Generated from local file. Cache size:400 (not visible in beta/prod)
Scientology
Scientology, Church Of - philosophical religion founded by L(afayette) Ron(ald) Hubbard, 1911–86, b. Tilden, Nebr. Hubbard's book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health (1950) first set forth the basis of his philosophy, offering an alternative path to overcoming physical and mental stress. The church believes that a person's spirit can be cleared of past painful experiences Read More...
Scientology, Church Of - philosophical religion founded by L(afayette) Ron(ald) Hubbard, 1911–86, b. Tilden, Nebr. Hubbard's book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health (1950) first set forth the basis of his philosophy, offering an alternative path to overcoming physical and mental stress. The church believes that a person's spirit can be cleared of past painful experiences through a process called "auditing," freeing the person of the burdens that interfere with happiness and self-realization. The first church was established in Los Angeles in 1954. A prolific author, Hubbard wrote many works on Scientology and is also noted for his science-fiction novels and short stories. The church has confronted suspicions from many sides during its history. The American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association questioned the tenets of Scientology during the 1950s, and in the 1960s, the governments of England, Australia, and the United States opened investigations into church activities, particularly for suspected practices of tax evasion. The church's status as a religion was, however, ultimately established in those and many other countries. The church has continued to face governmental challenges, perhaps most notably in Germany, where it has been accused of being antidemocratic and its members have experienced personal discrimination. Some, including some former members, view the church as an elaborate cult, a charge the church and many religious scholars deny. In 1996 there were more than 3,000 churches, missions, and groups worldwide, with headquarters in Los Angeles. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved. |
Read full-text books and articles on:
Scientology
-
1.
-
2.
Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities: A Sociological Analysis (Chap. 8 "The Church of Scientology: A Quasi Religion")
by William W. Zellner, Marc Petrowsky. 182 pgs.
American society is culturally diverse with a variety of religious denominations, sects, cults, and self-help groups vying for members. This volume analyzes nine of these groups, chosen both for their intrinsic interest and because they illustrate a variety of sociological concepts. The groups included in this study are: Heaven's Gate, Jesus People USA, the Love Family, The Farm, Amish Women, Scientology, El Nino Fidencio, Santeria, and Freedom Park. The contributors are social scientists with first-hand knowledge of the groups they examine.
-
3.
-
4.
Philosophers and Religious Leaders ("Hubbard, L. Ron: Founder of the Church of Scientology 1911-1986" begins on p. 90)
by Christian D. Von Dehsen. 248 pgs.
How did Elijah Muhammad's establishment of the Nation of Islam affect the civil rights movement in the United States? Philosophers and Religious Leaders answers that question and others as it presents 200 leaders whose lives and work have greatly influenced the world we live in today. Profiles include: Muhammad Abduh--architect of Islamic modernism. Mary Daly-- influential feminist theologian and philosopher. Mary Baker Eddy--founder of Christian Science. Mencius (Meng K'o)--Confucian moral philosopher and interpreter. Shang Yang--Chinese philosopher of legalist school.
-
5.
The orthodox view is that the democracies of the western world have become increasingly secular over the twentieth century. Fewer and fewer people have chosen to believe, and the church has declined markedly as religion has changed from being part of an identity ascribed at birth to being a matter of personal choice. Choice and Religion provides a detailed critique of the 'rational choice' approach to religion to demonstrate that industrialisation has secularised the western world and that diversity, far from making religion more popular by allowing individuals to maximize their returns, undermines it. The claim that diversity and competition promote religion is refuted with evidence from a wide variety of western societies. Bruce examine the Nordic countries and the ex-communist states of eastern Europe to explore the consequences of different sorts of state regulation, and to show that ethnicity is a more powerful determinate of religious change than market structures. Where religion matters, it is not because individuals are maximising their returns, it is because it defines group identity and is heavily implicated in social conflict.
-
6.
-
7.
