Portal:Scientology

Topics

Culture

Geography

Health

History

Mathematics

Nature

People

Philosophy

Religion

Society

Technology

---

•  Religion
  Atheism
• Creationism
• Mythology
• Nontheism
• Occult
• Spirituality
  African (Serer)
•  Bábism (Bahá'í Faith) 
•   Buddhism (Mahayana
• Tibetan
• Vajrayana) 
•  Chinese (Confucianism
• Falun Gong
• Taoism) 
•   Christianity (in China
• in India)
• Seventh-day Adventism
• Anabaptism
•  Anglicanism
• Arminianism
• Baptist
• Calvinism
• Christadelphianism
• Eastern (Oriental Orthodoxy
• Syriac)
• Latter Day Saints (Book of Mormon
• LDS Church
• Community of Christ)
• Lutheranism
• Methodism
• Roman Catholicism (Pope
• Bible
• Saints) 
•  Heathenism 
•  Hellenismos (Greek mythology) 
•  Indian (Ayyavazhi)
•  Hinduism (mythology
• Ravidassia) 
• Jainism
• Sikhism
•   Islam (in China
• in Russia
• Shia
• Ahmadiyya
• Sufism
• Quran) 
•  Judaism (Kabbalah) 
•   Scientology 
•  Shinto 
•  Wicca 
•  Zoroastrianism 

Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by Speculative Fiction author L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986), starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics. Hubbard characterized Scientology as a religion, and in 1953 incorporated the Church of Scientology in Camden, New Jersey.

Scientology teaches that people are immortal beings who have forgotten their true nature. Its method of spiritual rehabilitation is a type of counselling known as auditing, in which practitioners aim to consciously re-experience painful or traumatic events in their past in order to free themselves of their limiting effects. Study materials and auditing courses are made available to members in return for specified donations. Scientology is legally recognized as a tax-exempt organization in the United States and some other countries, and the Church of Scientology emphasizes this as proof that it is a bona fide religion. In other countries, notably France, Germany and the United Kingdom, Scientology does not have comparable religious status.

A large number of organizations overseeing the application of Scientology have been established, the most notable of these being the Church of Scientology. Scientology sponsors a variety of social service programs. These include the Narconon anti-drug program, the Criminon prison rehabilitation program, the Study Tech education methodology, a volunteer organization, a business management method, and a set of moral guidelines expressed in a booklet called The Way to Happiness.

The Church of Scientology is one of the most controversial new religious movements to have arisen in the 20th century. It has often been described as a cult that financially defrauds and abuses its members, charging exorbitant fees for its spiritual services. The Church of Scientology has consistently used litigation against such critics, and its aggressiveness in pursuing its foes has been condemned as harassment. Further controversy has focused on Scientology's belief that souls ("thetans") reincarnate and have lived on other planets before living on Earth. Former members say that some of Hubbard's writings on this remote extraterrestrial past, included in confidential Upper Levels, are not revealed to practitioners until they have paid thousands of dollars to the Church of Scientology. Another controversial belief held by Scientologists is that the practice of psychiatry is destructive and abusive and must be abolished. Notable Scientologists include many well known people such as Tom Cruise, Greta Van Susteren, Chick Corea, John Travolta, Priscilla Presley and Kirstie Alley.

More about Scientology...

Template:/box-footer

"Trapped in the Closet" is the twelfth episode of the ninth season of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on November 16, 2005. The plot of the episode centers on the South Park character Stan Marsh, as he joins Scientology in an attempt to find something "fun and free". After the discovery of his surprisingly high "thetan levels", he is recognized as the reincarnation of the founder of the church, L. Ron Hubbard. Isaac Hayes, the voice of Chef, quit the show shortly before the start of the tenth season. The reason for his departure, as reported by Matt Stone, was due to his faith in Scientology and this episode, which—despite initially supporting the show's satirical take on several talk shows—he claimed was very offensive. "Trapped in the Closet" was nominated for an Emmy Award in July 2006, in the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) category in July 2006, but lost to The Simpsons episode "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story". The episode was featured among Comedy Central's list of "10 South Parks That Changed The World", spoofed by Conan O'Brien in the opening segment of the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards, and mentioned in the Scientology critique film, The Bridge.

