The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion

The two previous scholarly books on Scientology were Roy Wallis' "The Road to Total Freedom" and Harriet Whitehead's "Renunciation and Reformulation".I'm still waiting for some professor, like Professor Kent of Univ of Alberta, to gain emeritus status, and get interested in doing the all time most authoritative book on the subject of Hubbard's Scientology writings, the Hubbard corpus. it'll need a 10 year or longer project, and the problem is lack of interest in studying Hubbard's writings for that long.Inside the Scientology movement, the longest training course for Scientologists, is the Class 6 Course. It takes minimum 2 years full time training, no summer breaks. And more usually, the members today spend over 5 years on the "Briefing Course".The Hubbard Class 8 course, takes only months, compared to the Class 6 course.Training on the Courses up to what is called "Grad 5", takes a good year to two years.Scientology training is no quick walk in the part.Scholars have yet to even skim the Hubbard "red volumes" I call them, due to their red outer bindings, and their red ink printing, as Hubbard wrote his spiritual therapy "technology" in red ink on white paper.Of the Hubbard red volume set, 18 hardback big volumes, the core guts of the spiritual therapy, are condensed into 4 of the volumes, called the Subject Volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4.And of the 4 Subject Volumes, 2 are the volumes one would take with one, to a desert island, if one were trained on all the other writings.Subject Volumes 3 and 4 contain the tens of thousands of Hubbard spiritual therapy questions, that get asked of the Scientologists, to push them up the Hubbard "Bridge to Total Freedom."It is the actual therapy questions/commands, that get the patient/parishioners to delve into their minds, and swish away the problems in their minds.And this is just the "tech" that leads up to the "Clear" status, the midway point in the whole Hubbard Bridge to Total Freedom.All of what I've said here, isn't yet written so simply, unfortunately, in any book by any academic.The simplest nuts and bolts layout of WHAT Hubbard wrote, in which of his books, in the simplest language, still needs to be written.When Harriet Whitehead and Roy Wallis wrote their books, the 18 volume red volumes were not published yet.At this young stage in the Scientology subject's history, I'm still waiting for a simplified Cliff Notes version summary of the L. Ron Hubbard corpus, and NOT coming from the official Scientology movement, who have been useless and boring one to tears, in their descriptions of Hubbard's corpus writings.Needed is an informed, understanding simple layout, a small book, giving correct emphasis and accurate summary of all the various books in the Hubbard Scientology library, and how realistically, no bull***t, how the members in official Scientology, and how the excommunicated Scientology members who still practice faithfully what Hubbard wrote in the red volumes.So, all the above, is my criticism, of all scholars, Urban also, to date. None, to date, Whitehead was the closest to attempting a more detailed description of the tech writings of Hubbard, but her writing is so tedious, and she didn't have the 18 volumes of the red volumes today, to help her. But she didn't get Scientology well enough, to summarize it, in my opinion.Urban's covered and summarized Scientology's popular history, media history, and not delved into the Scientology Hubbard "tech" history, how the theory changed, and returned (engrams in Dianetics, to the 4th Dynamic Engram of Xenu's doing), to "engrams" and not Urban nor anyone (excepting Whitehead) delves into the mental effects that engrams have on us "souls" over our immortal multi lifetime lives.Urban hasn't gone anywhere as deeply as Whitehead. Whitehead went further than Wallis by miles also, into Hubbard's theoretical evolution of the processes of Scientology, from engrams to the various types of processes, but Whitehead didn't get the 4th dynamic engram in the full Hubbard context of engrams, either, though. A whole lot more aligning to Hubbard's final writing, Hubbard wrote "From Clear to Eternity" which sets out the "case" advance levels that Hubbard's final groupings of his whole life's work of "processes" (including the exorcism levels, although Hubbard never called his exorcism levels exorcism). Urban I wish to heck had at least did a chapter on