Why is the Church of Scientology so controversial?
The religion, which is often referred to as a cult, was founded by US author L. Ron Hubbard in 1953 after the author failed in his bid to mask his pseudoscientific ideas as a form of therapy.
Some of the key beliefs of Scientologists include that humans are immortal spiritual beings and that they will be reincarnated. Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Elisabeth Moss are just some of the prominent Hollywood stars who have publicly associated themselves with the controversial religion of Scientology. Pic:for Paramount Pictures
Here is just a touch of what the religious organisation is all about…
L. Ron Hubbard was an American author and the eventual founder of Scientology.
In 1950, the Nebraska native wrote Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, which led to him establishing organisations to promote and practice Dianetic techniques.
These were a set of ideas and practices regarding the mind which were initially framed as a form of therapy or psychological treatment.
The organisation went bankrupt, which led Hubbard to reframe his ideas as a religion.
Hubbard coined the term Scientology, which is made up of the Latin word scientia (knowledge/skill) and would claim that Scientology meant 'knowing about knowing' or 'science of knowledge.' This photograph shows the headquarters of the Church of Scientology in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on May 21, 2025. Pic: Thomas SAMSON / AFP
The core beliefs for Scientologists are the idea that humans are immortal spiritual beings called 'thetans' that reside in the physical body. Thetans have had numerous previous lives. Those within the religion also believe in reincarnation, where the thetans are reborn into various bodies.
Scientology says: 'The thetan is immortal and has lived — and will continue to live — through countless lifetimes.'
The core practice in Scientology is auditing, and this sees one Scientologist (the auditor) ask the other questions. This is said to improve the abilities of the subject, but it creates a dependency on the auditing subject.
Auditing can be quite costly for Scientologists, with Hubbard writing in 1964 that the cost for a 25-hour block should be the equivalent of three months' pay. Scientology is widely criticized and seen to be a potentially harmful organisation as well as quite manipulative to its members. Pic:Scientology is widely criticised and seen to be a potentially harmful organisation as well as quite manipulative to its members.
It is often argued that the movement is not a religion but a commercial enterprise masquerading as one, as a means of Hubbard avoiding prosecution following the collapse of Dianetics in the past.
Many members have left the church and spoken out about the abuse within the organisation.
In 2023, Saved By The Bell actress Leah Remini sued the Church of Scientology for what she said was years of 'psychological torture.'
In a blistering statement, the actress said she had endured 17 years of 'psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment, and intimidation' which had 'significantly' impacted her life and career.
In 2018, the church faced backlash for its so-called 'safe, healthy and thorough method of purging drugs from the body' at drug rehabilitation centres.
Those attending the facility were said to be cut off from their addiction cold turkey, and given high doses of vitamins and minerals instead.
The issue was brought to the Seanad by then Senator Ray Butler, who said it was 'brainwashing of the most vulnerable people.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Gigi Hadid looks stunning in bright red suit jacket and matching pencil skirt for high fashion shoot
Gigi has been dating Bradley Cooper since 2023 GIGI'S GLAD RAGS Gigi Hadid looks stunning in bright red suit jacket and matching pencil skirt for high fashion shoot SUPERMODEL Gigi Hadid smoulders in a red-hot photoshoot for V Magazine. The US star, 30, was on the button with the bright suit jacket and matching pencil skirt look in the quirky shots for the fashion glossy. 3 Gigi Hadid smoulders in a red suit and hat for V Magazine Credit: Luigi & Iango 3 In another pic Gigi poses in a Madonna-esque coned bra Credit: Luigi & Iango Channelling classic Hollywood glamour, Gigi, the big sister of fellow catwalk regular Bella Hadid, 28, topped off the stylish look with a matching red hat and mesh veil. And in a black and white image, she posed kneeling, loosely wrapped in a leather jacket to show off her Madonna-esque coned bra. Gigi's definitely got into the groove. Gigi has been dating American actor Bradley Cooper since 2023. She was previously in a relationship with former One Direction member Zayn Malik. Gigi shares four-year-old Khai with Zayn, and despite their shocking breakup, she says the couple now successfully co-parent with 'love, and a feeling of camaraderie'. Meanwhile, Bradley, 50, has an eight-year-old daughter, Lea De Seine, from his previous relationship with Gigi's friend Irina Shayk. The model was apparently instrumental in matchmaking the pair, and has such a great relationship with Bradley they still holiday together. 3 Gigi covers the latest issue of V Magazine Credit: Luigi & Iango
