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Scientologists' show aims to shed 'cult' image
Birmingham Post (England) 1 August 2000
From ahein.news@xs4all.nl Sat Aug 5 18:05:15 BST 2000
Devotees of the controversial new religion Scientology will launch a four-day exhibition in Birmingham today in a bid to shake off their 'cult' image. The exhibition, at the Burlington Hotel in New Street, is being held to dispel the wilder rumours surrounding the group, including a worship of beings from outer space and allegations of intimidation and harassment.
Despite celebrity support from Hollywood actors including Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and John Travolta, the organisation last year failed in a bid to become a registered charity in Britain after it was ruled not to be 'of public benefit'.
Scientology promoters said the exhibition would demonstrate the religion's openness and its work for the public good, which included drug rehabilitation and anti-crime programmes.
Spokesman Mr Graeme Wilson said: 'The cult image is a stereotype placed on any new religion. The purpose of this exhibition is for people to find out who we really are.
'Like any religion we want to spread the word. People do benefit, they can lose their mental baggage and feel more in control, happier in their marriages or happier in their families, and when you experience that you want others to know about it.'
The religion, which began in 1954, claims to have eight million followers worldwide, including 15,000 in Britain.
Mr Wilson said the confusion about Scientologists' worship of an alien race called Thetans may have arisen from the science fiction writings of the group's founder, L Ron Hubbard.
He said: 'Thetan is simply a name that we have given to the spirit. We believe and recognise that we are all made of three parts - a spirit, mind and body. I am a Thetan, you are a Thetan, we are not from outer space.'
Another source of concern for many people, including one caller to The Birmingham Post, was Scientology's method of recruitment.
The woman, from Birmingham, said her daughter had been approached by an unidentified person outside New Street Station and asked to complete a detailed questionnaire about every facet of her life, before she was offered expensive courses to correct her 'personality problems'.
Mr Wilson said personality tests were an important tool in recruiting, but every representative should announce who they were and why the test was being carried out.
He said the courses offered started at pounds 10 to pounds 20, and the top-level course, costing pounds 5,000 to pounds 6,000, equipped its students with skills and understanding equivalent to a university degree course.
The move towards openness was welcomed by a spokeswoman for the Birmingham diocese of the Church of England.
She said: 'The question of Scientology has always been whether it is a cult or religion. One of the definitions of a cult is a group in which services are closed to the general public.
'This exhibition suggests a spirit of openness and people wanting to be informed, which is fine.'
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