Product Description
There’s never been a way for man to right the wrongs committed, or to know with certainty which choices will ensure a brilliant and successful future.

But now there is.

With this book you can learn the technology of ethics and use it to keep your feet firmly on the road to freedom.

The material in this book is not something someone does for you, it’s a personal matter. Learn it well, use it to keep your own counsel and be true to your own goals.

The world can become pretty savage but with a full understanding of Scientology ethics and justice you will know exactly how to bring order to your life and the lives of your fellows. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

The Conditions
This is A great ethics book, not just for scientologist but for everyone. It explains justice and ethics and why they are different. It also talks about "SP" or suppresive persons, and how they are detrimental to someones sanity and ambitions.

But what I Found most helpful, were the conditions. LRH explains that at any time someone who is out-ethics (doing unethical things) is in A certain condition, and they can redeem themselves from these conditions, and get ethics back in, by following a certain formula for each condition.

Very helpful!
This book has been a useful tool for me in my business. It shows how to track statistics, and how to evaluate those statistics.

Once the statistics have been examined, then specific tools are given to increase them over time.

My business has increased by 8 times since implementing these tools! I am no longer in a mystery about how to increase business, when to promote, when to cut back... the formulas given are clear, and easy to implement, AND THEY WORK!

I am a VERY satisfied customer!

Difference between ethics and morals
This book clarifies the difference between morals and ethics -- what we do because we think doing them makes us "good" and those things we do because they lead to a better existence for ourselves and our fellows.

We don't live in a vacuum, despite what the materialists might think. This book is how to live well ourselves - without hurting those around us.

This is a revolutionary approach to the subject. I wish more business leaders would become familiar with these concepts! It would make a better world for all...

Very interesting book
L Ron Hubbard is possibly the most controversial man of the 21st century.
I read this book while researching into supernatual phenonema like near-death-experiences, psychics, out of body experiences, as Hubbard made several claims in this area.
While the book doesn't talk about that, or Scientology techniques, it is an interesting read. You won't find philosophical arguments here - the emphasis is on workability. Hubbard's philosophy (which is a version of utilitarianism based on survival) is intuitively a better ethical philopsophy than anything I studied at Oxford.
I also gained an understanding of why Scientology charges money for its services, and found Hubbard's arguments about why people attack Scientology interesting (though I'm not in a position to judge them).
The book is also a good management book - on par at least with the One Minute Manager.
Hubbard was an intelligent and interesting character. If he was a charlatan then was certainly a complete genius who continues to deceive today.
On the other hand his principles seem sound and aimed at improving the human condition.

People that don't bother to look for the truth
I Have read through this book countless times and have found it to be an essential tool for living in this society. The book is absolutely invaluble, and anyone who thinks otherwise is not nuts, they simply haven't looked at the bigger picture. Most people that slam Scientology aren't wrong from thier point of view, but they fail to look at everything there is to look at, which consequently makes them look rather silly and disappoints me in that our society commonly slams what they do not understand. Stop fearing Scientology, it will not bite you !! It may even help you, you decide... ... Read more

Product Description
Atack exposes Hubbard's bizarre imagination and behavior, tracing the creation of Scientology in the years following World War II to perhaps its final schism following Hubbard's death in 1986. A shocking book that reveals all: the abuses, falsehoods, paranoia, and greed of Hubbard and his pseudo-military Scientologist henchmen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (123)

A Piece of Blue Sky
Very informative book on the history of Scientology and the man who piloted the movement. Reads a bit like a textbook and can be a bit dry for my tastes but overall it's a great source of info.

Comprehensive Handbook To A Cult
Author Jon Attack had citied the classic, The Scandal of Scientology, as one reason he had to write this 398-page opus of a book. A Piece of Blue Sky was published in 1990, but despite its age, it is a very revealing, albeit exhaustively jumbled, handbook on the inner workings of Scientology.

Mr. Atack had acquired quite an archive of information at his disposal to present this information to the public. Atack himself had been in Scientology when he was 19 years old. The book starts with him and his beginnings through Scientology, up until his drifting away from the cult in 1984.

He continues by giving you a history of - and a very meticulous one at that -L. Ron Hubbard's beginnings, including the start of Dianetics. We journey along to Hubbard's beginning from birth and childhood, which is very difficult to follow as it becomes clear that Hubbard was a pathological liar.Where his "imagination" begins and the truth ends is truly pondering to follow. We continue to get taken through Scientology itself, and what kind of movement it was and still is.

We can take a gander that Hubbard was not all he had portrayed himself to be. As a science-fiction pulp writer, he was clearly imaginative. He was also very savvy and appeared to create Scientology to make money and to be worshiped.

There is so much information in this book that I needed to take breaks in between. My only complaint would be that it was difficult to follow on occasion as it was sometimes jumbled, but for the most part it was a very informative read. Many of these things have been written in earlier books, but its cohesiveness makes it a needed handbook to guide you through the maze of Scientology.

It is necessary to mention that Scientology had also tried to stop this book from being published. They tried to argue that the book could not be published as it would discourage people from buying the original texts and that it was subject to copyright violation. Scientology did not win this fight however, and it was published with full quotations and all.

Amazon.com had de-listed this book for a bit in 1999, but due to public outcry, had then reversed the decision. I ask you, why, if Scientology is such a pure religion, do they try to ban anything that is written about them? What do they have to hide? Reading books such as this makes it very apparent why.

© Diane Trautweiler. 9/7/2009.

First half reads like a textbook
This is a great book, but the early portion reads very much like a textbook. Lots of background on scientology, including terms and definitions. The latter portions are more story-like, though more like several short stories strung together than a novel. I found the book fascinating and very informative (and ultimately frightening). Great read for anyone interested in scientology or L. Ron Hubbard. VERY well notated with lots of other resources for research.

