Scientology Critical Information Directory

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Scientology library: “J. Gordon Melton”

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anson shupe • aum shinrikyo • bankruptcy • brainwashing • church of scientology international (csi) • cult awareness network (can) (earlier form, citizen's freedom foundation) • deprogramming • fair game • freedom (scientology magazine) • germany • institute for the study of american religion • internal revenue service (irs) • j. gordon melton • james r. lewis • jason scott • kendrick l. moxon • lawsuit • office of special affairs (osa) (formerly, guardian's office) • operating thetan (ot) • salary • sea organization (sea org, so) • skeptic magazine • stephen a. kent • the family (formerly, children of god) • theresa krebs
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Aug 6, 2010
Judge dismisses two lawsuits aimed at Scientology — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
More: Court ruling, Church of Scientology's response
Type: Press
Author(s): Thomas C. Tobin, Joe Childs
Source: St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
The Church of Scientology won an important victory in federal court Thursday when a judge dismissed two lawsuits that accused the church of labor law violations, human trafficking and forced abortions. Claire and Marc Headley, who left Scientology in 2005, said the church controlled them with threats of harsh punishment and other tactics that prevented them from leaving the Sea Organization, Scientology's religious order. But U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer ruled that the Sea Org is protected by the First ...
Mar 27, 2010
Ex-Scientology lawsuits reveal elite Sea Org group — Associated Press
Type: Press
Author(s): Gillian Flaccus
Source: Associated Press
SAN JACINTO, Calif. – At the edge of arid foothills far outside Los Angeles, hundreds of Scientology followers live on a gated, 500-acre campus and work long hours for almost no pay reproducing the works of founder L. Ron Hubbard and creating the church's teaching and promotional materials. The church says its 5,000 so-called Sea Organization members are religious devotees akin to monks who are exempt from wage requirements and overtime. But two lawsuits filed by two former Sea Org members, ...
Oct 30, 2009
Scientology - Former Scientologist [Interview with Marty Rathbun] — CBC
Type: Radio
Author(s): Hana Gartner
Source: CBC
Despite the upbeat tones of its advertising campaign, it's been a tough week for the Church of Scientology. First, Canadian movie director Paul Haggis — one of the church's oldest and most respected members — quit over what he says is the church's refusal to denounce an anti-gay marriage bill in California. He outlined his reasons in a letter to the Church's spokesperson, Tommy Davis. Despite the upbeat tones of its advertising campaign, it's been a tough week for the Church ...
Apr 17, 2009
Literary review / Cult cock-OUP — Private Eye (UK)
More: private-eye.co.uk, link
Type: Press
Source: Private Eye (UK)
Scientology Edited by James R. Lewis (Oxford University Press, £18.99) THE clock starts striking 13 very early in this book, which claims to consider Scientology from a standpoint of scholarly objectivity. In the opening essay, "Birth of a Religion", J. Gordon Melton sets out "an overview of the life of L. Ron Hubbard anchored by the generally agreed facts". The general tone can be deduced from his conclusion: "After a suitable pause to acknowledge the founder's life and accomplishments, the church ...
Jan 30, 2008
Malignant narcissism, L. Ron Hubbard, and Scientology's policies of narcissistic rage
Type: Research
Author(s): Stephen A. Kent, Jodi M. Lane
In this article, we argue that Scientology’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard, likely presented a personality disorder known as malignant narcissism, and then we establish that this disorder probably contributed to his creation of organizational policies against perceived enemies that reflected his narcissistic rage. We illustrate our argument by discussing Hubbard’s creation of an internal Scientology organization called the Guardian’s Office, which carried out a sustained and covert attack against a Scientology critic, Paulette Cooper. This attack, and the Scientology policies that ...
Jan 29, 2008
Scientology's Fanatical Military — Orato
Type: Press
Author(s): John Duignan
Source: Orato
I spent a few days with Prof. Stephen Kent, of the Sociology Department of the University of Alberta, a couple of months ago. He is one of the few really brave academics willing to face up to mind control cults of the Scientology ilk, study, and expose what they really are and the damage they do the people they control. I spent many hours with Steve, describing my 20-year experiences within the cult’s fanatical, militant and secretive inner circle, an organization ...
