Scientology Front Groups: The Delphi Academy

At first glance, there seems to be nothing wrong with the Delphi Academy. It actually seems like a great place to send a child, with its small class sizes, individualized attention, and plenty of opportunities for kids to become involved with extracurricular activities. There's no trace of any religious affiliation.

Look closer. The school insists it has no affiliations with the Church of Scientology. Why does it insist that? Maybe because all of the school's reading material is all written by L. Ron Hubbard, science fiction writer and founder of the Church of Scientology. Sure, the students aren't being made to read books that are blatantly related to Scientology, such as Dianetics; much of the reading looks geared towards children. The school uses the same methods used by the Church of Scientology in its religious courses.

The Delphi Academy is one of many schools and businesses that use Applied Scholastics, the Study Technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard. Two other programs sponsored by Applied Scholastics are the Hollywood Education and Learning Project, and the World Literary Crusade. Both programs are promoted by well known celebrity Scientologists such as John Travolta, Tom Cruise, and the late Isaac Hayes. The World Literary Crusade also promotes the drug rehabilitation program Narconon, another Scientology front group.

The school also claims that they respect all religious faiths, and do not try to force students to convert to any religion. That should go without saying if the school wasn't affiliated with a religion in the first place, because there'd be nothing to convert people to. However, there are claims that the schools have used E-Meter counseling on students. E-Meters are used as tools in a Scientology counseling process known as "auditing," where a person (after paying a large sum of money) takes a metal tube in each hand, and is asked questions. As the person talks, the E-Meter sends a small electric current through his or her body as emotional reactions are measured. The Delphi Academy is also known for recruiting parents of students to the Church of Scientology. Many parents end up taking courses at the church, and a good percent end up members.

It is important to point out that school has no accommodations for students with learning disabilities and behavioral problems. The school insists that many children are simply mislabeled, and basically dismiss the idea that any student could have a real psychological problem that would require more than basic course teachings in order to properly function in school. This is the same belief Scientology has regarding psychiatric disorders. The church believes that those disorders do not exist, and they do not believe in taking psych drugs to fix emotional or psychological problems; in fact, the church has a whole front group devoted to discrediting psychiatry.

The purpose of the Delphi Academy is to actively recruit members to the Church of Scientology and increase its membership. The Church looks to make a rich profit from school tuition, as well as selling books to the students and courses to the parents. That is, after all, the purpose of the so-called religion.