>> Support materials: Chapter 15


Chapter 15: Religion and Spirituality

 

Case studies Video clips Weblinks Further reading Podcasts
Case studies Video clips Weblinks Further reading Podcasts

Case Study 1

Scientology
The Church of Scientology has been subject to increased criticism in recent years. Several people—many of whom were former members of a high order within the institution—have defected and publicly criticised the organisation by claiming that the Church is fraudulent, and that it forces members to sever ties with family and friends.

Scientology was formed in 1952 by the science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard (1911–86). It was an extension of his former self-help system Dianetics. A cornerstone of the Church of Scientology is that its members are only given insight into the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard in a piecemeal fashion—and at considerable cost. Current and defected members testify to paying thousands of dollars to the Church in fees and donations.

Scientologists believe that human beings are immortal spiritual beings who, by a process called 'auditing', can cleanse themselves to become 'clear' (Scientologists claim that clears never get colds, for example), and then progress through the system. Auditing involves a re-experience of traumatic or painful events. Famous Scientologist Tom Cruise featured in a video claiming Scientologists had amazing powers, from being authorities of the mind to bringing peace.

High-profile defections are seen to be partly due to the power of information-sharing brought by the internet. Though the Church has successfully been able to keep most of its documents out of the public domain (only high-level Scientologists are allowed to access these narratives, after paying for this and for all preceding 'training'), but when a former member sued the Church, the story of Xenu was leaked and spread on the internet. The story tells of an evil galactic ruler, Xenu, who, millions of years ago, transported billions of his people to planet Earth in spaceships. These were dropped in the Earth's volcanoes and then destroyed with h-bombs. It is alleged that Scientologists are taught that the spirits of these dead aliens surround people today and cause them harm. The online community 'Anonymous' has been active in disseminating information about Scientology and also in organising protests against it around the world.

The Church and some of its members have been convicted of fraud, former members have sued the organisation, and prominent members are defecting as the public learns more about the workings of the organisation. In 2009, Australian Senator Nick Xenophon prompted a vote for a Senate Inquiry into the Church, calling it a criminal organisation rather than a religious one.

References and further reading
Bainbridge, W.S. & Stark, R. 1980, 'Scientology: To Be Perfectly Clear', Sociological Analysis, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 128–36.
O'Malley, N. 2010, 'Trouble in the House of Hubbard', Sydney Morning Herald, January 23–4, p. 3.
Peckham, M. 1998, 'New Dimensions of Social Movement/Countermovement Interaction: The Case of Scientology and Its Internet Critics', The Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, Vol. 23. No. 4, pp. 317–47.

Websites
Anonymous: http://www.whatisanonymous.org/
Ex-scientology kids: http://exscientologykids.com/index.html
Tom Cruise, Scientologist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFBZ_uAbxS0
Tom Cruise Scientology Award Acceptance Speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-C-wupe76E&feature=related
Church of Scientology, Sydney: http://www.scientology.org.au/

Discussion questions

  1. Is Scientology a religion, a sect, a cult, or something else?
  2. Does belief in Scientology and in its right to be considered a religion fall within the sphere of 'freedom of religion and belief'?
  3. Why are members of more traditional religions highly critical of Scientology?

Case Study 2

God wars: The atheist bus campaign
Books by 'new atheists' such as Professor Dawkins (The God Delusion), Sam Harris (The End of Faith: Religion, terror and the future of reason) and Christopher Hitchens (God is not Great: How religion poisons everything) have become bestsellers. A new debate has arisen, one in which atheists are not just defined by a passive stance of not believing, but through active rejection of religion by publicly voicing and promoting their stance. An example of atheist activism is the bus campaign launched in the UK in 2008. A reaction to evangelical Christian advertising, the atheist bus campaign aimed to raise £5500 to display the message: 'There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.' In the end, the group's target was much surpassed: they raised over £48,000 in one day, and at the close of the campaign had reached a sum of £153,000.

The campaign has since enjoyed worldwide success, but it met resistance in Australia. The Atheist Foundation of Australia's proposal to display the slogan 'Atheism: Celebrate reason' was initially knocked back by APN Outdoors, Australia's biggest outdoor advertising company, and also by Metro buses. Both cases were resolved, one after consultation with the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Board, but issues still remain with regard to running the campaign in some states, like South Australia and New South Wales, due to differences in legislation. These issues have been reported to the United Nations Discrimination Committee.

References
Parker, L. 2009, 'Atheist message misses local bus', The Sydney Morning Herald Online, http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/atheist-message-misses-local-bus/2009/01/08/1231004199169.html (Accessed June 8 2010).
Atheistcampaign.org 2010, 'Atheist bus campaign', http://www.atheistbus.org.uk/ (Accessed June 8 2010).
Justgiving.com 2009, 'Atheist bus campaign', http://www.justgiving.com/atheistbus
(Accessed June 8 2010).

Discussion questions

  1. Should religious groups and atheists have the same rights to spread their messages? Why? Why not?
  2. In your opinion, are there any groups that should not be allowed to run public campaigns? What are these groups and why should their messages not be allowed?
  3. Religious groups often receive public funding: World Youth Day 2008 (WYD08) is an example of this. Should taxpayer money pay for specific religious groups' activities when not all citizens are of that particular denomination, or even religious at all?
  4. Have you ever been offended by religious or by atheist publicity?