Valuable Info. on $cientology
A great primer on the "religion" of $cientology.Inside info provided by former insiders of $cientology.The true story of $cientology and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, reads like a thrilling novel.It's a fascinating read.But not only entertaining, this book provides great info to innoculate you and your loved ones from the manipulative and coercive ways of the "Church" of $cientology. Inform yourself and your loved ones to avoid the sticky web of $cientology.

compelling and yet very clinical
I was so facinated by the subject matter and thought that it was written very well.Except that it was dry for most of the middle section of the book. You do feel what this man and others has endured, and it is very readable, but it was more like reading a text book rather than a personal account.I do recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this subject. ... Read more

Product Description
L. Ron Hubbard best-selling science fiction writer, former naval officer, and people's philosopher did not initially intend to found a new religion. But neither did he object when followers organized a church based on his teachings. The resulting movement has attracted millions of adherents from around the globe.Much of Scientology applies common sense solutions to life's perplexities. If a church should be judged according to its good works, then Scientology receives high marks for its addiction treatment, literacy, and civil rights programs. But there is more, including mysticism, mythology, some secrecy, and a healthy dose of what might be termed eccentricity. Some observers wonder how a church that promotes mental and emotional well being, which it does, can itself at times appear to be paranoid or dysfunctional? Dr. Melton explores these questions and the major aspects of the church's hierarchical structure and theology, showing, among other things, that the study of religion is seldom dull. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Finally someone with some credentials looking at Scientology
This review board has some reviews from people who are just filled with hate which is unfortunate.

This book is something I gave to my Professor Father to read, as he was not a Scientologist & had heard some of the bad press out there so he had some concerns. After this he didn't and he understood what I was doing and what I was interested in.

It is written by someone with credentials & hasn't had any personal experience with the church's technology. He can see the church for the facts not the hateful twisted distortions one gets from former disgruntled members, (most of whom have public criminal records).

Some people on these reviews make comments regarding Scientology & money. It has nothing to do with this book, however, I think that anyone who has been in a Christian Church will remember that at the end of a service, the collection plate is passed around.

Plus Pastors very often solicit parishioners for further donations. Just watch the TV any Sunday morning! So don't try & deride Scientology because people donate money to it & somehow infer that that is some sort of crime.

Also if you go to Asia, Buddhist monks are required to go ask for alms, i.e. they sit and beg in the streets. In eastern cultures, the members of that society understand that the monks are mediating to obtain a spiritual enlightenment & thusly help all of mankind. People freely donate there as well.

It is the material world and all religions still need money to survive. There is absolutely a rightness in that as they help people.

Meantime Medical Doctors take money from Pharma reps to prescribe drugs that have often powerful side effects. The news is filled every year with the damage done by people on these medications. All of the school shootings & the people left dead are because the Pharma companies & the doctors who prescribe them favor profits over real help. This is the greatest tragedy of our time.

Obviously some people have done enough bad things with money that when others do something good with it, it drives them mad.

Too Short for any Significant Impact...
If you are looking for a book about Scientology that offers an objective understanding of the origins of the church, how the church is structured, and what the faithful believe, then this book might be a good place to start.Melton's book comes close on all three counts, but due to it's abbreviated length, doesn't quite satisfy the need.

There are all manner of information about Scientology found in traditional publications and on the internet.Unfortunately most of the information is decidely pro or anti church.The bulk of the anti information comes from individuals who have had a negative experience with the church and much of the pro information comes from church or the writings of it's founder L. Ron Hubbard.So unless you wade through the agendas found in either sides publications your unlikely to get a solid understanding of what makes this church and it's membership tick.

The one publication that seems to take an objective look at the church and it's surrounding controversy is this book.Regarding most issues addressed, Melton is careful to provide the opinion of the church's opponents as well as the church's take on the issue.It's as balanced as it can get.

Unfortunately the sheer size of the book prevents it from becoming anything but a rudimentary primer on the very basics of the church.16 of it's 80 paperback size pages are support notes for the author's discussion.And 64 pages is about 300 pages short of a comprehensive study of one aspect of the church let alone it's entire history.

The book takes the reader from the early life of founder L. Ron Hubbard, his writings and the development of Dianetics, through the Dianetics to Scientology evolution, and ends with information about how the church is structured.What it doesn't provide is any kind of understanding about the foundations of the religion, it's dogma or tenets - you will find no mention of Xenu here.

The value of this book is that it's a short, easy to read primer that those interested in exploring Scientology (in a scholarly or spriritual context) will find to be a great, objective place to start.

More entertaining than listening to seagulls screech
I used to be afraid of dwarves.But thanks to L. Ron Hubbard, I am now only afraid of things that come out of my butt.While this fear has grown more intense, I have a strange urge to buy all of Tom Cruise's movies on DVD including "Legend" in order that I might play them backwards to reveal a secret message.The message being L. Ron Hubbard's address, so I will know where to mail my check.Speaking of which, I think BattleField Earth with John Travolta got a bum rap.It was slightly more painful than placing one's testicle in a garlic press and squeezing.So just ask homeschoolmum, L. Ron Hubbard is in fact our savior.On Easter we celebrate his birth and best works of fiction like Dianetics.On Christmas, we spend lots of money on his products and give them to fellow pagans.It's not like any of us would dare give "Blue Lagoon" on DVD to another scientologist.So do you think Brooke Shields turned Tom Cruise down?

Melton's work is flawed
It is very obvious that Melton basically shares materials from Scientology's public relations office.There are factual errors in his work, many ommisions, and a minimizing of major legal actions against Scientology.Melton states that L. Ron Hubbard "never claimed the kind of formal academic credentials which the average scientists or physician possesses..." (pg 58)Wrong!In 1958 Hubbard published "The Problem of Work, Scientology Applied to the Work-a-day World", by "L.Ron Hubbard, C.E, PhD."C.E. is the designation for Chemical Engineer.

Melton glosses over the conviction of Scientologists for infiltrating and and stealing IRS materials by saying "In the end, the actual crimes for which they were convicted were relatively minor."Minor?They were sentences to four to five years in jail.

Melton says nothing about one of Scientology's major losses when, at the conclusion of a trail involving Hubbard, Judge Breckenridge stated "The evidence porrays a man who has been virtually a pathological liar when it comes to his history, background and achievements..."

No mention is made of the major Supreme Court ruling (Hernandez vs. IRS 1989) in which the Supreme Court denied Scientology the right to deducted "fixed donations" for the many courses required for advancement.And no comment is made as to how the IRS could nullify that finding and give Scientology the right to do so.

Nothing said about the 23,000 persons declared to be suppressive persons, people who Hubbard stated "could be tricked, lied to or destroyed."

Finally, look at the footnotes and sources.The vast majority are from Scientology's own material.Only a Scientology would call this material "objective."

