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At the risk of enraging "clear" Scientologists across the city, today's LA Times has a long story about Scientology's Number One Celebrity, Tom Criuse, and his wooing by the church's head, David Miscavige.
The paper tried to make sense of Scientology's theology in a long 1990 story they've put online to accompany this one. Shrouded in mystery, it involves ancient intergalactic souls called thetans, evil tyrant Xenu, engrams and implants. The more you read, the more weirdness emerges: past lives, frozen souls in big airplanes, a post-life transfer post on Venus, barren planets and telekenesis. Sounds like something a science fiction writer on acid might come up with.
Coincidentally, Scientology was founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950s and is based on his writings through the '70s. It has been rumored that there was a bet between Hubbard and his friend, fellow sci-fi writer Robert Heinlein, that he couldn't start a religion, but nobody knows for sure. But even Reader's Digest felt comfortable in citing Hubbard saying in the '40s: "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion."
The LA Times gives us a rare look behind the scenes of the Church of Scientology, and the photo essay is well worth it. Tom Cruise always towers over the 5-foot-seven Miscavige, although Cruise is also said to be 5'7". Maybe Scientology is a cool religion because you get to demand an apple crate.
Photo by Anah via Flickr
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Better than sci-fi, it helps if you get in with one of the higher-ups in the Thelemic order and perform rites to initiate the end of the world.
That's a pretty good way to do all the research you ever need to start a religion—and since Crowley's penchant for drug use is well known, I can only imagine that it extended beyond the Great Beast himself.
Hi there.
I'm a Scientologist, and I'm not so much "enraged" by the LA Times story or your follow-up, as I am irritated by ir.
Scientology is not mysterious. A journalist needs a special level of obtuseness and malicious bias to arrive at the story written in the LA Times.
Miscavige and Cruise are personal friends. Nothing sinister was made of Richard Gere befriending the Dalai Lama. How is this different?
Insofar as the paper "trying to make sense of Scientology's theology", not so. What the paper did is try and paraphrase, out of context, some research papers into past lives, which incidentally are confidential.
I understand that the concept of past lives, or your possible lifetime-after-lifetime experience, even before Earth, might be so foreign to your cosmology that you might immediately brush it off as "weird". But before you do, I'd like to ask you whether the Brahma Shiva Vishnu Celestial Wars in the Vedas are any less weird, if the Virgin Birth, the landing of Jehova on Mount Sinai or the Burning Bush are any less weird.
Your insinuation that Scientology's founder might have anything to do with drugs is not only unfounded but offensive - it is based on L. Ron Hubbard's works that Narconon, the world's leading drug rehab, was founded.
The rumor about Hubbard and the "bet" has been squashed soundly several times - it all comes from Sam Moskowitz' testimony, and Moskowitz' three alleged witnesses all have since signed affidavits saying no such comment was ever uttered. Besides, nobody would spend half their lifetime working 12-16hr. days to build a religious movement based on a "bet".
Reader's Digest is a pawn of its advertisers. The article was bought and paid for by Eli Lilly, after Scientology activism lowered Prozac sales. A former Eli Lilly VP admitted running that smear in a recent Wall Street Journal interview.
The LA Times gives you a tabloid's view of Scientology. Sure, one can giggle and raise eyebrows. But it will mean nothing and won't help you understand Scientology at all.
In order to learn about Scientology, one would do much better just going to the library and reading an actual Scientology book, by L. Ron Hubbard.
Or visit http://www.liveandgrow.org
Sincerely,
Greg
Davey Miscaviage was my nextdoor neighbor for tens years growing up, and yes, he is a very small man. He was five years older than me, and I was taller than he was back then. He was a leader when we were children, so height doesn't matter.