Jul 26, 2007
Go Home, Tom Cruise! Why does Germany hate Scientologists? — Slate Magazine
Type: Press
Author(s): Michelle Tsai Michelle Tsai
Source: Slate Magazine
Last Sunday, the German Protestant Church's religious cult specialist called Tom Cruise the "Goebbels of Scientology." This comparison of the War of the Worlds actor and the head of the Nazi propaganda machine is only the most recent example of a German official having harsh words for the Church of Scientology. Last month, a German Defense Ministry spokesman said Cruise couldn't film his movie at military sites because the actor had "publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult." ...
Item contributed by: Ron Sharp
Nov 18, 2006
Sun, surf and Scientology? — Seattle Times
Type: Press
Author(s): Amy Green
Source: Seattle Times
Scientology is perhaps best-known for its most famous practitioner, Tom Cruise. But in this beachy Tampa suburb, Scientologists are neighbors... CLEARWATER, Fla. — Scientology is perhaps best-known for its most famous practitioner, Tom Cruise. But in this beachy Tampa suburb, Scientologists are neighbors, business owners, real-estate investors — and a growing force that makes some uncomfortable. The Church of Scientology, despite its official status as a tax-exempt religious organization, is nonetheless the largest taxpayer in downtown Clearwater, home to its worldwide ...
Item contributed by: Ron Sharp
Jun 25, 2006
The unperson // Scientologists who cross their religion can be declared suppressive persons, shunned by peers and ostracized by family — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s): Robert Farley
Source: St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Religions have always penalized those who betray the cause. Catholics excommunicate, barring the wayward from church rites. The Amish, Jehovah's Witnesses and some orthodox Jewish sects shun their nonconformists. In the Tampa Bay area's burgeoning Scientology community, members abide by a policy considered by some religious experts extreme: Scientologists declare their outcasts "suppressive persons." Another Scientology policy — called "disconnection" — forbids Scientologists from interacting with a suppressive person. No calls, no letters, no contact. An SP is a pariah. Anyone ...
Item contributed by: Ron Sharp
Jun 30, 2005
The press vs. Scientology — Salon
Type: Press
Author(s): Joe Strupp
Source: Salon
After years of conflict, the church and the media seem to have reached a truce. Is it because Scientology has become less confrontational — or because the press is scared? For anyone interested in the Church of Scientology, the May 6, 1991, issue of Time magazine remains a milestone in news coverage. For those who back the church, it ran an outrageously biased account that eventually led to a libel suit by the church — later dismissed — and prompted Scientology ...
Item contributed by: Ron Sharp
Jun 28, 2005
Missionary Man: Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology — Spiegel Online
Type: Press
Author(s): James Verini
Source: Spiegel Online
Tom Cruise has become a top proselytizer for Scientology. Is it because of a new private conviction, or a new public role for the church itself? In the course of just a few months, Tom Cruise has made an astounding public leap: He has transformed himself from one of the world's biggest movie stars into one of the oddest. It's not just his sudden romance with and engagement to actress Katie Holmes, which has not yet managed to shake the air ...
Item contributed by: Ron Sharp
Sep 20, 2004
Scientology: Church now claims more than 8 million members — Deseret News
Type: Press
Author(s): Elaine Jarvik
Source: Deseret News
The Church of Scientology is 50 years old this year, having survived its skeptics and detractors, an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and John Travolta's box-office flop, "Battlefield Earth," based on a science fiction novel by the church's founder L. Ron Hubbard. The church's 50th anniversary makes it a young religion as far as religions go but also attests to its staying power. According to Scientology headquarters in Los Angeles, the church now claims more than 8 million members in ...
