Church of Scientology

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Scientology uilding in !os "ngeles, California

Scientology organi#ation in $am urg, %ermany &he Church of Scientology is the largest organi#ation devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology elief system' &he Church of Scientology (nternational is the Church of Scientology)s parent organi#ation, and is responsi le for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and propagation of Scientology' *+,*-,*., /very Church of Scientology is separately incorporated and has its o0n local oard of directors and e1ecutives responsi le for its o0n activities and 0ell2 eing, oth corporate and ecclesiastical'*3,*4,*5, &he church has een the su 6ect of much controversy and 0as convicted in +787 of illegal activities, including the largest theft of government documents in 9'S' history'*8,*:,

Contents
*hide,

+ $istory

+'+ Controversy +'+'+ Church or usiness +'+'- (llegal activities +'+'. ;em ers) health and safety o +'- Cele rities - Churches, missions and ma6or Scientology centers o -'+ Saint $ill, Susse1, /ngland o -'- Flag !and <ase, Fort $arrison $otel, Clear0ater, Florida o -'. ="C <ase, $olly0ood, California o -'3 %old <ase, %ilman $ot Springs, California o -'4 &rementina <ase o -'5 Flag ship, Free0inds o -'8 >ther locations . Sea >rg 3 ?olunteer ;inisters 4 Religious &echnology Center (R&C) 5 ;issionary activities 8 !egal 0aivers : %overnment opinion of Scientology o :'+ 9nited States o :'- "ustralia o :'. /urope :'.'+ <elgium :'.'- Repu lic of (reland :'.'. France :'.'3 %ermany :'.'4 Spain :'.'5 Russia :'.'8 9nited @ingdom o :'3 (srael o :'4 Summary 7 Finances +A ;em ership statistics ++ Scientology splinter groups +- "ffiliated organi#ations o +-'+ "<!/ o +-'- CC$R o +-'. W(S/ +. See also +3 References
o

+4 /1ternal links

History

&he first Scientology church 0as esta lished in Becem er +74. in Camden, Ce0 Jersey y "merican Science Fiction author*7,*+A, !' Ron $u ard, his 0ife ;ary Sue $u ard, John %alusha and a fe0 other early Bianeticists,*++, although the $u ard "ssociation of Scientologists (nternational ($"S() had een operating already since +74-*+-,*+., and $u ard had een selling Scientology ooks and other items' Soon after, he e1plained the religious nature of Scientology in a ulletin to all Scientologists*+3,, stressing its relation to the Bharma' $u ard)s stated D"ims of ScientologyD 0ere to e DA civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology.D*+4, $u ard had official control of the organi#ation until +755 0hen this function 0as transferred to a group of e1ecutives'*+5, &hough $u ard maintained no formal relationship to Scientology)s management he remained firmly in control of the organi#ation and its affiliated organi#ations'*+8, (n ;ay +7:8 Bavid ;iscavige, one of $u ardEs former personal assistants, assumed the position of Chairman of the <oard of Religious &echnology Center (R&C), a non2profit corporation that administers the trademarked names and sym ols of Bianetics and Scientology' "lthough R&C is a separate corporation from the Church of Scientology (nternational, 0hose president and chief spokesperson is $e er Jent#sch, ;iscavige is the effective leader of the movement'*+:,

Controversy
Main article: Scientology controversy &hough it has attained some credi ility as a religion,*+7, the church has also een descri ed as oth a cult and a commercial enterprise'*-A, Some of the Church)s actions also rought scrutiny from the press and la0 enforcement' For e1ample, it has een noted to engage in harassment and a use of civil courts to silence its critics'*-+,*--, Church or business From +74- until +755, the Scientology 0as administered y an organi#ation called the $u ard "ssociation of Scientologists ($"S), esta lished in "ri#ona on +A Septem er +74-' (n +743, the $"S ecame the $"S( ($"S (nternational)' &he first Church of Scientology 0as incorporated on +: Becem er +74. in Camden, Ce0 Jersey, along 0ith t0o other incorporations y $u ard at the same timeFthe Church of "merican Science and the Church of Spiritual /ngineering'*-., &he Church of Scientology 0as incorporated in California on +: Fe ruary +743, changing its name to D&he Church of Scientology of CaliforniaD (CSC) in +745' (n +755, $u ard transferred all $"S( assets to CSC, thus gathering Scientology under one ta12e1empt roof' (n +758, the (RS stripped all 9S2 ased Scientology entities of their ta1 e1emption, declaring Scientology)s activities 0ere

