Product Description
JUNE 1983 ISSUE OF PENTHOUSE MAGAZINE. ARTICLES INCLUDE "INSIDE THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH L. RON HUBBARD", "THE NIGHT THEY TRIED TO MURDER BOB MARLEY", AND MORE. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Church and State, published by J.M. Dawson Studies in Church and State on September 22, 2000. The length of the article is 547 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Church of Scientology.(Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Derek H. Davis
Publication: Journal of Church and State (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2000
Publisher: J.M. Dawson Studies in Church and State
Volume: 42Issue: 4Page: 851

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
The author describes her eight years involvement with the Church of Scientology in the USA, why she left, and her subsequent marriage and conversion to evangelical Christianity. Following her marriage she moved to England where, as the book describes, the publication of her leaflet 'What the Scientologists Don't Tell You' (which forms the Appendix to this book), brought her into conflict with the organisation. Following a six year legal battle she received judgement in her favour from the High Court in London allowing her to publish her material, a written apology from the Church of Scientolgy and a substantial financial settlement. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Some people DO stand and fight
This book is slightly different from other stories I've read from ex-Scientologists, since the majority of the interesting action takes place after Bonnie has left Scientology.

She decides to help families who are having problems with the cult, and starts warning people of the dangers. This places her and her husband on the front-line of Scientology harassment, and results in a long legal battle to clear her name.

It's very inspiring because here we have an average couple, with financial problems and the demands and responsibilities of a young family, taking on and refusing to be silenced by a rich, malevolent, international cult. It really is a remarkable story.

Where it's also unusual is that Bonnie's explanation for her courage, commitment, desire to obtain justice and help in unexpected places came from God (JesusTech if you will!)

Now, some may find this uncomfortable. Is it a good idea to replace one set of odd beliefs with another?

For me it made the story even more fascinating. My recommendation would be to read it and judge for yourself. Did Bonnie really get supernatural assistance, or did the strength of her belief in a power much stronger than Scientology enable her to keep going when most people would have faltered? The book reaches a dramatic conclusion, so stay with it.

Good Read
This book was interesting and a good read.The writer did not have much schooling so the book is written at about an 8th grade level.The abbreviations for Scientology related positions are all over the place.Eventually I just stopped trying to absorb them.The end of the book sort of peters out and is actually a little bit boring.

So bad I couldn't finish it
I am sure that this could have been an interesting read. However Bonnie Woods is not a good storyteller. The writing bounces around from one scene to the next seemingly at random. Things are not tied together well and the whole experience was just..well..painful. I finally stopped before finishing which is something I am loathe to do no matter how bad the book.
I would not reccommend this, except perhaps as a sleeping aid.

Ehh...
The story is good, but this book is written by a Christian woman.There is a lot of talk about how the lord saved her from scientology, which for me adds nothing to the story but does make me cringe.The other thing I didn't enjoy was the fact that she repeated the same facts over and over (almost like she is trying to brainwash you, she was a scientologist remember).For example, she mentions on page 191 that "Some Scientologists have lost their homes and businesses to pay for increasingly expensive courses".She has already told us this several times by this point including the exact same line on page 180. I am not sure that this isn't a subtle brainwashing technique. I'll let you decide.As for me, if I could buy this book again, I would find another one.Ive heard good things about Blown for Good which is also about the cult.

Woods exposes lies, fraud and harassment from and within the cult of Scientology.
I first read this book before it was published when Scientology was fighting in the High Court to prevent it's release.It tells the true story of Bonnie Woods, in her own words, discovering that she'd joined a cult, escaping and subsequently becoming a target of the cult's infamous "Office of Special Affairs".She learns how her former friends and associates at the "church" treat those who leave the fold and dare to speak out about their experiences.The book grabs you right away as Bonnie recounts her and her daughter's first contact with the cult's "Fair Game" policy in their own home.This book is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about this little understood but shockingly dangerous and insidious cult operating in almost every major city in the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Misleading Scientology PR - Google Xenu, Fair Game Law, RPF
Well, this is another PR effort by the "Church" of Scientology to mislead the public with regard to its secretive doctrine and behind the scenes abusive practices.

It might have worked, but along came the Internet - something that L. Ron Hubbard never envisioned - and poof! there went the Scientology cult's attempt at "information control."

Other search words of note include, Hubbard, Snow White; Quentin Hubbard; Paulette Cooper, Sara Northrup; Hubbard, chain locker; Brainwashing manual; Scientology, child abuse.

One wonders why Scientology continues to attempt to mislead the public when so much reliable information is easily available on the Internet - yet Scientology can't stop repeating old patterns.

Scientology has again and again proven itself incapable of honesty, and incapable of reform - and now it's all on the Internet for anyone who cares to look.

this book seems to align with one of my favortie TV shows as a youth
The book is unique to say the least and the theology is not really any stranger than many other New Age religions. Easy to read and clearly laid out. However, I could not help thinking of my favorite show as a youth "Star Trek" and felt this theology aligned with it very well. ... Read more