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
I just knew one day people would finally get Nick Drake, says legendary producer Joe Boyd
Drake died aged 26 in 1974 from an overdose of antidepressants, never enjoying commercial success in his lifetime, never knowing how much he would be appreciated. TROUBLED SOUL I just knew one day people would finally get Nick Drake, says legendary producer Joe Boyd 'I REMEMBER the moment I first saw Nick. He was very tall – but kind of apologetically tall.' Legendary producer Joe Boyd is casting his mind back to January 1968, to the day 'very good-looking but very self-effacing' Nick Drake dropped a tape off at his London office. 5 Nick Drake died aged 26 in 1974, never enjoying commercial success in his lifetime Credit: Getty - Contributor 'He stooped a bit, like he was trying not to seem as tall as he was. Advertisement 'It was wintertime and there were ash stains on his overcoat. He handed me the tape and trundled off. 'My first encounter with Nick's music was, most likely, that same evening or possibly the following one.' Boyd, an American who became a central figure in the late Sixties British folk-rock boom, was 25 at the time. Drake was 19. He cut a striking figure — lanky with dark shoulder-length hair framing his boyish features. Advertisement Through his company, Witchseason Productions, Boyd came to helm stellar albums by Fairport Convention (with Sandy Denny), John Martyn, Shirley Collins and The Incredible String Band. But there was something indefinably mesmerising about those three songs passed to him by the quiet teenager who studied English Literature at Cambridge University. As Boyd switched on his 'little Wollensak reel-to-reel tape recorder', he was captivated by Drake's soft but sure tones, allied to his intricate fingerpicking guitar. 'I think the songs were I Was Made To Love Magic, Time Has Told Me and The Thoughts Of Mary Jane,' he says. 'From the first intro to the first song, I thought, 'Whoa, this is different'.' I'm speaking to Boyd to mark the release of a beautifully curated box set, The Making Of Five Leaves Left, a treasure trove of demos, outtakes and live recordings. Advertisement Rounding it off is the finished product, Drake's debut album for Chris Blackwell's fabled Island Records pink label. Bob Dylan biopic is an immaculate portrayal of the grumpy singer's rise to fame - shame his women feel like complete unknowns In 2025, the singer's status as one of Britain's most cherished songwriters is assured. A troubled soul, Drake died aged 26 in 1974 from an overdose of antidepressants, never enjoying commercial success in his lifetime, never knowing how much he would be appreciated. But Boyd, now 83, had no doubts about the rare talent that he first encountered in 1968. He picks up the story again: 'Ashley Hutchings, the Fairport Convention bass player, saw Nick playing at The Roundhouse [in Camden Town, North London] and was very impressed. Advertisement 'He handed me a slip of paper with a phone number on it and said, 'I think you'd better call this guy, he's special'. 'So I called and Nick picked up the phone. I said, 'Do you have a tape I could hear?'. He said, 'Yes'.' Boyd still didn't hold out too much hope, as he explains: 'I was very much a blues and jazz buff. I also liked Indian music. 'White middle-class guys with guitars were never that interesting to me — Bob Dylan being the exception that proves the rule. 5 John Boyd holding The Making Of Five Leaves Left, a treasure trove of demos, outtakes and live recordings Advertisement 'But Nick was something else. He wasn't really a folk singer at all.' Boyd describes Drake as a 'chansonnier', a French term for a poet singer who performs their own compositions, often drawing on the themes of love and nature. He says: 'I'm always a bit bemused when I go into a record store — one of the few left — and see Nick filed under folk. He's unclassifiable and that's one of the reasons he endures.' To Boyd, Drake's enduring appeal is also helped 'by the fact that he didn't succeed in the Sixties'. 'He never became part of that decade's soundtrack in the way Donovan or [Pentangle guitarist and solo artist] Bert Jansch did. Advertisement 'So he was cut loose from the moorings of his era, to be grabbed by succeeding generations.' Drake was born on June 19, 1948, in Rangoon, Burma [now Myanmar], to engineer father Rodney and amateur singer mother Molly. His older sister Gabrielle became a successful screen actress. When Nick was three, the family moved to Far Leys, a house at Tanworth-in-Arden, Warks, and it was there that his parents encouraged him to learn piano and compose songs. I'm always a bit bemused when I go into a record store — one of the few left — and see Nick filed under folk. He's unclassifiable and that's one of the reasons he endures. Joe Boyd Having listened to the home recordings of Molly, Boyd gives her much credit for her son's singular approach. He says: 'When you hear the way she shaped her strange chords on the piano and her sense of harmony, it seems that it was reverberating in Nick's mind.' Advertisement When Drake gave him those three demos, recorded in his room at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, Boyd 'called the next day and said, 'Come on in, let's talk'.' During