commercial and operated for the enefit of $u ard' &he church sued and lost repeatedly for -5 years trying to regain its ta12e1empt status' &he case 0as eventually settled in +77., at 0hich time the church paid G+-'4 million to the (RSFgreatly less than (RS had initially demandedFand the (RS recogni#ed the church as a ta12e1empt nonprofit organi#ation'*-3,' (n addition, Scientology also dropped more than fifty la0suits against the (RS 0hen this settlement 0as reached' Scientology cites its ta1 e1emption as proof the 9nited States government accepts it as a religion'*-4, &he 9'S' State Bepartment has critici#ed Western /uropean nations for discrimination against Scientologists in its pu lished annual (nternational Religious Freedom report, ased on the (nternational Religious Freedom "ct of +77:'*-5,*-5,*-8,*-:,*-7,*.A,*.+, (n some countries Scientology is treated legally as a commercial enterprise, and not as a religion or charita le organi#ation' (n early -AA., in %ermany, &he Church of Scientology 0as granted a ta12e1emption for the +AH license fees sent to the 9S' &his e1emption, ho0ever, is related to a %erman2"merican dou le2ta1ation agreement, and is unrelated to ta12e1emption in the conte1t of charities la0' (n several countries, pu lic proselyti#ing undergoes the same restrictions as commercial advertising, 0hich is interpreted as persecution y Scientology' (n (srael, Scientology does not use DChurchD as part of its name, possi ly ecause of the Christian connotation of the term in Je0ish culture' 9nlike many 0ell2esta lished religious organi#ations, Scientology maintains strict control over its names, sym ols, religious 0orks and other 0ritings' &he 0ord Scientology (and many related terms, including L. Ron ubbard) is a registered trademark' Religious &echnology Center, the o0ner of the trademarks and copyrights, takes a hard line on people and groups 0ho attempt to use it in 0ays unaffiliated 0ith the official Church (see Scientology and the legal system)' Illegal activities Main articles: !peration Snow "hite, !peration #rea$out, Scientology controversies%&riminal behavior, and #air game 'Scientology( 9nder the %uardian)s >ffice (no0 renamed the >ffice of Special "ffairs or >S"), Church mem ers organi#ed and committed the largest penetration of 9nited States federal agencies y an organi#ation not affiliated 0ith a foreign government, such as the @%<' &his 0as kno0n as >peration Sno0 White' (n the trial 0hich follo0ed discovery of these activities the prosecution descri ed their actions thus:
&he crime committed y these defendants is of a readth and scope previously unheard of' Co uilding, office, desk, or file 0as safe from their snooping and prying' Co individual or organi#ation 0as free from their despica le conspiratorial minds' &he tools of their trade 0ere miniature transmitters, lock picks, secret codes, forged credentials and any other device they found necessary to carry out their conspiratorial schemes' *.-,

&he Church has also in the past made use of aggressive tactics in addressing those it sees as trying to suppress them, kno0n as Suppressive =ersons (S=s) first outlined y !' Ron $u ard as part of a policy called fair game' (t 0as under this policy that =aulette Cooper 0as targeted for having authored )he Scandal of Scientology, a +78A e1posI ook a out the Church and its founder' &his action 0as kno0n as >peration Freakout' 9sing lank paper kno0n to have een handled y Cooper, Scientologists forged om threats in her name'*.-, When fingerprints on them matched hers, the Justice Bepartment egan prosecution, 0hich could have sent Cooper to prison for a lengthy term' &he Church)s plan 0as discovered at the same time as its >peration Sno0 White actions 0ere revealed' "ll charges against Cooper 0ere dismissed, though she had spent more than G-A,AAA on legal fees for her defense'*.-, >f these activities the current Church laments:

'''ho0 long a time is the church going to have to continue to pay the price for 0hat the (%uardian >ffice) did' ''' 9nfortunately, the church continues to e confronted 0ith it' "nd the ironic thing is that the people eing confronted 0ith it are the people 0ho 0iped it out' "nd to the church, that)s a very frustrating thing'*.-,

Jet it has continued to aggressively target people it deems suppressive as recently as -AA5 0hen <<C 6ournalist John S0eeney 0as making Scientology and ;e, an investigative report a out the Church and 0as the su 6ect of harassment:

(n !", the moment our hire car left the airport 0e realised 0e 0ere eing follo0ed y t0o cars' (n our hotel a 0eird stranger spent every reakfast listening to us'*..,

Members' health and safety Main articles: Lisa Mc*herson and +lli *er$ins &he death of some Scientologists has rought attention to the Church oth due to the circumstances of their demise and their relationship 0ith Scientology possi ly eing a factor'*.3, (n +774, !isa ;c=herson 0as involved in a minor automo ile accident 0hile driving on a Clear0ater, Florida street' Follo0ing the collision, she e1ited her vehicle, stripped naked and sho0ed further signs of mental insta ility' Representatives from the Church, acting as her guardian, had her discharged from the state)s mental treatment facility against medical advice' &hey performed a Church sanctioned treatment called (ntrospection Rundo0n' When she later died, the state of Florida pursued criminal charges against the Church*.4, 0hich attracted press coverage and sparked la0suits' /ight years later, /lli =erkins, another adherent to Scientology)s eliefs regarding psychiatry 0as sta ed to death y her mentally distur ed son' &hough he had egun to sho0 symptoms of schi#ophrenia as early as -AA+, the =erkins family chose not to seek psychiatric help and opted instead for remedies sanctioned y Scientology' $er death at

