Scientology front groups

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Scientology front groups are those groups named or operated in such a way as to disguise their association with the Church of Scientology (COS). COS uses front groups to promote its interests in politics, to make itself appear legitimate, and to recruit. The Times published, "[The church attracts] the unwary through a wide array of front groups in such businesses as publishing, consulting, health care and even remedial education." Many of the groups are founded on pseudoscience, named disingenuously, and underplay their links to Scientology. [1] [2]

Contents

There are four types of front groups:

  1. those groups which are part of the Scientology network of corporations and are managed directly within the Church of Scientology but bear names disguising the connection,
  2. those operated under "secular" subsidiary corporations but still managed or overseen within the Church of Scientology,
  3. groups or projects made up of volunteer Scientologists while still overseen and guided by the organization, and
  4. companies owned by Scientologists and operated using Scientology principles of management and administration under licenses from Scientology.

According to Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, "The majority of activities conducted by Scientology and its many fronts and subsidiaries involve the marketing of secular products such as the "Clear" program, Sterling Management Systems executive training, and self-improvement in scholastics." [3] Some Scientology products are defined as religious in one setting but secular in another. For example, Study Technology is sold in Churches of Scientology but is also taught in some schools under claims of being secular and non-religious. [3]

Scientology is unique among religions for its quantity of front groups, which has been part of its policy since its beginnings and was outlined by Hubbard in his 1960 document "Special Zone Plan". [3] Along with their own front groups, Scientology engages in infiltration of civil society groups and government agencies. [3] [1] Their front businesses are a major source of income for Scientology and are used as a way of obtaining funds from government and charity sources. [3] Per Beit-Hallahmi, "This use of fronts has been a major part of the organization's activities, and it indicates an acknowledgement of having something (or more than just something) to hide." [3]

History

Documents obtained in the FBI's 1977 raids on Scientology's Los Angeles and Washington DC premises [4] [5] included an undated memo entitled "PR General Categories of Data Needing Coding". This memo listed what it called "Secret PR Front Groups" which included the group Alliance for the Preservation of Religious Liberty (APRL), later renamed Americans Preserving Religious Liberty. [6]

In 1991, Time investigative reporting identified several other fronts for Scientology, including the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), The Way to Happiness Foundation, Applied Scholastics, the Concerned Businessmen's Association of America and HealthMed. [1] Their article The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power resulted in years of litigation. The case was dismissed, but not before Time had spent $3.7 million in legal fees. [7] : 149 

The Cult Awareness Network (CAN) was an organization that provided information on cults, receiving the most number of inquiries about Scientology and one other group. [8] CAN, founded in 1978, considered Scientology to be "the most dangerous, rapacious, and destructive cult in contemporary America". [7] : 149  In 1996, CAN was forced into bankruptcy by a series of frivolous lawsuits orchestrated by the Church of Scientology. [9] [7] : 149–50  In a bizarre twist, the Church of Scientology acquired CAN's assets including files on Scientology, and re-opened CAN under Scientologist leadership, becoming a front group for Scientology. [10] [11]

In 1998, the Boston Herald identified Narconon and the World Literacy Crusade as front groups for Scientology. [12] Other Scientology groups include Downtown Medical, Criminon and the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE). Other organisations with links to the Church of Scientology include EarthLink and Striker Systems.

List of Scientology front groups

Licensed commercial organizations

The following commercial groups have as their goal either recruitment to make new Scientologists, or the spreading of L. Ron Hubbard principles and methods into society. The groups vary in the amount of disclosure they provide to the general public about their affiliation with Scientology or Hubbard. These organizations are licensed to sell "secular" Scientology products and services.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ All Faiths Network was established in 2011, renamed in 2012, and Martin Weightman has been Director since 2012. He is a Scientologist of 40 years, 33 of which were spent on staff, who has reached OTVII and is in the Sea Org. For more than 15 years, up until 2007, he was Managing Director of the Church of Scientology's European Human Rights Office in Brussels, Belgium (1990-2007). In 2020 he authored a published chapter in 2020 which ties All Faiths Network to Scientology. [14] [15]
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Downtown Medical, Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education, HealthMed, International Academy of Detoxification Specialists, International Association of Detoxification Specialists, and New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project are interrelated. [30] [31] [32]

