Gluskin 1

Shelby Gluskin

Ms. Plummer

English 211

17 April 2018

Scientology’s Life Span

Introduction: is constantly being questioned on how it is staying afloat and poorly talked about, but if anything, the Church has many factors, positive and negative, that allows it to continue to survive.

Thesis: Scientology is able to maintain its’ status through celebrity endorsement, excessive funding, and the exclusive actions of the Church.

Body Paragraphs:

I. With the ability to keep negative and threatening secrets out of the way from the public’s eye,

Scientology is a thriving religion.

A. The is able to keep their actions under the radar through

intimidation of both members and critics of the organization.

1. In the early 1980’s about eleven Scientologists were convicted of infiltrating

more than one-hundred agencies, government and private. The goal of their

actions was to stop and to hinder investigations into Scientology.

2. These mafia like actions according to Joe Nocera of

prove that the Church will go above and beyond to attract new followers and

become a mainstream religion.

B. A main threat to Scientology was the Awareness Network. The Network had

around twenty chapters monitoring and no organization caused more phone calls

pleading for help than Scientology did (Behar 50). Gluskin 2

1. Scientology took notice of this and in 1997 put the Network into bankruptcy

with a lawsuit, and took over the Cult Awareness programs (51).

C. When people become members of Scientology, the Church practically brainwashes

them to avoid discussing the organization outside of the Church.

1. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, has a form of training that

convinces new members that sources outside of the Church like the internet of the

News Papers are lying and will do anything to put an end to something decent like

Scientology (Nededog).

2. Members are taught to believe that the smartest and safest decision it to talk to

truthful good human beings, and the only people who qualify are Scientologists.

D. Every conversation between the Church and members are recorded and videotaped

for the protection of the Church (Nededog).

1. If someone feels the need to talk about the Church in a negative manner, the

recordings are utilized to discredit what you are saying. This allows most conflict

to be instantly put to rest, and in this type of case the member would be shunned

with nothing to their name.

2. In order to stay away from a negative connotation, all members of the Church

of Scientology are restricted from reaching out for legal services against another

members. All situations are handled internally so nothing will scare people away

from joining (Nededog).

II. The people operating Scientology are extremely intelligent, even though some actions could be considered insane if not criminal.

A. To be considered a member, one must devote two and a half hours per day, at least

forty years of your life, and a minimum of two-hundred thousand dollars (Nededog). Gluskin 3

1. That alone is just about fifteen million dollars in global membership

(Recessionista). Donations, real estate holdings, and revenue from its many

corporation’s average approximately five-hundred million dollars annually. This

does not even include the various fees the Church charges for other organizations

who wish to be affiliated, counseling sessions for members, and the hundreds of

books published by L. Ron Hubbard that are sold for profit (Recessionista).

2. This money provides the Church and the Sea Organization, which is run the

Scientologists a security blanket to never be in harm’s way.

B. Scientology is known as the religion of seeking spiritual fulfillment through study

(What Is Scientology). They are actually able to set their own salaries as they are a Non-

Profit because they are an official religious organization (Hubbard).

1. Unfortunately, Sea Organization members who are known to run the church

typically get paid very little per week (Miscavige et al.). Since the members are

used to the strict rules of the church this is considered allowable to the employees

(Augustine). Becoming part of the Sea Org is considered a huge honor. The most

devoted Scientologists join the Sea Org and agree to serve Scientology for one

billion years (Goodstein).

2. This one-billion-year sentence is because Scientologists believe in

reincarnations, so when someone passes they are still expected to return and serve

is the next life (Goodstein).

3. However the big way the Church saves money is by making it a requirement

for those who are not members of Sea Org to volunteer for the Church to show

devotion. These members can volunteer almost fifty hours a week as well as

work outside of Scientology to support their families and the church (Reeve). Gluskin 4

4. Unless members have left the Church, many do not realize the extreme

conditions because of Hubbard’s training when entering the Church.

C. The largest financial benefit of Scientology comes from the Church’s status as a

religion.

1. This benefit is what is known as a religious tax exemption.

2. According to James Kirchick, Scientology was originally founded by Hubbard

as a for-profit in 1952, but he soon realized the little benefit that would be

achieved because of this status (14).

3. After the Church officially became non-profit, the International Revenue

Service still did not recognize Scientology as a religion and would not allow a

tax exemption (Nocera).