the hands of a distur ed family mem er 0hose disease could have een treated y the methods and medications anned y Scientology again raised Kuestions in the media a out its methods'*.5, (n addition, the Church has een implicated in kidnapping mem ers 0ho have recently left the church' ;artine <ou lil, 0as recently kidnapped and held for several 0eeks against her 0ill in Sardinia y four Scientologists' She 0as found on the --nd of January -AA:, clothed only in a shirt' &he room she 0as imprisoned in contained refuse and an insect infested mattress'*.8,*.:, >n Friday the -:th of ;arch -AA:, @a6a <ordevich <allo, daughter of >lav %unnar <allo, Cor0egian parliament mem er and vice president of the Cor0egian >delsting, took a Church of Scientology personality test 0hile studying in Cice' $er friends and co2 inha itants claim she 0as in good spirits and sho0ed no signs of a mental reak do0n, the report from the Church of Scientology said she 0as Ddepressed, irresponsi le, hyper2 critical and lacking in harmonyD' " fe0 hours later she committed suicide y 6umping from her alcony at her dorm room leaving a note telling her family she 0as sorry for not D eing good for anythingD' &he incident has rought for0ard heavy criticism against the Church of Scientology from friends, family and prominent Cor0egian politicians'*.7, (nga ;arte &horkildsen, parliament mem er, 0ent as far as to say D/verything points to the scientology cult having played a direct role in making @a6a choose to take her o0n lifeD'
*.7,

Celebrities
See also: Scientology and celebrities and List of Scientologists (n order to facilitate the continued e1pansion of Scientology, the Church has made efforts to 0in allies in the form of po0erful or respected people'*3A,

Churches, missions and major Scientology centers

!ocations of ma6or Scientology centers +' Saint $ill ;anor -' Flag !and <ase .' ="C <ase 3' %old <ase 4' &rementina <ase 5' Flag ship, #reewinds Scientology organi#ations and missions e1ist in many communities around the 0orld'*3+, Scientologists call their larger centers orgs, short for Dorgani#ations'D &he ma6or Scientology organi#ation of a region is kno0n as a central org' &he legal address of the Church of Scientology (nternational is in !os "ngeles, California, 5..+ $olly0ood <lvd, in the $olly0ood %uaranty <uilding' &he Church of Scientology also has several ma6or headKuarters, including:

Saint Hill, Sussex, ngland

Main article: Saint ill Manor !' Ron $u ard moved to /ngland shortly after founding Scientology, 0here he oversa0 the 0orld0ide development of Scientology from an office in !ondon for most of the +74As' (n +747, he ought Saint $ill ;anor near the Susse1 to0n of /ast %rinstead, a %eorgian manor house formerly o0ned y the ;ahara6ah of Jaipur' &his ecame the 0orld0ide headKuarters of Scientology through the +75As and +78As' $u ard declared Saint $ill to e the organi#ation y 0hich all other organi#ations 0ould e measured, and he issued a general order (still follo0ed today) for all organi#ations around the 0orld to e1pand and reach DSaint $ill si#eD' &he Church of Scientology has announced that the ne1t t0o levels of Scientology teaching, !) , and !) -., 0ill e released and made availa le to church mem ers 0hen all the ma6or orgs in the 0orld have reached Saint $ill si#e'

!lag "and #ase, !ort Harrison Hotel, Clear$ater, !lorida

Main article: #ort arrison otel &he D0orld0ide spiritual headKuartersD of the Church of Scientology is kno0n as DFlag !and <ase,D located in Clear0ater, Florida' (t is operated y the Floridian corporation Church of Scientology Flag Service >rgani#ation, (nc'' &he organi#ation 0as founded in the late +78As 0hen an anonymous Scientology2 founded group called DSouthern !and Bevelopment and !easing CorpD purchased the Fort $arrison $otel for G-'. million' <ecause the reported tenant 0as the D9nited Churches of FloridaD the citi#ens and City Council of Clear0ater did not reali#e that the uilding)s o0ners 0ere actually the Church of Scientology until after the uilding)s purchase'*3-, Clear0ater citi#ens) groups, headed y ;ayor %a riel Ca#ares, rallied strongly against Scientology esta lishing a ase in the city (repeatedly referring to the organi#ation as a cult), ut Flag <ase 0as esta lished nonetheless'*3., (n the years since its foundation, Flag <ase has e1panded as the Church of Scientology has gradually purchased large amounts of additional property in the do0nto0n and 0aterfront Clear0ater area' Scientology)s relationship 0ith the city government has repeatedly moved et0een friendly and hostile' "t the same time, it opposed the local St. *etersburg )imes and protested actions of the Clear0ater police department' Scientology)s largest pro6ect in Clear0ater has een the construction of a high2rise comple1 called the DSuper =o0er <uilding,D an enormous structure 0hose highest point, 0hen completed, 0ill e a Scientology cross that 0ill to0er over the city'

%&C #ase, Holly$ood, California

!os "ngeles, California has the largest concentration of Scientologists and Scientology2 related enterprises in the 0orld' Scientology has esta lished a highly visi le presence in the $olly0ood district of the city' &he organi#ation o0ns a large comple1 on Fountain "venue 0hich 0as formerly Cedars of !e anon hospital' (t contains Scientology)s West