Item contributed by: Ron Sharp
Sep 1, 2003
Scientology and the European Human Rights debate: A reply to Leisa Goodman, J. Gordon Melton, and the European Rehabilitation Project Force study — Marburg Journal of Religion
Type: Press
Author(s): Stephen A. Kent
Source: Marburg Journal of Religion
Tag(s): Anderson Report (Australia)Aum ShinrikyoBankruptcyBrainwashingBrigette SchoenChild laborChildren, youthChurch of Scientology International (CSI)Church of Scientology of TorontoChurch of Spiritual Technology (CST) (dba, L. Ron Hubbard Library)Colonia DignitadConfidential preclear (PC) folderConvictionCult Awareness Network (CAN) (earlier form, Citizen's Freedom Foundation)Cynthia KisserDead agenting (Black PR, smear campaign)DeprogrammingDouglas FrantzElliot J. AbelsonEric RubioEthics (Scientology)Fair gameFalse imprisonmentFalse Purpose RundownFrank K. FlinnFranz StoecklFreeloader's debtGaetane AsselinGerald "Gerry" ArmstrongGermanyHeber C. JentzschHernandez v. CommissionerImpact MagazineIna BrockmannInternal Revenue Service (IRS)International Scientology News (magazine)J. Gordon MeltonJason ScottJugen F. K. RedhardtJuha PentikainenKendrick L. MoxonKurt WeilandLarry BluntLawrence "Larry" WollersheimLawsuitLeisa Collins (aka Leisa Goodman)Lorne DawsonMarburg Journal of ReligionMichael and Marla SklarMichael YorkNarconon (aka Scientology drug rehab)Narconon Chilocco New Life CenterNew York TimesOffice of Special Affairs (OSA) (formerly, Guardian's Office)Operation FreakoutPaulette CooperPeter ReicheltPierre CollignonPotential Trouble Source (PTS)Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF)Religion (journal)Rick RossRobert J. LiftonRobert S. "Bob" MintonRoy WallisSalarySea Organization (Sea Org, SO)Security check ("sec check")Shirley LandaStephen A. KentSuppressive person (SP)Susanne SchernekauSynanonThe Family (formerly, Children of God)Tilman HausherrUrsula CabertaVivien Krogmann Lutz
Feb 12, 2001
Leaving the fold // Third-generation Scientologist grows disillusioned with faith — San Francisco Chronicle (California)
Type: Press
Author(s): Don Lattin
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (California)
Astra Woodcraft, apostate and defector, is the latest enemy of the Church of Scientology. Woodcraft, 22, never really joined this controversial psycho-spiritual movement, at least not as a free-thinking adult. Astra was born into it. Founded in the 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard, a prolific science fiction writer and freelance philosopher, Scientology describes itself as "the only major new religion established in the 20th century," as a bridge to increased awareness and spiritual freedom. Woodcraft, a third-generation Scientologist, paints a different ...
Item contributed by: Ron Sharp
Sep 4, 2000
Building Scientopolis // How Scientology remade Clearwater, Florida—and what local Christians learned in the process. — Christianity Today
Type: Press
Author(s): Jody Veenker
Source: Christianity Today
By all appearances, Clearwater lives up to its name. Located just outside of Tampa Bay, the city boasts palm trees, white beaches, sun, surf, and six cruise tour companies with "dolphin sightings guaranteed." Liberally supplied with spacious hotels within driving distance of the Busch Gardens amusement park and the Salvador Dali museum, Clearwater is a tidy burg with street names like Gulf to Bay Boulevard and Sunset Point Road. Clearwater is also home to the most prestigious international instructional center for ...
Item contributed by: Ron Sharp
May 1, 2000
Combatants in Cult War Attempt Reconciliation / Peacemaking conference is held near Seattle — San Francisco Chronicle (California)
Type: Press
Author(s): Don Lattin
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (California)
(05-01) 04:00 PDT Seattle — They're calling it the "Camp David of the cult wars." Leaders from both factions in the decades-long dispute over danger posed by new religious movements came together over the weekend at a woodsy retreat center on the shores of Puget Sound. There were a few screaming matches, and a bit of the old backbiting and rumormongering, but it was a largely peaceful gathering of defectors, devotees, heartbroken families and assorted cult experts. "We've reached the point ...
