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98-503: Applied Scholastics ( APS ) is an organization that promotes and licenses the use of study techniques created by L. Ron Hubbard , the founder of Scientology . Applied Scholastics is operated by the Church of Scientology . Applied Scholastics, abbreviated "APS", was founded in 1972 by the Church of Scientology in order to disseminate L. Ron Hubbard's learning and teaching methods outside of

196-530: A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) machine called the Precision 5000, which differed from existing machines by incorporating diverse processes into a single machine that had multiple process chambers. In 1992, the corporation settled a lawsuit with three former employees for an estimated $ 600,000. The suit complained that the employees were driven out of the company after complaining about the courses Applied Scholastics had been hired to teach there. In 1993,

294-474: A 34% increase over the previous fiscal. Applied Materials market capitalization was valued at over US$ 36.6 billion in November 2018. Applied is organized into three major business sectors: Semiconductor Products, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. Applied Materials also operates a venture investing arm called Applied Ventures. The company develops and manufactures equipment used in

392-437: A Scientology-related entity, thus granting it non-profit status. As such, parents of children attending private schools licensed by APS can deduct the cost of tuition from their income tax returns. Scientologist celebrities have been used to promote Applied Scholastics, including John Travolta , Kelly Preston , Isaac Hayes , Lisa Marie Presley , and Ann Archer . In 1997, Travolta met with President Bill Clinton to promote

490-582: A bust or large framed photograph of him on display. The Church of Scientology is headquartered at " Gold Base " in Riverside County, California , where the highest Sea Org officials work, and at "Flag Land Base" in Clearwater, Florida . The organization operates on a hierarchical and top-down basis, being largely bureaucratic in structure. It claims to be the only true voice of Scientology. The internal structure of Scientology organizations

588-421: A calendar in which 1950, the year in which Hubbard's book Dianetics was published, is considered year zero, the beginning of an era. Years after that date are referred to as "AD" for "After Dianetics ". They have also buried copies of his writings preserved on stainless steel disks in a secure underground vault in the hope of preserving them against major catastrophes. The Church of Scientology's view of Hubbard

686-613: A commercial company. Each franchise sends part of its earnings, which have been generated through beginner-level auditing, to the International Management. Bromley observed that an entrepreneurial incentive system pervades the organization, with individual members and organisations receiving payment for bringing in new people or for signing them up for more advanced services. The individual and collective performances of different members and missions are gathered, being called "stats". Performances that are an improvement on

784-553: A confidence trick to obtain money from its targets. The scholar Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi observes that "the majority of activities conducted by Scientology and its many fronts and subsidiaries involve the marketing of secular products." In a report by the European Parliament , it is observed that the group "is a cool, cynical, manipulating business and nothing else." Scholars and journalists note that profit

882-400: A congregation that believes in and helps spread its teachings. Allan W. Black analysed Scientology through the seven "dimensions of religion" set forward by the scholar Ninian Smart and also decided that Scientology met those criteria for being a religion. The sociologist David V. Barrett noted that there was a "strong body of evidence to suggest that it makes sense to regard Scientology as

980-421: A dangerous cult and as a manipulative profit-making business . These institutions and scholars state that Scientology is not a religion. Scientology has experienced multiple schisms during its history. While the Church of Scientology was the original promoter of the movement, various independent groups have split off to form independent Scientology groups. Referring to the "different types of Scientology",

1078-569: A deity. They regard him as the preeminent Operating Thetan who remained on Earth in order to show others the way to spiritual liberation, the man who discovered the source of human misery and a technology allowing everyone to achieve their true potential. Church of Scientology management frames Hubbard's physical death as "dropping his body" to pursue higher levels of research not possible with an Earth-bound body. Scientologists often refer to Hubbard affectionately as "Ron", and many refer to him as their "friend". The Scientology organization operates

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1176-454: A form of therapy. An organization that he established in 1950 to promote it went bankrupt, and Hubbard lost the rights to his book Dianetics in 1952. He then recharacterized his ideas as a religion, likely for tax purposes, and renamed them Scientology. By 1954, he had regained the rights to Dianetics and founded the Church of Scientology , which remains the largest organization promoting Scientology. There are practitioners independent of