Coast headKuarters, D=acific "rea Command <ase,D often referred to as D="C <aseD' "d6acent uildings include headKuarters of many of Scientology)s internal divisions, including the D"merican Saint $ill >rgani#ationD, the D"dvanced >rgani#ation of !os "ngelesD and the DChurch of Scientology of !os "ngelesD, founded Fe ruary +:, +743' "ll these organi#ations are integrated 0ithin the corporation Church of Scientology Western 9nited States' "lso in this area are the offices of <ridge =u lications, Scientology)s pu lishing arm for the 9nited States and Canada' &he Church of Scientology successfully campaigned to have the city of !os "ngeles rename one lock of a street running through this comple1 D!' Ron $u ard Way'D &he street has een paved in rick' "lso in $olly0ood is Scientology)s main Cele rity Centre, 0hich caters to arts professionals' >n $olly0ood <oulevard a multi2story uilding houses the e1ecutive offices of the Church of Scientology (nternational and an open2to2the2pu lic e1hi ition devoted to the life of !' Ron $u ard' "lso in the area are the headKuarters of "uthor Services, (nc' ($u ard)s !iterary agency), the "ssociation for <etter !iving and /ducation ("<!/), 0hich administers social programs ased on $u ard)s 0ritings, (including Carconon and "pplied Scholastics), the World (nstitute of Scientology /nterprises (W(S/), 0hich promotes $u ard)s usiness management techniKues and facilitates a net0ork of Scientology2related usinesses, and the Citi#ens Commission on $uman Rights, a Scientology2affiliated group that focuses on alleged a uses of psychiatry, and includes a D=sychiatry: "n (ndustry of BeathD museum' &oday, the Church of Scientology of !os "ngeles is one of the largest Scientology facilities of its kind in the 0orld' /1ecutives2in2training from every international Scientology organi#ation no0 apprentice at the !" church efore assuming their e1ecutive positions'

'old #ase, 'ilman Hot S(rings, California

Main article: /old 0ase &he headKuarters of the Religious &echnology Center, the entity that oversees Scientology operations 0orld0ide, are located near %ilman $ot Springs, north of $emet, California'*33, &he facility, kno0n as %old <ase or D(ntD, is o0ned y %olden /ra =roductions and is the home of Scientology)s media production studio, %olden /ra Studios' Several Scientology e1ecutives, including Bavid ;iscavige, live and 0ork at the ase'*34, &he facilities at %old <ase have een toured y 6ournalists several times' &hey are surrounded y floodlights and video o servation cameras,*34,*35,*38,*3:, and the compound is protected y ra#or 0ire'*37, %old <ase also has recreational facilities, including asket all, volley all, and soccer facilities, an e1ercise uilding, a 0aterslide, a small lake 0ith t0o eaches, and a golf course'*4A,

)rementina #ase
Main article: )rementina 0ase &he Church of Scientology maintains a large ase on the outskirts of &rementina, Ce0 ;e1ico for the purpose of storing their archiving pro6ect: engraving Scientology founder !' Ron $u ard)s 0ritings on stainless steel ta lets and encasing them in titanium capsules underground'*4+, "n aerial photograph sho0ing the ase)s enormous Church of Spiritual &echnology sym ols on the ground caused media interest and a local &? station roke the story in Covem er -AA4' "ccording to a Washington =ost report, the organi#ation unsuccessfully attempted to coerce the station not to air the story'*4-,

!lag shi(, !ree$inds

Main article: #reewinds &he cruise ship #reewinds is the only place the current highest level of Scientology training (>& ?((() is offered' (t cruises the Cari ean Sea, under the auspices of the Flag Ship Service >rgani#ation' &he Free0inds is also used for other courses and auditing for those 0illing to spend e1tra money to get services on the ship'

*ther locations
&he Church of Scientology is continuing to e1pand, in -AA8 a church opened in D&he Winter Stra0 erry Capital of the WorldD, =lant City, Florida'*4., and purchased the former site of the Saint Samuel Church of %od in $arlem, Ce0 Jork for G+A,-AA,AAA' *43, Smaller Scientology centers can e found 0orld0ide, some e1amples are included elo0:

Church of Scientology in $olly0ood

Church of Scientology Centre on Scientology of &ottenham Court Road in $am urg !ondon as it looked in -AA3

Church of Scientology of &oronto

Sea *rg
Main article: Sea !rg &he Sea !rganization (often shortened to DSea >rgD) 0as founded in +758 y !' Ron $u ard, as he em arked on a series of voyages around the ;editerranean Sea in a small