Nice unbiased review
I've always respected J. Gordon Melton as a scholarly balanced religious scholar.This quick treatment of The Church of Scientology was excellent.I was able to read the entire book in a couple of hours and it gave me an excellent overview.I'm now going to check out the other books in this great little series. ... Read more

Product Description
Study this book and learn how you can help yourself and others to achieve real happiness and respect using Scientology technology. As a Volunteer Minister, you will be able to: 1) Gain increased respect for yourself and for others. 2) Help people become happier and feel freer. 3) Bring about a renewed interest in life for others. 4) Communicate comfortably and easily to others, and make others feel comfortable and free in communicating to you. 5) Increase a person's awareness of life and the world around them. 6) Effectively handle many different types of problems and difficulties. 7) Improve family life. 8) Heal broken marriages. 9) Act decisively and effectively in any emergency, and assist injured people. 10) Help alleviate physical discomfort and assist people effectively who are injured physically and/or spiritually. 11) Improve any endeavor or organization and help it to achieve its goals. 12) Increase the honesty and trust with any group. 13) Increase respect, tolerance and harmony in the society around you. And much, much more. Anyone can become a volunteer minister and this book tells you how. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The answers to the questions you should have asked
There is plenty of information in here which loads of vested interests do not want you to have. And these are answers you can understand, legal and ethical ways to get on top of life's hard problems.This is rubber meets the road stuff. I've read, understood and used it all.

A must read for anybody you wants to improve life
I have been looking for many years for something that helps me improve and solve problems in life -- finally I found something in my hands that really tackles problems at their root causes.
It is amazing how effective the proposed solutions are. Simple, but -- and this is of utmost importance -- they WORK!! It is the first time I found a self-improvement book that helps achieving sustainable results. This book delivers what it promises if one follows each step exactly the way it is stated. If only I had had this book earlier. This Mr Hubbard must have been an amazing man -- I do not understand what his critics complain about; I am sure they never tried the solutions he proposes! In summary: A must read!

Very helpful to me
I found many things in this book of use to me.What I found the most helpful was the section on assists which give several simple exercises to do if someone is ill or injured.I used the assist on my husband and my daughter and it worked well both times.Each section is relatively short and easy to read.There are exercises in the back of each section to help you learn the procedures.You learn things to help people in a variety of situations.If you like to help people, whether you are a social worker or just as a good neighbor or a parent and want to learn some new things to help, I highly recommend this book.

This book works for me
This book is simply written so that it is easy to understand. I have used many of the principles in this book and found them quite workable. A must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about several areas of"life".

The Volunteer Minister's Handbook has been key to my success
Over the years I have refered back to the essays and solutions compiled in this volume many times. I've used it to resolve problems with my family, improve my relationship with my wife and keep me focused on my goals. It's amazing how L. Ron Hubbard wrote so many common-sense solutions that no one else though of. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Trying to Expose Scientology!
I found this book about Scientology at an expensive price but worth the cost. Scientology is still with us forty years later with celebrity members like John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Kelly Preston, Kirstie Alley, Jenna Elfman, Danny Elfman, Ann Archer, Paul Haggis, Lisa Marie Presley, Priscilla Presley, and countless others have joined this secretive organization.

When I went to Los Angeles in 2005, I couldn't help but stare at the Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood. It looks like a grand cathedral or mega-church but it's scientology. I wondered how much power it has in the world of entertainment.

Years before on the Joan River Show, she asked her gossip columnists like Janet Charlton from the Star Tabloid about what they couldn't publish. Well, this was over 20 years ago and I recalled Janet remarked that she couldn't publish an item about scientology. After all, it's Star magazine which is in the same league as the National Inquirer and not the New York Times. Nobody was going to believe it anyway. So why did her editor tell her no that she couldn't write about scientology. I never forgot that moment.

What is so disturbing about scientology is it's power, money and influence combined with a secretive world that few are privy to enter into? Celebs like Travolta and Cruise are still making movies and still belong to this secret religious society that they rarely explain the true nature of it's organization.

When this book was written in 1971, cults like Jim Jones' Peoples Temple and others were flourishing during the counterculture and hippy movement of the era. Scientology has survived and thrived since 1971 but it still remains a mystery. Unlike Jones' Peoples Temple, he sought out the vulnerable, disenfranchised, lonely, minorities etc. to join the Peoples Temple. While Jones was outspoken and public, Scientology doesn't have a public spokesperson to speak on their behalf. We know they recruit members with their free stress tests as a lure into the cult.

I hope someday that we will know the truth about Scientology and pray that it won't end like a repeat of Jonestown.

A Scandal Indeed
I recently became intrigued in religious cults, and Scientology in particular, after reading the controversial biography, The Final Years of Michael Jackson: Unmasked - By Ian Halperin.That book is subject to a different review, but it was suggested in the book that the marriage between Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley was one to try to "recruit" Michael Jackson into Scientology. Lisa Marie, as well as her mother, Pricilla, are Scientologists.It also clicked in my mind that Michael Jackson was at some point in time, a Jehovah's Witness, and I believe his family still is involved. Were both Scientology and the Jehovah's Witness (aka The Watchtower Society) cults? I wanted to find out, thus I started my research, which is still ongoing till this day.

On my journey, a few classic books had come up time and time again. One of them was The Scandal of Scientology - by Paulette Cooper. I wanted to get my hands on some of these other books. There were four of them, including Paulette's, that were supposedly so explosively threatening to Scientology that libraries were told to ban them or they would be named in a lawsuit.

Scandal. . . was published in 1971 by Tower Publications. The widespread banning threat happened sometime in June of 1974. In the meantime, Paulette was harassed and Operation Freak Out was unleashed as to get Paulette Cooper "incarcerated in a mental institution or jail, or at least to hit her so hard that she drops her attacks."

A copy of this book is going for about $127 right here on Amazon, as it is out of print. I found a manuscript of the book online, and Paulette Cooper has a copy of it on her site as well, in its entirety.I can see why Scientology felt threatened, but only because I feel they had something to hide.

Paulette had a psychology degree and she had been studying comparative religion when she stumbled across L. Ron Hubbard and his Scientology. An excerpt appeared in Queen magazine in 1969 prior to the book being published.

I believe that if you are interested in cults at all, and especially Scientology, this is one book that is a must read. Scientology is still causing controversy in today's modern world with a new leaders at the helm of their "church", but it truly boggles the mind to read about this Love Child named Scientology that L. Ron Hubbard gave birth to back in the 1950s.

