https://politicalresearch.org/ The latest research related to scientology en https://religiondispatches.org/2017/03/22/my-scientology-movie-pokes-hornets-nest I never thought I’d write something like this, but My Scientology Movie actually had me rooting for the Scientologists. My Scientology Movie is the latest from Louis Theroux, who is perhaps best known for his BBC documentaries about fringe groups… Wed, 22 Mar 2017 12:11:01 EDT Gordon Haber 0740f200-f194-4f64-8315-8e6d9c77d6fe https://religiondispatches.org/2013/12/16/religion-without-god-cults-pious-atheists-and-our-own-human-bodies Tired old Protestant-inflected definitions of “religion” are losing hold in diverse Western nations. And it’s about time. Mon, 16 Dec 2013 01:33:19 EST S. Brent Rodriguez Plate 09c2cd6d-908d-413a-8b37-0049688bd9b7 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/10/09/cult-cinema-comes-age While Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master provides the latest (and greatest) vantage point, 2011 saw the release of three solid films on the topic. Why now? Tue, 09 Oct 2012 06:34:29 EDT S. Brent Rodriguez Plate 170b3bd8-6023-48de-b831-1eb1e3621d16 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/10/03/master-its-not-l-ron-story Instead of setting out to debunk Scientology, The Master is driven by Anderson’s genuine curiosity about religious charisma. The writer-director got the idea for the film after reading that postwar America was a particularly fertile environment for new religious movements. This idea brought together a number of other themes and ideas that had been rattling around in his head for some time, catalyzing them into a coherent story. Wed, 03 Oct 2012 06:37:10 EDT Joseph Laycock b1aee6ff-b5a2-4645-a4af-6ad1f2be0517 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/08/30/finding-nonreligious-happiness-rnc The Church of Scientology offers some common sense advice. Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:16:00 EDT Peter Montgomery 76347ae5-261b-448b-9fdc-8fc9d0fab831 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/06/27/no-longer-sea-kate-bornstein-talks-scientology When I first thought about writing the book, I thought I was dealing with the same Scientology I remembered, but I’ve since realized that it has changed. We never thought of it as a religion back then! We would call it a Church, but we would “wink” because we were fighting to get tax-exempt status. But I know that Scientologists today believe that it’s a Church—a religion—and it is becoming one. Wed, 27 Jun 2012 01:34:30 EDT Kristin Rawls 6b4a851e-5f3e-409f-99ab-d30a621a50d2 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/05/17/transgender-scientologist-cult-hero Kate Bornstein’s new book recounts the years before Scientology was considered a religion, when it gave her all the answers on gender, loss, and addiction she needed not to hear. Sounds just like… bad religion. Thu, 17 May 2012 06:35:56 EDT Jay Michaelson e6886404-e9a4-4d68-8784-ccdbc84e70d3 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/04/19/scientology-all-american-or-aging-hoax Given the spotty history of L. Ron Hubbard’s life and the church’s well-documented vindictiveness toward critics, there’s a great deal of criticism to be found on Scientology. But two new books examine the history of the church without sensationalism or facile mockery. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:37:26 EDT Gordon Haber 61f1a78e-c69a-490a-891c-57ab144494b1 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/03/07/hacking-vatican Do Italian hackers truly hold the Vatican responsible for events that look place 500 years ago? Wed, 07 Mar 2012 03:23:39 EST Joseph Laycock b7f85891-c800-4490-95ee-7e55c95fd364 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/02/13/rough-week-scientology Even when a religion deserves criticism how much is too much? Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:50:58 EST Joseph Laycock fbab5f07-a895-4889-bdf9-2ba11ef3d9d6 https://religiondispatches.org/2011/08/02/peek-inside-onion-scientology In 2005, Rolling Stone contributing editor Janet Reitman first stepped into the New York Church of Scientology to begin research on what culminated in her 2006 article, seeking “to understand Scientology: not to judge, but simply to absorb.” Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:03:37 EDT Kristin Rawls 11efb8a2-ef0e-46c9-b113-67ec4b940b92 https://religiondispatches.org/2011/07/18/republicanity-gop-transformation-nearly-complete Let’s just face the facts and not kid ourselves anymore. It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee… er, tea. The Republican Party is not a political party but is now a full-fledged religious movement. Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:23:10 EDT Gary Laderman 086e57db-b278-4d93-8034-571a11de3f35 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/07/19/free-yiddish-lessons-vacation-liberty-school-and-brangelinas-universalism-week-religion The week’s religion news. Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:55:58 EDT Michael J. Altman 0c8fdfb9-d0b7-4510-a1ff-ae9c64c7ce07 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/03/18/rundown-truth-scientology-changes-strategy-war-media For the past half-decade, Scientology has responded to withering attacks with a variety of aggressive and secretive tactics, drawing comparisons to the CIA and FBI. After a recent report alleging the use of violence, however, the church has responded by hiring an ‘independent’ panel of editors and journalists to produce a 20-page assessment of the report. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:01:14 EDT Hugh B. Urban 995da99e-3436-4bc4-888b-fb9ddd9aebe9 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/02/04/did-scientologists-take-over-today-show The Today Show takes a friendly look at Scientology’s efforts in Haiti. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:39:56 EST Becky Garrison 1394eed2-5b5c-4f0b-923d-713e10b7166d https://religiondispatches.org/2010/01/20/travolta-airlifts-scientology-supplies-haiti Representatives of Scientology have had trouble with prosyletizing in the past. Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:53:55 EST Becky Garrison 8e601fae-96ca-4b45-afef-1041c30ac9f3 https://religiondispatches.org/2009/11/02/scientology-woes-continue-fines-and-homophobia A church/business model like Scientology relies on good PR—something in short supply lately. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:41:09 EST Gabriel Mckee b33edd1f-7b0a-459e-b430-c63985b3f0b9 https://religiondispatches.org/2009/08/11/taking-it-streets-anonymous-vs-scientology A group named Anonymous has been using electronic sabotage and staging street demonstrations against Scientology in what may be a first—an unaffiliated, secular group protesting an entire religion. Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:17:21 EDT Gabriel Mckee e7eb5ddf-b75c-4eb7-907a-2e66e2a65a8a https://religiondispatches.org/2009/06/16/travolta-tragedy-dont-blame-l-ron-hubbard John Travolta’s 16-year-old son is found dead and our celebrity culture is quick to blame the religion of his parents, Scientology. So much harder to face the fact of death, to look beyond the spectacle of someone else’s tragedy and toward our own frailty and error. Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:09:30 EDT Kathryn Lofton 1e458230-0160-40e9-9969-312168247a89 https://religiondispatches.org/2009/01/12/new-ordinance-protect-scientologists An ordinance to keep protesters away from a Scientologist production company pits freedom of speech against freedom of religion. Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:27:31 EST Jonathan L. Walton 7d219540-101c-4fe9-b5b4-7fc22baae051 https://religiondispatches.org/2008/12/03/ex-scientologist-shot-dead-church Samurai sword-wielding Mario Majorski blamed his problems on the Church of Scientology—and he may have been right. Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:51:11 EST Gabriel Mckee 364950a1-e346-45d4-b373-99e8cb0c0ced