1274-554: A group of charter schools in Phoenix, Arizona came under criticism for using tools provided by Applied Scholastics. Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard , and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a cult , a business , a religion , or a scam . Hubbard initially developed a set of ideas that he called Dianetics , which he represented as

1372-531: A healthy living discombobulated many observers when it first started. Dericquebourg comments that the same things can be found in established churches. The word Scientology , as coined by Hubbard, is a derivation from the Latin word scientia ("knowledge", "skill"), which comes from the verb scīre ("to know"), with the suffix -ology , from the Greek λόγος lógos ("word" or "account [of]"). Hubbard claimed that

1470-526: A management consulting group and boasting a stable of high-tech clients, was the subject of a legal dispute between one of their clients, Applied Materials (AM), and three of AM's former employees. The former employees sued AM claiming they were driven out of the company after they complained about the Applied Scholastics training seminars and "refused to be trained under the doctrines of L. Ron Hubbard's Church of Scientology". Applied Scholastics

1568-561: A minimum of payments to the Scientology organization of $ 350,000 to $ 400,000 (equivalent to $ 542,000 in 2023). OT levels six and seven are only available at Clearwater. The highest level, OT eight, is disclosed only at sea on the Scientology ship Freewinds , operated by the Flag Ship Service Org. Scholar of religion Aled Thomas suggested that the status of a person's level creates an internal class system within

1666-490: A mission wherever they wish but must fund it themselves; the missions are not financially supported by the central organization. Mission holders must purchase all of the necessary material from the central Church of Scientology; as of 2001, the Mission Starter Pack cost $ 35,000 (equivalent to $ 60,200 in 2023). Each mission or Org is a corporate entity, established as a licensed franchise, and operating as

1764-426: A planned merger with Tokyo Electron on September 24, 2013. If approved by government regulators, the combined company, to be called Eteris, would be the world's largest supplier of semiconductor processing equipment, with a total market value of $ 29 billion. However, on April 27, 2015, Applied Materials announced that its merger with Tokyo Electron has been scrapped due to antitrust concerns and fears of dominating

1862-858: A private school in Toronto . The owner/principal and dean of the school are both Scientologists but they say that Applied Scholastics is secular and that they do not teach Scientology. The Georgia Board of Education had approved Applied Scholastics in 2006 for a three-year license to tutor under a federal program which pays to tutor students from public schools which don't meet minimum academic criteria. In 2009, four complaints were lodged against Applied Scholastic in Cobb County concerned about their connection with Scientology and about keeping religion out of education. Georgia education officials then began inspections to ensure Applied Scholastics' policies and teachings were geared toward secular instruction. In 2013,

1960-436: A religion is strongly opposed by the anti-cult movement . Its claims to a religious identity have been particularly rejected in continental Europe. Grünschloß writes that labelling Scientology a religion does not mean that it is "automatically promoted as harmless, nice, good, and humane". . The multi-faceted nature of the Church of Scientology that includes pedagogy, communication theories, management principles and methods for

2058-430: A religion", while scholar of religion James R. Lewis comments that "it is obvious that Scientology is a religion". The scholar Mikael Rothstein observes that the Scientology "is best understood as a devotional cult aimed at revering the mythologized founder of the organization". Numerous religious studies scholars have described Scientology as a new religious movement . Various scholars have also considered it within

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2156-467: A religion, but the early history of the Scientology organization, and Hubbard's policy directives, letters, and instructions to subordinates, indicate that his motivation for doing so was as a legally pragmatic move to minimize his tax burden and escape the possibility of prosecution. In many countries, the Church of Scientology has engaged in extensive litigation to secure recognition as a tax-exempt religious organization, and it has managed to obtain such

2254-413: A religion. The sociologist Bryan R. Wilson compares Scientology with 20 criteria that he associated with religion and concludes that the movement could be characterised as such. Wilson's criteria include: a cosmology that describes a human reality beyond terrestrial existence; ethics and behavior teachings that are based on this cosmology; prescribed ways for followers to connect with spiritual beings; and