I believe that Paulette Cooper presented an ethical and inquiring account of the beginnings of Scientology, and the reason she caused so many waves is because she blew the door wide open when the Scientology folks thought they had it padlocked.

Ms. Cooper has since moved on from writing about religious cults, and I don't blame her with how the poor woman was harassed. I think she had done a truly brave thing by writing this book. She stood on the front lines when many were afraid to. This is a true classic and must read for anyone who wants to know about the sinister workings of a cult.

© Diane Trauweiler
9/7/2009

The book the Scientologists tried to stop.
A chilling examination of the nature, beliefs, and practices of the "now religion".Reveals the truth about:
1)L. Ron Hubbard
2)the Sea Org, Scientology's lavish yacht on the Mediterranean;
3)the E-meter, Scientology's lie detector;
4)auditing sessions where people reveal their most intimate...;
5)the criminal security test;
6)Scientology's political ambitions and how Scientology relates to celebrities.

You must read this book before you are charmed into "the world of the totally free". ... Read more

Product Description
With new breakthroughs on the nature and anatomy of engrams comes the discovery of the beingâs use of a Service Facsimile: a mechanism employed to explain away failures in life, but which then locks a person into detrimental patterns of behavior and further failure. Here, then, is Advanced Procedure and the means to rehabilitate Self-determinism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Thought, Emotion, and Effort
This is the book that marks the departure from structure and enters in to function. Up to this book Dianetics concerned itself with structure like cells, brain, etc. Here is the new echelon which goes into function which is thought, emotion, and effort. Here is where you find service facsimile, effort processing, and self determinism. Also, here is where you have the logics and axioms of this science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Better than Indiana Jones
This book tells the story of L. Ron Hubbard's search and discovery of locations he frequented in past lives about 2,000 years ago.As he spent time in each location his memory became sharper and sharper and he was able to exactly pinpoint specific buildings and structures and send his crew to find them without him personally going ashore.It is a story of adventure in 1968 and 2,000 years ago.He never repeated this activity and it was the adventure of lifetimes for 40 crew members aboard the "Avon River" as it roamed the Mediterranean for 5 weeks in the Spring of 1968.It is out of print so get your copy soon.

Richard
Costa Mesa ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Scientology:A history of man
I read it three times in one week!A great book which not only reveals spiritual origins and truths but as an added bonus gives new insight into the phenomenon of alien visitation and the purpose of these visitors.L.Ron Hubbard was not afraid to write down his discoveries for allthe worldto read.The book also provides the reader with a better understanding ofthe "internal spiritual energy" that flows through the humanbody.This book is a must for anyone who seeks to understand the natureand capabilities of the human spirit.

Gaining Perspective
I love this very special book!It helps me put many things in life and my life in perspective.I hope my experience as a Scientology practitioner who has advanced to a high spiritual state and helped many others do the same, can influence a few to read this concise volume. It's not abeginner's book but only for those few who wish to see beyond what iscurrently being fed to them. It's a book I'm only able to recommendinfrequently at this time to the rare person who displays advanced opennessregarding his/her spirituality.

Spiritual growth potential!
If you ever wondered about past lives and reincarnation, but were not content with the events of the last few thousand years and want a look at a much longer time scale, then this is it. While current reincarnationtheories usually only refer to spiritual growth (because the only ones thatcan tell their stories were those that grew), the content of his book tellswhat happened and shows that on this much larger scale that there had beenmore decay than growth. It points out types of events which caused thatdecay, and thus points back upwards to a true resolution towards spiritualgrowth for mankind.

When reading this book, I ran across a paragraph thatspecifically applied to me -- something had happened to me that was verysimilar to what was in the book. It was amazing. Only a few other times hassomething I read caused so much self betterment in so little time.

Discoveries from the investigation of past lives.
A fascinating book covering the findings from the early work of Mr. Hubbard into past lives and the history of the spiritual beings on this planet.

Hubbard pulls no punches about what he found.He doesn't try to be "acceptable" he merely states what he found.

What are the true capabilities of a spirit (i.e., you)?

What is the relationship between a being and a body?

How did we come to be in the less than perfect state we are now in?

These and many other questions are answered in this fascinating book ... Read more

Product Description
You can live life and learn of life, but life will neverbe truly comprehensible to you, no matter how much you live, unlessyou know the basics of life itself contained in Scientology 8-8008.

These basics are nothing less than the foundation upon which rest allyour hopes and dreams and any beauty you will ever see or feel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Life changing book
I loved this book.To be able to understand how the physical universe works and how I relate to it, makes me more able.Simple as that.It has made me a much more causitive person, and made my life much easier and happier.

Operating Manual for an Immortal Spiritual Being
What are the qualities and attributes and capabilities of the Human Spirit? What exactly is the Physical Universe? You were immensely powerful once, so what happened? How can you rise to greater heights of awareness and ability and once again become the YOU that you actually are? This book by L. Ron Hubbard embraces the essence of Scientology. You need this information.

Scientology 8-8008 was originally written by Hubbard in London in October 1952 as the textbook for an upcoming series of lectures which he delivered to students in Philadelphia in December of that year.

The title of this book, "Scientology 8-8008" is actually a formulaic/symbolic statement of the Goal of Scientology. Translated it means: "The attainment of Infinity by reducing the apparent infinity of the Physical Universe to "0" and then taking the apparent "0" value of one's own universe and increasing it to Infinity". (An "8" laid on its side is the symbol for infinity).

Scientology 8-8008 is the best book you will ever read on Spirituality and your Native Abilities. It really does contain the Truth that will set you Free.

a very good book
that is one of the best book a man can get . the knowledge in this book can save you from sad and very bad life. here you can find the knoledge you need for a better future for yourself. ... Read more

Product Description
Over 150 illustrations show basic Scientology principlesand how it increases spiritual freedom, ability, intelligence,knowledge of self, and gives answers to questions like "Why are wehere?" "What is life?" and "How can we understand it?" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great introduction to Scientology
The title might make this sound like a children's book, but it's not. It's a great introduction to the basics of Scientology - the illustrations help with understanding some of the concepts.

This book explains the difference between the spirit, mind, and body. It explains communication, the cycle of action, and basics in understanding people and improving relationships.