Hubbard's final own writings where Hubbard summarized what Hubbard thought he was doing and what Hubbard thought of as the future. Instead the picture Urban summarizes the future of Scientology isn't as complete and capturing of Hubbard's final writing summaries, as what Hubbard wrote himself, and thus that is one area that still needs be written, to give Hubbard his own voice about Hubbard's full final summary of thoughts about his life's work.What we need, is for a free former long term practicing Class 12, who is fluid enough and not stultified too badly by the Hubbard "verbal tech" rules (rules that prevent them from speaking too freely their opinions, and evaluating for Hubbard's writings). And we would need access to the full final 10 years of Hubbard's writings and Hubbard's own "case" folders of research (in the video of Hubbard's memorial service, Pat Broeker then Hubbard's top successor and final aide to Hubbard) holds up a "case" session work paper where Hubbard wrote down a date of a time so distant in Hubbard's past lives, that shows just how deep Hubbard thought he was researching into out past life memories. Hubbard was all about how our past memories influence us, and define what we do, and his Scientology is all about delving into those memories, to unburden the influence of those memories, to transform our behavior and abilities as the immortal souls that we are.In Scientology history, I've sat and listened to many church events, where a portion was devoted, to telling "tech" history, a bit. Class 12 Senior Case Supervisor International a man named Ray Mitoff, did, in my opinion give a few excellent "tech" history briefings.In a perfect world, giving Hubbard as much credit as could ever be done, what 'we" would need, is Ray Mitoff's brain and some excellent outside writer's brain, like Lawrence Wright's brain, and write a good summary of the Hubbard tech corpus.At this moment, as I write this, Karen de la Carriere, in Los Angeles, is the most outspoken free speaking Class 12 Scientologist in the movement's history. She knows huge details of tech history, and just as a tip, for anyone who has read this far, I advise readers, to watch out for Karen's name being used. If she is interviewed, then that scholar knows their business! That scholar has truly found their way in the mire of ex members, to an ex member who is still practicing, not with official Scientology, but following the Hubbard writings likely better than her brethren Class 12s still operating within official Scientology.I rate a book by who the author interviewed, and if they even knew where to go finding the people who should be interviewed, the people who really know the Hubbard subject, the tech, the layout of the questions, and have asked those tens of thousands of quesitons, literally hundreds of thousands of times, and given tens of thousands of hours of the Hubbard spiritual therapy to other people in their 30 and 40 year careers as Scientology spiritual therapists.I've not seen this degree of simple focus in any book, other than in the few sentences, which do accurately summary Scientology as a pseudo-therapy religion, but the guts and core of Scientology is just a HUGE un reported upon and un reviewed (with the exception of Harriet Whitehead's beginning attempts, which are still the most and best of any topnotch academic, at least).Hugh Urban's book is a topical history, and my criticism of it is mainly he didn't even do a good Cliff Notes on the Hubbard spiritual tech, which is the guts, of Scientology.And I haven't even discussed here the secret levels of Scientology, and Harriet Whitehead only briefly covers them, and she covered the older version of the secret levels, not the final secret levels that Hubbard focused on, until his death in 1986. The secret levels of top Scientology are exorcism, using procedures a Scientology does on himself, by himself, and procedures that the trained Class 9 Scientologists have to do on the paitent/parishioners. The Hubbard exorcism levels are the secret levels, and they are called OT levels 3, 4, 5 6 and 7. The exorcism levels of Scientology are 5 of the 8 secret upper levels. A lot of exorcism is done, and Hubbard said the greatest gains are gotten doing OT 3, 5 and 7, in the whole of the whole Hubbard Bridge to Total Freedom spiritual therapy and exorcism lineup.Think of very organized spiritual therapy (pseudo and non peer reviewed) and think high volume exorcism that is meticulously carried