The M/V Freewinds is a cruise ship operated by the Church of Scientology. Its home port is Curaçao, and it frequents the Netherlands Antilles and the Caribbean. The vessel was built in 1968 by Wärtsilä in Turku, Finland, at the former Crichton-Vulcan shipyard to Ice Class 1A, as one of a series of four RORO car ferries. It was purchased by Majestic Cruise Lines, a Church of Scientology corporation, in 1986 and subsequently was renamed the Freewinds in its home port of Curaçao.

Scientology items from Wikinews

• October 19: Exclusive: 'The Scientology Reformation' author examines Tom Cruise and David Miscavige
• September 10: ABC News yanks 20/20 investigation of Tom Cruise and Scientology
• February 2: Scientology guilty of fraud rules French appeal court
• December 2: Australian woman claims Church of Scientology imprisoned her for twelve years

Kirsten Louise Alley (born January 12, 1951) is an American Emmy Award winning actress best known for her role in the TV show Cheers, where she played Rebecca Howe from 1987-1993, winning an Emmy as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for 1991. A year later, she won a Golden Globe for her performance in Cheers as well. She won an Emmy in 1994 for her role in the TV-drama David's Mother. Other critically acclaimed roles Alley is known for include: playing Diane Barrows in It Takes Two and a single mother in Look Who's Talking, Look Who's Talking Too, and Look Who's Talking Now (all co-starring John Travolta). Alley has won two People's Choice Awards in the years 1991 and 1998. Alley joined Scientology in 1979, and has served as the national spokesperson for Narconon. She has continued her Scientology training and has attained the level of Operating Thetan 6. In May 2000, she purchased the former home of fellow Scientologist Lisa Marie Presley, a 5,200-sq-ft. waterfront mansion in Clearwater, Florida, for $1.5 million. Alley was married to actor Parker Stevenson (Richard Stevenson Parker, Jr.) from December 22, 1983, until 1997.

• ...that the development of the Wikiscanner software by Virgil Griffith (pictured) in 2007 revealed Church of Scientology editing on Wikipedia?
• ...that Norwegian Parliament member Olav Gunnar Ballo's book about the suicide of his daughter Kaja Bordevich Ballo became a bestseller in Norway?
• ...that a St. Petersburg Times investigation on deaths related to Scientology was recommended in an article of the Indiana International & Comparative Law Review?

Template:/box-header Main project: WikiProject Scientology

Related WikiProjects: Religion • Mythology • Philosophy • Spirituality • Atheism • Holidays • Alternative views  Rational skepticism • Countering systemic bias

What are WikiProjects?

Featured articles

2

Good articles

2

• Place the {{WikiProject Scientology}} project banner on the talk pages of all articles within the scope of the project.
• Place all articles, by alphabetical order, at the list Wikipedia:WikiProject Scientology/publicwatchlist.
• Check the recent changes list to note improvements, other changes or vandalism of articles within the scope of this project.
• Article alerts subpage - Monitor article alerts, for more information see Wikipedia:Article alerts
• Attention: See Category:Scientology articles needing attention for any articles which may require attention.
• Cleanup: A cleanup listing for this project is available. See also the list by category, the tool's wiki page and the index of WikiProjects.
• Notability: Articles with notability concerns, listed at WikiProject Notability
• Rate the Unassessed Scientology articles in the Scientology WikiProject.
• Stubs: See Category:Scientology stubs and Category:Stub-Class Scientology articles

Education	Mind and Brain	Philosophy	Psychology

• What are portals?
• List of portals
• Featured portals