INTRODUCTION
"Scientology is a religious philosophy in its highest meaning as it brings man to Total Freedom."
- L. Ron Hubbard, Religious Philosophy and Religious Practice, 21 June 1960, revised 18 April 1967.
"An endless freedom from is a perfect trap, a fear of all things ... Fixed on too many barriers, man yearns to be free. But launched into total freedom he is purposeless and miserable."
- L. Ron Hubbard, The Reason Why; 15 May 1956.
The work of L. Ron Hubbard has been surrounded by controversy since he first announced his "modern science of mental health" in 1950. His followers assert that he is not only the reincarnation of Buddha but also Maitreya, who according to Buddhist legend will lead the world to enlightenment.
To Scientologists, L. Ron Hubbard is quite simply the wisest, the most compassionate and the most perceptive human being ever to draw breath.
Yet, Hubbard was dubbed "schizophrenic and paranoid" by a California Superior Court judge, and Scientology dismissed as "immoral and socially obnoxious" by a High Court judge in London. Scientologists have been convicted of criminal offences in Canada, the USA, Denmark and Italy.
An enormous amount of documented evidence demonstrates that Hubbard was not what he claimed to be, and that his subject does not confer the benefits claimed for it.
The Church of Scientology is an enormously wealthy, global organization, with over 270 churches and missions. Using profoundly invasive hypnotic techniques, Scientology has managed to inspire the at times fanatical devotion of tens of thousands of previously normal and intelligent people.
INVOLVEMENT
Most people come to Scientology when their lives are in crisis. Scientology uses manipulative recruiting techniques to heighten vulnerability, and falsely promises a solution for almost any problem. From the beginning, the new recruit is subjected to techniques which induce euphoria. The desire for this euphoric state can be ikened to a drug addiction, often rendering members all but incapable of critical thinking with regard to Scientology.
The Church of Scientology very rapidly comes to dominate the member, prohibiting contact with anyone hostile to the movement, and insisting that a huge conspiracy exists which is intent upon destroying Scientology.