Related Research Articles

Narconon International is a Scientology organization which promotes the theories of founder L. Ron Hubbard regarding substance abuse treatment and addiction. Its parent company is the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE), which is owned and controlled by the Church of Scientology. Headquartered in Hollywood, California, United States, Narconon operates several dozen residential centers worldwide, chiefly in the U.S. and western Europe. The organization was formed in 1966 by Scientologist William Benitez with Hubbard's help, and was incorporated in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Zone (Scientology)</span> Scientology groups independent of the Church of Scientology

Free Zone, Freezone, and Independent Scientology are umbrella terms for the groups, organizations, and individuals who practice Scientology beliefs and practices independently of the Church of Scientology (COS). Such practitioners range from those who closely adhere to the original teachings of Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard, to those who have adapted practices far from COS beliefs and practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology beliefs and practices</span>

Followers of the Scientology movement maintain a wide variety of beliefs and practices. The core belief holds that a human is an immortal, spiritual being (thetan) that is resident in a physical body. The thetan has had innumerable past lives, some of which, preceding the thetan's arrival on Earth, were lived in extraterrestrial cultures. Based on case studies at advanced levels, it is predicted that any Scientologist undergoing auditing will eventually come across and recount a common series of past-life events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology controversies</span>

Since its inception in 1954, the Church of Scientology has been involved in a number of controversies, including its stance on psychiatry, Scientology's legitimacy as a religion, the Church's aggressive attitude in dealing with its perceived enemies and critics, allegations of mistreatment of members, and predatory financial practices; for example, the high cost of religious training:191 and perceived exploitative practices. When mainstream media outlets have reported alleged abuses, representatives of the church have tended to deny such allegations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purification Rundown</span> Scientology pseudoscientific detoxification program

The Purification Rundown, also known as the Purif or the Hubbard Method, is a pseudoscientific procedure that advocates of Scientology claim is a detoxification program. There is no evidence for its efficacy in detoxification, and significant evidence from clinicians that it is dangerous. It involves heat exposure for up to 5 hours a day and can exceed 4 weeks in length. It can potentially cause heatstroke damage, which includes brain injury, heart problems, organ failure, and death. It was developed by Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard and used by the Church of Scientology as an introductory service. Numerous individuals have been hospitalised as a result of taking part in the process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criminon</span> Scientology rehab program for prisoners

Criminon is a program for rehabilitating prisoners using L. Ron Hubbard's teachings. Criminon International, a non-profit, public-benefit corporation managing the Criminon program, was spawned from Narconon International in 2000, and is part of Association for Better Living and Education's public outreach programs. Criminon is promoted by the Church of Scientology International. Independent experts contend that methods used by the program are not supported by any scientific studies.

The Way to Happiness is a 1980 booklet written by science-fiction author and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard listing 21 moral precepts. The booklet is distributed by The Way to Happiness Foundation International, a Scientology-related nonprofit organization founded in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Scientology</span> American organization and business

The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious movement. The movement has been the subject of a number of controversies, and the Church of Scientology has been described by government inquiries, international parliamentary bodies, scholars and numerous superior court judgements as both a dangerous cult and a manipulative profit-making business.

Timothy Bowles is an American attorney who served as general legal counsel for the Church of Scientology International for eight years. In addition to his legal practice, he also serves as the executive director of Youth for Human Rights International, is a Commissioner on the Board of Advisors of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights and has helped establish other social organizations sponsored by the Church of Scientology, including Narconon and Applied Scholastics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Scientology</span>

This is a Timeline of Scientology and its forerunner Dianetics, particularly its foundation and development by author L. Ron Hubbard as well as general publications, articles, books and other milestones.

