Scientology

Entries Tagged as 'Scientology'

Taking Scientology Seriously?

October 5th, 2011 · 6 Comments · Definitions

Over at The Chronicle, Seth Perry reviews two recent books on Scientology, Janet Reitman’s Inside Scientology: The Story of America’s Most Secretive Religion (2011) and Hugh Urban’s The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion (2011). This assertion grabbed my attention: “Hubbard’s teachings contain fascinating religious content that demands serious study—by [...]

Axial Aspects of Scientology

July 8th, 2011 · No Comments · Axial Age, New Religions

Over at Slate Jessica Grose has posted an interview with Rolling Stone writer Janet Reitman and author of Inside Scientology. For those who have yet to learn how Xenu messed up the entire cosmos, Reitman’s article is essential reading.

These comments from Reitman caught my attention:
Scientology can be very expensive. If your goal is total spiritual [...]

The Jedi Religion

February 28th, 2011 · 8 Comments · Classifications, Definitions, New Religions

Before the 2001 census was taken in Great Britain and several Commonwealth countries, someone suggested that the “Religious Affiliation” question be answered by professing belief in The Force and claiming to be a Jedi Knight. In Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, significant numbers of people did just this.
If you have ever attended a Star [...]

Weekend Religion Roundup

February 19th, 2011 · No Comments · Daily Devolutions, Magic, New Religions

Let’s start with the lengthy story of Oscar winning Apostate, Paul Haggis and his life in Scientology. It appears in The New Yorker and is yet another expose of Scientology that will leave you baffled. When science fiction becomes science religion would be a good title for it.
Next we have Neil Strauss’ humorous piece, God [...]

Credulity Knows No Bounds

February 8th, 2011 · No Comments · Cognition, Evolutionary Byproduct, New Religions

For evolutionary scholars of supernaturalism and religion, Scientology is the gift that keeps on giving. It is almost as if the purpose of Scientology is to prove that the human brain-mind is wired in such a way that belief in the supernatural is virtually assured — all it takes is some kind of cultural prime [...]

Fantastic Beliefs

December 21st, 2010 · No Comments · Daily Devolutions, Magic

Anyone interested in the history of religions will inevitably become familiar with all manner of truly fantastic stories and beliefs. Whether we are talking about the soul flights and death duels of shamans, the avatars and exploits of Vishnu, or the appearance of Moroni and golden tablets of Joseph Smith, all religious traditions have their [...]

Does God Write Fiction?

July 15th, 2010 · No Comments · History, Magic, New Religions

Over at HuffPo Religion, Pete Enns wonders whether God speaks to him and others through fiction. Although Enns is discussing “a non-literal interpretation of the bible,” which raises critical and unresolved issues of reader-responses and interpretive communities, my guess would be that if he did write, evidence for it can be found in J.R.R. Tolkien’s [...]

Sabbath Sundries — Preparing for Ritual and Religion

May 2nd, 2010 · No Comments · Definitions, Ecology, Evolutionary Adaptation, History, New Religions, Ritual

As was the case last week, there are several reports and news items deserving notation and comment, so I will touch on a number of them today. In any event, I want to clear the decks because during the coming week I will be analyzing a major thesis in religious studies: the relationship between ritual [...]

Scientology and Rolling Stone(s)

March 10th, 2010 · No Comments · New Religions

For those who enjoyed Sunday’s New York Times article on Scientology, one of my readers passed along another lengthy expose done by Rolling Stone in 2006: “Inside Scientology: Unlocking the Complex Code of America’s Most Mysterious Religion.”
Thanks for the link Oliver!

[Read more →]

Tags:Scientology

Science Fiction Becomes Religious Reality

March 7th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Cognition, New Religions

In a previous post, I noted that religions of recent vintage provide scholars with unique research opportunities. If this is true of Mormonism (established in 1830), it is doubly true of Scientology (established in 1950).
Today the New York Times published an extended story on Scientology, which includes a video, slideshow, and timeline. For this not [...]

Genealogy of Religion

Exploring the Origins, History and Future of Religion