Kansas City’s Church of Scientology opens a Winter Wonderland: Is this some ploy?
L. Ron Hubbard, the late science fiction writer and founder of the controversial and often maligned Church of Scientology, told his followers in 1968, “There was no Christ.”
Yet as of Saturday, a belly-laughing Santa and Mrs. Claus — the cheery embodiment of the Christmas spirit — are on full display at a tiny and twinkling outdoor Winter Wonderland at 18th Street and Grand Boulevard in the Crossroads, across from where the church in November opened a new, seven-story location in an old bank building.
The Wonderland, with a petting zoo, music and hot chocolate, is free and open to the public through Dec. 25. Grammy Award-winning jazz bassist Stanley Clarke and famed trumpeter Mark Isham are scheduled to play on its outdoor stage at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Scientology’s critics (they are many and outspoken) claim this and other such Winter Wonderlands around the country are a public relations ploy to draw in followers and “normalize” a church long alleged to manipulate its adherents. Yet one church spokeswoman said it’s simply an event to celebrate the season, celebrate their opening and to make their greater presence known.
“First of all, I don’t know where the information about disavowing Christ came from,” said Bennette Seaman, public relations spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology of Kansas City. “Scientology is a multi-religion. You can participate in any religion and still be a Scientologist. I happen to be a Baptist, so I believe in God.”
She continued: “We certainly all celebrate Christmas. We certainly all participate in all the holiday activities in a big way. Most of the Scientologists I know, including myself, love Christmas. It is my favorite time of year.”
Seaman, with five children and six grandchildren, said she’s been a Scientologist since she was 19.
“Trust me, my kids will tell you that Christmas is a big deal in our household.”
The roots of Scientology
Seaman did not disagree that Scientology, founded in 1953 as an outgrowth of Hubbard’s 1950 book, “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health,” has generated much controversy. The church is perhaps best known for its Hollywood adherents Tom Cruise and John Travolta. Former and disillusioned Scientologists in recent years have come forward as harsh critics.
Leah Remini, who played Kevin James’ wife on the TV Show “The King of Queens” and was a Scientologist for 35 years, now uses air quotes in calling Scientology a religion and, in her book “Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology,” has declared it a “cult” that does bad in the belief it is doing good.
In 2015, HBO released the documentary “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” which catalogs what it presents as Scientology’s long history of deception, manipulation and even intimidation of followers who challenge the church.
Seaman’s take: “Most of the controversy comes from people who just don’t like the church.”
On its website, the Church of Scientology describes its belief system, which begins with the understanding that all humans are thetans, immortal spiritual beings with vast and often unrecognized potential.
“Scientology,” the site says, “is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, Mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being.
“Scientology addresses the spirit—not the body or mind.”
It lays out what it calls three “fundamental truths”: Man is an immortal spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.”
Critics insist that however Scientology describes itself, its belief system has no theological connection to Christmas or mainstream Christianity.
“Scientology has no relationship with Christianity, other than using various Christian ministers as ways to legitimize the organization,” said Stephen Kent, a professor of sociology at the University of Alberta, who has long studied and written about Scientology. “Theologically, there is no connection. In fact, one can find passages in Hubbard’s writings that deny the reality of Jesus.”
There are also recordings. On his Scientology-critical website, The Underground Bunker, journalist Tony Ortega has posted audio of a 1968 recording of Hubbard aboard one of the Scientology ships, part of what it called SeaOrg.
In the recording, Hubbard presents an origin story. He speaks of an intergalactic leader named Xenu or Xemu that existed some 75 million years ago. There had been a civil war. He brought the corpses of individuals down to Earth, then known as Teegeeach, cast their bodies into a volcano, which was ignited with hydrogen bombs. (The cover of Hubbard’s book “Dianetics” features a volcano.)
After the explosion, the individuals’ thetans, released from the bodies, would eventually be implanted with memories and take refuge, either individually or in clusters, inside of human beings. One of the memories, which Hubbard called R6, contained the concept of Christianity.
“Somebody, somewhere, on this planet, back around 600 B.C., found some pieces of R6,” Hubbard says on the recording. “I don’t know how they found it, either by watching mad men or something. But since that time, they have used it, and it became what is known as Christianity: the man on the cross.
