What is the Church of Scientology?

The Church of Scientology was established in 1954. Today its more than 6,000 churches, missions, related organizations, groups and activities span the globe and minister the religion to more than eight million people in 159 countries in over 66 languages.

The rapid emergence of the Scientology religion within the world’s changing spiritual community has led many to ask what kind of religion it is, how it compares with other faiths and in what ways it is different. What is its understanding of a Supreme Being and the spiritual aspects of life which transcend the temporal world? What social and community work is done by Scientology Church members and how do these activities relate to the greater religious purpose of the Scientology belief?

This volume provides answers to these and other such questions about the Scientology religion and its members. In it, leading scholars provide diverse and insightful perspectives into Scientology, resulting in a unique and comprehensive overview of the religion.

The goal of the Scientology religion is to achieve complete certainty of one's spiritual existence, one's relationship to the Supreme Being, and his role in eternity. In this regard, countless authorities have affirmed that Scientology sits squarely within the tradition of the world's major religions.