Download or read book Among the Scientologists written by Donald A. Westbrook and published by Oxford Studies in Western Esotericism. This book was released on 2018-11-23 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Church of Scientology is one of the most recognizable American-born new religions, but perhaps the least understood. With academic and popular interest on the rise, many books have been written about Scientology and surely more will follow. Although academics have begun to pay more attention to Scientology, the subject has received remarkably little qualitative attention. Indeed, no work has systematically addressed such questions as: what do Scientologists themselves have to say about their religion's history, theology, and practices? How does Scientology act as a religion for them? What does "lived religion" look like for a Scientologist? This is not so much a book about the Church of Scientology, its leaders, or its controversies, as it is a compilation of narratives and histories based on the largely unheard or ignored perspectives of Scientologists themselves. Drawing on six years of interviews, fieldwork, and research conducted among members of the Church of Scientology, this groundbreaking work examines features of the new religion's history, theology, and praxis in ways that move discussion beyond apostate-driven and expos� accounts.
Download or read book Going Clear written by Lawrence Wright and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2013-01-17 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower comes “an utterly necessary story” (The Wall Street Journal) that pulls back the curtain on the church of Scientology: one of the most secretive organizations at work today. • The Basis for the HBO Documentary. Scientology presents itself as a scientific approach to spiritual enlightenment, but its practices have long been shrouded in mystery. Now Lawrence Wright—armed with his investigative talents, years of archival research, and more than two hundred personal interviews with current and former Scientologists—uncovers the inner workings of the church. We meet founder L. Ron Hubbard, the highly imaginative but mentally troubled science-fiction writer, and his tough, driven successor, David Miscavige. We go inside their specialized cosmology and language. We learn about the church’s legal attacks on the IRS, its vindictive treatment of critics, and its phenomenal wealth. We see the church court celebrities such as Tom Cruise while consigning its clergy to hard labor under billion-year contracts. Through it all, Wright asks what fundamentally comprises a religion, and if Scientology in fact merits this Constitutionally-protected label.
Download or read book Scientology written by James R. Lewis and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-03-11 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scientology is arguably the most persistently controversial of all contemporary New Religious Movements. James R. Lewis has assembled an unusually comprehensive anthology, incorporating a wide range of different approaches. In this book, a group of well-known scholars of New Religious Movements offers an extensive and evenhanded overview and analysis of all of these aspects of Scientology, including the controversies to which it continues to give rise.
Download or read book Scientology a History of Man written by La Fayette Ron Hubbard and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book claims to unravel history with an "E-Meter", describing what the author believes are the principal "incidents on the whole track to be found in any human being". These incidents include electronic implants, entities, the genetic track, between-lives incidents, the relationship of the Genetic Entity to Theta Beings, and so on. Also presented are Hubbard's theory of how bodies evolved and why human's got trapped in them as well as his descriptions of how specific incidents reveal "the true story of between-lives" and "the insidious nature of electronics in enslaving thetans".
Download or read book The Church of Scientology written by Hugh B. Urban and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-02-24 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scientology's long and complex journey to recognition as a religion Scientology is one of the wealthiest and most powerful new religions to emerge in the past century. To its detractors, L. Ron Hubbard's space-age mysticism is a moneymaking scam and sinister brainwashing cult. But to its adherents, it is humanity's brightest hope. Few religious movements have been subject to public scrutiny like Scientology, yet much of what is written about the church is sensationalist and inaccurate. Here for the first time is the story of Scientology's protracted and turbulent journey to recognition as a religion in the postwar American landscape. Hugh Urban tells the real story of Scientology from its cold war-era beginnings in the 1950s to its prominence today as the religion of Hollywood's celebrity elite. Urban paints a vivid portrait of Hubbard, the enigmatic founder who once commanded his own private fleet and an intelligence apparatus rivaling that of the U.S. government. One FBI agent described him as "a mental case," but to his followers he is the man who "solved the riddle of the human mind." Urban details Scientology's decades-long war with the IRS, which ended with the church winning tax-exempt status as a religion; the rancorous cult wars of the 1970s and 1980s; as well as the latest challenges confronting Scientology, from attacks by the Internet group Anonymous to the church's efforts to suppress the online dissemination of its esoteric teachings. The Church of Scientology demonstrates how Scientology has reflected the broader anxieties and obsessions of postwar America, and raises profound questions about how religion is defined and who gets to define it.
