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Creation Of Scientology
The Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by L.Ron Hubbard. His goal was to decipher those humans of an atypical mental state. What drove him to create this group was the pursuit of separating the individual and its spiritual self. -
IRS Intervention
The IRS revoked the tax exempt status of specific Scientology churches based on their selling counseling practices. -
How the Church Expanded
These churches began using Scientology materials to purge members of thetans, which are past traumas attatched to the reactive mind. These materials included E-meter and auditing sessions. Scientists began questioning Hubbart's scientific bases and practices -
Seizure of Unauthorized Devices
The Food and Drug Administration raided a church in Washington D.C. They removed E-meters because they were not authorized to diagnose or treat diseases. -
Hubbard's Resignation
Hubbard resigned from the Church in 1966 in the hopes of bettering peoples post-clear thetan levels. He spent a majority of his time on sea vessels with devote Scientology members spreading the movement of this religion. -
Guardian's Office
The Church created the Guardian's Office to protect themselves against what they deemed harmful information about the church. They launched an intelligence to track attacks against the church made worldwide -
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Celebrities Involvement
Several celebrities joined Scientology during this time. Some of the most notable are Tom Cruise and Kirstie Alley. This helped to further spread this movement through the media. -
Infiltrating Government Agency's
Members of the church were frustrated to not gain access to files the government had on their church. They planned to infiltrate the government which led to several arrests -
Tax-Exempt Status
The Scientology Church won back tax-exempt status from the IRS. The members believed this proved their methods of cleansing the soul were legitimized. -
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Series of Fraud
Several former members of the church have come forward claiming the financial fraud and medicinal practices that occurred within the church. In 2009, a French court convicted members of the church but did not dismember the organization. -
Extreme Prices
The church is often criticized for swindling members in its cleansing processes. In 2009, the fee for a 12 hour block of auditing cost $4000. Investigations have claimed that the groups goal is money and not purifying the soul. -
Recognition
In 2013, Scientology was recognized as a religion in Britain. Still, several other countries like Germany refuse to legitimize the group. -
Present Day
Today, there are over 11,000 Churches of Scientology worldwide. According to its website there are 4.4 million new members annually. It is estimated that these might be fraudulent numbers, that are only a couple hundred thousand new followers annually.