Conversation 4 – Kalyn Boudinot

As we learned about cults this week, I was browsing cultrecovery101.com, and came across an article named “Scientology and Its Discontents,” by Seth Perry. This article discusses the challenges of studying and teaching about Scientology, a religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard, that has been variously defined as a cult by many followers, one in particular being Leah Remini. The author shares his experience teaching a course on American religious movements, including Scientology, and the difficulties he faced due to the Church of Scientology’s efforts to restrict access to its materials. In this article, Perry discusses two books, one by Janet Reitman and another by Hugh Urban, which gives insightful information about the history behind Scientology and its characteristics. Urbans work gives us an idea of how and why Scientology was formed into a religion and how their ideas implicate culture and land, while Reitmans work focuses on the neglect and abuse that was incorporated into the Church. All authors touch on the possibility of a nuanced agenda due to the appeal of Scientology, that goes beyond the public image. This article is suggesting that within the future, more exploration needs to be studied on individual scientologists, (still practicing individuals and ones who have left the church) to really be able to grasp their understandings of Hubbard’s teachings. What I took away from this article is that the study of Scientology is complex due to the effortless attempts of limiting access to its ideas and materials to be able to control the narrative and image of the “religion” in the public eye. Researchers and educators must navigate these obstacles while trying to understand both the institutional history and the experiences of individual Scientologists.