out by exact routines, not your shouting "get ye hence Satan", but methodical question and answer exorcism, done silently by the Scientologists themselves, on themselves, on the secret OT 3 and OT 7 exorcism levels. On OT 5 the exorcism is done by the Class 9 therapist asking commands out loud to the patiemt/parishioner, locating the surplus souls, and handling those surplus souls until those targeted souls eject and leave the parishioner. Tens of thousands of surplus souls are found, and exorcised during the years it takes to complete, for most Scientologists, OT levels 3, 4, 5 6 and 7.These details are only in some of the ex member books, and not yet in any scholar's books on the Hubbard spiritual tech, in the simple details I wrote above.So, my criticism of all scholars' books, and Urban's too, is just still not touching the Hubbard subject (exception White started to touch it).A better summary will be done, someday. At that point, I'd say that academics have got a grip on Hubbard's "tech."The red volumes will be kicking around for centuries.If anyone reads this, and is curious, and wants to hear what Hubbard's spiritual therapy is really all about, then get your hands on Subject Volumes 3 and 4, and read the Hubbard pseudo-therapy commands.And online, via the Freezone Scientology websites, at present, there are links to the secret upper levels of Scientology.To see what Hubbard left the movement with, though, you have to navigate around the internet and look at the OT 5 "NOTs Indoctrination Bulletin" and read the all time most informative Hubbard writing on the surplus souls, the "body thetans". Hubbard lays out the problems these surplus souls cause us.No scholar also, has scrutinized the Class 8 Scientology therapist (pseudo-therapist, or spiritual therapist) lectures. The Xenu story is explained somewhat on one of those lectures, and a scholar has to think the story through, to appreciating the ramificaitons, and why the Xenu story is what it is, and not just the crappy frankly uninteresting comments scholars have so far said about that Xenu story. To trained Scientologists who have shed the Hubbard muzzling indoctrination, who can "think" with the Xenu story, the story holds much more than the fad opinions about the Xenu story.Anyways, all this, about Xenu, not fully appreciated in Urban's take on Scientology. No scholar has even noted this simple important fact, which is "Xenu caused the Wall of Fire." That's a hugely important simple connecting of the dots.Scientologists all know of the Wall of Fire, that is not entirely secret, and it is allowed of Scientologists to talk of the Wall of Fire.It's actually quite a revelation, to share this tiny connecting of the dots, to Scientologists. Hubbard made it and excommunicatable offense to say the word "Xenu" so Scientologists are mentally hampered from even appreciating the key dastardly deed, that Hubbard attributed to Xenu.All Xenu did, was cause the Wall of Fire, and Xenu perpetrated the 4th Dynamic Engram (the full trauma that was perpetrated on earth, 75 million years ago, as shown on the South Park episode that lampooned Tom Cruise and Scientology.Once the joking subsides, and scholars digest just the facts, those facts make "logical" sense, so long as you believe in souls.Hubbard's Scientology is a pseudo-therpay and exorcism therapy for the soul. And Scientologists believe we each are a soul, not that we have a soul, but that we are a soul.The bottom half of Scientology, the Subject Volumes 3 and 4 contain all the pseudo-therapy questions to clean up a person, and to make the person a "Clear". You've supposedly cleaned up all your this lifetime and past lifetime messed up ideas and mental gunk you've accumulated as you the soul that you are, through your long ago past.Then you do the Hubbard upper levels, which levels 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are a lot of exorcism, to get rid of the mentally messed up souls and soul clusters that affix themselves to your body, unbeknownst to you.The Hubbard upper levels get rid of these souls, because those surplus souls when still infesting you, have the power to leak their mental gunk from their soul minds into your mind, still messing up you! So once you exorcise all your surplus souls, which you do with you complete, finally, OT 7, then you are really in great mental shape.That's the guts of Scientology, in simple form, not yet in any academic book.Chuck Beattyex Sea Org (clergy 1975-2003)