I recommend this to anyone who would like an introduction to the subject. ... Read more

Product Description
Scientology, created in 1954 by a prolific sci-fi writer named L. Ron Hubbard, claims to be the world’s fastest growing religion, with millions of members around the world and huge financial holdings. Its celebrity believers keep its profile high, and its teams of “volunteer ministers” offer aid at disaster sites such as Haiti and the World Trade Center. But Scientology is also a notably closed faith, harassing journalists and others through litigation and intimidation, even infiltrating the highest levels of the government to further its goals. Its attacks on psychiatry and its requirement that believers pay as much as tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars for salvation have drawn scrutiny and skepticism. And ex-members use the Internet to share stories of harassment and abuse. 

Now Janet Reitman offers the first full journalistic history of the Church of Scientology, in an evenhanded account that at last establishes the astonishing truth about the controversial religion. She traces Scientology’s development from the birth of Dianetics to today, following its metamorphosis from a pseudoscientific self-help group to a worldwide spiritual corporation with profound control over its followers and even ex-followers. 

Based on five years of research, unprecedented access to Church officials, confidential documents, and extensive interviews with current and former Scientologists, this is the defining book about a little-known world. ... Read more

Product Description
How to Resolve Conflicts-All conflicts and their complete resolution, form arguments between friends to full scale wars, are explained by the one fundamental and natural law of human relations covered in this booklet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Wonderful, it explained why conflicts continue to occur and how to resolve them!
This is a must read because it affects most everyone!Who hasn't had arguments with friends, co-workers and loved ones and yet even today, those past conflicts still remain a mystery.

At first reading of L. Ron Hubbard's How to Resove Conflicts, I couldn't believe it, but then I began to search out my past when conflicts did occur and sure enough it seemed true, what he said.

Then the next conflict I had, I appled the techniques in this booklet and varoom!!!!!!It resolved the conflict and we became friends once again.

Harry Wong

Try it and you'll see that it is true
This very easy to read booklet, is jam-packed with vital information on dealing with people and groups.It is small, but powerful, and has provided me with a valuable tool that I use any time a 'conflict' arises now.I don't look at who I am arguing with, I step back and look for the common party to all of us, and it works every time - I discover that there is a 'third-party' trying to stand back and create a show for them to watch.It can save friendships, a marriage, a business relationship, and allows you to remain at cause in relationships and conflicts.

For the price of a coffee, this book is a tool you should have on hand, and refer to often.

I would highly recommend it, especially if you have ever lost a friend, or experienced a conflict that to this day you still can't figure out what happened.

Resolving conflict
I got a lot from this booklet. It's not very large, but the concepts presented are astounding - it's like someone pulled the smokescreen off the REASON for problems between people, and boiled it down to a few unshakable truths.

If you have ever lost a friend or a relationship and didn't quite know what went wrong, I think you will find this booklet very, very interesting!

It also gives a step-by-step handling for recovering troubled relationships, and I tried this out and I can attest it actually does work.

Thought this was a "book", but it's more like a pamphlet
This turned out to be a pamphlet...only a few pages.Probably half of which are devoted to the actual subject of the book which is conflict resolution.I think the main idea is a very important one which everyone should be aware of and consider when involved in any kind of conflict.Even if one doesn't go around asking some of the hokey questions suggested, just realizing the "third party" is a good possiblity, one can then respond accordingly....and maybe refrain from reacting until the situation is better understood, thereby saving, possibly, a relationship or partnership, etc...If you've ever had someone blow up at you for what appears to be no reason, there's a good chance that person has been misled by something or someone along the way.By understanding the "third party" idea, you can avoid that kind of thing, and avoid reacting to what appear to be irrational accusations. I would have liked more information and/or examples.This is just, basically, an idea layed out there in a few pages.

So True!
We know that individuals fight. Groups can fight. Nations can fight.

Most people get wrapped up in trying to figure out "what went wrong" when often it is very simple - there is a 3rd party making things go wrong.

Like the gunmaker that supplies guns to both sides - the French AND the English - there are people who feel they will benefit if two other people or groups are at odds.

Anyone who has watched a soap opera for a few weeks can see how this can play out between individuals. It is very clear on the soaps.

In real life it might be harder to spot the person who has an investment in the disagreements of others. This book provides data about how unresolved conflicts come about - and better yet, it provides the SOLUTION to these problems.

My husband and I were having some trouble, and we used the process in this booklet - it worked! We both discovered that a "friend" was not very friendly, in fact. She was creating upset in both of us - and creating conflict.

Once we spotted this, using the tools in this book, the disagreements ended!

This is an amazing tool! ... Read more

Product Description
For the first time ever, a former high-ranking member of the Church of Scientology is lifting the lid on life inside the world s fastest growing cult. The Complex reveals the true story behind the religion that has ensnared a who s who list of celebrities such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and convinced thousands of ordinary people to join up.

Duignan describes how two years ago he staged a dramatic escape from the elite paramilitary group at the core of the Church, the Sea Organisation, and how he narrowly evaded pursuit by Scientologists from the Office of Special Affairs. He looks back on the 22 years he served in the Church s secret army and describes the hours of sleep deprivation, brain-washing and intense auditing or religious counselling he endured, as he was moulded into a soldier of Scientology. He talks about the money-making-machine at the heart of the Church, the Scientology goal to Clear the Planet and Get Ethics In , the training programmes, the Rehabilitation Project Force and the punishments meted out to anyone who transgresses, including children. We follow his journey through the Church and the painful investigation that leads to his eventual realisation that there is something very wrong at Scientology s core.

The beliefs of the Church of Scientology might sound like something from a science fiction book but The Complex reveals that the Church s growing power base is a shocking reality. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

MUST READ!!!
If you know noting about Scientology this is quite the eye opener! I on the other hand had educated myself quite thoroughly on the topic of Scientology by the time I purchased this book. Yet, I feel like I still learned things I wouldn't have through googling, like insider perspectives and understanding the psyche of someone who would be willing to join such a cult.

Reads Like a Novel
After reading the book My Billion Year Contract: Memoir of a Former Scientologist, I decided to write a review for it using `The Complex' as a point of comparison. This motivated me to go back and read `The Complex' a second time. I now feel confident to say that this is an excellent book. It's easy to read and is full of interesting information about Scientology. It's hard to believe that such a cultic organization can operate on such a large scale, in so many countries. How it got its tax-free religion status is beyond comprehension (actually it's not clear why ANY religion should enjoy tax-free status. But that's another story.)