fleet of Scientology2cre0ed cruise ships' $u ardFformerly a lieutenant 6unior grade in the 9S CavyF esto0ed the rank of DCommodoreD of the vessels upon himself' &he cre0 0ho accompanied him on these voyages ecame the foundation of the Sea >rg' D>rgsD, such as D!os "ngeles >rgD, are semi2autonomous organi#ations 0hich staff themselves as they see fit' &he Sea >rg is a more dedicated, more elite group 0ithin Scientology 0hich e1clusively staffs the higher >rgs' &he "dvanced >rgani#ation of !os "ngeles, for e1ample, is staffed y Sea >rg mem ers' While every >rg enforces rules and administers disciplinary procedures 0ithin its o0n portion of the larger organi#ation 0hich is the CoS, Sea >rg mem ers hold the highest 6o s' &he Sea >rg is freKuently characteri#ed as the DeliteD of Scientology, oth in terms of po0er 0ithin the organi#ation and dedication to the cause' Scientologists seeking to advance 0ithin the organi#ation are encouraged to 6oin the Sea >rg, 0hich involves devoting their full time to Scientology pro6ects in e1change for meals, erthing and a nominal honorarium' ;em ers sign a contract pledging their loyalty to Scientology for Dthe ne1t illion years,D committing their future lifetimes to the Sea >rg' &he Sea >rg)s motto is DRevenimusD (or DWe Come <ackD)' Bisciplinary procedures and policies 0ithin the Sea >rg have een a focus of critics 0ho argue that Scientology is an a usive cult' Buring the original Sea >rg)s ;editerranean tour, $u ard applied a variety of physical punishments, including the practice of Dover oarding,D or thro0ing offenders over the side of the ship' Former Sea >rg mem ers have stated that punishments in the late +75As and early +78As included confinement in ha#ardous conditions such as the ship)s chain locker'*44, &he Reha ilitation =ro6ect Force or R=F 0as esta lished in +783 to provide a Dsecond chanceD to Sea >rg mem ers 0hose offenses against Church rules 0ere such that they 0ould other0ise have een e1pelled from mem ership' R=F mem ers are paired up and help one another for five hours each day 0ith spiritual counseling to resolve the issues for 0hich they 0ere assigned to the program' &he also spend : hours per day doing physical la or that 0ill enefit the Church facility 0here they are located' >n verification of their having completed the program they are then given a Sea >rg 6o again' *45,

+olunteer Ministers
Main article: 1olunteer Ministers &he Church of Scientology egan its D?olunteer ;inistersD program as a 0ay to participate in community outreach pro6ects' >ver the past several years, it has ecome a common practice for ?olunteer ;inisters to travel to the scenes of ma6or disasters in order to provide assistance 0ith relief efforts' "ccording to critics, these relief efforts consist of passing out copies of a pamphlet authored y !' Ron $u ard entitled )he "ay to appiness, and engaging in a method said to calm panicked or in6ured individuals kno0n in Scientology as a Dtouch assist'D

,eligious )echnology Center -,)C.

Main article: Religious )echnology &enter "round +7:- all of the $u ard)s intellectual property 0as transferred to a ne0ly formed entity called the Church of Spiritual &echnology (CS&) and then licensed to the Religious )echnology &enter (R&C) 0hich, according to its o0n pu licity, e1ists to safeguard and control the use of the Church of Scientology)s copyrights and trademarks' &he R&C employs la0yers and has pursued individuals and groups 0ho have legally attacked Scientology or 0ho are deemed to e a legal threat to Scientology' &his has included reaka0ay Scientologists 0ho practice Scientology outside the central church and critics, as 0ell as numerous government and media organi#ations' &his has helped to maintain Scientology)s reputation for litigiousness (see Scientology and the legal system)'

Missionary activities

" visitor to a Church of Scientology pu lic information tent receives a demonstration of an /2meter ;em ers of the pu lic entering a Scientology center or mission are offered a Dfree personality testD called the >1ford Capacity "nalysis y Scientology literature' &he test, despite its name and the claims of Scientology literature, has no connection to >1ford 9niversity or any other research ody' Scientific research into three test results came to the conclusion that D0e are forced to a position of skepticism a out the test)s status as a relia le psychometric deviceD and called its Dscientific value,D Dnegligi leD'*48, Further proselyti#ation practices 2 commonly called DdisseminationD of Scientology*4:, 2 include information ooths, fliers and advertisement for free seminars, Sunday Services in regular ne0spapers and maga#ines, personal contacts*47,*5A, and sales of ooks*5+,

"egal $aivers
Recent legal actions involving Scientology)s relationship 0ith its mem ers (see Scientology controversy) have caused the organi#ation to pu lish e1tensive legal documents that cover the rights granted to follo0ers' (t has ecome standard practice 0ithin the organi#ation for mem ers to sign lengthy legal contracts and 0aivers efore engaging in Scientology services, a practice that contrasts greatly 0ith almost every mainstream religious organi#ation' (n -AA., a series of media reports e1amined the legal

contracts reKuired y Scientology, 0hich state, among other things, that follo0ers deny any psychiatric care their doctors may prescri e to them'*5-,
( do not elieve in or su scri e to psychiatric la els for individuals' (t is my strongly held religious elief that all mental pro lems are spiritual in nature and that there is no such thing as a mentally incompetent person F only those suffering from spiritual upset of one kind or another dramati#ed y an individual' ( re6ect all psychiatric la els and intend for this Contract to clearly memoriali#e my desire to e helped e1clusively through religious, spiritual means and not through any form of psychiatric treatment, specifically including involuntary commitment ased on so2called lack of competence' 9nder no circumstances, at any time, do ( 0ish to e denied my right to care from mem ers of my religion to the e1clusion of psychiatric care or psychiatric directed care, regardless of 0hat any psychiatrist, medical person, designated mem er of the state or family mem er may assert supposedly on my ehalf'

