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Patron Meritorious
Translation of a Spanish article from the Mexican daily newspaper El Universal, July 10, 2010.
La Cienciología estrena templo y pide ser Iglesia - El Universal - Cultura
La Cienciología estrena templo y pide ser Iglesia - El Universal - Cultura
Scientology Opens Temple, Asks to be a Church
In the heart of Mexico City's Historic Center, inauguration today of the largest temple for a faith that some consider a business
Saturday, July 10, 2010
In Mexico City this Saturday, a new temple is opening for Scientology, which can be described as a belief system that seeks, through self-help courses whose prices are generally high, the spiritual betterment of the individual.
In addition to this event in the lives of Scientology believers, KIOSKO has obtained confirmation from the Department of Community Affairs of the Church of Scientology that the organization is also seeking formal registration as a religious association. The application is currently being processed by the Ministry of the Interior.
The new megatemple is located on the corner of Juárez and Balderas avenues, in the heart of the capital, and will be inaugurated this afternoon with a public celebration attended by a special guest, American actor Tom Cruise, one of the leading ambassadors of Scientology, which its followers call a religion.
The founder of Scientology was American Ronald Hubbard, a former naval officer and science fiction writer who in 1950 published his book Dianetics, the Modern Science of Mental Health.
This book, today translated into over 50 languages, sets out a methodology for curing diseases of the mind which, it is said, produce physical ailments if not treated in time. The study and practice of this method is also said to improve a person's life and increase the ability to understand oneself and others.
With Dianetics, Hubbard was not only aiming to create a new therapy for mental and psychosomatic illnesses, but to found a new religion that he named "Church of Scientology". Its symbol is a cross without Christ.
Curiously, Scientology follows a long tradition of religious practices and seeks spiritual growth and personal development.
This is achieved through therapy to erase traumas (engrams) supposedly accumulated in past lives over millions of years and the goal is to attain human happiness by reaching a state known as "clear" (operating thetan).
According to Scientology, this superhuman state can only be only attained through the "Technology", special courses and auditing sessions using a device called the E-meter, which only the Church of Scientology can provide. Costs vary from $250 up to $25,000, and $500 an hour is a common price for auditing.
Scientology in Mexico
The Church of Scientology in Mexico City currently resides in an old building opposite the Chapultepec subway station in Colonia Roma Norte.
Scientology arrived in this country in the mid-1970s and has been operating as a civil association. In 2008, Scientology undertook a quest to obtain registration as a religious association, but it did not succeed.
Detractors consider that it is actually a business which, rather than dealing with spiritual matters, rakes in millions from the books and videos it sells and from the fees it charges for its services.
Nevertheless, it continues to grow. According to the civil association, there are 700 centers in 65 countries with eight million followers. Critics say the number of followers is about fifty thousand.
The focus of criticism
Scientology has for years been the focus of controversy and it has been accused of being a purely profit-oriented organization.
Time magazine, in its May 6, 1991 issue, wrote: "Scientology poses as a religion but is really a ruthless global scam." The article went on to explain how Scientology is a "cult of greed." Scientology has also faced questioning in Australia, France, Great Britain, and Australia. In 1988, the Spanish magazine Cambio 16 reported on an investigation and a trial that resulted in the imprisonment of eleven Scientology members. In the course of the investigation, the authorities seized documents, technical equipment, chemicals, and computers with programs concerning the economic situation of major Spanish companies.
In 1989, Spanish writer César Vidal Manzanares published a report entitled El infierno de las sectas ("The Hell of Sects") in which he detailed how Scientology has a wide array of recruitment methods that range from personal contact to offering detoxification for drug addicts and providing courses of a psychological nature. Followers are lured by the offer of free courses and tests. As he points out, the so-called "auditing" sessions help them to overcome spiritual problems that cause suffering.
Scientologists justify the financial contributions by arguing that, like other religions, they have parishioners who help and give donations, as in any part of the world.
Charity or business?
Scientology's members claim that their church is also dedicated to charity and community improvement. They say they are open to all persons, regardless of creed or economic, political, or social status.
For years, Dianetics has also been active in the treatment of drug addiction with its own methods for supposedly curing drug addicts in centers called "Narconon". The treatment is based on vitamin pills, physical exercise, and, above all, studying the books of L. Ronald Hubbard.
The cost of the therapy offered by this church is very high, but the leaders of Dianetics give assurances that 80% of the treated addicts are, in few months, reintegrated into normal life, a tempting promise for parents who are desperate and willing to make any financial sacrifice. (reporting by Natalia Gómez Quintero)
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