This book reads like a novel and the author does a good job painting a clear picture as to why it becomes so difficult for Scientology members to leave the `church'. It can be difficult for people (like myself) who have never been in Scientology to understand how normal, intelligent people come to believe all the drivel Scientology pushes on its members. The author himself states his surprise, after getting out, hardly believing his own acceptance of some of the things he believed unquestioningly (for example, the silly comment Tom Cruise said about how... "at the scene of an accident, only a scientologist can help..." Of course Tom, of course.) Highly recommended.

Exposes the slimy underbelly of Scientology
This book does a great job describing the day to day life inside Scientology.There are so many people out now telling these stories that we have to start paying attention.Not all of them (or any of them) can be brushed aside as disgruntled apostates.This book reads well, the story is gripping, horrific and sad.I'm glad the author managed to escape.Shame on Amazon for not carrying it.People who sell books should be in the business of free speech.

The Covert World of Scientology
The Complex was published in 2009 in Ireland. This book is probably one of the most recent explosive exposes revolving around the cult of Scientology and the dangers of being a member.

John Duignan had joined Scientology in Germany when he was 22. He was led to get a free personality assessment by an attractive recruiter when he was feeling particularly down and depressed. Mr. Duignan seemed to be having an identity crisis, which seemed to begin with the loss of his parents. He goes into great detail about his feeling of security and belonging once joining Scientology and how he moved up the ranks to their elite Sea Org. It is very apparent, as well as appalling, how those who are lost and are looking for answers get sucked in. You see the way he was basically brainwashed into thinking like a Scientologist, whose goal is to absorb its teachings and never question the validity of anything that is seen, heard, or experienced. He looked at the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, as one might revere a God. He became ensconced within the inner walls and learned to live by Scientology creed and nothing else.

What becomes apparent throughout the book is the stripping of individuality the members suffer and the financial ruin they are left with. They are threatened and have to disconnect with persons who are considered "suppressive", many times breaking up families and marriages. They are taught no education, and many have been in Scientology for years and since a very young age, so they have no job experience. Children of Scientologists have their own rules and aren't treated as children, but little soldiers to brainwash.

John Duignan started waking up from his sleepwalking nightmare when Tom Cruise was at a function to receive a special award for his faithfulness and dedication to Scientology. It was then that John realized he was just as dedicated, although not rich like Mr. Cruise, and he was living in truly deplorable conditions. If anything, his dedication was MORE than Cruise because Cruise wasn't living in the trenches. This was the beginning of John's Internet search (which was forbidden) into the movement he had been a part of for so long (over 20 years), and he started seeing the other side of what Scientology really was. His realization was he was living a lie all of this time and planned his escape, though it proved to be a difficult one.

Once again, Scientology had tried to stop The Complex from being published, even using Fake-Boy Tom Cruise, their Celebrity Pet Puppet, to conveniently "visit" Amazon.com employees to treat them to a special screening of his most recent movie. It is indeed curious how the ban on this book coincided with Tommy Boy's movie.

While The Complex is available at present on Amazon in the USA, it is still unavailable in Canada and the United Kingdom. It's amazing to me how Freedom of Speech could be tampered this way when this group is destroying so many lives. Even more curiously, though John Duignan appeared to be showing up in the press as late as March of 2009, I could not find his book on his publisher's site, Merlin Publishing - either searching by author or book title.

© Diane Trautweiler. 9/7/09.

Scientology is a Scam and Fraud
I was a member of the church for 23+ years, sadly.What this book talks about is fact.Only devout Scns will speak against it...and that is what is so sad.They are not given the chance to see any kind of criticism whatsoever...I wasn't.If I did, then I would have questions and be sent to "Ethics" where more brainwashing would occur.Scn is brainwashing and mind control.I got very little gain on what I was trying to "handle"...and lots of money spent.What is extremely sad is those "on staff" are such good people who've wasted their lives on a fraudulent man and pseudo-religion.There were some basic things that did me some good...and that's because Hubbard stole them from somebody else.He is a liar and con.Do not think otherwise.A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed ... Read more

Product Description
"You remember when you were maybe five years old and you went out in the morning and you looked at the day, and it was a very beautiful day, and you looked at the flowers and they were very beautiful flowers. Twenty-five years later you get up in the morning, you take a look at the flowers — they are wilted. They day isn’t a happy day. Well, what has changed? You know they are the same flowers, it’s the same world, something must of changed. Probably it was you." – L. Ron Hubbard, from Scientology: A New Slant on Life

Have you ever asked the question, "is it possible to be happy?"

Often sought, but seldom found, there are no riches, gems or palaces as valued as mere happiness.

But how does one achieve happiness in the here and now, for yourself and those you care about?

Introducing a book by bestselling author L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology: A New Slant on Life. This book gives spiritual knowledge that opens the door to the life you want live.

A New Slant on Life is a collection of thirty of L. Ron Hubbard’s best-loved articles and essays. Some originally appeared as magazine articles, while others are from his lectures and early radio programs; every one is a gem of wisdom and practical truth. The book’s unique flavor was best stated by L. Ron Hubbard, in his introduction to the first edition:

"Who are you anyway? Where do you come from? What will happen to you? Are you a product of the mud as you have been told, to exist for a few years and then wither away and fertilize the earth from which they said you came?

"Scientology has answers to those questions, good answers that are true, answers that work for you. For the subject matter of Scientology is you." — L. Ron Hubbard

Here’s a book that does what you don’t expect it to do — it actually gives you practical data you can apply right now to create the life you want to live. The Scientology philosophy contains new discoveries about life that have never been known before. Learn two rules for happy living. Practical secrets of success. How to achieve your goals... Read and use this book and you will see life in a whole new light. Some of the questions you will find answered in this book are:

What is the anatomy of success and failure? How can you create and maintain happiness? How can you increase understanding in any relationship? What is greatness and how can you develop greatness in yourself? Can you do anything about the twists and turns of "fate"? What does professionalism have to do with one’s happiness? How does a person cease to cause things to happen in his life? How do you raise responsible and sane children? What is the basis of marital success? What is the cause of violence and conflict between people and what works to resolve it? A New Slant on Life embraces the full range of man’s interests and activities, from the day-to-day and down-to-earth to the upper reaches of the philosophical and spiritual. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (36)

Simple yet very useful book
When of the first books I read when first starting to study Scientology. I still refer to it and use it 18 years later. Some basic ideas that can change your life!

