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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 45 page paper that discusses the issue of whether Scientology is a cult or a religion. The paper begins by defining the two words, then provides an overview of the growth of cults and religions in the 20th century. An historical overview of the beginning and expansion of the Church of Scientology is provided next, beginning with the publication of Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health in 1950. Hubbard went on the lecture circuit almost immediately, opened a research foundation, opened the first Scientology church in 1954 and continued writing a great deal while he also began developing different techniques like auditing. Hubbard did not declare Scientology a religion until 1962 and even vacillated on the label after that. This essay reports the major principles of Scientology, the criticisms and lawsuits, and the tactics used by the church against those who criticize it. The essay then reviews the characteristics of a cult and those of a religion and draws a conclusion as to whether Scientology is a cult or a religion and why. Bibliography lists 40 sources.
Page Count:
45 pages (~225 words per page)
File: MM12_PGscntl.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
success as a science-fiction writer.2 Weldon explains that Scientology actually draws on the ideas from a multitude of areas, such as psychology, science, the philosophies of Buddhism and Hinduism, Western
concepts and science fiction.3 Hubbard claimed this was a new religion that perceived all humans as immortal spirits, which he called thetans.4 Humans have forgotten their own identities and Scientology
can free them to realize their true potential, power and nature.5 When Hubbard wrote Dianetics, he positioned the book as an alternative to psychotherapy.6 The book fit beautifully
in the search for self-help doctrines of the 1950s.7 Hubbard claimed to have conducted research for the premises put forth in Dianetics but that research was never revealed.8
Scientology grew out of Dianetics and Hubbard soon identified Scientology as a religion.9 Dianetics and Scientology have both met with severe criticism and controversy.10 Is Scientology a religion or
is it a cult? Or, could it be a hybrid of something in between? The first is a question that has been written about and debated for years with very
strong opinions on each side of the controversy. The hypothesis for this study is: By definition, the Church of Scientology is a religion. By practice, the Church of Scientology
is a cult. Since practice and the effects on people are more important than sheer definition, the hypothesis is that the Church of Scientology is a cult. Religion and
Cults in the 20th Century If we are going to determine whether the Church of Scientology is a cult or religion, we must first understand what is meant by these
terms. Is there a significant difference between the two concepts? Do the concepts of cult and religion overlap? Are there different characteristics of each that are easily and definitively discernable?
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