The Church of Scientology, best known for its celebrity members, such as Tom
Cruise and John Travolta, is planning to open a church in Carytown.
It will be the first established Scientology church in Richmond.
The church could open by December and will offer introductory lectures, meetings
and a book store, said Sylvia Standard, director of external affairs for the Founding
Church of Scientology in Washington, D.C.
Scientologists enter the religion as beginners and progress to higher levels as they
increase their religious knowledge, according to the Web site scientologytoday.org.
“Parishioners of the religion begin with introductory services and advance to higher
levels. Similarly, there are different levels of Scientology churches that mirror this
graduated scale – from those that solely deliver introductory courses to Advanced
Organizations, which deliver the upper level services,” the Web site states.
It is as yet to be determined what level of a church the one in Carytown will be.
Science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard founded scientology in 1952. The religion is
said to be based on the belief that 75 million years ago, aliens were banished to Earth
by a warlord named Xenu. Their souls, or “body thetans,” then stuck to humans,
causing many of humanity’s problems, both emotional and social.
Some surrounding business owners are worried about the church.
“I’m extremely uncomfortable with (the church being so close). I find them really
creepy,” said Mistie Roundtree, who works at Carytown Teas, located right behind
the proposed location.
Scientology has caused controversy based on its opposition to psychiatric treatment
and secrecy about its beliefs.
In a book published in 1972, an ex-member Robert Kaufman wrote about the
secrecy and exclusivity of the religion.
“Access is not automatic, nor is it dependent solely upon donations. It is by invitation
only. This is so that people of ill-will with motives antipathetic to Scientology cannot
use the materials for purposes contrary to the goal of spiritual freedom, which proper
use of these religious works brings about,” Kaufman stated in the article, “Inside
Scientology: Or How I Found Scientology and Became Super Human.”
Scientologists’ views of psychiatry make them distinct. They are strictly opposed
to medication prescribed by psychiatrists of any kind, seeing the use of such services
as a spiritual flaw that will have dire impacts, even in the afterlife.
“At best, psychiatry suppresses life’s problems; at worst it causes severe
damage and irreversible setbacks in a person’s life and even death,” states
a quote from a Scientology Web site, faq.scientology.org/psychtry.htm.
It is unclear whether the religion espouses many of these teachings, as church teachings
are not given to non-members.
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THE TENETS OF SCIENTOLOGY
Scientologists believe in the teachings of the deceased L. Ron Hubbard,
who was a popular science fiction writer born in 1911. In 1950, he
wrote “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.” In the book
he describes the human mind, what it is and how it operates.
Hubbard’s writings state