Why Would Anyone Join Scientology?

No one joins Scientology thinking "oh boy, an expensive brainwashing alien cult, YAY!" Sadly, most recruits have no idea what they're getting into. They're not told the story of Xenu, they're not told how much auditing and courses will ultimately cost, they aren't told that they will probably have to disconnect from their friends and family. All they're told is that they're in bad shape, that psychiatry will only hurt them, and that Scientology is their only hope for a better life.

The Church of Scientology seems pleasant at first glance, a welcoming place for people of all races, backgrounds, and religions. Never mind that L. Ron Hubbard was a racist, or that he believed that Jesus was a pedophile, or that he believes that homosexuals must be either "cured" of their "sexual perversion" or killed. None of these are mentioned - if they were, no one in their right mind would join. Most recruits really are mentally healthy, sane individuals, but after a free stress test with an E-Meter, or a lengthy personality test, just about everyone is told that they're screwed up, perfect candidates for Scientology. Yes kids, just like in South Park.

Of course, not everyone falls for those claims. Some will dismiss it, knowing full well they don't need Scientology to be happy. Most people who fall into the trap are vulnerable. College students, particularly freshmen, are good candidates because they're adjusting to new surroundings, trying to make friends, and may think that there is something wrong with them. There has been once instance where a girl was studying in France, took a personality test, and found the results so devastating that she committed suicide.

Another big factor in recruiting is, of course, the celebrity involvement. Not that people would join a church just because his or her favorite actor was involved with it, but celebrity Scientologists work the same way a celebrity endorsement of a product works. If a celebrity uses, or is shown using a product, more people are likely to buy that product.

It takes a while for someone to become disillusioned by Scientology. That is, if it happens at all. Some people go the rest of their lives truly believing that Scientology works and that it helps them, and that their work in Scientology really is improving humanity. Some do wake up and realize that Scientology is doing more harm than good - maybe they're tired of being separated from their families; maybe they almost died on the Purification Rundown; or maybe they bypass Scientology's web filters, come across information on Lisa McPherson or Josephus Havenith, and realize they too may suffer a similar fate. It's possible they just can't afford the courses and rundowns anymore. Whatever the case, it's not easy to leave Scientology. Cults never are easy to escape.

Even if someone desperately wants to leave the Church, it's no easy process. If the person has only been taking courses for a couple months, it's possible to just walk away and only have to deal with the annoyance of constant mailings from the church. If the person has been in for a while, leaving could mean being declared a Suppressive Person, an enemy of the Church, and could be subject to the Fair Game policy. Some stay because they're afraid to leave. There have been incidents of people committing suicide simply because they feel so trapped in Scientology that they see death as the only way out. Fortunately, there are people who do make it out, and while they face the consequences of the Fair Game policy, many ex-Scientologists join the fight against the organization that almost destroyed them.