OPINION: ‘Going Clear’ and the Church of Scientology

All of this sounds odd, but none of it really disturbs me. People believe peculiar things, but if it helps them and doesn’t hurt others, then I don’t feel any eagerness to judge. Truly, good for them if it brings them peace of mind. The auditing process seems to tap into a fundamental need most all of us have to be heard. We want someone to listen. And “auditing” sounds, at least on a superficial level, like a far-out branch of psychotherapy, something Hollywood stars might get into. And hey, they do.

But according to some former church members, the confessions to the “auditors” are recorded and files kept. And when church members want to leave, their confessions are presented to them as blackmail. This is where a religion turns from a practice of self-realization to a mob-like organization. And Scientology, as it is presented by former leaders who spoke in the documentary, carries considerable Goodfellas tendencies.

The church aggressively attacks those who leave, smearing them in the public. And getting out is treacherous. One former member gave a harrowing tale of escaping with her baby, who had been taken from her and kept in terrible conditions until she broke free with the child. Former members speak of being put in camps and beaten, while deprived of basic sustenance, having to clean floors with their tongues. The current head of the church, David Miscavige, comes across as a truly scary figure in “Going Clear.” The former church leaders interviewed in the documentary talked of being physically assaulted by him. Miscavige’s wife hasn’t been seen in public since 2007 and amid speculation about her whereabouts the church declared “that she is not missing and devotes her time to the work of the Church of Scientology.”

L. Ron Hubbard is treated as a saintly figure for his writings and religious doctrine, but the documentary talks about his troubled relations with his own family, how he kidnapped his child from his wife, then phoned her and told her he had killed the child, then chopped her up, then called back and said he hadn’t killed her. This hardly makes me want to follow him down his mental tunnels to his promised land. And he created some strange tunnels.

Here is how Wikipedia describes “Xenu,” a central figure in Hubbard’s religion: “Xenu (/?zi?nu?/), also called “Xemu”, was, according to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, the dictator of the ‘Galactic Confederacy’ who 75 million years ago brought billions of his people to Earth (then known as “Teegeeack”) in a DC-8-like spacecraft, stacked them around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. Official Scientology scriptures hold that the thetans (immortal spirits) of these aliens adhere to humans, causing spiritual harm.”

The biggest triumph for Scientology seemed to be its legal firestorm of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in which it won its status as a tax-exempt religion. It filed a flurry of personal suits against the IRS and the federal agency backed down amid the onslaught. Hubbard had seen this as a key to profitability. And he was on the run by land and by sea from the IRS before the church’s victory after his death.

“You don’t get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion,” Hubbard told an audience during a meeting of the Eastern Science Fiction Association in 1948.

Now, the church has amassed great property and wealth. It has the backing of great stars. It is powerful.

Of course, any religion in its infancy is a cult to the society of its day — a cult being a belief system that is frowned upon by society, something seen as strange or dangerous. Christianity was treated as such in its early years by some, but it stood the test of time and has been embraced by billions over centuries.

But cults spring up periodically and often end in great upheaval, frequently due to a central figure who starts and oversees the new religion. Cults often are the creation of a person who places himself as the figurehead of the new faith. This requires an us-against-the-world mentality for the leader and his followers. And when society pushes against the new group — or is perceived to push against the group — then the founder might lead followers into some death event that will make them martyrs or lead to salvation. Think Jim Jones, David Koresh or Marshall Applewhite.

But the Church of Scientology is different. It’s not falling on any swords. It’s wielding one. It is litigious, rich, showy, belligerent toward critics and former members — and downright cruel in some of its tactics. I don’t intend to belittle anyone for their genuine personal journey to find truth in this life, wherever that takes them. That’s their business. And I wish everyone the best with that. It’s tough for us all. But institutional character is an entirely different matter than personal truth. And this church has former leaders saying truly scary things that shouldn’t go ignored by society as a whole.

Ultimately, will this work? Will Scientology have enough converts to stand the test of time? Will it take root as a major religion with political power? Well, Scientologists are asked to sign a symbolic billion-year contract to the church. So you can certainly believe they’re planning to be around for the long haul.

Zach Mitcham is editor of The Madison County Journal.