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Who is the author of Going Clear?

Going Clear is written by Lawrence Wright.

Biography & Memoir

Going Clear Book Summary - Going Clear Book explained in key points

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Going Clear summary

Name: Going Clear
Rating: 4.3 (27 reviews)
Author: Lawrence Wright

Lawrence Wright

Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief

4.3 (27 ratings)

23 mins

Brief summary

Going Clear by Lawrence Wright is an investigative non-fiction book that takes a deep dive into the Church of Scientology and its history, theology, and inner workings, detailing the experiences of former members and exposing the scandalous practices of the controversial organization.

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Spirituality Manipulation

Table of Contents

Going Clear
Summary of 9 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 9

What’s in it for me? Find out the real story behind Scientology.

A famous science fiction writing founder; psycho-therapeutic techniques; rumors of abuse and lengthy battles with governments all over the world: Scientology has been an irresistible mystery for decades.

Is it really a church? How was it founded? Why is Tom Cruise such a devoted member? Going Clear answers all these questions, and provides a pointed look deep into Scientology’s history and practices.

In these blinks, you’ll learn:

how Scientology’s founding can be traced back to a dentist;
why L. Ron Hubbard earned a Guinness World Record; and
why Hollywood stars like John Travolta are so taken with Scientology.

Scientology considers itself to be a scientific kind of religion.

Unofficially, the organization claims eight million members worldwide. In the United States, however, only about 25,000 people label themselves Scientologists.

In truth, it’s hard to know how many there are. Without baptismal records or other ritual professions of faith, estimations on membership become difficult.

This brings us to a bigger question: is Scientology a religion at all? This question, like the one above, will prove difficult to answer:

The US government officially granted Scientology religious status in 1957, three years after the organization was founded. Only ten years later, however, the IRS ruled that Scientology was, in fact, not a religion, but rather a commercial enterprise that existed to enrich its founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

Unsatisfied with this outcome, in 1977, the Church enlisted experts on religious movements to affirm the religious nature of Scientology.

Their main expert, Frank Flinn, testified that, like other religions, Scientology possesses a system of beliefs spiritual in nature, a set of behavioral norms as well as rites and ceremonies. What’s more, Scientology attributes extraordinary powers to their founder, such as his visions of a supernatural world, analogous to those of Jesus, Muhammad or Abraham.

So, wouldn’t Scientology, then, fulfill the defining criteria for a religious organization? At the time, the US government disagreed, and rejected the Church’s appeal.

In 1993, the tides turned when Scientology regained tax-exempt status as a charitable organization.

Paradoxically, Scientology also claims to be based on science, purporting that Hubbard developed his doctrines through stringent scientific research.

Recruits are told that they will necessarily come to share Scientology’s worldviews, accepting, for example, the belief in immortality, through a process of scientific realization.

In his book Dianetics, which serves as a central tenet of Scientology’s belief system, Hubbard calls his self-help method an engineering science.

Scientologists’ insistence that their beliefs are founded in science have not gone unopposed, especially from psychiatry, which is fitting, considering Hubbard scorned and mistrusted psychiatry for most of his life.

We’re actually immortal beings imprisoned on Earth.

Long before he conjured up Scientology, Hubbard had a vision while under anaesthetics during a dental operation in 1938. After he regained consciousness, he was convinced that the secrets of the universe had been revealed to him.

Afterwards, Hubbard claimed to have had other visions, which would later serve as the basis for Scientology’s belief system. But what exactly did he “see?”

L. Ron Hubbard was a prolific science-fiction writer until his crisis.

So who exactly was the man behind the creation of Scientology?

Lafayette Ronald Hubbard was born in Nebraska in 1911. Although both his parents were Methodists, Hubbard took a deep interest in magic and shamanism, as well as psychoanalysis.

To heal himself, Hubbard developed a system of psycho-techniques called Dianetics.

Dianetics is Hubbard’s theory of the human/thetan mind, armed with a system of techniques aimed at dealing with painful memories that supposedly impede our mental and spiritual progress.

So how exactly does Dianetics work? Let’s use Hubbard’s own experience as an example:

Once interest in Dianetics faded, Hubbard founded Scientology, at least in part to earn some cash.

Religion had never been an integral part in the life of L. Ron Hubbard. Sure, he’d been interested in shamanism, had experienced strange visions, but what exactly motivated him to found his own church all of a sudden?

The answer is closely tied to the fate of Dianetics: at first, Dianetics sold well — at least well enough for Hubbard to create six foundations with the purpose of training auditors. But Dianetics suffered from two problems.

When Scientologists recruit prospective members, they leave nothing to chance.

Long before Paul Haggis became the renowned director and screenwriter responsible for hits like Crash and Million Dollar Baby, he was approached by a sympathetic young Scientologist who handed him a copy of Dianetics. The two soon became involved in a lively discussion which ultimately led to Haggis’ conversion to Scientology.

But was this animated conversation a chance encounter in which two like-minded people simply clicked? Not quite.

Scientology has always set it sights on celebrities.

More than any other religion, Scientology has a close relationship with stardom. Many celebrities, for one reason or another, were sympathetic towards Scientology, or even became members. The list of celebrity Scientologists is long and includes such notables as John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Priscilla Presley, Anne Archer, Juliette Lewis and Tom Cruise.

This is no coincidence; Scientology has always placed great emphasis on recruiting celebrities. Hubbard correctly figured that the best way to establish Scientology’s image as a path to enlightenment would be to recruit captivating public figures, such as film stars.

Scientology goes to great lengths to gain political influence and fight adversaries.

The Church of Scientology has been involved in some operations that truly sound like they could have come out of a spy novel.

For example, Operation Snow White was a real attempt to gain influence over governments worldwide. Starting in the late 1960s, Hubbard felt that Scientology was facing steadily growing animosity coming from the American and British governments. France, too, was supposedly planning to indict the Church for fraud.

The history of Scientology is peppered with evidence of abuse.

Scientology’s harassment of critics is just the tip of the iceberg. Hubbard himself was violently abusive, verging on maniacal.

Hubbard’s second wife, for example, recounts that Hubbard repeatedly kicked her in the stomach during her pregnancy with the intent to cause a miscarriage. Hubbard’s first son, a child of another mother, relates similar stories of violence.

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What is Going Clear about?

Going Clear offers a rare glimpse into the secret history and beliefs of Scientology as well as the conflicted biography of its founder L. Ron Hubbard. It also details some of the Church’s darker qualities: a tooth and nail method of managing criticism and systematic approach to celebrity recruitment.

Going Clear Review

Going Clear (2013) by Lawrence Wright is an eye-opening exploration into the beliefs, practices, and controversies surrounding Scientology. Here's why this book is worth reading:

Offers a deep dive into the history and inner workings of Scientology, revealing shocking and fascinating aspects that keep readers engrossed.
Provides a balanced perspective by incorporating interviews with current and former members, as well as extensive research, ensuring a comprehensive understanding.
Unveils the personal stories of individuals who have left the organization, shedding light on the nature of control and indoctrination within Scientology.

Best quote from Going Clear

[Psychiatry was] the sole source of decline in this universe. - L. Ron Hubbard

—Lawrence Wright

Who should read Going Clear?

Anyone who’s interested in the history of Scientology
Anyone who wants tips on how to start his or her own successful religion

About the Author

Lawrence Wright is an author and screenwriter, as well as a staff writer of the New Yorker and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has written a number of plays and critically acclaimed books, including The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize.

Categories with Going Clear

Biography & Memoir Religion & Spirituality

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