from a critical perspective

Welcome to the Introduction to Scientology World Wide Web page. This page is designed for the curious and the uninformed: those who have heard about Scientology [TM] and who wish to seek additional information about Dianetics [TM], its founder L. Ron Hubbard, and the organization that was his brain child.

It is my hope that after you read these pages, you will want to become active in the struggle between Scientology and the Internet. Whether you decide in favor of Scientology or against it, always remember these words:

You have the power to think for yourself.

This page give you a history of the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, Dianetics, and the activities of Scientology over the years. It contains testimonials from former members of Scientology; plus, there are links to Web sites containing information about current and newsworthy events involving Scientology, including the ongoing conflict between Scientology and Germany.

1995 will be remembered as the year the battle between Scientology and its critics on the Internet became a full-scale war, with battles being fought in the real world as well as online. Learn how the Church of Scientology came to declare the Internet an enemy of Scientology, and see what it has done to try to defeat this enemy.

Scientology has earned a reputation for itself as one of the most litigous organizations in history: it has filed hundreds of lawsuits against nearly every one of its critics and opponents throughout the years, and it has procured an amazing record of legal costs. Scientology has spent millions of dollars over the years in its legal attacks on its enemies. Scientology defends this action by stating, "We are not a turn-the-other-cheek religion." These links will take you to various legal documents and court judgements that have had an important effect on Scientology and its relationships with the rest of the world. These links will also take you to the infamous "secret scriptures" of Scientology, because those documents are an important part of many of the lawsuits involving Scientology and the Internet.

In an effort to counter all of the bad PR on the Internet, the Church of Scientology has finally set up its own Web pages. Notice how these pages contain only positive references to Scientology, and how they completely omits important information - such as that given in the affidavits. Note also how no mention is made of the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology. This page also includes links to other organizations operated by Scientology, including school programs for children. Links to such groups as Citizens Commission on Human Rights, Narconon, Applied Scholastics, Freedom magazine, Sterling Management, the new Cult Awareness Network, and other groups with Scientology affiliations can be found here.

Scientology calls itself a religion, and it takes extreme steps to "prove" that it is indeed a religion. But is this claim the truth, or is it merely a shield to hide something? Where is the true religion of Scientology?

A wealth of additional information can be found at these sites. Read these pages and be informed of the latest developments in the war between Scientology and the Internet. Marina Chong (who was kind enough to host these Web pages for several months) maintains an exhaustive list of practically every Scientology-related Web page in existence, both pro and con. In addition to Marina's site, a search engine of critical Web sites exists, to make it easier for you to find information among the many various Web pages. (Also noteworthy for browsers is the Scientology Web Ring, which offers fast access to many of the most useful and informative Web pages providing information about Scientology.)

Created in 1991 in the wake of the Time magazine cover story about Scientology, the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology has become the center of one of the wildest, most chaotic, epic battles seen in the history of the Internet, both online and offline. It started here on the newsgroup, and the newsgroup continues to be the source of many of the most startling revelations about Scientology, with new bulletins appearing almost every day. In addition, this page includes links to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) lists for the newsgroup.

What can you do? The simple act of discussing Scientology here on the Net can lead to a lot of unwanted trouble, and this may scare some people away. This is exactly what the Church of Scientology wants. With this in mind, I have put Operation Wideawake into action. Read it, and learn what you can do to participate (safely) in the war between Scientology and the Internet.

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Since March 11, 1998, this page has been accessed times. (Click here for text-only browsers.)

Many thanks to Marina Chong, who maintained these pages at her Web site from November of 1995 through July of 1996.

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