Secularization, Rationalism, and Sectarianism: Essays in Honour of Bryan R. Wilson
by Bryan R. Wilson. 330 pgs.
How secular is contemporary society? Are pockets of sectarianism embedded in societies of developed countries? This timely book examines the interweaving of politics and religion, and of tradition and innovation in a variety of cultural settings. Eminent scholars from four continents examine here current turmoil in religious beliefs, practices, and organization--not only in the Western world, but in South America, Africa, South Asia, New Zealand, and Japan. They scrutinize evidence of religious change, decline, and revival; investigate challenges posed by new religious movements; and locate religious change and conflict in the context of broader shifts in consciousness and culture. Contributors include Richard Fenn, Phillip E. Hammond, David Martin, Philip Rieff, Roland Robertson, and Mark Schibley. With its focus on the interplay of secularization, rationalism, and sectarianism, this work offers a fitting tribute to Bryan Wilson, who has made so many contributions to the sociological understanding of these phenomena.
-
8.
The authors claim that the new cults and religions that have surfaced as a result of a decline in adherence to traditional beliefs are not as dangerous as some would portray them.
-
9.
The Social Dimensions of Sectarianism: Sects and New Religious Movements in Contemporary Society
by Bryan R. Wilson. 300 pgs.
This wide-ranging collection explores the complex relationships between religious sects and contemporary Western society and examines the controversial social, political, and religious issues that arise as sects seek to pursue a way of life at variance with that of other people. Wilson argues that sects, often subject to negative theological and moral judgements, can be understood only as social entities and as such require a scientifically neutral and unbiased approach to explore their emergence and persistence. He traces the growth and expansion of various movements--including the Unification Church, the Scientologists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Exclusive Brethren--relating them to their social context, and indicates the sections of society from which their support is likely to come.
-
10.
In this lively and entertaining book, Gordon Marshall explores ten classic studies of British society to demonstrate the valuable qualities of British sociology, and its importance for understanding contemporary society. In each case he provides a precis of the research undertaken, assuming no prior knowledge on the part of the reader, a series of points that can be made in praise or criticism of the research, and an assessment of the sociological contribution made by the researchers. The ten studies chosen are: Goldthorpe on social mobility, Townsend on poverty, Rex and Moore on race and the inner city, the Affluent Worker project, Wallis on sectarianism, Jackson and Marsden on education and the working class, Brown and Harris on clinical depression among women, Cohen on deviance, Bott on families and social networks, and Burns and Stalker on management and new technology. An excellent introduction for the student to the concerns and values of sociology, this book gives a powerful statement of the achievements of post-war British sociologists, and a manifesto for good sociology in the 1990s.
-
11.
New Religious Movements and Religious Liberty in America (Chap. 3 "A Contemporary Ordered Religious Community: The Sea Organization")
by Derek H. Davis, Barry Hankins. 238 pgs.
New nontraditional religious movements are the most likely groups to offend mainstream culture and the least likely to have representatives in government to ensure that their liberty is protected. These new religious movements are sometimes ostracized and subject to various forms of discrimination. As America becomes increasingly pluralistic, with more and more groups contributing to the nation's religious mosaic, new religious movements may well play an increasing role in the course of religious liberty in America, just as groups such as the Jehovah's Witnesses did formerly. This book explores the problems and possibilities posed by new religious movements for religious liberty in America.
Search the entire Questia Library for more on: Scientology
Scientology - Related Topics
Visitors researching Scientology also searched on:
Newsletter |
Privacy Policy |
User Agreements |
Questia School |
About Us |
Advertise with Us |
Contact |
Tools for Webmasters
|
FREE BOOKS
© 2009 - Questia Media America, Inc. All rights reserved. All service marks and trademarks are property of
Questia Media and its affiliates. Any advertising or navigational links included on this site are not necessarily
endorsed by the publishers or content providers whose materials appear on this site.
Questia Media and its affiliates. Any advertising or navigational links included on this site are not necessarily
endorsed by the publishers or content providers whose materials appear on this site.