<i>Clear Body, Clear Mind</i> Scientology book, Purification Rundown

Clear Body, Clear Mind is a pseudoscientific book about Scientology compiled from L. Ron Hubbard material from the 1960s. It was published posthumously in 1990 by Bridge Publications, the Church of Scientology's publishing house. The book is considered part of Scientology's canon. It is the textbook for the Purification Rundown ("Purif"), which Scientologists believe is a detoxification program with medical and spiritual benefits. Medical professionals characterise it as dangerous, quackery, and in some cases lethal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology status by country</span>

Recognition of Scientology and the Church of Scientology varies from country to country with respect to state recognition for religious status, charitable status, or tax exempt status. Decisions are contingent upon the legal constructs of each individual country, and results are not uniform worldwide. For example, the absence of a clear definition for 'religion' or 'religious worship' has resulted in unresolved and uncertain status for Scientology in some countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology</span> Beliefs and practices and associated movement

Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a cult, a business, a religion, or a scam. Hubbard initially developed a set of ideas that he called Dianetics, which he represented as a form of therapy. An organization that he established in 1950 to promote it went bankrupt, and Hubbard lost the rights to his book Dianetics in 1952. He then recharacterized his ideas as a religion, likely for tax purposes, and renamed them Scientology. By 1954, he had regained the rights to Dianetics and founded the Church of Scientology, which remains the largest organization promoting Scientology. There are practitioners independent of the Church, in what is referred to as the Free Zone. Estimates put the number of Scientologists at under 40,000 worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizens Commission on Human Rights</span> Scientology-related organization

Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is a lobbying organization founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, and incorporated in 1982. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, its stated mission is to "eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections." It is regarded by most non-Scientologists as a Scientology front group whose purpose is to push the organization's anti-psychiatry agenda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology in the United Kingdom</span>

Scientology in the United Kingdom is practised mainly within the Church of Scientology and its related groups, which go under names including the Hubbard Academy of Personal Independence and the Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Centre. The national headquarters are at Saint Hill Manor near East Grinstead, which was also the home of Scientology creator L. Ron Hubbard for seven years. 1,844 individuals in England and Wales listed themselves as Scientologists in 2021, marking a decline of just under 25% since 2011; half of these respondents listed themselves as living in and around East Grinstead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project</span> American organization found in 2003

The New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project was founded in New York City in 2003 with the stated purpose of treating rescue workers for toxins inhaled from the smoke of the September 11 attacks. It has two clinics: Downtown Medical on Fulton Street, two blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, and another at Williston Park, Long Island. The project's co-founder and top fundraiser is actor Tom Cruise. It uses the Purification Rundown, a detoxification program invented by L. Ron Hubbard as part of Scientology's Bridge to Total Freedom. This rundown has been criticized by many doctors as pseudoscientific and medically dangerous. It was reported in October 2007 that 838 people had completed the New York program.

The "New Cult Awareness Network" is an organization that provides information about cults, and is owned and operated by associates of the Church of Scientology, itself categorized in many countries as a cult. It was formed in 1996, with the name purchased from the now defunct Cult Awareness Network, an organization that provided information on groups it considered to be cults, and that strongly opposed Scientology.

Scientology in Egypt has no official presence because non-monotheistic religions are not recognized in Egypt. The Church of Scientology has claimed that Egypt is one of the "countries in which Dianetics and Scientology services are ministered", but there are no known membership statistics available. In 2002, two Scientologists were detained by Egyptian authorities under the charges of "contempt of religion". As of 2010, books authored by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and printed by the Church of Scientology for its front groups were being distributed in Egypt—even bearing the approval of Al-Azhar, the highest Sunni learning institution in the Muslim world. Narconon, an organization that promotes Hubbard's drug abuse treatment, has a branch in Ismailia Governorate called "Narconon Egypt".