Item contributed by: Ron Sharp
Jan 1, 1999
"When Scholars Know Sin" forum debate / Clarifying contentious issues / A rejoinder to Melton, Shupe, and Lewis / Stephen A. Kent and Theresa Krebs — Skeptic magazine
More: link
Jan 1, 1999
"When Scholars Know Sin" forum debate / Kent and Krebs' skepticism crosses the line / Anson Shupe responds — Skeptic magazine
More: link
Jan 1, 1999
"When Scholars Know Sin" forum debate / Let the scholar who is without sin cast the first stone / James R. Lewis responds — Skeptic magazine
More: link
Jan 1, 1999
"When Scholars Know Sin" forum debate / Mea Culpa! Mea Culpa! / J. Gordon Melton responds — Skeptic magazine
More: link
Sep 1, 1998
When Scholars Know Sin — Skeptic magazine
More: skeptic.com
Type: Press
Author(s): Stephen A. Kent, Theresa Krebs
Source: Skeptic magazine
Dec 21, 1997
Boston man in costly fight with Scientology — New York Times
More: link
Dec 9, 1997
Gifts of cash fuel battle of principle / Hub man's aid to Scientology critics draws fire and rhetoric from church — Boston Globe
Jun 29, 1996
Cult fighters' future in doubt — Los Angeles Times (California)
More: scientology-lies.com, link
Type: Press
Source: Los Angeles Times (California)
Lawsuits: Group with controversial ties to deprogrammers files for bankruptcy and may be forced to shut down in wake of $1-million judgment. Plagued by numerous lawsuits from religious groups and fighting a $1.1-million judgment against it, the Cult Awareness Network has filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. "How we will operate or if we will continue to operate in the short term, I don't know," said Cynthia Kisser, executive director of the 12-year-old organization, known for ...
May 6, 1995
Alleged persecution of cult investigated — Los Angeles Times (California)
More: rickross.com, link
Type: Press
Author(s): Teresa Watanabe
Source: Los Angeles Times (California)
TOKYO — Four California activists are investigating charges of religious persecution against Aum Supreme Truth, the sect suspected in a poison gas attack against subway riders here in March. In an interview Friday, Los Angeles lawyer Barry Fisher said he and the others decided to visit after hearing that authorities had conducted mass arrests of Supreme Truth members, that sect children had been removed from their families and that officials were making allegations of mind control against the group. These actions, ...
Mar 10, 1993
When worlds collide / For some, cults hold all the answers — Los Angeles Times (California)
More: link
Type: Press
Author(s): Roy Rivenburg
Source: Los Angeles Times (California)
Disenchanted with college, unsure about a career and turned off by his Orthodox Jewish upbringing, Henry Kriegel hitchhiked around the country 16 years ago on a personal and spiritual quest that ended at a lecture sponsored by Elizabeth Clare Prophet's Church Universal and Triumphant. As he listened, something clicked that hadn't with the other philosophies he'd explored–and after several months of study and reflection, Kriegel joined the controversial sect, which came to be widely known for its massive Montana bomb shelter. ...
Aug 30, 1992
Couple's Scientology lesson costly // After forking over thousands of dollars, a few things become clear — Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
More: link
Type: Press
Author(s): Kay Stephens
Source: Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
The tale of Jon and Stacy Roberts and the Church of Scientology is the story of a typical couple, in many ways, who were looking for answers. When the financial advice they sought turned into spiritual guidance, the couple began to regret the direction their search had taken. In the process, they gave more than $100,000 to the Church of Scientology and an organization connected with it. Now they want to warn others not to do the same. Jon Roberts filed ...
Oct 20, 1990
Scientologists claim harassment by IRS — Mesa Tribune
More: link
Type: Press
Author(s): Lawn Griffiths
Source: Mesa Tribune
Saying the Internal Revenue Service harasses and discriminates against their members, Arizona followers of the Church of Scientology have gotten four of the state's congressmen and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to look into their allegations against the IRS. Scientologists have long waged a bitter battle with the IRS, which has challenged members' tax returns, saying they cannot claim charitable deductions on some money they pay for church-sponsored courses, materials and other costs associated with the 35-year-old organization founded by L Ron ...
Nov 17, 1988
The cult wars // Ten years after Jonestown, the battle intensifies over the influence of 'alternative' religions — Los Angeles Times (California)
More: link
Type: Press
Author(s): Bob Sipchen
Source: Los Angeles Times (California)
Eldridge Broussard Jr.'s face screwed into a grimace of such anger and pain that the unflappable Oprah Winfrey seemed unnerved. It hurts to be branded "the new Jimmy Jones" by a society eager to condemn what it doesn't understand, the founder of the Ecclesia Athletic Assn. lamented on TV just a few days after his 8-year-old daughter had been beaten to death, apparently by Ecclesia members. At issue were complex questions of whether the group he had formed to instill discipline ...
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Other web sites with precious media archives. There is also a downloadable SQL dump of this library (use it as you wish, no need to ask permission.)   In May 2008, Ron Sharp's hard work consisting of over 1260 FrontCite tagged articles were integrated with this library. There are more contributors to this library. This library currently contains over 6000 articles, and more added everyday from historical archives.