4. After multiple lawsuits, the IRS conducted a two-year detailed examination to

decide whether or not Scientology could be granted a religious tax exemption,

and because of the Church’s ability to hide any and all flaws they are

considered a religion in the eyes of the IRS (Church of Scientology IRS Tax

Exemption). This exemption and government approved standing not just

saves the Church almost twenty-eight million dollars because of property and

income taxes, but also means it would be extremely difficult to destroy the

Church of Scientology (Matthews).

III. Celebrities do not just provide millions of dollars to the Church, but also provides massive endorsement and public relations (Nededog).

A. Everyone wants to be and exactly what celebrities do, so when famous people opt to

become a part of the Church of Scientology, many normal people think highly of

Scientology. Gluskin 5

1. Many artists, famous and not, are Scientologists because of the idea of self-

knowledge. This appeal and the exceptional approach to celebrities draws them

in, and when a celebrity becomes a Scientologist, they are, “walking success

stories of Scientology” (Bashir et al.).

2. This priority treatment that the celebrities receive is not just to attract more

celebrities, but also to get them to publicly endorse the religion (Nededog). Many

celebrities also appear on the newly launched Scientology TV channel (Kirby).

B. As Scientologists, there is the belief that mental illnesses are not valid diagnoses

(Nededog).

1. This belief paints a perfect picture in the eyes of those looking in on the

religion.

2. Without the problem of mental illness, celebrities and other members of

Scientology appear happy which allows for good public relations.

Conclusion: Scientology has the goal to improve every aspect of life, and with the exclusive actions of the church, excessive funding, and celebrity endorsement nothing will get in the

Church’s way. Gluskin 6

Works Cited

Augustine, Jeffrey. “Surviving Scientology Episode 54 – Valeska Paris Part 2.” Surviving

Scientology, 4 Apr. 2018, www.survivingscientologyradio.com/tag/jeffrey-augustine/.

Bashir, Martin, et al. “How Scientology Attracts Celebrities.” ABC News, ABC News Network,

24 Oct. 2009, abcnews.go.com/Nightline/scientology/scientology-attracts-

celebrities/story?id=8871475.

Behar, Richard. The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power. Time Magazine, 1991. Magazine.

“Church of Scientology IRS Tax Exemption.” Scientology Religion, Church of Scientology

International, 2017, www.scientologyreligion.org/landmark-decisions/church-of-

scientology-irs-tax-exemption.html.

Goodstein, Laurie. “Defectors Say Church of Scientology Hides Abuse.” The New York Times,

The New York Times, 6 Mar. 2010,

www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/us/07scientology.html.

Kirby, Matthew. “The Church Of Scientology Has Launched A TV Channel To Prove It's Not A

Cult.” Konbini , 16 Mar. 2018, www.konbini.com/us/lifestyle/church-

scientology-tv-channel-not-a-cult/.

Kirchick, James. “What Makes Scientology Different.” Times, 16 Nov. 2017, p. 14.

Newspaper.

Matthews, Chris. “How Much Does Scientology Pocket from Its Tax Exempt Status?” Fortune,

Time Inc., 8 Apr. 2015. fortune.com/2015/04/08/scientology-tax-exempt/.

Miscavige Hill, Jenna, and Astra Woodcraft. “Sea Org.” Ex-Scientology Kids,

exscientologykids.com/sea-org-2/.

Nededog, Jethro. “Ex-Scientologist Leah Remini Reveals the Most Shocking Alleged Secrets of

the Church.” Business Insider, Business Insider Inc., 29 Nov. 2016. Gluskin 7

www.businessinsider.com/leah-remini-secrets-of-scientology-reddit-ama-2016-11.

Nocera, Joe. “Scientology's Chilling Effect.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24

Feb. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/opinion/joe-nocera-scientologys-chilling-

effect.html.

Recessionista. “Scientology Is Bigger, Richer And Growing Faster Than You

Realized.” Business Insider, Business Insider Inc., 20 July 2012.

www.businessinsider.com/scientology-is-biggest-religious-money-maker-2012-7.

Reeve, Elspeth. “Scientology: Slave Labor, Beatings, and an FBI Investigation?” The Atlantic,

Atlantic Media Company, 7 Feb. 2011.

www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/02/scientology-slave-labor-beatings-and-an-

fbi-investigation/342337/.

“What Is Scientology.” Official Church of Scientology: What Is Scientology?, 2018,

www.scientology.org/what-is-scientology/basic-principles-of-scientology/a-description-

of-scientology.html.