The Scandal of Scientology is not the story of one
isolated group. It tells of a loosely organized network of hundreds,
perhaps thousands, of franchises, "Orgs," "Churches," etc., that have
been established in various parts of the world.
Each group has its own personality. Because one incident
may have occurred in Australia or England, it does not necessarily mean
that it has happened, or even could happen, in America, or vice versa.
The only thing the Scientology groups or "Orgs" have in common is their
acceptance of L. Ron Hubbard's theories and policies.
This book contains more historical than contemporary
material. Some of the information comes from an American tax case that
ran from 1956 to 1959; some of it comes from a 1963-1965 Inquiry in
Victoria, Australia; and some comes from statements Hubbard made in the
1950's.
Every day there are new directives, cancelling old
policies and creating new ones so that the nature, beliefs and practices
of Scientology are constantly changing. It is to Hubbard and the
Scientologists' credit that the direction is generally a positive one,
and that some of the less laudable practices outlined in this book
appear on the wane.
I have tried to present the Scientologists' statements
(quoting them directly whenever possible) and actions, along with the
statements and actions of those who are against them or who have had
difficulties with them.
Until now, Scientologists have been able to keep the
stories a secret, generally by suing. However, as more inquiries into
Scientology are made, as more news stories about the organization are
printed, and as more criticism against Scientology is levied,
Scientologists may discover that law suits are ineffectual. Instead of
trying to hide what is going on in their house, they may have to clean
it up.
If they don't, various national governments may not
permit them to survive. The Scientologists are already recognizing this.
Like many groups that were formerly enfantes terribles,
Scientology, if it continues in its current clean-up campaign, may one
day become one of the world's most respected groups or Churches.
It has taken more than two years to gather all the
material in this book. I would like to thank a few of the people who
unselfishly gave of their time and energy to aid the project.
First, I'd like to thank those who helped in the early
phases of the manuscript: Hayes B. Jacobs, C. Michael Curtis, and
especially, Ann Barr, and Queen Magazine which published a small
portion of this book.
I am also especially grateful for the help later on of
Michael I. Sanders, Ray Buckingham, Ralph Lee Smith, Susan Kideckel,
Robin Wagner, Jay Larsen, and especially, Adelaide Ungerland. Finally,
I'd like to thank those who helped me with this book in England: Victor
Briggs, Paul Nix, and especially, Peter Haining.
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