See also: 2ntrospection Rundown

'overnment o(inion of Scientology

Main article: Scientology as a state3recognized religion

/nited States
(n +787 $u ard)s 0ife, ;ary Sue $u ard, along 0ith ten other highly placed Scientology e1ecutives 0ere convicted in 9nited States federal court regarding >peration Sno0 White, and served time in an "merican federal prison' >peration Sno0 White involved infiltration, 0iretapping and theft of documents in government offices, most nota ly those of the 9nited States (nternal Revenue Service ((RS)' (n +77., ho0ever, the 9nited States (RS recogni#ed Scientology as a Dnon2profit charita le organi#ation,D and gave it the same legal protections and favora le ta1 treatment e1tended to other non2profit charita le organi#ations'*5., " 4ew 5or$ )imes article says that Scientologists paid private investigators to o tain compromising material on the (RS commissioner and lackmailed the (RS into su mission'*53, Si1 levels of indents do0n in the eventually leaked Dclosing agreement,D the (RS is contractually reKuired to discriminate in their treatment of Scientology to the e1clusion of all other groups'*54,
D&he follo0ing actions 0ill e considered to e a material reach y the Service: ''' &he issuance of a Regulation, Revenue Ruling or other pronouncement of general applica ility providing that fi1ed donations to a religious organi#ation other than a church of Scientology are fully deducti le unless the Service has issued previously or issues contemporaneously a similar pronouncement that provides for consistent and uniform principles for determining the deducti ility of fi1ed donations for all churches including the Church of ScientologyD'

(n a -AA+ legal case involving a married couple attempting to o tain the same deduction for charity to a Je0ish school, it 0as stated y Judge Silverman:*55,

D"n (RS closing agreement cannot overrule Congress and the Supreme Court' (f the (RS does, in fact, give preferential treatment to mem ers of the Church of ScientologyFallo0ing them a special right to claim deductions that are contrary to la0 and rightly disallo0ed to every ody else Fthen the proper course of action is a la0suit to put a stop to that policy'D

&o date (-AA:) such a suit is not kno0n to have een filed' (n further appeal in -AA5, the 9S &a1 Court again re6ected couple)s deduction, stating DWe conclude that the agreement reached et0een the (nternal Revenue Service and the Church of Scientology in +77. does not affect the result in this case'D*58, $o0ever, this matter is still ongoing' >n Fe ruary :, -AA:, three 6udges in the 9S 7th Circuit Court of "ppeals De1pressed deep skepticismD over the (RS)s preferential treatment of Scientology' *5:,

&ustralia
Main article: Scientology in Australia (n the +75As Scientology 0as anned in three states in "ustralia as a result of the "nderson Report pu lished in +754' Specific legislation 0as made to counter it in South "ustralia' $o0ever, legislated ans in all three States 0as either repealed *57, *8A, or emended *8+, to remove references to Scientology during the +78As and there is currently no legal restriction in "ustralia on the practice of Scientology' &he $igh Court of "ustralia dealt 0ith the Kuestion 0hether Scientology is a religion for payroll ta1 purposes' &hey unanimously found that it 0as'*8-,

uro(e
#elgium (n Septem er -AA8, a <elgian prosecutor announced that they had finished an investigation of Scientology and said they 0ould pro a ly ring charges' &he church said the prosecutor)s pu lic announcement falsely suggested guilt even efore a court could hear any of the charges' "n administrative court has yet to decide 0hether to press charges against the Scientologists'*8., ,e(ublic of Ireland "s in most /uropean countries, the Church of Scientology is not officially recogni#ed in (reland as a charita le organi#ation, ut it is free to promote Scientology eliefs'*83, (n the early part of -AA:, the (rish government did not invite the Church of Scientology to national discussions on seculari#ation y the Religious Council of (reland' &he meetings 0ere attended y Catholic ishops, representatives of the Church of (reland, (reland)s Chief Ra i, and ;uslim leaders'*84,

!rance (n France, a parliamentary report classified Scientology as a dangerous cult'*85, (n the 9nited @ingdom, %ermany and Canada, the organi#ation is not regarded as meeting the legal standards for eing considered a bona fide religion or charity'*88, (n France, they are currently eing sued for fraud and practicing pharmacology 0ithout a license'*8:, 'ermany (n %ermany, official vie0s of Scientology are particularly skeptical' (n %ermany it is seen as a totalitarian organi#ation and is under o servation y national security organi#ations due, among other reasons, to suspicion of violating the human rights of its mem ers granted y the %erman Constitution*87,, including $u ard)s pessimistic vie0 on democracy vis2L2vis psychiatry and other such features'*:A, (n Becem er -AA8, %ermany)s top security officials said that they considered the goals of Church of Scientology to e in conflict 0ith the principles of the nation)s constitution and 0ould seek to an the organi#ation'*:+, &he Federal !a or Court of %ermany ruled in -AA- that Scientology staff 0ere not employees per se ut association mem ers that do not 0ork for profit ut for idealistic goals and spiritual improvement' &his reversed a +774 ruling y the same court that stated an employer2employee relationship e1isted'*:-, S(ain >n .+ >cto er -AA8, the Cational Court in ;adrid issued a decision recogni#ing that the Cational Church of Scientology of Spain should e entered in the Registry of Religious /ntities' &he administrative tri unal of ;adrid)s $igh Court ruled that a -AA4 6ustice ministry decision to scrap the church from the register 0as Dagainst the la0'D Responding to a petition filed y the church, the ruling said that no documents had een presented in court to demonstrate it 0as anything other than a religious entity'*:.,*:3, ,ussia &he /uropean Court of $uman Rights ruled in "pril -AA8 that Russia)s denial to register the Church of Scientology as a religious community 0as a violation of "rticle ++ of the /uropean Convention on $uman Rights (freedom of assem ly and association) read in the light of "rticle 7 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion)D'*:4, (n July -AA8, the St' =eters urg City Court closed do0n that city)s Scientology center for violating its charter'*:5,*:8, /nited 0ingdom Foreign Scientologists 0ere anned from entering the 9nited @ingdom et0een +75: M +7:A ut 0ere allo0ed later on' (n +777 an application y Scientology for charita le status 0as re6ected after the authorities decided its activities 0ere not of general pu lic

enefit'*::, (n the 9nited @ingdom the Charity Commission does not class Scientology as a religion on financial grounds'*:7,

