2008 Woodie Awards
The rise of Scientology
Andrew Bruss
Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: Opinion
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While the legitimacy of Scientology can be debated by both followers and non, the fact remains that it is the fastest growing religion in the western world. From covering devout Scientologist Tom Cruise's bizarre behavior on "Oprah" to reports of the ruthlessness behind the Church's pursuit of nay-saying journalists, the media have recently been focusing on this bizarre but ever-present set of beliefs.
But strange or not, there are signs that indicate that the Church of Scientology will one day be treated to the equal degree of legitimacy that any other mainstream faith is granted in our current society.
As the Church's recruitment levels skyrocket and their bankbook continues to boom, it becomes clear that they are a force to be reckoned with. We would be wise to understand how the Church has brought about its unusual expansion and what methods it has employed to facilitate this growth.
Given the Church's aggressive scrutiny of its critics, the only real means of accurately gathering information regarding its recruitment tactics was under the guise of a potential recruit.
The first observation upon arriving at the Boston branch of the Church of Scientology on Beacon Street is the vanity in the architectural design of their centers. This historical Boston brownstone, with its modern granite flooring, is incredibly impressive.
Once inside, the potential recruit is bombarded with photographs of the Church's most elaborate worship sites, including the Celebrity Centre in Los Angeles and SeaOrg, the most sacred of their churches. SeaOrg is a large cruise ship that travels the Caribbean while teaching Scientology's highest-ranking members the most intensive and secretive material ever to be uncovered by founder L. Ron Hubbard.
To actively practice as a Scientologist and engage in the practices that allow one to rise within the ranks costs an extraordinary amount of money that no outsider has ever been accurately capable of calculating. Many of Scientology's critics have attributed these fees to goals of greed and argue that this makes the Church illegitimate. However, the Church does not have the centuries of wealth the Catholic Church has had to facilitate itself, and the money their followers contribute is what sustains Scientology.
But strange or not, there are signs that indicate that the Church of Scientology will one day be treated to the equal degree of legitimacy that any other mainstream faith is granted in our current society.
As the Church's recruitment levels skyrocket and their bankbook continues to boom, it becomes clear that they are a force to be reckoned with. We would be wise to understand how the Church has brought about its unusual expansion and what methods it has employed to facilitate this growth.
Given the Church's aggressive scrutiny of its critics, the only real means of accurately gathering information regarding its recruitment tactics was under the guise of a potential recruit.
The first observation upon arriving at the Boston branch of the Church of Scientology on Beacon Street is the vanity in the architectural design of their centers. This historical Boston brownstone, with its modern granite flooring, is incredibly impressive.
Once inside, the potential recruit is bombarded with photographs of the Church's most elaborate worship sites, including the Celebrity Centre in Los Angeles and SeaOrg, the most sacred of their churches. SeaOrg is a large cruise ship that travels the Caribbean while teaching Scientology's highest-ranking members the most intensive and secretive material ever to be uncovered by founder L. Ron Hubbard.
To actively practice as a Scientologist and engage in the practices that allow one to rise within the ranks costs an extraordinary amount of money that no outsider has ever been accurately capable of calculating. Many of Scientology's critics have attributed these fees to goals of greed and argue that this makes the Church illegitimate. However, the Church does not have the centuries of wealth the Catholic Church has had to facilitate itself, and the money their followers contribute is what sustains Scientology.
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