ENjoy!

I recommend this as a first introduction
For anyone interested in finding out what Scientology is all about, I recommend this book first. It isn't "about" Scientology - rather, it is a little piece of the kinds of things we learn in Scientology.

Composed of essays, it gives a look into how the mind works, what the relationship is between the mind, spirit, and body, a brief look at what our capabilities are as spiritual beings, and some applicable rules about life and livingness. You can study the material, apply it to your own life, and see how it works FOR YOU.

This is a great first book for anyone interested in the subject.

Scientology:a new slant on life
Out of all of L. Ron Hubbard's works, this is the most straight forward and interesting.This book makes it easy to understand Scientology and apply it to your life.

Personal Story
There was a chapter that changed my life and my idea on effort.The Chapter "Anatomy of Failure" explained that a person's downfall comes from things not happening the way they want.This was true for me.My life was a long chain of failures and I was miserable from failing.So, the change came with the advice to intend for life to keep on happening the way life keeps on happening--and a healthier way of living to try to change things for the better BUT not to be broken hearted when failure occurs.Hello!I thought I always had to be gung-ho and do or die and I was just killing myself because not everything goes my way.So I was stupid.I guess this is a confession, not a review.However, each chapter is a different subject and an excellent insight into the scope of the Scientology religion.Don't be scar'd!Books don't bite.

Essays on life
Each chapter in this book is a separate essay - and each has very important and helpful truths.

My favorite chapter in the book is one titled "What is Greatness?".

Whenever I feel very hurt by the actions of others - or angry - I remember this essay. Sometimes I pull it out and read it again. It's about how hard it can be to love people sometimes - and why we should do so anyway.

This is the key to ending vengeful wars and petty disagreements. This is really such a beautiful, life-changing piece of work.

You can see that particular essay on line - then buy the book, it's full of gems!

http://www.realhubbard.org/ ... Read more

Product Description
Searching for the ultimate answers to life?

Welcome to the finish line.

Is it possible to approach the vast subject of the mind, the spirit and life and arrive at basic principles which not only explain the deepest mysteries, but provide an exact measurable way to free yourself from them?

The answer is yes!

These basic principles can not only be known, they can be used to improve all aspects of your life.

And you will find them in this book. They are simple, and yet so powerful that just by reading and applying them you will transform your life and the lives of those around you.

For what is written in this book is truth. And you will recognize it like a long lost friend.

Find out about Scientology’s greatest discovery-the source of life itself.

Discover how to use the three conditions of existence to determine your success in all aspects of life.

If you disagree with how things are, if you want a better life, then this book will take you on a journey where there is no limit to what you can accomplish, no end to what you can achieve.

Your search is over, but the adventure has just begun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

Gift for a friend
I got the book very quickly.It was a gift so I was glad to receive it in fairly good shape. Thanks for getting it to me so quickly.

Good book, no matter your philosophy/religion
I've read this book a few years ago and I'm about to read it for the second time. I'm not a scientologist nor do I plan to become one. I've never read any other scientology book or pamphlet.

As far as philosopy is concerned, this book didn't reveal anything especially new or astounding to me.

The value of it is in the manner in which it teaches one to control their thoughts instead of allowing their thoughts to control them. If you have a phobia, problems with procrastination, a goal you wish to reach, a tendency to give yourself negative feedback, or if you just wish to change for other reasons, this book effectively teaches you to (to put it as simply as possibly) have your CONSCIOUS mind control your subconscious mind. For too many people, the opposite is true. Do you want to start your own business, but have a nagging voice tell you that you've never been successful and shouldn't expect to be now? Do you consciously say that you will do something important today, and your subconscious tells you it can wait? Why are you allowing your subconscious mind to stop you from what you consciously decided you want to do? This book really helps you in addressing this problem.

Again, I'm not a scientologist and don't intend to become one. Wisdom doesn't come in the vehicle of only one religion, one language, one culture, one philosophy. Don't allow your mistrust of the religions or cultures of others impede your acceptance of wisdom.

Exceptional Information

I read this book years ago, during a time when I needed advice and some sort of tool I could use to make life better for me and my family.This one really did exactly what it promised. The book was simple and easy to understand.The content was something I felt I already knew and the author just reminded me! I have read this book a couple more times the past 20 years and still find things in it that make so much sense - this is one worth keeping for reference, and is great as a gift too.

Gives you a new way to look at things
I read this book many years ago, and it definitely changed the way I looked at things in life.This book is a good introduction to Scientology.

Body Mind & Spirit
This is excellent reading for anyone who is interested in understanding better how the human mind works. The connection between Body, Mind and Spirit. Who are we? How can we be happier? Why do we behave the way in which we do? These life perplexing questions are answered here. After you read this book you may realize that you are not insane after all. You may even be able to change the way in which you think about life. Or the way in which you think about things all together, which may help you to bring about positive changes in your life. ... Read more

Product Description
shrinkwrapped22 lectures on CD-ROM, transcripts, glossary, related issues and charts. ... Read more

Product Description
Scientology is arguably the most persistently controversial of all contemporary New Religious Movements.The Church of Scientology has been involved in battles over tax issues, a ten-year conflict with the Food and Drug Administration, extended turmoil with a number of European governments, and has even been subjected to FBI raids in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.

Negative publicity, however, has not prevented the Church from experiencing remarkably steady growth.Official national census figures indicate that the number of Scientologists grew significantly in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia throughout the 1990s, and studies show that the Church gained 10,000 members in the United States during that decade.This has led Scientology to begin referring to itself as "The World's Fastest Growing Religion."But despite its highly public profile, recently enhanced by celebrity spokespersons like Tom Cruise and Isaac Hayes, little has been published about the Church, its history, theology, and mission.
The present volume brings together an international group of top scholars on New Religious Movements to offer an extensive and even-handed overview and analysis of all of these aspects of Scientology, including the controversies to which it continues to give rise.The book's six parts take a detailed look at the Church through its similarities to and differences from other religions, conflicts with various groups, overseas missions, and its theology, history, and sociology.

