Does Dienetics Work

“Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion” by Janet ...

What if a wedding guest at Cana had tweeted that Jesus didn’t really turn water into wine? Or the children of Israel had IM’ed that they crossed the Red Sea at low tide? Would live data streams shake believers’ faith or simply lead to endless online bickering over who has the true truth? Janet Reitman’s absorbing book on the Church of Scientology identifies the core challenge for new religions: The seams show. It’s the same problem Mormon founder Joseph Smith faced when newspapers reported on his latter-day revelation. Today’s would-be messiahs face a much larger media echo chamber and a much bigger obstacle — globally networked communication that complicates faith, especially when facts suggest that faith may be misplaced.

And the facts Reitman reveals about Scientology are damning. Even if the tradition’s basic practices have helped some people to live fuller lives, the institution itself seems irredeemably corrupt.

“ Inside Scientology ” is a masterful piece of reporting. Reitman, a freelance journalist, supplements Scientologists’ memoirs, founder L. Ron Hubbard’s extensive writings, news reports and declassified online documents with dozens of interviews of former and current church members. She’s one of the few outsiders to have had access to Scientology’s upper echelons and secret sites, a boon granted when she was researching an article for Rolling Stone. Her insights help explain why the movement has intrigued millions since its launch more than 60 years ago.

Reitman’s story starts with Hubbard (1911-1986), a wildly self-assured college dropout who drifted through a series of careers until he tried writing. Gifted with a wild imagination and a strong work ethic, he wrote books in several genres: mysteries, Westerns and adventure tales. When pulp novels did not prove lucrative enough, he moved into the burgeoning field of science fiction. He found his niche in Los Angeles among occultists and fellow fabulists, but after several doomed escapades — including running off with a friend’s lover and life savings — he hit bottom. Refusing psychological help, Hubbard found a way to heal himself. Writing a series of self-assessments, he examined his own psychological state, admitting to lying and exaggeration. Afterwards, he listed his assets: sexual magnetism, magical powers and literary prowess, but foremost an ability to understand others and direct their thinking. Here he found more than a cure; he identified his life’s vocation: “He would use his mind, in other words, to repair his soul. And soon, he would show others how to use their own minds to do exactly the same thing.

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