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Behar, Richard (May 6, 1991). "Scientology: The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power". Time . Archived from the original on May 25, 2014.
  2. ↑ Stark, Rodney; Bainbridge, William Sims (1987). A Theory of Religion. Peter Lang. p. 214. ISBN   0820403563. OL   2375931M. We know many cult movements that maintain client services as front organizations facilitating recruitment to the sponsoring movement. Examples include Scientology...
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin (September 2003). "Scientology: Religion or racket?". Marburg Journal of Religion . 8 (1). doi:10.17192/mjr.2003.8.3724. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  4. ↑ Marro, Anthony (July 9, 1977). "Federal Agents Raid Scientology Church: Offices in Two Cities Are Searched for Allegedly Stolen I.R.S. Files" (PDF). New York Times .
  5. ↑ Robinson, Timothy S. (July 6, 1978). "FBI Raid on L.A. Scientologists Upheld". Washington Post.
  6. 1 2 Kent, Stephen A.; Krebs, Theresa (1988). "When Scholars Know Sin: Alternative Religions and Their Academic Supporters". Skeptic. 6 (3): 36–44. Archived from the original on March 3, 2006. Retrieved June 6, 2006.
  7. 1 2 3 Urban, Hugh B. (2011). The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion. Princeton University Press. ISBN   9780691146089.
  8. ↑ Jackson, Steve (April 24, 1996). "It Happens. When it comes to Landmark Education Corporation, There's no meeting of the Minds". Westword.
  9. ↑ Kent, Stephen A. (January 2001). "The French and German versus American Debate over 'New Religions', Scientology, and Human Rights". Marburg Journal of Religion. 6 (1). The American Lesson About Privately Run "Cult" Information Organizations. Archived from the original on June 18, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
  10. ↑ Knapp, Dan (December 19, 1996). "Group that once criticized Scientologists now owned by one". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
  11. ↑ Russell, Ron (September 9, 1999). "Scientology's Revenge - For years, the Cult Awareness Network was the Church of Scientology's biggest enemy. But the late L. Ron Hubbard's L.A.-based religion cured that -- by taking it over". New Times LA . Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  12. ↑ Mallia, Joseph (March 3, 1998). "Inside the Church of Scientology; Scientology reaches into schools through Narconon". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Registered in Florida. "Business Search". Secretary of State of Florida .
  14. ↑ "The All Faiths Network for the United Kingdom - Charity number: 1145611". Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  15. ↑ Weightman, Martin (2020). "Scientology and times of uncertainty". Minority Religions and Uncertainty. Routledge. ISBN   9781315595542.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Registered in California. "Business Search". Secretary of State of California .
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin (1998). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Active New Religions, Sects, and Cults. Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN   0823925862. OL   1410216M.
  18. ↑ Related to Foundation for Religious Tolerance. "The Many Frontgroups of Scientology". "BigotWatch domain registration".
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Atack, Jon (1990). A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed. Lyle Stuart Books. ISBN   081840499X. OL   9429654M.
  20. ↑ Tolsi, Niren (June 10, 2007). "Ndebele flirts with Scientology". Mail & Guardian. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008.
  21. ↑ Farley, Robert (August 2, 2001). "Man's film a veiled look at Scientology". St. Petersburg Times . Archived from the original on December 2, 2016.
  22. ↑ DeSio, John (May 2007). "The rundown on Scientology's Purification Rundown". New York Press . Archived from the original on June 1, 2007.
  23. ↑ MacKay, Deb (December 17, 2018). "Church Of Scientology Hosts 'Rock For Human Rights' Concert" . Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  24. ↑ Registered at address of Church of Scientology of Los Angeles at 1415 L. Ron Hubbard Way (formerly named Berendo St).
  25. ↑ McManus, Tracy (August 26, 2017). "Scientology draws dueling petitions involving Leah Remini, the IRS and change.org". Tampa Bay Times . Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  26. ↑ Miller, Lisa (October 25, 1999). "Character-Building Program Linked To Religion Poses Dilemma for Schools". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on July 17, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Unwitting highschoolers lured to forum by Scientologists". The Sydney Morning Herald. March 27, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
  28. 1 2 Headley, Marc (2009). Blown for Good: Behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology. BFG Books. ISBN   9780982502204.
  29. 1 2 "A Call For Help". New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  30. ↑ DeSio, John (May 31, 2007). "The Rundown on Scientology's Purification Rundown: What Scientologists aren't telling you about their detox program (and how much it's costing you)". New York Press .
  31. ↑ Sappell, Joel; Welkos, Robert W. (June 27, 1990). "Church Seeks Influence in Schools, Business, Science". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.
  32. ↑ "David Root, M.D., M.P.H." getdetoxinated.com. July 8, 2018.
  33. ↑ Founded 1999 in New Mexico
  34. ↑ "CEO of Survival Strategies Receives Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from WISE International". PR.com (Press release). May 31, 2011.
  35. ↑ Kent, Stephen A. (1999). "Scientology — Is this a Religion?". Marburg Journal of Religion . 4 (1). University of Marburg: 1–56. doi: 10.17192/mjr.1999.4.3754 .
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