Persuasion tactics and celebrity recruitment in the Church of Scientology

Scientology

Investigative reporter, Wright affords readers a comprehensive picture of Lafayette Ronald Hubbard and his religious system of \'scientology\'. The basis of Hubbard\'s religion is a number of outlandish views and practices one sees in cults, including a costly and complex process of \'auditing\' aimed at \'clearing\' scientologists of negativity. The founder of this religious system even included a myth pertaining to creation full with an overlord for the galaxy he named \'Xenu\', which reminds one of science fiction stories. Some of the strange scientology practices include spying on fellow scientologists, meting out unusual punishments, coercing members into talking with a whole new vocabulary, and coerced labor in labor camps. Its beliefs include the Church going after Tom Cruise, John Travolta and other stars (Mandel, 2015).

Persuasion and the Church of Scientology

Persuasion only works when there are some fundamental ideas which need fulfilling, so that individuals are influenced to adopt a particular way of behaving or thinking. Persuasion via the peripheral route denotes one tenet that originally influences an individual, and continues to do so subsequently. The tenet concentrates on the idea or picture being depicted, to make others desire to attain it. Scientology is one controversial group which, owing to its extreme beliefs, counts among the more extreme religious groups across the world. Its emphasis is self- and life- improvement by means of Dianetics, which addresses the inherent forces driving humanity\'s survival as well as its conduct and thoughts. The focus on improving oneself is a concept that is appealing to all human beings. Hence, Scientology relies on the above subtle ideas to grasp people\'s attention prior to proceeding to the subsequent stage of persuasion and influence (Klaber, Constable, Rakauskas, & Shuler, 2014).

An especially interesting topic addressed by the documentary, Going Clear, is the Church-celebrity relationship that has been widely recorded, specifically that of Tom Cruise and John Travolta, two highly influential scientologists. The documentary movie comprehensively explores the heavy reliance of David Miscavige, a leader of the scientologists, on celeb power for raising funds and recruiting new members (Yahr, 2015). According to Going Clear, \"donors are accorded higher status depending on the size of their gifts to the International Association of Scientologists.\"

Wright claims John Travolta signed up when LRH intensified his efforts, during the seventies, in the city of Los Angeles, and celebs like Priscilla Presley and Rock Hudson decided to look closer at it. Scientology principles seemed reasonable; as noted by Kim Masters, a journalist for the entertainment industry, in the movie, the film industry is a challenging place for anybody\'s self-confidence, particularly aspiring stars, and the scientology approach advocates self-confidence and self-improvement. Hence, when aspirants seek to make their lucky break and struggle with continuous rejection, scientology appears to be a warm and open place to seek self-help. Masters claims all can see how appealing that is. Spanky Taylor, a former scientologist, was assigned as Masters\' contact and, through working on the documentary project, both became close friends. A detailed interview with Taylor appears in the documentary, where Taylor reveals that Travolta received an extraordinary confidence boost from the group. He feared quitting the group would put an end to his success in Hollywood. He effectively became scientology\'s very first celeb spokesperson. However, things turned dark when the church sent Taylor to what was termed \"Rehabilitation Project Force\" -- a sort of \"prison camp\" stressed members who begin opposing scientology were made to visit. As cited in the book, \"If a Sea Org member were to seek outside help, he would be punished, either by being declared a Suppressive Person or by being sent off to do manual labor for months or years.\" Taylor recalls how she was coerced into sleeping for a very short while every night, doing menial work and being parted from her infant daughter, as the church believes children \"distract\" parents! She speaks comprehensively of how she finally escaped with her baby after living in a terrible setting. But she was subsequently kept apart from Travolta, her friend who, according to Wright, apparently knew what the church did to Spanky, but didn\'t intervene (Yahr, 2015).

Opinion

Scientology made an example of Leah Remini, to show the world what consequences a member would suffer if he/she challenged how things stood in the church, or raised too many doubts. However, she was not all that famous and could avoid interrogations and ensure her family did not suffer. This strategy by the church clearly backfired, as Leah grew increasingly outspoken about the church\'s ways and how her life changed for the better after quitting (Mandel, 2015). During a family counseling session, members of Remini\'s close-knit clan spoke honestly about Remini\'s defection and what it meant for them. Among the most disturbing moments during the session was one where her brother-in-law talked about leaving scientology and Remini responded by apologizing to them all and revealed that she considers herself personally responsible for whatever trouble and distress the family encountered after their departure -- alarmingly, this is precisely how the scientology \"church\" wanted to make her feel (Mandel, 2015).

The most salient fact, however, is the form of communication employed for conveying a message which has the desired effect. Communication is capable of making or breaking the persuasion and influence underlying any idea or picture, particularly when it comes to extreme factions. LRH has also emphasized this aspect and accepted its significance. Scientology\'s official website claims that the \"church\" provides mankind with the very first system for improving itself by enhancing its communication skills, using methods that significantly enhance an individual\'s ability of relating to fellow scientologists. Hubbard\'s findings in this area, including a definition of communication\'s constituents and a resultant communication formula, denote a whole new way of going about this process (Klaber, Constable, Rakauskas, & Shuler, 2014).

Argument

Contrary to a majority of established religions that utilize an extensive power hierarchy characterized by balances and checks, cults are typically characterized by a pyramidal hierarchy, with a leading figure at its peak, who demands absolute submissiveness from his subordinates. An analogous pyramidal structure is seen in destructive business cults, with individuals at the pyramid\'s apex benefiting from their underlings\' work. Usually, new recruits are urged to bring kith and kin along to a preliminary meeting. Anyone who receives this sort of invitation has a final, precious and rather risky chance to help a loved one shake off the clutches of scientology. At the gathering, members of the cult attempt to isolate their recruit from his/her loved ones, a separation they achieve rather subtly. At the outset, family members will be seated together, but the very next moment, the recruit and family member are each drawn into one-on-one conversations with different cult members and are gradually drawn apart till they are physically at opposite ends of the room. Deborah Rennard\'s estrangement from her parents (who left the cult) is a clear and shocking example of how Scientology ruins family ties: \"If she failed to \"handle\" her parents -- by persuading them to make amends to the church -- she would have to disconnect not only from them but also from everyone who spoke to them, including her siblings.\" Furthermore, a cult frequently attempts to control an individual\'s means of transport, extending a 2-hour meet into one that lasts the whole night. One must ensure one has a personal means of transport and be particularly suspicious of groups that do not allow one to drive by oneself to the meeting point (Sagarin, n.d.).