Download or read book Among the Scientologists written by Donald A. Westbrook and published by . This book was released on 2019 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 Blown for Good written by Marc Headley and published by BFG Books Inc.. This book was released on 2010-03-31 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marc Headley started working for the Scientology organization in 1989. After leaving in 2005, Marc posted bits and pieces of what went on at the Scientology headquarters (known from inside as the International Base). Marc posted anonymously under the screen name of Blownforgood aka BFG. In September 2008 Marc was invited to speak to an international conference of European government representatives regarding the Scientology organization and their abuses. It was at this time that Marc revealed his identity as Blownforgood. By 2009, the internet posts Marc had written over the years had been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, but still there were people who questioned their validity. Stories of grown men being thrown into dirty lakes and pools as punishment? Physical abuse never reported to authorities? How could this happen in modern day America? Two years after Marc wrote about these things and posted them on the internet, a Pulitzer Prize winning U.S. newspaper printed accounts from former staff member who worked at the Int Base that matched and confirmed what Marc had written about. Not only that, Scientology officials admitted that these things had taken place! Find out what they did not talk about in Blown for Good.
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 Freedom of Religion and Belief A World Report written by Kevin Boyle and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-03-07 with total page 509 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report, the first of its kind yet to be published, provides a detailed and impartial account of how the individual's right to hold beliefs is understood, protected or denied throughout the world. Consisting of accessible, short edited entries based on drafts commissioned from experts living in the countries surveyed, it exposes persecution and discrimination in virtually all world regions. The book: * provides an analysis of United Nations standards of freedom of religion and belief * covers over fifty countries, divided into regions and introduced by a regional overview * covers themes including: the relationships between belief groups and the state; freedom to manifest belief in law and practice; religion and schools; religious minorities; new religious movements; the impact of beliefs on the status of women; and the extent to which conscientious objection to military service is recognised by governments * draws on examples of accommodation and co-operation between different religions and beliefs and identifies the main challenges to be overcome if the diversity of human conviction is to be established.
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 The Kingdom of the Cults written by Walter Martin and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2003-10 with total page 704 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Newly updated, this definitive reference work on major cult systems is the gold standard text on cults with nearly a million copies sold.
Download or read book MODERN RELIGIONS AN EXPERIENTIAL ANALYSIS AND EXPOS written by Elliot Benjamin, Ph.D. and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2013-10-03 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an experiential analysis of over twenty modern religious/spiritual groups. The book is divided into two generic segments, inclusive of a tri-perspective experiential analysis using a variety of cult danger rating scales, and a more personal experiential description of the author's involvement in these groups, written in stream of consciousness essay form. The groups explored include controversial religious organizations such as Scientology and The Unification Church, as well as lesser known religious groups such as Conversations with God and Avatar, and also new age retreat centers such as Omega Institute for Holistic Studies and Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. The author describes both the dangers and benefits of various groups, and based upon his own experiences is able to rate these groups on a cult danger vs. spiritual benefits scale on a gradient from "high cult danger" to "favorable spiritual group."
Download or read book California Court of Appeal 2nd Appellate District Records and Briefs written by California (State). and published by . This book was released on with total page 1230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Received document entitled: EXHIBITS IN SUPPORT OF PETITION FOR WRIT
Download or read book California Court of Appeal 4th Appellate District Division 2 Records and Briefs written by California (State). and published by . This book was released on with total page 724 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Religious Intolerance in Europe Today written by United States. Congress. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1999-04 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Investigates a number of countries in Europe that even today are abridging religious freedom, & whether these governments have kept the promises they have made by signing Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights & Principle VII of the Helsinki Accords, which provide for freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief. Witnesses represent the Catholic Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons), Judaism, the Church of Scientology, Christian Evangelical churches, & a Russian religious liberty institute.
Download or read book The Kingdom of the Cults Handbook written by Walter Martin and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: False religions abound in the US and beyond, and Christians need information they can trust. Since the 1960s, The Kingdom of the Cults has been a trustworthy, well-researched resource on this topic for pastors, lay leaders, and other Christians. The Kingdom of the Cults Handbook takes that same, reliable information and pares it down into a more concise and simplified format. It's perfect for everyone from Christian teachers and ministry leaders to those who just want to better understand the religion of their neighbors. Covering everything from established religions like Islam and Buddhism to shifting trends in Mormonism, Scientology, and Wicca, this book will answer your questions and help you understand and communicate the key differences between true Christianity and other belief systems.