the ensuing meeting, Drake said: 'I'd like to make a record.' He was offered a management, publishing and production contract. Just as importantly, he had found a mentor in Joe Boyd. What you hear on the box set is the musical journey leading up to the release of Five Leaves Left in July 1969. The set was sanctioned by the Estate Of Nick Drake, run on behalf of his sister Gabrielle by Cally Callomon, but only after two remarkable tapes were unearthed. Advertisement His first session with Boyd at Sound Techniques studio in March 1968 — found on a mono listening reel squirrelled away more than 50 years ago by Beverley Martyn, a singer and the late John Martyn's ex-wife. A full reel recorded at Caius College by Drake's Cambridge acquaintance Paul de Rivaz. It had gathered dust in the bottom of a drawer for decades. Boyd says: 'I have never been a big enthusiast for these endless sets of demos and outtakes — so I was highly sceptical about this project. 'But when my wife and I were sent the files a few months ago, we sat down one evening and listened through all four discs. 'I was tremendously moved by Nick. You can picture the scene of him arriving for the first time at Sound Techniques. 'This is what he's been working for. He's got his record deal and here he is in the studio. I was stunned.' 5 Five Leaves Left was released in 1969 Advertisement In pristine sound quality, the first disc begins with Boyd saying, 'OK, here we go, whatever it is, take one.' Drake then sings the outtake followed by some of his best-loved songs — Time Has Told Me, Saturday Sun, Day Is Done among them. It's just man and guitar, recorded before musicians such as Pentangle's double bass player Danny Thompson and Fairport Convention's guitarist Richard Thompson (no relation) were drafted in. Boyd continues: 'The trigger for those recordings, that first day in the studio, was wanting our wonderful engineer John Wood to get a feel for Nick's sound. 'Nick was wide awake and on it. He was excited about being in a studio and he wanted to impress.' Advertisement All these years later, one song in particular caught Boyd's attention — Day Is Done. 'He takes it more slowly than the final version. This gives him time to add more nuance and the singing is so good.' Back then, as Five Leaves Left took shape, Boyd witnessed the sophisticated way Drake employed strings, oboe and flute. Inspired by subtle orchestrations on Leonard Cohen's debut album, Boyd had drafted in arranger Richard Hewson but it didn't work out. 'It was nice, but it wasn't Nick,' he affirms. Advertisement When Drake suggested his Cambridge friend Robert Kirby, a Baroque music scholar, everything fell into place. Boyd says: 'Nick had already been engaging with Robert about using a string quartet but had been hesitant about putting his ideas forward.' SUBTLE ORCHESTRATIONS The producer also recalls being 'fascinated by the lyrics — the work of a literate guy'. 'I don't want to sound elitist but Nick was well educated. British public school [Marlborough College] and he got into Cambridge. 'Gabrielle told me he didn't like the romantic poets much. But you feel that he's very aware of British poetry history.' Advertisement This is evident in the first lines of the opening song on Five Leaves Left — 'Time has told me/You're a rare, rare find/A troubled cure for a troubled mind.' 'When I think about Nick, I think about the painting, The Death Of Chatterton,' says Boyd. 'Chatterton was a young romantic British poet who died, I think, by suicide. You see him sprawled out across a bed.' I ask Boyd how aware he was of Drake's struggles with his mental health. 'It's a tricky question because I was aware that he was very shy,' he answers. 'Who knew what was going on with him and girls?' Boyd believes there was a time when Drake was better able to enjoy life's pleasures. Advertisement 'When you read of his adventures in the south of France and in Morocco, it seems he was more relaxed and joyful. 5 Drake at home with mother Molly and sister Gabrielle 'And when I went up to Cambridge to meet Nick and Robert Kirby before we did the first session, he was in a dorm. 'There were friends walking in and out of the room. There was a lot of life around him.' Boyd says things changed when 'Nick told me he wanted to leave Cambridge and move to London. Advertisement 'I agreed to give him a monthly stipend to help him survive. He rented a bedsit in Hampstead — you could do that in those days. 'Nick started smoking a lot of hashish and didn't seem to see many people. I definitely noticed a difference. 