2352-685: A religion: "We don't want a clinic. We want one in operation but not in name...It is a problem of practical business. I await your reaction on the religion angle". In reaction to a series of arrests of his followers, and the prosecution of Hubbard's Dianetics foundation for teaching medicine without a license, in December 1953 Hubbard incorporated three organizations – Church of American Science, Church of Scientology, and Church of Spiritual Engineering. In 1959, Hubbard purchased Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead, Sussex, United Kingdom, which became

2450-462: A religious context. However, Hubbard's methods, which he called " study technology ", are an integral part of Scientology practices and is considered a form of indoctrination into and within Scientology. Applied Scholastics is classified as a dissemination organization in the Church of Scientology network hierarchy. APS falls under the Association for Better Living and Education umbrella which

2548-610: A status in a few jurisdictions, including the United States, Italy, and Australia. The organization has not received recognition as a religious institution in the majority of countries in which it operates. An article in the magazine TIME , " The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power ", describes Scientology as a ruthless global scam . The Church of Scientology's attempts to sue the publishers for libel and to prevent republication abroad were dismissed. Scholarship in psychology and skepticism supports this view of Scientology as

2646-494: A supernatural source. He published hundreds of articles and books over the course of his life. Scientologists regard his writings on Scientology as scripture . Much basic information about the Scientology belief system is kept secret from most practitioners. The scholar and historian of Scientology Hugh Urban observes that: A great many aspects of Scientology are shrouded in layers of secrecy, concealment, obfuscation , and/or dissimulation . In Scientology Hubbard's work

2744-686: A supplier of laser cleaning technologies for semiconductor wafers, in a purchase business combination for $ 21 million in cash. In January 2008, Applied Materials purchased Baccini, an Italian company and designer of tools used in manufacturing solar cells. In 2009, Applied Materials opened its Solar Technology Center, the world's largest commercial solar energy research and development facility, in Xi'an, China . Applied Materials acquired Semitool Inc. in December 2009, and announced its acquisition of Varian Semiconductor in May 2011. Applied Materials then announced

2842-401: Is also put on making sure children are taught at a "gradient", so that a subject's crucial elementary concepts come before more difficult concepts. "Mass" is described as a measure of mental tangibility that students ascribe to a subject, so that students have a picture in their mind of the thing they are learning about. Applied Scholastics licenses Study Tech to a number of schools throughout

2940-464: Is an activity known as " auditing ". It takes place with two Scientologists — one is the "auditor" who asks questions, and the subject is termed the "preclear". The stated purpose is to help the subject to remove their mental traumas (ostensible recordings in the mind which Hubbard termed "engrams"). Scholarship in clinical psychology demonstrates that the purpose of auditing is to induce a light hypnotic state and to create dependency and obedience in

3038-403: Is considered an immortal being who has been reincarnated many times over. Someone who has died is said to have "dropped the body". Scientology refers to the existence of a Supreme Being , but practitioners are not expected to worship it. No intercessions are made to seek this being's assistance in daily life. The mythological framework which forms the basis for what Scientologists view as

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3136-411: Is often criticized for the prices it charges for auditing, and examinations of the group have indicated that profit is the group's primary purpose. Hubbard stated that charging for auditing was necessary because the practice required an exchange, and should the auditor not receive something for their services it could harm both parties. During auditing, a device called an electropsychometer ( E-meter )

3234-425: Is posited as complete spiritual freedom in which one is able to do anything one chooses, create anything, go anywhere — an idea which has appealed to many. The scholar Hugh Urban describes the supernatural powers promoted as being gained by an Operating Thetan as: The liberated thetan could even freely create a personal paradise, populating it with heavenly beings and infinite pleasures at will.   ... As such,

3332-407: Is presented in their hagiographical biography of him, seeking to present him as "a person of exceptional character, morals and intelligence". Critics of Hubbard and his organization claim that many of the details of his life as he presented it were false. Every Scientology Org maintains an office set aside for Hubbard in perpetuity, set out to imitate those he used in life, and will typically have