Download or read book Religions of the Stars written by Richard Abanes and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2009-07-01 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today's culture is saturated with news about celebrities and their beliefs. Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise, and Madonna all promote their own brand of spirituality. What do they really believe, and does it line up with what the Bible teaches? This book answers these questions, appealing to those curious about the religions of the rich and famous while holding up their beliefs to the light of the gospel. Concerned parents will also gain insight into the religious influences their kids may be exposed to in the media.
Download or read book Handbook of Scientology written by James R. Lewis and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2017-01-05 with total page 620 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Handbook of Scientology brings together a collection of fresh studies of the most persistently controversial of all contemporary New Religions. In recent years, increasing scholarly attention has been directed at the Church of Scientology, resulting in a small tsunami of new scholarship. We have finally reached a point in time where a book on Scientology need not restrict itself to basics. Thus, for example, the historical chapters in the present volume are not really aimed at providing elementary facts on Scientology’s background, but, rather, focus on understanding how the Church of Scientology developed over the years. In short, the Handbook of Scientology will provide a wealth of new information on a topic that one might otherwise have thought exhausted. Contributors are Matthew Charet, Dorthe Refslund Christensen, Carole M. Cusack, Bernard Doherty, Marco Frenschkowski, Liselotte Frisk, Kjersti Hellesøy, Don Jolly, James R. Lewis, Renee Lockwood, András Máté-Tóth, Gábor Dániel Nagy, Johanna Petsche, Erin Prophet, Susan Raine, David G. Robertson, Mikael Rothstein, Lisbeth Tuxin Rubin, Nicole S. Ruskell, Shannon Trosper Schorey, Michelle Swainson, Inga Bårdsen Tøllefsen, Hugh G. Urban, Donald A. Westbrook, and Benjamin Zeller.
Download or read book National Intelligence Act of 1980 written by United States. Congress. Senate. Select Committee on Intelligence and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 722 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Beyond Belief written by Jenna Miscavige Hill and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2013-02-05 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jenna Miscavige Hill, niece of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, was raised as a Scientologist but left the controversial religion in 2005. In Beyond Belief, she shares her true story of life inside the upper ranks of the sect, details her experiences as a member Sea Org—the church's highest ministry, speaks of her "disconnection" from family outside of the organization, and tells the story of her ultimate escape. Piercing the veil of secrecy that has long shrouded the world of Scientology, this insider reveals unprecedented firsthand knowledge of the religion, its obscure rituals, and its mysterious leader—David Miscavige. From her prolonged separation from her parents as a small child to being indoctrinated to serve the greater good of the Church, from her lack of personal freedoms to the organization's emphasis on celebrity recruitment, Jenna goes behind the scenes of Scientology's oppressive and alienating culture, detailing an environment rooted in control in which the most devoted followers often face the harshest punishments when they fall out of line. Addressing some of the Church's most notorious practices in startling detail, she also describes a childhood of isolation and neglect—a childhood that, painful as it was, prepared her for a tough life in the Church's most devoted order, the Sea Org. Despite this hardship, it is only when her family approaches dissolution and her world begins to unravel that she is finally able to see the patterns of stifling conformity and psychological control that have ruled her life. Faced with a heartbreaking choice, she mounts a courageous escape, but not before being put through the ultimate test of family, faith, and love. At once captivating and disturbing, Beyond Belief is an eye-opening exploration of the limits of religion and the lengths to which one woman went to break free.
Download or read book Revisionism and Diversification in New Religious Movements written by Professor Eileen Barker and published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2014-01-28 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New Religious Movements tend to start their lives with a number of unequivocal statements, not only of a theological nature but also about the world and appropriate behaviours for the believer. Yet these apparently inalienable Truths and their interpretations frequently become revised, ‘adjusted’ or selectively adopted by different believers. This book explores different ways in which, as NRMs develop, stagnate, fade away, or abruptly cease to exist, certain orthodoxies and practices have, for one reason or another, been dropped or radically altered. Sometimes such changes are adapted by only a section of the movement, resulting in schism. Of particular concern are processes that might lead to violent and/or anti-social behaviour. As part of the Ashgate/Inform series, and in the spirit of the Inform Seminars, this book approaches its topic from a wide range of perspectives. Contributors include academics, current and former members of NRMs, and members of ‘cult-watching’ movements. All the contributions are of a scholarly rather than a polemic nature, and brought together by Eileen Barker, the founder of Inform.