'He'd been at Marlborough, he'd been at Cambridge and suddenly he's on his own, smoking dope, practising the guitar, going out for a curry, coming back to the guitar some more. He became more and more isolated and closed off'. Boyd describes how Drake found live performance an almost unbearable challenge. He says: 'He had different tunings for every song, which took a long time. He didn't have jokes. So he'd lose his audience and get discouraged.' Advertisement 'It still haunts me that I left the UK' For Drake's next album, Bryter Layter, recorded in 1970 and released in 1971, Boyd remained in charge of production. Despite all the albums he's worked on, including REM's Fables Of The Reconstruction and Kate and Anna McGarrigle's classic debut, he lists Bryter Layter as a clear favourite. It bears the poetic masterpiece Northern Sky with its heartrending opening line – 'I never felt magic crazy as this.' Boyd says: 'I can drop the needle and relax, knowing that John Wood and I did the best we could.' However, he adds that it still 'haunts me that I left for a job with Warner Bros in California after that. I was very burnt out and didn't appreciate how much Nick may have been affected by my leaving'. Advertisement Drake responded to Boyd's departure by saying, 'The next record is just for guitar and voice, anyway'. Boyd continues: 'So I said, 'Well, you don't need me any more. You can do that with John Wood'.' When he was sent a test pressing of 1972's stripped-back Pink Moon, he recalls being 'slightly horrified'. 'I thought it would end Nick's chances of commercial success. It's ironic that it now sells more than his other two.' Then, roughly a year after leaving the UK, Boyd got a worried call from Drake's mum. 'Molly said she had urged Nick to see a psychiatrist because he had been struggling,' he says, with sadness, 'and that he had been prescribed antidepressants. Advertisement 'I know Nick was hesitant to take them. He felt people would judge him as crazy — a typically British response.' Boyd again uses the word 'haunting' when recalling the transatlantic phone call he made to Drake. 'I said, 'There's nothing shameful about taking medicine when you've got a problem'. I know Nick was hesitant to take them [antidepressants]. He felt people would judge him as crazy — a typically British response Joe Boyd 'But I think antidepressant dosages were way higher in those days than they became. 'Doctors didn't appreciate the rollercoaster effect — how you could get to a peak of elation and freedom, then suddenly plunge back into depression. Advertisement 'Who knows but it might have contributed to the feeling of despair Nick felt the night he took all those extra pills.' 5 Boyd says of Drake: 'He's unclassifiable and that's one of the reasons he endures' Drake died at home in Warwickshire during the early hours of November 25, 1974. As for Boyd, he made a lasting commitment to the singer who had such a profound effect on him. He says: 'When I left, I gave my company to Chris Blackwell because there were more debts than assets — and he agreed to take on the debts. 'But I said, 'I want it written in the contract that you cannot delete Nick Drake. Those records have to stay. Advertisement 'I just knew that one day people would get him.'
RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Eddington: conspiracy and dread in small-town USA
A shocking and provocative tale of conspiracies and small-town politics gone wild as director Ari Aster continues to tackle subjects that send a shiver down the viewer's spine. This time, it's the year 2020. It's May 2020 in the New Mexico town of Eddington, we meet Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix). A hot-headed reactionary, he lives with his wife, Louise (Emma Stone), who barely acknowledges her husband's struggles, and his deluded mother-in-law, Dawn (Deirdre O'Connell), who has fallen far down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole thanks to Facebook. While not a COVID denier, and despite being asthmatic, Joe is frustrated with the mask mandates that have just reached his sleepy apparently COVID free town. Joe pushes back, creating further friction with the progressive but smug mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), Louise's slick and self-satisfied ex. Tensions escalate when Joe decides to run against the unopposed Ted for mayor. To do so, he embraces being the anti-Ted, anti-lockdown, anti-government, and pro-conspiracy. The film's targets shift often. Both sides of the American cultural divide are skewered. Dawn is shown clutching her printed-out sheets of unsubstantiated theories, while Austin Butler's creepy YouTube guru a man who has all the answers, is clearly predatory. But the other side doesn't escape either. We meet cops who take offense at Joe not wearing a mask while sitting alone in his car in the middle of the desert, or the virtue-signalling young white activists who tie themselves in knots apologizing for speaking truth to power, all while barely noticing the rapidly advancing plans for a resource guzzling data centre just outside town, something the supposedly eco-conscious mayor is quietly supporting. The mayoral race quickly turns dirty, ideologies clash, and the political and cultural divide widens in a town that might be better off cut off from the rest of America and its problems. Eddington is a town on the brink, and its sheriff and mayoral candidate's mental health is hanging by a thread. If someone wanted to understand how America got to where it is today, pointing them towards this film would be an excellent start. Bound to be just as divisive as his previous Beau is Afraid, Ari Aster's Eddington runs a little too long and isn't as slick or focused as his previous projects, but it's still well worth your time (as was Beau is Afraid). It's a razor-sharp satire with genuinely shocking moments and pitch-perfect performances, especially from Phoenix, whose volatile sheriff is a joy to watch.