Download or read book Inside Scientology written by Janet Reitman and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2011-06-13 with total page 469 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The most complete picture of Scientology so far.” —Garry Wills, New York Times Book Review Based on five years of research, access to confidential documents, and extensive interviews with current and former Scientologists, Janet Reitman sheds some long-awaited light on the ever-elusive religion of the Church of Scientology. Scientology, created in 1954 by pulp science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, claims to be the world’s fastest growing religion, with millions of members and huge financial holdings. Celebrity believers keep its profile high. But Scientology is also a very closed faith, harassing journalists and others through litigation and intimidation. Its attacks on psychiatry and its requirement that believers pay as much as tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars for salvation have drawn scrutiny. Ex-members use the internet to share stories of harassment and abuse. Reitman offers the first full journalistic history of the Church of Scientology in an account that establishes the truth about the controversial religion. She traces Scientology’s development from the birth of Dianetics to today, following its metamorphosis from a pseudoscientific self-help group to a global spiritual corporation with profound control over its followers and ex-followers. This is a defining book about a little-known world. “[A] searing expose.” —People Magazine “A masterful piece of reporting.” —Washington Post “This book is fearless.” —Wall Street Journal “[A] frightening portrait of a religion that many find not just controversial, but dangerous.” —Boston Globe “[Reitman's] revelations — including abuse allegations against church leader David Miscavige and details about the organization's aggressive courtship of Tom Cruise — come with impressive backup.” —Entertainment Weekly
Download or read book Dianetics written by L. Ron Hubbard and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 679 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Albert Einstein said: We are using only 10% of our mental potential. Dianetics tells you how you can free a significantly larger part of your potential. Self confidence, harmonic relationships and a positive attitude towards life can absolutely be achieved. It makes Positive Thinking a reality. You can achieve your goals with more certainty if you are able to find the cause of upsets, unwanted reactions or emotions. The human mind is not a mysterious puzzle - impossible to resolve. Read and work with Dianetics, see how it works for you and make up your own mind. The book gives a clear description of what is happening in the mind and explains a practical method, enabling you to explore your own subconscious, and rid yourself of what holds you down, resulting in increased IQ and well-being. Watching the DVD called 'How to Use Dianetics' along with the book is recommended to have a visual illustration of the concepts and the practical application.
Download or read book The Church of Scientology written by J. Gordon Melton and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author explores the theology and hierarchical structure of the Church of Scientology providing information on its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, the church's social reform programs, and a summary of the major points of controversy.
Download or read book L Ron Hubbard and Scientology Studies written by Donald A. Westbrook and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2022-07-14 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Element surveys the history and practice of Scientology studies over the past sixty years and offers resources for scholars and students moving forward. Section 1 reviews the history of academic research on the subject from 1958 to the present day. Section 2 draws on the author's fieldwork with the Church of Scientology to illuminate how founder L. Ron Hubbard (1911–86) is viewed among contemporary members. Section 3 considers Hubbard's influence and legacy in terms of the church sites and institutions that exist today in connection with the soteriological 'Bridge to Total Freedom.' Section 4 introduces English-language archival resources and their strengths. Section 5 proposes some open areas for Scientology researchers. Finally, glossaries of terms and appendices are included with major dates in Hubbard's life and Scientology research and bibliographical information for major archival collections in North America.
Download or read book Scientology 0 8 written by L. Ron Hubbard and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 523 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Introduction to Scientology Ethics written by L. Ron Hubbard and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Since time immemorial, people have preached the necessity to live by the tenets of honesty, compassion and decencythat integrity is the only foundation upon which true life itself is built. But no matter how well Man has intuitively known this, none could point the way to achieve it. Is it any wonder, then, that the very subject of ethics has become either what one can get away with or whats good for oneself alone? One cant live in a world where ethics itself is a charade and where justice has become a mockery of civilization. Here, then, is a brand-new look, a way for an individual to pull oneself up, for a society to reverse its downward slide, for Man to ascend to the heights of a dreamed-for destiny. For contained in this book are the breakthroughs that bring understanding to the subjects of right and wrong, good and bad, death and survival."
