Scientology in popular culture

Scientology has been referenced in popular culture in many different forms of media including fiction, film, music, television and theatre.

Maynard James Keenan of the metal band Tool, has been critical of Scientology, and the 1996 song "Ænema" contains a negative reference to L. Ron Hubbard.

In Boston Legal's third season, character Alan Shore helps defend an employer sued for discrimination after firing a Scientologist.

The episode delves into some of the employee's more eccentric beliefs as well as a debate on religious bigotry, but Shore ends up winning the case for his client.

William S. Burroughs, who briefly dabbled with Scientology, wrote extensively about it during the late 1960s, weaving some of its jargon into his fictional works, as well as authoring non-fiction essays about it.

[2][3][4] The plan, undertaken in 1976 following years of Church-initiated lawsuits and covert harassment,[5] was meant to eliminate the perceived threat that Cooper posed to the Church and obtain revenge for her publication in 1971 of a highly critical book, The Scandal of Scientology.

[6] Scientology is referred to as "Science Religion", Cooper is called "Paulette Rowling" and Mary Sue Hubbard is "Johanna Lewis".

[6] The book includes an almost word-for-word transcription of the Operation Freakout planning document of April 1, 1976, with the names of the principal figures substituted as described above.

Paul Clinton writes in CNN online: "'Bowfinger' could just be viewed as an out-there, over-the-top spoof about Hollywood, films, celebrities and even the Church of Scientology.

"[8] Andrew O'Hehir writes in Salon that "Too much of 'Bowfinger' involves the filmmakers' generically wacky pursuit of the increasingly paranoid Kit, who flees into the clutches of a pseudo-Scientology outfit called MindHead (their slogan: 'Truth Through Strength').

"[9] The Denver Post describes the Kit Ramsey character as "...petulant, paranoid and pampered, like any good star, and also a devotee of a Scientology-like religion.

"[10] In a review in the San Francisco Chronicle, Wesley Morris describes Ramsey's organization as "a mock-Scientology cult called MindHead - a bit that sprung from Martin's own issues with MENSA.

[16][17][18] Also, the character of Lancaster Dodd, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman shares a physical resemblance to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

Zappa uses terminology such as "L. Ron Hoover" and "Appliantology", telling the main character "Joe" that he "must go into the closet" to pursue his latent appliance fetishism.

"[27] An organization with similarities to Scientology, called Selfosophy, was a central part of an episode from the second season of Millennium that aired on the Fox network on November 21, 1997, entitled "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense."

"[28] Michael Patrick Sullivan writing for Underground Online/UGO wrote: "After a year and a half of doom and gloom stories, one of the most astounding television writers of the nineties, Darin Morgan, is allowed his fractured take on Millennium and Frank and author Jose Chung investigate murders that lead them deeply into the world of a pseudo-religion called Selfosophy (read as Scientology).

Each individual member of the church threatens to sue him, including Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and R. Kelly, who have finally come out of the closet.

In the season 9 episode Mac and Dennis Buy a Timeshare, Dee (portrayed by Kaitlin Olson) joins a pyramid scheme that uses a device that parodies the e-meter and measures "guilt stressors" in reference to the Scientologist concept of engrams.

Dee talks about cults using personality tests as a way to get their members to do manual labour and gives three "Ass Kickers" an auditing session using the stress meter.

In a season 5 episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jake Peralta and Charles Boyle attempt to leave NutriBoom, a pyramid scheme that bears many similarities to the Church of Scientology.

They say your amino acid levels are either too high or too low (in reference to the Oxford Capacity Analysis test which everybody receives a negative result from).

The controversy surrounding the Church of Scientology and the (new) Cult Awareness Network organization was described in the 2002 Stephen Adly Guirgis play, Jesus Hopped the "A" Train.

However, the developers of Dead Space have stated that they simply meant to portray Unitology as a secretive cult, with the name similarity causing unfortunate implications.