Scientology? Why do they call their organisation a Church?

Question

.. and aside from the Catholic church are they the richest "religious" movement in the world...??

Answer 1

So they can be tax exempt. They are a business masquerading as a faith.

It was REALLY created on a bet and ultimately to be a business. Its easily the richest "religion" you'll find.

L. Ron Hubbard has been quoted as saying: "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion" http://lisatrust.freewinds.cx/scientology/hubbard.htm

The cult is mostly a high powered scam. It pays members 10% commissions, called FSM (Field Staff Member) commissions, on new recruits they bring in who take a course or get counseling, so Scientology members routinely try to "sell" Scientology to others.

The new members then, in turn, donate vast amounts of money to the "church". Here is a run-down of all the costs involved with Scientology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_as_a_business#Costs

Here is testimony from a woman who had been involved in exposing Scientology and other cults for most of her adult life: http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/tsos/sos-19.html

Even more proof that Scientology is out for your money... here is Hubbard discussing turning Scientology into a "religion" for profit:

"I am not quite sure what we would call the place - probably not a clinic - but I am sure that it ought to be a company, independent of the HAS but fed by the HAS. We don't want a clinic. We want one in operation but not in name. Perhaps we could call it a Spiritual Guidance Center. Think up its name, will you. And we could put in nice desks and our boys in neat blue with diplomas on the walls and 1. knock psychotherapy into history and 2. make enough money to shine up my operating scope and 3. keep the HAS solvent. It is a problem of practical business. I await your reaction on the religion angle. In my opinion, we couldn't get worse public opinion than we have had or have less customers with what we've got to sell. A religious charter would be necessary in Pennsylvania or NJ to make it stick. But I sure could make it stick." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_controversy#L._Ron_Hubbard_and_starting_a_religion_for_money

Answer 2

The Church of Scientology is the main important business enterprise dedicated to the practice and the promoting of the Scientology concept equipment. The Church of Scientology international is the mummy church of the Scientology faith, and is to blame for the prevalent ecclesiastical administration, dissemination and propagation of Scientology.[a million][2][3] each Church of Scientology is one after the different integrated and has its very own community board of administrators and bosses to blame for its very own activities and properly being, the two company and ecclesiastical.[4][5][6] The church has been the situation of plenty controversy and has been convicted of unlawful activities which incorporate theft of information from government places of work.[

Answer 3

Scientology surely isn't the richest religion in the world. This is simply media hype. It's false propaganda.

Scientology is a religion.

The dream of making the world a better place has been embraced by every religious movement in history. Indeed, throughout the ages religion has served as the primary civilizing influence on the planet.

The knowledge that man is a spirit is as old as man himself. Only recently, with the advent of Western psychology, have notions cropped up that man is nothing more than an animal, a stimulus-response mechanism. These pronouncements are at odds with every religious tradition, which speak of the “soul,” the “spirit” or the “life force” – to encompass a belief held by all civilized men.

The Scientology religion follows just this tradition of man’s search for his spiritual identity. In Scientology, the individual himself is considered to be the spiritual being – a thetan (pronounced “thay´-tn”). The term is taken from the Greek symbol or letter theta which has long served as a symbol for thought or spirit. Thus, although it is a new religious movement, Scientology is heir to the understanding of thinking men since the beginning of human history that man is a spiritual being who aspires to understand and improve life. The search has been long, but answers now exist in Scientology for anyone who wishes to reach for them.

http://www.whatisscientology.org/html/part01/Chp02/

Answer 4

The word "church" comes from the Greek word "kyrios" meaning "lord" and the Indo-European base "kewe"- "to be strong".
Current meanings of the word include "a congregation", "ecclesiastical power as distinquished from the secular" and "the clerical profession; clergy."
The word "church" is not only used by Christian organizations. There were churches 10,000 years before there were Christians, and Christianity itself was a revolt against the established church.
In modern usage, people speak of the Buddhist or Muslim church, referring to the whole body of believers in a particulat religious teaching.
A church is simply a congregation of people who participate in common relifious activities. Church is also used to refer to the building where members of a religious group gather to practice their religion and attain greater spiritual awareness and well being.
The Church of Scientology is no different in these aspects, hence it correctly is called a church.

As for being "the richest religious movement aside from the Catholic church". Wow... wouldn't that be nice. But no, definitely not.
Scientology is a new religion, only 53 years old. It does not have hundreds of years of accumulated wealth and property like other religions. It must operate and establish itself in the world according to the economics of today's society.
It selected the donation system it has as it's primary method of funding itself because it is the most equitable (fair) method.
Those who want the training and individual spiritual councelling should be the ones who contribute most to maintain the facilities that provide it.
Actually it is the individual spiritual councelling that is the more expensive to provide since it involves many highly trained professional staff, some of whom are trained at church expense for sometimes as long as 2 or 3 years, to be able to properly deliver it.
Doing the less expensive training courses includes spiritual councelling at no additional cost to the individual and is encouraged as the best route. But it is really up to the individual in terms of time and circumstances.

The Church provides very inexpensive Seminars and Basic Courses as well as free services, to train individuals in these skills, and other self improvement knowledge, which are simple to learn. This is something you can then also help another with and receive similar help in return.

Funds donated to the International Association of Scientologists
are channelled into the many non religious , secular social betterment programs that Scientology supports like:
Youth for Human Rights
Citizens Commission on Human Rights
Applied Scholastics Education Programs
Narconon Drug Education and Rehabilitation Programs
"The Way to Happiness" Foundation ( common sense morale code used in many areas and countries world wide.
Criminon. Criminal Rehabilitation Programs.

However the "richer" we get, the more we can do for out fellow man. Money is really only a necessary means of exchange in our society it does no good accumulating in bank accounts.
Scientology gives exchange in abundance for every dollar (or whatever) it receives.

Hope this helps to answer your question.

Answer 5

i suppose saying 'church of' Scientology is better for recruitment than 'obscure cult of' Scientology. But rest assured, when it comes to wealth they have some way to go before they can compete with the evangelical Protestants in the US.

Answer 6

You can make a lot more money that way. L Ron Hubbard was talking to his other sci fi buddies, Arthur C Clark, Issac Asimov and others and they wrote about how L Ron said that to make any real money you had to start a church - so he did.

Answer 7

Churches get massive tax breaks in the US. They actually blackmailed an IRS head to get church status. it saved them hundreds of millions of dollars, possibly even billions.

Answer 8

they call themselves a church for the tax-exempt status that churches enjoy.

I don't believe that the Roman Catholic Church is as rich as some would have you believe.

Answer 9

The same reason McDonalds calls their hovels restaurants. PR.

Answer 10

Their finances are one of the world's best-kept secrets.

They call themselves a "church" so They can operate tax-free.