Israel
(n (srael, according to (sraeli professor of psychology <en6amin <eit2$allahmi, Din various organi#ational forms, Scientology has een active among (sraelis for more than thirty years, ut those in charge not only never claimed the religion la el, ut resisted any such suggestion or implication' (t has al0ays presented itself as a secular, self2 improvement, ta12paying usiness'D*7A, &hose Dorgani#ational formsD include a Scientology >rgani#ation in &el "viv' "nother (sraeli Scientology group called D&he Way to $appinessD (or D"ssociation for =rosperity and Security in the ;iddle /astD) 0orks through local Scientologist mem ers to promote &he Way to $appiness'*7+, "n (sraeli CC$R chapter runs campaigns against perceived a uses in psychiatry*7-,' >ther Scientology campaigns, such as DJouth for $uman Rights (nternationalD are active as 0ell'*7., &here is also an ultra2>rthodo1 Je0ish group that opposes Scientology and other religions in (srael*73,, !ev !)"chim, 0hose anti2missionary department in -AA+ provided a hotline and other services to 0arn citi#ens of Scientology)s Dmany types of front organi#ationsD'*74,

Summary
/arly official reports in countries such as the 9nited @ingdom (+78+), South "frica (+78-), "ustralia (+754) and Ce0 Nealand (+757) have yielded unfavora le o servations and conclusions'*75,*78,*7:,*77, While a num er of governments no0 give the Church of Scientology protections and ta1 relief as an officially recogni#ed religion,*+AA,*+A+,*+A-, other sources descri e the Church as a pseudoreligion or a cult'*7A, Sociologist Stephen @ent pu lished at a !utheran convention in %ermany that he likes to call it a transnational corporation*+A.,' Sociology =rofessor James "' <eckford*+A3,, =rofessor for Religion =er2"rne <erglie *+A4,, Sociology =rofessor "lan W' <lack *+A5,, =rofessor for Religion Juha =entikainen*+A8, and several others*+A:, generally found it to e a religious organi#ation'

!inances
Scientologists are e1pected to attend classes, e1ercises or counseling sessions, for a set range of fees (or Dfi1ed donationsD)' Charges for auditing and other church2related courses run from hundreds to thousands of dollars' " 0ide variety of entry2level courses, representing : to +5 hours study, cost under G+AA (9S)' ;ore advanced courses reKuire mem ership in the (nternational "ssociation of Scientologists (("S), have to e taken at higher level >rgs, and have higher fees'*+A7, ;em ership 0ithout courses or auditing is possi le, ut the higher levels cannot e reached this 0ay' (n +774, >peration Clam ake, a 0e site critical of scientology, estimated the cost of reaching D>& 7 readinessD, one of the highest levels, is 9S G.54,AAA M G.:A,AAA'*++A,*+++,, assuming the most e1pensive route'

Scientologists can choose to e audited y a fello0 Scientologists rather than y a staff mem er'*++-, Scientologists are freKuently encouraged to ecome =rofessional "uditors as a 0ay of earning their 0ay up the <ridge' "s a Field "uditor, auditors can receive commissions on people referred to >rgani#ations and a +4H commission on completed services'*++., Critics say it is improper to fi1 a donation for religious serviceO therefore the activity is non2religious' Scientology points out many classes, e1ercises and counseling may also e traded for Din kindD or performed cooperatively y students for no cost, and mem ers of its most devoted orders can make use of services 0ithout any donations ar that of their time' " central tenet of Scientology is its Boctrine of /1change, 0hich dictates that each time a person receives something, he or she must give something ack' <y doing so, a Scientologist maintains Dinflo0D and Doutflo0D, avoiding spiritual decline'*++3,

Membershi( statistics
&he (nternational "ssociation of Scientologists (("S) maintains a list of Scientologists 0orld20ide' $o0ever, not every active Scientologist is a mem er of the (nternational "ssociation of Scientologists' (t is difficult to o tain relia le mem ership statistics for Scientology' &he organi#ation itself issues only vague figures (0ithout reaking them do0n y region or country), and pu lic censuses have only recently included Kuestions a out religious affiliations though the 9nited States Census <ureau states that it is not the source for information on religion*4,' ;ost recently, the %erman national maga#ine 6er Spiegel reported a out : million mem ers 0orld0ide, a out 5AAA of them in %ermany, 0ith only +4A2-AA mem ers in <erlin'*++4, (n +77., a spokesperson of Scientology Frankfurt had mentioned slightly more than 7.,... members nation0ide'*++5, &he organi#ation has said that it has any0here from eight million to fifteen million mem ers 0orld20ide,*++8,*++:,*++7,*+-A,*+-+, and has stated that Scientology is Dthe fastest gro0ing religion in the 0orld'D*+--,' Berek Bavis *5, stated in -AA3 that the Church organi#ation has around +4 million mem ers 0orld0ide *+-.,' Religious scholar J' %ordon ;elton has said that the church)s estimates of its mem ership num ers are e1aggerated'
*+-3,