What I enjoyed most about this book is that it is not just a book on Scientology, but on religion and it's role in the modern world. I am sure there are many on either side of the Scientology fence, the same fence that I have been straddling for some time now, who either don't want to read about "those crazy Scientologists" or don't want to read another attack on the church. I can assure both of these prospective readers that this work is neither. You may get a feeling one way or another (and back and forth) as you progress through the book, but that is what makes the case of Scientology so damn interesting.The book is primarily about the definition of religion. By "definition of religion" Urban goes beyond the question of "What is Religion?" and into the causes and effects of that definition: who makes it and what are the consequences. Scientology has raised many important questions about the roles of religious freedom and privacy that are discussed in detail throughout this book, along with many others that have left me sitting here, grappling with my own thoughts and feelings on religion, thoughts and feelings that I thought were cemented through my previous studies and experiences.I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning the history of Scientology, but more so to those intrigued by the intersection of religion, politics, and privacy. I look forward to follow up works by this author as well as others, grappling some of the increasingly important questions raised in these pages.

"The Church of Scientology: a History of a New Religion" was well-written and researched. As I read it, I had an awareness that the author was afraid of this litigious religion, so not saying what he really wanted to say. In my opinion, Scientology has a lot of weird beliefs (like many religions), but it's their paranoia and secrecy that makes the rest of us not respect them. Thank you Hugh Urban for writing this attempt at full-disclosure.

If you think that Tom Cruise is crazy and you want to know more about the mysterious Church of Scientology this book is for you. This was a required text for a class of mine but it was one of the best academic texts that I have read due to the authors arrangement of many of the controversial topics which surround the it.

An excellent introduction to Scientology. Urban does not judge the movement, but rather uses it to ask the question "what is religion?". Since that question has never been adequately answered, using a new religious movement as a test case is an effective method. The reader will learn much about the history and background of Scientology, but the conclusions s/he draws are left to the reader.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have read several very good books on Scientology that employed a more "journalistic" approach (which tends to be a bit more biased), but this was a refreshingly straightforward, academic handling of the subject matter. The material really speaks for itself; at this point, the "Church" of Scientology practically seems to be begging for bias.

Book fine

The mere fact of this book being published is part of the story, just as it is with Janet Reitman's  Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion .The premise of the whole book is that the scientology organisation poses an extreme example of the need to think before even asking the question "is scientology a religion?" The book sets out to describe specifically the changing notion of religion in the USA over the last 100 years and the way in which the scientology organisation has interacted with this notion throughout its history. By making the focus this narrow, many aspects that are of great interest have been left out, as the author emphasises, but the core subject is treated with great attention.What makes this book a pleasant change from previous academic works is that it allows ex-members a voice. The official scientology organisation is heard, equally, but what is much more interesting to forming an independent opinion is that the founder, L Ron Hubbard, is quoted extensively. What makes Hubbard's quotes of interest is the change over time in the "official line" and the various reasons for it. As the author notes, Hubbard changed the official line most in periods of time where governments and courts were the most interested in the scientology organisation.The central premise, that it matters whether scientology is a religion because as a religion scientology enjoys privileges, is perhaps a little foreign to people living outside the USA. The status of the organisation as religious is nevertheless central to the way the organisation presents itself and how it interacts with media and governments alike, regardless of how much the UK government calls it a cult in parliament and how the French courts are busy working through a court case where the organisation itself is accused (and convicted in the first instance, pending appeal) of operating as organised fraud.This book is good to get for a fresh look at the history of official church, starting with L Ron Hubbard's satanic experiments after WWII through the surprising (and legally challenged) acceptance by the IRS as a religion to today's emerging status as an organisation defined by its struggle not only with the psychiatric profession but with modern communications in the form of the Internet.Buy this, learn from it and encourage others to write similar works perhaps about the Sea Org, about the criminal activities and about the front organisations. Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion

This book is well written and factual and without being biased against the Scientology Organization, traces it's path from an unlicensed psychotherapy in the 1950's, to legally recognized Religion, which to this day uses this cloaking to commit human enslavement and fraud. The closest "religion" to this one is the Occult, of which it shares Origins.

The author's objective is highly commendable : to study Scientology in the same way as any religious phenomenon, and in the process draw conclusions on what is a religion, and who is qualified to deliver a "bona-fide religion" blue ribbon. Obviously, the answer to the first proposition is "it is complicated", and to the second "it depends".The book is a fairly good review of the history of scientology, its doxa and its troubles with US authorities, and particularly of the long legal proceedings with thee IRS on the recognition of the organization as a tax exempt religion (hence as a bona-fide religion).A pretty good book thus, but I was a bit disappointed, as in my view the author does not fully exploit the extraordinary possibilities of his subject. Here we have a religious movement that was gradually created over a generation or so, and, despite its secrecy, in front of our eyes. The chain of events and influences over the construction of the canon and the organizational set-up could have been analyzed in more details. As an example, I find that the succession of Ron Hubbard after his death - and the religious stakes - is a bit of a missed opportunity. In any religion it is indeed a crutial moment. An other example is the secrecy of the movement : it is well covered from an operational viewpoint, but not enough from the viewpoint of secrecy in initiatic / gnostic religions. The role of internet in the public exposure of Scientology's doctrines is well covered, but the phenomenon seems to be valid for legions of initiatic religions.