Download or read book What is Scientology written by Boyd Grant and published by Speedy Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2013-12-10 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By now it's a safe bet that you have at least heard of Scientology. Nine times out of ten what you have heard is negative. Very rarely do you ever hear something positive about the Church of Scientology or Scientologists. This often leads to a greater misunderstanding of Scientology, Scientologists and what the mission of the Church of Scientology actually is. Scientology is arguably the most controversial of all the religions. When you mention Scientology to someone you are almost guaranteed to get some kind of reaction or opinion. The Church of Scientology has been maligned and demonized by many detractors. But Scientologists themselves are passionate about their beliefs and defend Scientology with that very same passion. When it finally comes down to understand what Scientology is there is little if any objective information out there. It's all written from the perspective of detractors, supporters or people who just uninformed about Scientology and Scientologists in general. A new book, What Is Scientology - History, Beliefs, Rules, Secrets and Facts, will help shed some light on one of the most controversial topics of all time, Scientology. Look no further for one of the few objective accounts that will finally shed some light on the Church of Scientology. What Is Scientology? History, Beliefs, Rules, Secrets and Facts helps you better understand Scientology. It cuts out all the unhelpful chatter and helps you understand in simple terms exactly what Scientology is. This short book will help answer the most important questions you might have about Scientology. Some of the more important questions include everything from the Scientology belief system, the History of Scientology, and why people join the Church of Scientology and much more. You will also have a greater understanding of why people hate Scientology and why former members speak out about it. For those of you looking to learn more about Scientology this is the book you are looking for.
Download or read book My Billion Year Contract written by Nancy Many and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Scientology a to Xenu written by Chris Shelton and published by . This book was released on 2015-12-24 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is Scientology really? Behind the glossy logos and sleek advertisements and South Park parodies, what do Scientologists really believe and practice? Is it really a religion? Who was L. Ron Hubbard and why did he start it in the first place? Is their "technology" for real or just so much New Age pseudoscience? Former insider Chris Shelton grew up in Scientology and worked for it for 25 years. This critical analysis covers the key aspects of its beliefs, practices and structure from the bottom to the top, including not just the confidential Xenu story but details all of the upper level scriptures. Chris goes into detail about what goes on inside Scientology churches, why their members get involved in the first place and what it takes to get out should someone decide to leave. An informative guide for anyone who has been involved with Scientology in the past as well as anyone who wants to understand what it's really all about.
Download or read book Scientology The Fundamentals of Thought written by L. Ron Hubbard and published by Bridge Publications, Inc.. This book was released on with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For thousands of years Man has searched, pondered and speculated about the true "meaning of life." But, in Scientology, that search has culminated — for the secret has now been discovered. Based on precision Axioms (self-evident truths), these are the answers — answers you’ve been looking for, answers that work. Here, then, is the Basic Book on the Theory and Practice of Scientology, with discoveries embracing every aspect of life.
Download or read book Scientology in Popular Culture written by Stephen A. Kent and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2017-07-14 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This multidisciplinary study of Scientology examines the organization and the controversies around it through the lens of popular culture, referencing movies, television, print, and the Internet—an unusual perspective that will engage a wide range of readers and researchers. For more than 60 years, Scientology has claimed alternative religious status with a significant number of followers, despite its portrayals in popular culture domains as being bizarre. What are the reasons for the vital connections between Scientology and popular culture that help to maintain or challenge it as an influential belief system? This book is the first academic treatment of Scientology that examines the movement in a popular-culture context from the perspective of several Western countries. It documents how the attention paid to Scientology by high-profile celebrities and its mention in movies, television, and print as well as on the Internet results in millions of people being aware of the organization—to the religious organization's benefit and detriment. The book leads with a background on Scientology and a discussion of science fiction concepts, pulps, and movies. The next section examines Scientology's ongoing relationship with the Hollywood elite, including the group's use of celebrities in its drug rehabilitation program, and explores movies and television shows that contain Scientology themes or comedic references. Readers will learn about how the Internet and the mainstream media of the United States as well as of Australia, Germany, and the UK have regarded Scientology. The final section investigates the music and art of Scientology.
Download or read book The Creation of Human Ability written by La Fayette Ron Hubbard and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Book Jacket: From the three feet behind your head to a Grand Tour of the Universe, revealed within are the mysteries of exteriorization and the step-by-step route to native state ability as a thetan exterior. Having already mapped the unlimited potentials of a thetan in Scientology 8-8008, here is the culmination of Ron's next year of intensive research and development-working with auditor after auditor, preclear after preclear and delivering no less than 500 lectures-to make those potentials a reality. What resulted were no less than the Axioms of Scientology and auditing processes drawn from the very fabric of those revelations. Here, then, is the panoramic view of Scientology complete: the Auditor's Code, Code of Honor and Code of a Scientologist; a summary of Scientology and the Axioms; Intensive Procedure and the famed processes of Route 1 and Route 2-processes that literally make and break communication with the physical universe to undo Man's inverted belief that mechanics are superior to one's own considerations; and finally, the means to fully rehabilitate a being's innate abilities-as a thetan exterior. And that's why no book has ever been more aptly named. For this is: The Creation of Human Ability.
