(continued) 

             There is an ongoing controversy about whether or not Scientology should be considered a religion. According to Cornelius Krasel, Hubbard planned Scientology to be a science, not a religion. [vi] In his book The Creation of Human Ability, Hubbard says:

            Society, thirsting for more control of more people substitutes religion for the spirit, the body for the soul, an identity for the individual, and science and data for truth... Scientology has opened the gate to a better world. It is not a psycho-therapy nor a religion. It is a body of knowledge. [vii]

Scientology is also incompatible with most other mainstream religions, namely because of its non-theistic beliefs and its belief in reincarnation. [viii] Scientology’s corporate structure also leaves much room to question the use of the term “religion”. For instance, Scientology “has since 1955 organized systematic intelligence activities, including on occasions bugging, burglary, forgery, framing, infiltration and intimidation.” [ix] In Britain, Germany, and several other countries, Scientology is not given tax exemption or accepted as a charitable organization. [x]

            Not only is it questionable that Scientology is actually a religion, but many of their practices have come under recent scrutiny. There have been many claims that upper-level Scientology uses illegal and immoral tactics to gain what they want and get rid of what they don’t. Before his death, Hubbard was charged with several crimes including petty theft, fraud, and breaking and entering. The Church of Scientology has also been accused of numerous crimes, ranging from bribery to blackmailing. [xi] The Church also retaliates against what they call “Squirrel Groups”- or anyone practicing Scientology outside of the official Church. The Church of Scientology has actually infiltrated some of these groups and sued them to prevent their possession of Scientology scriptures. One would think that a Church promoting beliefs as the only way to a happy life would want anyone to possess them, whether within the Church or not.

            One case that comes to mind in the discussion of illegality in Scientology is the widely-broadcast death of Lisa McPherson. McPherson was a member of Scientology receiving services in Florida, when she was involved in a minor car accident in November 1995. After exiting the car, she appeared mentally unstable and undressed herself in the middle of the road. Scientologist officials arrived and took her from the scene of the accident to a Scientology building where she received an “Introspective Rundown”, which is Scientology’s cure for mental breakdowns. The next month of Lisa’s life is a mystery, but on December 8, 1995 she was declared dead on arrival at a Florida hospital. The coroner’s report states that McPherson was dehydrated, underweight and was covered in bruises and bug bites; and had been unconscious for at least twenty-four hours. The death certificate however, which was signed by a Scientologist doctor, claims McPherson died from a sudden staph infection. There is wrongful death suit pending in Florida courts, though Scientology has tried numerous times to get it dropped. [xii]

            The Lisa McPherson case is not the only proof of questionable practices within the Church of Scientology. Jesse Prince, formerly second in command of Scientology, was interviewed by FACTNet director Larry Wollersheim in October 1998. The purpose of the interviews was to collect information to aid the FBI’s investigation into Scientology. Prince claims to have witnessed many corrupt practices within Scientology, such as: the bugging of homes of its own “ministers”, ordering of illegal copyright registrations, destroying court evidence, and fixing elections. He saw “members forced to run around a pole in the desert for 10 hours a day…and he has seen members die because they were refused proper medical treatment.” [xiii]

Prince is not the only person who has left Scientology and lived to tell about its corruption. A quick search of the internet will turn up hundreds of individuals who are telling their stories. Scientology has tried to prevent this in several ways. For instance, the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology is extremely popular for free discussion on Scientology teachings. The newsgroup was established in 1991 and Scientology has tried to shut it down completely several times. Scientology has also repeatedly spammed the group, removed offense postings, and even raided homes of posters whose comments were extremely critical of the church. [xiv] All this makes one wonder what the church is trying to hide.

Another major issue within the Church of Scientology is their battle with the American Internal Revenue Service (IRS). L. Ron Hubbard was against government and taxation and for this reason alone, Scientology was in ‘war’ with the IRS for twenty-six years. In 1992, the Church of Scientology was refused exemption for several reasons, among which were their “commercial character and nearly incomprehensible financial procedures” [xv] The war ended in October 1993 when Scientology was granted tax exemption. According to Chris Owens, the church used several illegal tactics to gain the exemption, such as theft, bugging, and bribery.