The Church of Scientology (Melton book)

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The Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology.jpg
Cover
Author J. Gordon Melton
LanguageEnglish
SeriesStudies in Contemporary Religions
Subject Church of Scientology
Publisher Signature Books with CESNUR
Publication date
August 2000
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages80
ISBN 1-56085-139-2
OCLC 43287391
299/.936 21
LC Class BP605.S2 M46 2000

The Church of Scientology is a 2000 book about the Church of Scientology by religious scholar J. Gordon Melton. It was published by Signature Books in collaboration with Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR).

Contents

Publication history

The book was authored by religious scholar J. Gordon Melton, then the director of the Institute for the Study of American Religions. [1] [2] It was published by Signature Books in collaboration with CESNUR in 2000 as part of their Studies in Contemporary Religions series, in an 80 page edition. [1] [2]

Summary

Melton deals with the history and development of Scientology, covering such matters as church's structure and organization, ethics, and nonprofit initiatives. He also deals with the church's views regarding religious freedom and human rights, as well as its members efforts to win their own religious freedom and human rights. [3] He also deals with the question the Church itself has often been asked, whether it does qualify as a religion. [1]

Reception

Derek Davis said in the Journal of Church and State , "Few books pack as much information into so little space." [3] A writer for the Library Journal called it a "brief but well-balanced guide" to the controversial movement, and a "good choice for public libraries". [1] Publishers Weekly wrote that it was a rare, welcome impartial treatment of the subject by an outsider and that Melton had done "admirably" in covering the bases and showing the views of both the Church and its detractors. [2]

In a review in the Marburg Journal of Religion , Marco Frenschkowski  [ de ] wrote that the book "err[s] on the side of too much politeness and hesitation when discussing critical questions posed by the public about Scientology", [4] though in a separate commentary for Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review, called it a "quite useful booklet" with a "fine balance" despite these flaws. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Church of Scientology (Book)". Library Journal . 128 (16): 51. October 1, 2003. ISSN   0363-0277.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Church of Scientology". Publishers Weekly . 247 (37): 86. September 11, 2000. ISSN   0000-0019.
  3. 1 2 Davis, Derek H. (Autumn 2000). "The Church of Scientology". Journal of Church and State. 42 (4): 851. doi:10.1093/jcs/42.4.851.
  4. ↑ Frenschkowsky, Marco (2001). "J. Gordon Melton: The Church of Scientology (Studies in Contemporary Religions)". Marburg Journal of Religion . 6 (1). doi:10.17192/mjr.2001.6.3745. ISSN   1612-2941.
  5. ↑ Frenschkowski, Marco (2010). "Researching Scientology: Some Observations on Recent Literature, English and German". Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review. 1 (1): 5–44. doi:10.5840/asrr20101127. ISSN   1946-0538.

Further reading

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