Religion Inc.

Religion Inc.
Book cover
AuthorStewart Lamont
LanguageEnglish
SubjectScientology
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherHarrap, London
Publication date
June 1986
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages192
ISBN9780245543340
OCLC23079677
299/.936 20
LC ClassBP605.S2 L36 1986

Religion Inc. The Church of Scientology is a book about Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard, written by Stewart Lamont and published in 1986.

Synopsis

The work includes twenty-seven photographs, taken by the author in the course of research for the book.[1]: 7 

Lamont describes the difficulty authors often encounter in writing and publishing critical books on the Church of Scientology: "Books about Scientology have a greater permanency than newspaper articles and therefore it should not come as a surprise that vigorous smear-campaigns have been conducted against the authors of such investigations."[1]: 71–72  Lamont later goes on to chronicle some of the harassment suffered by author Paulette Cooper after the publication of The Scandal of Scientology,[2] including recounting parts of Operation Freakout.[1]: 142–143  Lamont also goes into the inherent motivation for profit within the organization.[3]

The book also details L. Ron Hubbard's actions later in life: his retreat to sea, isolated lifestyle in California, and death.[4]

Cited by other works

Religion Inc. is cited by other books and research reports on the subject matter, including: Journal of the American Academy of Religion,[5] The State of the Discipline,[6] Canadian Journal of Sociology,[7] Marburg Journal of Religion,[8] Shaking the World for Jesus,[3] The Social Dimensions of Sectarianism,[4] Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction,[9] La Secte,[10] and The Alms Trade.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c Lamont, Stewart (1986). Religion Inc.: The Church of Scientology. London: Harrap. ISBN 0-245-54334-1. OL 2080316M.
  2. ^ Cooper, Paulette (1971). The Scandal of Scientology. Tower Publications. OL 39467941M.
  3. ^ a b Shaking the World for Jesus, Heather Hendershot, 2004, P.219., University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-226-32679-9
    Scientology is another belief system that clearly illustrates the profit motive at play in American religion. See Stewart Lamont. Religion Inc.: The Church of Scientology.
  4. ^ a b The Social Dimensions of Sectarianism: sects and new religious movements in contemporary society, Bryan Ronald Wilson, 1990, P.233., Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-827883-7
    An account of Hubbard's retreat to sea, his recluse-like existence in California, and his death is given in S. Lamont, Religion Inc.: The Church of Scientology.
  5. ^ Fair Game: Secrecy, Security, and the Church of Scientology in Cold War America, Hugh B. Urban, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 2006 74(2):356-389, April 26, 2006.
  6. ^ Gutjahr, Paul C., The State of the Discipline: Sacred Texts in the United States, Volume 4, 2001, pp. 335-370., Penn State University Press.
  7. ^ "New Dimensions of Social Movement/Countermovement Interaction: The Case of Scientology and Its Internet Critics", Michael Peckham, Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, Vol. 23, No. 4 (Autumn, 1998), pp. 317-347
  8. ^ "L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology", Marco Frenschkowski, University of Mainz, Germany, Marburg Journal of Religion, Volume 4, No.1 (July 1999)
  9. ^ Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction, Stephen J. Hunt, Social Science, 2003, P.200., Ashgate Publishing, Ltd, ISBN 0-7546-3410-8
  10. ^ La Secte - Secte armée pour la guerre - Chroniques d'une « religion » commerciale à irresponsabilité illimitée, Roger Gonnet, 1998., P. 265-267., ISBN 2-911751-04-3
  11. ^ The Alms Trade: Charities Past, Present and Future, Ian Williams, Unwin Hyman, 1989, ISBN 0-04-440435-2 , P.206.