Lawrence Wright on the Church of Scientology →
You’ve probably heard plenty about Lawrence Wright’s fantastic article about Scientology in last week’s New Yorker; I’d like double that recommendation. I’ve been fascinated by Scientology for years now, not because “Holy shit, those people are crazy!”, but because of the organization’s sheer tenacity and ability to control people. Scientology is a bizarre mashup of religion, self-helpism, corporate thinking, and good old fashioned media management; they do everything from telling prospective Scientologists that they’ll be better people, to waging legal battle with the government, to doing enough genuine good work in their communities that their churches become politically impossible to remove. The resultant set of techniques prey so effectively on the various weaknesses and desires of human nature that they’re often impossible to resist. And to give credit where it’s due, all of it sprang from Hubbard himself; whatever else he was, he actually did understand a remarkable amount about people, what motivates them, and how to control them. Fascinating stuff.
Unfortunately, there are no good books about Scientology — those that exist tend to be either over-heated exposes or Scientology-produced propaganda. Wright’s piece is the first major work of journalism I’ve seen that actually tries to understand Scientology, not just to elevate or vilify it, and it’s an excellent first stab at the problem. I’ve heard that Wright is working on a book on Scientology as well; in the meantime, read the article, it’s well worth your time. Sure, there’s some juicy stuff about Tom Cruise, but there’s also a lot to learn about human beings in there as well.