James R. Lewis has assembled an unusually comprehensive anthology, incorporating a wide range of different approaches.This volume is a welcome and long-overdue resource for scholars, students, and others interested in this controversial and little-understood religious movement. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Oxford University Press should know better
Many years ago, the cult of Scientology, shortly after having its massive network of criminality exposed as the result of the issuing of search warrants for its Los Angeles and Washington, DC headquarters, started to assemble a stable of "religious scholars." Some were just wined and dined by Scientology, and cleverly deceived. Some were also paid by Scientology.

This was done, at first, to aid in asserting that Scientology was a "Church."

L. Ron Hubbard had written in 1953 that Scientology would succeed if it used what he called "the religion angle" and, since that time, Scientology has followed his instructions.

Today, a similar Scientlogy cult-assembled stable of for-hire "scholars" is used to advance the "image" of the Scientology cult.

Extremely dishonest.

This latest effort is both shameful and ridiculous.

A travesty of acadmic standards
The Oxford University Press should be ashamed of publishing this ridiculous book. I was disconnected from someone I loved very deeply and never allowed to speak to that person again due to Scientology's "disconnection" policy. I was then harassed by Scientology and threatened according to their "Fair Game" policy.

Scientology is a cult, not a religion.

James R. Lewis is a sorry excuse for an academic and even admits on page 69 that Scientology does not allow the "collection of evidence." This book is so absurd that it uses Scientology's own propaganda as evidence of the cult's claims. Would James R. Lewis write a book about serial killers using their explanations as the facts?

It is a sad day in academia when a google search of "Scientology cult" yields more accurate information and better researched material than this sorry excuse for a book by the Oxford University Press.

An excellent, well rounded compilation of opinions and history
I am not a proponent or an opponent of Scientology; I simply wanted to learn about its history from a relatively unbiased viewpoint.This book provided that (to the extent that anything can be unbiased). I would say it was 50/50 for and against Scientology with a lot of neutral "this is just how it is" analysis.I found it to be captivating, well organized and a very enthralling read.

I think too often book reviews are riddled with our own emotional responses to religions like Scientology, and they lack objective analysis of the book itself.Opinions of the religion aside, this is the best foundational and historical studies of Scientology I've ever read and respected.

Disappointing
It is depressing how completely the NRM sociologists have been captured by the NRMs. This volume, especially the pieces by the most distinguished scholars, reads like a PR write-up. The most prominent scholar is J. Gordon Melton, who wrote a 2000 book about the church. His lengthy overview of the Church's history in this volume ("The Birth of a Religion"), exemplifies the book's failures, omitting or soft-pedaling aspects of the church's history which might cast it in a poor light: 1. the high payments the Church extracts from members; 2. its policy of harrassing critics by litigation; 3. the existence of dissident groups within the Dianetics / Scientology movement.

First, Melton's reference to the Church's payment policy for auditing are brief and offhand and don't contextualize it comparatively, i.e. they do not note that few if any other churches charge so much money for their essential religious rituals. The Church of Latter-Day Saints, for instance, expects a significant financial commitment from members, but they can still participate in all aspects of the Church (including, if I'm not mistaken, Temple rituals) while declining to contribute money.

Second, neither Melton's chapter nor those of others in the book refer to the Church of Scientology's aggressive and explicit policy of suing critics (stemming from L. Ron Hubbard's "Fair Game" policy). The book includes a well-researched article by James Richardson on "Scientology in Court," but it ignores this kind of litigation to concentrate exclusively on the Church's struggles for religion status in various countries. And Anson Shupe's chapter on "The Church of Scientology versus the Cult Awareness Network" seems to take clear sides in favor of the Church.

Third, Melton does not say anything about the "Free Zone" body of Scientology organizations outside the official Church; these would seem to be a legitimate part of the "Birth of a Religion." No overview of Mormonism, for instance, would ignore the existence of independent Mormon churches outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Finally, the biographical sketch of L. Ron Hubbard which makes up a large part of the chapter is unrelentingly eulogistic. It is full of charming anecdotes ("Befriended by the local Blackfoot Indians, he was made a blood brother at the age of six") and unconditional rebuttals of criticism. Melton ends the chapter with a moving description of the desk and writing materials kept in each Scientology center "as if one day [Hubbard] might walk into the building and need a place to continue his work." Honestly, the whole chapter would be an effective pamphlet for distribution at Scientology centers.

I do not for an instant question Dr. Melton's or other NRM scholars' good faith or scholarly expertise, but I suspect that the nature of the research, beginning from an explicit (and appropriate, for scholarly research) posture of non-judgment, can slide towards apologetics -- especially since the Church makes an effort to win scholars' good will, as it does with celebrities. I wish that Melton and other researchers would interrogate the Church's point of view as skeptically as those of the Church's critics. Also, while I know nothing about the financial support of Dr. Melton's research, I hope that all NRM researchers will be scrupulous about declaring any financial support for their research from the Church (including paying travel costs and subsidizing conferences). The situation, I suspect, is similar to that of medical researchers who overtime become more or more compromised by the support for their research provided by pharmaceutical companies.

Caution!!!
Oxford University Press has done a disservice to the academic community by publishing this work which claims to be an academic study of Scientology.It is virtually a promotion by Scientology which, no doubt, gave the various authors much of the material they used in their evaluation.In the introduction, written by the editor of the project, we see a list of a great number of high level Scientologists who are thanked for their help in the production of the work.A passing note states that some un-named critics did not wish to respond.There are scores of academically solid researchers who would have been able to give their criticial evaluation of organization.

The first article which was written by J.Gordon Melton, is the first chapter of his book called Scientology.Not only does his work contain factual errors but clearly is sympathetic to Scientology.For instance, Melton claims that L.Ron Hubbard never claimed to have an academic degree.I have a copy of a publication called "The Problem of Work" by L. Ron Hubbard, CE, PhD.It has been confirmed that the PhD was given by Sequoia College, a degree mill shut down by the State of California.Melton minimized the legal difficulties of Scientology by calling the arrest and conviction of ten Scientologists for breaking and entering government offices to steal information about the group a minor event.I hardly call sentencing ten members of the group to four years in jail a minor event.

Throughout the work he neglects to mention or minimizes many of the reports given by literally hundreds of former members who have recently had the courage to post reports of what has happened to them while in the organization.And nothing is said of over 23,000 persons who have been named Supressive Persons, persons who in the words of Hubbard can be "destroyed".And Scientology hails him as great humanitarian.

For a more complete list of works which give a different picture of Scientology, to Xenu.net, or google alt.religion.scientology.You will be amazed at what you find. ... Read more