&he DScientologists >nlineD 0e site presents Dover +5,AAA Scientologists >n2!ineD'*+-4, Statistics from other sources:

(n +77+, the Cational Survey of Religious (dentification reported 34,AAA Scientology follo0ers in the 9nited States' &his survey 0as su mitted as evidence in the case DRaul Lopez v' Church of Scientology ;ission of <uenaventuraD y the Church of Scientology)s attorney, %erald !' Chaleff'

(n -AA+, the "merican Religious (dentification Survey ("R(S) reported that there 0ere 44,AAA adults in the 9nited States 0ho consider themselves Scientologists'
*+-5,

&he -AA+ 9nited @ingdom census contained a voluntary Kuestion on religion, to 0hich appro1imately 3:,AAA,AAA chose to respond' >f those living in /ngland and Wales 0ho responded, a total of +,8:+ said they 0ere Scientologists'*+-8, (n -AA+, "ustralia)s national census recorded -,A.- Scientologists nation0ide'*+-8, (n -AA5, it recorded -,4A8' *+-:, (n -AA+, the Canadian national census reported a total of +,4-4 Scientologists nation0ide'*+-8, (n -AA+, the Ce0 Nealand national census found -:- Scientologists nation0ide'
*+-8,

(n -AA4, the %erman >ffice for the =rotection of the Constitution estimated a total of 4,AAA M 5,AAA Scientologists in that country, and mentioned a count of +-,AAA according to Scientology %ermany' *+-7,

Scientology s(linter grou(s

Main article: #ree 8one 'Scientology( &he Church denies the legitimacy of any splinter groups and factions outside the official organi#ation, and has actively sought out these DrogueD Scientologists and tried to prevent them from using officially trademarked Scientology materials' &hese independent Scientologists are kno0n as sKuirrels 0ithin the Church, and are classified as suppressive persons (DS=sD) F opponents or enemies of Scientology' ;any groups refer to themselves under the um rella term of DFree NoneD'

&ffiliated organi1ations
&here are many independently2chartered organi#ations and groups 0hich are staffed y Scientologists, and pay license fees for the use of Scientology technology and trademarks under the control of Scientology management' (n some cases, these organi#ations do not pu lici#e their affiliation 0ith Scientology' *+.A,*+.+,

&#"
Main article: Association for 0etter Living and +ducation Founded in +7:7, the "ssociation for <etter !iving and /ducation ("<!/) is an um rella organi#ation that administers si1 of Scientology)s social programs:

Carconon drug reha ilitation centers' Criminon prisoner reha ilitation programs' &he Way to $appiness Foundation, dedicated to disseminating $u religious moral code'

ard)s non2

"pplied Scholastics, educational programs ased on $u ard)s DStudy &ech'D (nternational Foundation for $uman Rights and &olerance, 0hich has a particular interest in religious freedom' Jouth for $uman Rights (nternational, the youth ranch of the a ove'

CCH,
Main article: &itizens &ommission on uman Rights &he Citi#ens) Commission on $uman Rights (CC$R), co2founded 0ith &homas S#as# in +757, is an activist group dedicated to classifying psychiatric treatments as human rights violations and furthering the Scientology doctrinal opposition to mainstream psychiatric therapies'

2IS
Main article: "orld 2nstitute of Scientology +nterprises ;any other Scientologist2run usinesses and organi#ations elong to the um rella organi#ation World (nstitute of Scientology /nterprises (W(S/), 0hich licenses the use of $u ard)s management doctrines, and circulates directories of W(S/2affiliated usinesses' W(S/ reKuires those 0ho 0ish to ecome $u ard management consults to complete training in $u ard)s administrative systemsO this training can e undertaken at any Church of Scientology, or at one of the campuses of the $u ard College of "dministration, 0hich offers an "ssociate of "pplied Science Begree'

>ne of the est2kno0n W(S/2affiliated usinesses is Sterling ;anagement Systems, 0hich offers $u ard)s management DtechnologyD to professionals such as dentists and chiropractors' "nother 0ell2kno0n W(S/2affiliated usiness is e2Repu lic, a pu lishing company ased in Folsom, California'*+.-, e2Repu lic pu lications include /overnment )echnology and &onverge maga#ines' &he &enter for 6igital /overnment is a division of e' Repu lic that 0as founded in +777' (nternet (S= /arth!ink 0as founded y Scientologist Sky Bayton as a Scientology enterprise' &he company no0 distances itself from the vie0s of its founder, 0ho has moved on to ecome C/> of S@2/arth!ink'

See also
Scientology portal

!ist of groups referred to as cults in government documents !ist of Scientology organi#ations !ist of religious organi#ations !ist of Scientologists Scientology eliefs and practices

Scientology controversies Scientology and the legal system Scientology and the (nternet Scientology in popular culture &imeline of Scientology Scientology (n "ustralia =ro6ect Chanology alt'religion'scientology