“There was no Christ. But the man on the cross is shown as every man, so, of course, each person seeing a crucified man has an immediate feeling of sympathy for this man. So you get many PCs who say they are Christ.”
“PC” is a Scientology term for “pre-clear.” One of the basic goals of Scientology is to help individuals achieve a state of “clear,” meaning releasing themselves of negative “engrams,” which Scientology holds are unwanted emotions or painful memories that are not known to the conscience mind, but which hold people back from being their full selves. Individuals can become clear through a type of spiritual counseling known as “auditing.”
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Criticism and controversy
Seaman insisted the story of Xenu has not been part of her Scientology experience. In books and documentaries, former Scientologists have said it is only revealed to people who have reached the church’s highest auditing levels.
“I have never studied anything like that,” Seaman said of Xenu. She also said that some recordings of Hubbard are not considered valid by the church.
“All I know is that there were a lot of materials put out a long time ago that were not official things of the church,” she said. “The church has been going through a huge evolution of cleaning that stuff up. Meaning, ensuring that all the materials from Scientology are true and from the founder. They’ve gone through recordings and books, and anything that was written, to make sure that it is all there as he (Hubbard) intended it.”
She said she doesn’t see why the church is so controversial.
“It’s hard for me to understand,” she said. “’We have so many programs that are good for the community. We have a huge, truth-about-drugs program. Happiness: There is a moral code for society that any religion can utilize. They are just things that are good for society. That all we want to do is help.”
Ortega said the problem is that Scientology only wants to help in the Scientology way.
“That is what offends me,” Ortega said. “It’s not what they believe, but that they won’t tell people what they believe, that they take on the trappings of Christianity to fool people.”
Ortega said that the Scientology-backed anti-drug program they tout, Narconon, has been the focus of multiple lawsuits across the nation.
“The anti-drug campaign becomes an attack on all drugs, including medically prescribed pharmaceuticals,” Ortega said. “Parts of the Narconon program can be very dangerous, including pressing people in the program to get off of needed prescriptions.”
Scientology speaks of human rights, he said, but has been accused of abusing its own members in rehabilitation and other programs. It has also been claimed to be unforgiving to “suppressive” people — such as those who criticize or disavow the church.
“To be declared a Suppressive Person is extremely rare and results in expulsion from the Scientology religion,” the church website states. “This can be done through criminal acts already recognized by society as unlawful or through the commitment of acts deemed Suppressive Acts in the Scientology Justice Codes — which includes the Suppressive Act of publicly renouncing the faith.”
Kent: “It is not a religion that in any way has doctrine about turning the other cheek.”
He and Ortega, meantime, argue that while the church says it is growing, with fresh and updated organizations being opened in places like Kansas City and Columbus, Ohio, there is no evidence that its membership is growing.
“Everything I’ve seen says that the number of churches are growing, but the number of adherents is greatly decreasing,” Kent said.
The church’s main headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, has long run a Winter Wonderland, as does the church in Los Angeles, since the 1980s.
Ortega believes that the Wonderland in Kansas City is as much to lift the morale of a sagging church base, and to encourage big donors, as it is to introduce the church to Kansas City in a bigger way.
Seaman says just the opposite. It’s Christmas. They’re new to the Crossroads.
The Winter Wonderland is scheduled to be open 5 to 9 p.m. weeknights and noon to 6 p.m. weekends through Christmas, but as the snow came down on Sunday and Monday, the event was dark and closed.
But when the event launched on Saturday, about 60 people gathered in the bitter cold to watch Santa and Mrs. Claus switch on the lights of a miniature North Pole village, with signs on candy-cane posts for the Cocoa Cabin and Santa’s Stables, for pony rides, crafts with Mrs. Claus, a food truck and photos with Elsa of Disney’s “Frozen.”
Kids slid down the slide at the Elf Playground. A cozy hut, decorated with garland, red drapes, a fireplace and comfy chairs, sat at the entrance for photos with the Clauses. Christmas music floated through the air past a Christmas tree glowing white.
“We’ve been wanting to do something on a large scale for the community for a long time,” Seaman said. “We got together and decided, it’s the Christmas season. Enjoy it. It’s just for Kansas City. It’s just a place where families can get together and have some fun.”
