Church of Scientology

The Church of Scientology is a religious organization founded by L. Ron Hubbard. It teaches that auditing and related practices can develop spiritual self-understanding.

Auditing (Scientology): A Scientology practice in which a trained auditor asks questions while a person holds electrodes connected to an E-meter. It is the organization’s principal practice for pursuing spiritual development.
L. Ron Hubbard: An American author who founded Dianetics and Scientology. He established the Church and authored its foundational teachings.
David Miscavige: An American religious leader who became chairman of the board of the Religious Technology Center and the Church’s most prominent executive. He has led the Church’s international organization since the 1980s.
Religious status of Scientology: The legal and social question of whether Scientology qualifies as a religion in particular jurisdictions and contexts. Governments have reached different conclusions about the Church’s religious recognition and tax treatment.
Operation Snow White: A covert Scientology campaign in the 1970s to obtain and remove government records concerning the organization. The operation led to prosecutions of senior Scientologists and lasting scrutiny of the Church.
Thetan: In Scientology, the thetan is the spiritual self, distinct from the body and mind. The organization’s teachings identify spiritual self-understanding with recognizing the thetan.
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health: A 1950 book by L. Ron Hubbard that introduced Dianetics and its account of the reactive mind. Its publication preceded the organization and helped establish Hubbard’s following.
Mary Sue Hubbard: A Scientologist and L. Ron Hubbard’s third wife who held senior roles in the organization. Her leadership and criminal conviction became central to scrutiny of the Church’s management.
Psychotherapy: The use of psychological methods to treat emotional, behavioral, or mental health problems. The Church rejects psychiatric approaches and presents auditing as distinct from psychotherapy.
United States v. Mary Sue Hubbard: A federal criminal case arising from the Church-linked burglary and infiltration campaign known as Operation Snow White. The convictions exposed the consequences of covert activities by Scientology officials.

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