The Church of Scientology: Legitimacy through Perception Management

Abstract

In 1967 the Church of Scientology's tax-exempt status was revoked on the basis that it failed to meet the criteria outlined in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service. Between its loss, and eventual reacquisition in 1993, the Church of Scientology employed a number of political based tactics in an attempt to legitimize itself to the public sector. This article explores these tactics in relation to the religion's use of perception management. The article argues that the processes of both legal recognition and legitimization draw upon each other in a new faith's transition to mainstream theology. In this, the Church employed perception management in attempt to influence both processes. In exploring this, the paper contributes to our understanding of role that public legitimacy plays in a new faith's development.

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“…The predominantly psychological and pseudo-scientific approach of Dianetics soon gave way to the religious Scientology that is recognizable today, marked by the creation of the Church of Scientology at the end of 1953. While the current tax-exempt status of Scientology is a product of its identification as a religious organization (Halupka, 2014), Christensen (2005) notes that the early popularity of Dianetics with the general public was a result of its redirection towards a lay audience following its early dismissal by the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association, an experience that would also play into the organization's anti-psychiatric views that continue today (p. 1047). Compared to its predecessor, Scientology would take a decidedly eclectic approach that ranged in influence from Eastern religions to science fiction, the literary genre in which Hubbard had initially honed his writing craft (Scientology also continues to use Dianetics) (Urban, 2011).…”