious movement in which members, or potential members are enticed by means of deception and indoctrination.” It is in accordance with this explanation that one can separately distinguish the hundreds of religious groups fitting this description, from the much larger number of orthodox religions, or religions deemed conventional.