Scientologists Take PR Hit

New accusations from two Scientology defectors are the latest in a growing list of abuse allegations that have been leveled against the church in the past year -- possibly its most difficult in the 50-odd years since it was created by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.

On Saturday, The New York Times weighed in with a long article focusing on a couple in Sea Organization -- a group of the religion's elite staff members -- who said they worked long hours for a pittance. Once they decided to leave they were forced to "sign false confessions about their personal lives and their work, pay the church thousands of dollars it said they owed for courses and counseling, and accept the consequences as their parents, siblings and friends who are church members cut off all communication with them," according to the Times.

Scientologists believe that human beings are inhibited by their past lives and can only reach self-actualization through a series of formal studies, including one-on-one "auditing" sessions, a long and expensive process. The church also renounces many of the claims of medical health professionals and offers up its own purification rituals involving vitamins and saunas. And while Scientology has long been criticized by outsiders, the past year's allegations have come largely from former members.

Phil McCarten, AP
The Church of Scientology, long criticized by outsiders, now faces accusations from two Scientology defectors. Here, the church's Celebrity Centre International in Los Angeles is shown.
The first and most damning shot came from the St. Petersburg Times, which in June began publishing an investigative series on the church, which is based in nearby Clearwater, Fla., and its leader, David Miscavige. According to top Scientology executives who have since broken with the church, Miscavige routinely hits Scientology staff members. Also, the newspaper alleged the church's purification rituals have led to at least one death, and that church officials harass and intimidate defectors.

Meanwhile, Scientology officials have responded as they have to previous allegations -- they've denied everything and said that the disgruntled ex-members are apostates who can't be trusted. There are signs, however, that some members are becoming disillusioned.

Scientology leaders have long sought out and coddled celebrities -- Tom Cruise is the church's most famous member, and John Travolta is not far behind. But in October, Paul Haggis, director of the Oscar-winning movie "Crash," penned a withering resignation letter to the church that was leaked to the press.

A 35-year member, Haggis said he objected to the San Diego church branch's support of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California, and he also referenced the allegations of the St. Petersburg Times. Haggis said he was shocked at some of the denials by church executives about policies he knew to exist. "I was left feeling outraged, and frankly, more than a little stupid," he wrote.

Haggis is not alone. According to the American Religious Identification Survey, 45,000 Americans identified themselves as Scientologists in 1990, and 55,000 did in 2001. But in 2008, that number plummeted to 25,000. It's well short of the millions of followers Scientology leaders claim, both in the United States and abroad, where the church often is not officially recognized alongside other religions. (In comparison, in 2008 there were 342,000 self-identified Wiccans.)

If that trend continues, Scientology isn't likely to survive many of our lifetimes -- let alone the billions of years the church promises its "immortal" adherents. See Chick's THE CHOICE.