3430-449: Is regarded as perfect, and no elaboration or alteration is permitted. Hubbard described Scientology as an "applied religious philosophy", because, according to him, it consists of a metaphysical doctrine, a theory of psychology, and teachings in morality. Hubbard incorporated a variety of hypnotic techniques in Scientology auditing and courses. These are used as a means to create dependency and obedience in followers. Hubbard said of

3528-531: Is strongly bureaucratic with a focus on statistics-based management. Organizational operating budgets are performance-related and subject to frequent reviews. By 2011, the organization was claiming over 700 centres in 65 countries. Smaller centres are called "missions". The largest number of these are in the U.S., with the second largest number being in Europe. Missions are established by missionaries, who are referred to as "mission holders". Members can establish

3626-457: Is the absence of mass, pertaining to the lack of a physical object relating to a concept. The second is a steep study "gradient", meaning a necessary previous step was skipped to master a skill. The third is the "misunderstood word", which necessitates looking up unclear words in the dictionary. Students are taught that "misunderstood words" are a major cause of confusion and misunderstanding. They are taught to use dictionaries extensively. Emphasis

3724-554: Is the primary motivating goal of Hubbard's Scientology groups. Those making this observation have often referred to a governing financial policy issued by Hubbard that is to be obeyed by all Scientology organization staff members, which includes the following [uppercase in original]: Make sure that lots of bodies move through the shop...A. MAKE MONEY. ... J. MAKE MONEY. K. MAKE MORE MONEY. L. MAKE OTHER PEOPLE PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MONEY...However you get them in or why, just do it. Some scholars of religion have referred to Scientology as

3822-453: Is the primary motivating goal of the Scientology organization. Following extensive litigation in numerous countries, the organization has managed to attain a legal recognition as a religious institution in some jurisdictions, including Australia, Italy, and the United States. Germany classifies Scientology groups as an anti-constitutional sect , while the French government classifies

3920-419: Is used. Scientology's primary road map for guiding a person through the sequential steps to attain Scientology's concepts of "clear" and OT is The Bridge to Total Freedom , a large chart enumerating every step in sequence. The steps past "clear" are kept secret from most Scientologists and include the founding myth that seeks to explain Scientology doctrine. Hubbard taught that there were three parts of man:

4018-430: Is very important not to go past a word one does not understand. A person should instead consult a dictionary as to the meaning of the word before progressing, something Scientology calls "word clearing". According to Scientology texts, its beliefs and practices are based on rigorous research, and its doctrines are accorded a significance equivalent to scientific laws. Blind belief is held to be of lesser significance than

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4116-475: The California Department of Education . The review board found no religious content to object to, although they did object to the lack of portrayals of disabled persons and people of color. The Southern California American Civil Liberties Union , however, objected on the basis that the books used many of the terms and concepts that the Church of Scientology uses elsewhere in its Study Tech . In

4214-476: The Introspection Rundown , a brutal and inhumane method to allegedly solve psychotic episodes. The rundown came under public scrutiny when in 1995 Scientologist Lisa McPherson suffered a mental breakdown and was removed from the hospital and held in isolation at a Church of Scientology for 17 days before she died. Scientologists view Hubbard as an extraordinary man, but do not worship him as

4312-532: The Ontario Court of Appeal . The Church of Scientology was convicted of fraud by a French court in 2009, a judgment upheld by the supreme Court of Cassation in 2013. The Church of Scientology has been described by government inquiries, international parliamentary bodies, scholars, law lords, and numerous superior court judgments as both a dangerous cult and a manipulative profit-making business . Numerous scholars and journalists have observed that profit

4410-645: The 1970s, Hubbard's followers engaged in a program of criminal infiltration of the U.S. government , resulting in several executives of the organization being convicted and imprisoned for multiple offenses by a U.S. federal court. Hubbard himself was convicted of fraud in absentia by a French court in 1978 and sentenced to four years in prison. In 1992, a court in Canada convicted the Scientology organization in Toronto of spying on law enforcement and government agencies and criminal breach of trust, later upheld by

