It is easy to see Scientology as a scam for average people. But what about for the very rich at the very top? What about celebrities like Tom Cruise? After taking this course for a semester, please try to explain the factors that make new rituals and new religious leaders attractive to certain people.

Discussion Question

1. How true is this equation cult + time= religion?

2. It is easy to see Scientology as a scam for average people. But what about for the very rich at the very top? What about celebrities like Tom Cruise? After taking this course for a semester, please try to explain the factors that make new rituals and new religious leaders attractive to certain people.

3. A long time has passed. It is now 2222. How can historians judge whether Scientology was a “real” religion of the 20th and 21st centuries, or whether it was a hoax (scam) cult-like movement? Feel free to be creative while citing themes we mentioned in the semester.