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Scientology Membership
Topic Started: Aug 14 2017, 10:48 AM (69 Views)
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I am very surprised at this. Worldwide estimates of membership are between 20,000 and 35,000.

The only academic addressing membership specifically is Stephen Kent, writing in Jenaer Akademische Verlagsgeselleschaft (pages 113-146) in 2011 he admitted erring on the side of generosity with a paper titled The Decline of Scientology when he said "Globally … there are far less than 75,000 or less, with numbers dropping"

He also has a book co-authored by Susan Raine coming out at the end of this month called Scientology in Popular Culture: Influences and Struggles for Legitimacy that may also touch on membership numbers.

In 2014 investigative journalist Tony Ortega gave about the most research-backed membership estimate possible of 30,000 worldwide. In 2016 that estimate was revised down to under 20,000:

Paul Burkhart was another key defection from Scientology’s upper ranks. He was in a unique position to watch what was happening at both Int Base and then at the Hollywood Guaranty Building in Los Angeles. And having left in August 2013, his information was years fresher than anything else we’d seen. And most shocking? His estimate, based on access he had to enrollment documents, that Scientology’s active membership worldwide has now fallen under 20,000.
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Tybee
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Leah Remini touched on the membership numbers on her show. A couple of the former bigwigs who fled the cult said that the actual numbers are minuscule compared to what Miscabbage claims. One spoke about large Scientology facilities he was sent to on official business that were virtually empty when he was there. Another guy was responsible for making all the Scientology videos that were to show how huge the cult had become. He said his job was to jiggle with the facts in the videos and make all the gatherings look much bigger by placing everyone down front in whatever huge arena they were in and making sure not to show all the empty seats.
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Yes, I remember that. Empty buildings. Who is $upporting all this then? Tammy and Johnny T?
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Tybee
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Them and all the other morons who join that cult and literally ruin themselves financially to pay the money required to remain a member. I've read that to remain a member it costs $25 thousand a year or more. Those who don't have the money are urged by the church to max out their credit cards, take out loans, sell houses, do anything to get that money. And far too many gullible fools actually do it.
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Don't they also buy extremely expensive pieces of jewelry that they wear because it helps them ward of aliens or Xenu or whatever?
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