4508-586: The Applied Materials' Precision 5000 was inducted into the Smithsonian Institution's permanent collection of Information Age technology. In November 1996, Applied Materials acquired two Israeli companies for an aggregate amount of $ 285 million: Opal Technologies and Orbot Instruments for $ 175 million and $ 110 million in cash, respectively. Orbot produces systems for inspecting patterned silicon wafers for yield enhancement during

4606-519: The Church, in what is referred to as the Free Zone . Estimates put the number of Scientologists at under 40,000 worldwide. Key Scientology beliefs include reincarnation , and that traumatic events cause subconscious command-like recordings in the mind (termed " engrams ") that can be removed only through an activity called " auditing ". A fee is charged for each session of "auditing". Once an "auditor" deems an individual free of "engrams" they are given

4704-489: The Constitution and Usefulness of Knowledge , which used the term to mean the science of science . It is unknown whether Hubbard was aware of either prior usage of the word. As the 1950s developed, Hubbard saw the advantages of having his Scientology movement legally recognised as a religion. In an April 1953 letter to Helen O'Brien, his US business manager, he proposed that Scientology should be transformed into

4802-766: The GO infiltrated the IRS and numerous other government departments and stole tens of thousands of documents pertaining to the Church, politicians, and celebrities. In July 1977, the FBI raided Church premises in Washington, DC, and Los Angeles, revealing the extent of the GO's infiltration into government departments and other groups. Eleven officials and agents of the Church were indicted; in December 1979, they were sentenced to between 4 and 5 years each and individually fined $ 10,000 (equivalent to $ 42,000 in 2023). Among those found guilty

4900-525: The Nazis into mass murderers, and the Holocaust. The Scientology organization operates the anti-psychiatry group Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), which operates Psychiatry: An Industry of Death , an anti-psychiatry museum. Though Hubbard had stated psychosis was not something Scientology dealt with, after noticing many Scientologists were suffering breakdowns after using his techniques he created

4998-469: The Scientology organization stated that OT levels nine and ten would only be released when certain benchmarks in its expansion had been achieved. The Church of Scientology has gone to considerable length to try to maintain the secrecy of the texts, but they remain widely available on the internet. This is partly due to litigation involving Scientology, whereby the Fishman Affidavit was leaked to

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5096-500: The Scientology organization. The Scientology organization claims that the material taught in the OT levels can only be comprehended once its previous material has been mastered and is therefore kept confidential until a person reaches the requisite level. Higher-level members typically refuse to talk about the contents of these OT levels. Those progressing through the OT levels are taught additional, more advanced auditing techniques; one of

5194-490: The Scientology organization. Despite its efforts to maintain the secrecy of the texts, they are freely available on various websites, including at the media organization WikiLeaks . These texts say past lives took place in extraterrestrial cultures . They involve an alien called Xenu , described as a planetary ruler 70 million years ago who brought billions of aliens to Earth and killed them with thermonuclear weapons . Despite being kept secret from most followers, this forms

5292-865: The Sea Org, rose to prominence. Hubbard died at his ranch in Creston, California, on January 24, 1986, and David Miscavige succeeded Hubbard as head of the Church. In 1993, the Internal Revenue Service dropped all litigation against the Scientology organization and recognized it as a religious institution. Hubbard lies at the core of Scientology and his writings remain the source of its ideas and practices. Sociologist of religion David G. Bromley describes Scientology as Hubbard's "personal synthesis of philosophy, physics, and psychology". Hubbard claimed that he developed his ideas through research and experimentation, rather than through revelation from

5390-501: The Xenu myth can be harmful for those unprepared for it, and the documents discussing Xenu are kept secret from most members. The teachings about Xenu were later leaked by ex-members, becoming a matter of public record after being submitted as evidence in court cases. They are now widely available online. Members who have been given the teachings routinely deny these teachings exist. Hubbard however talked about Xenu on several occasions,

5488-512: The Xenu story bears similarities with some of the science-fiction stories Hubbard published, and substantial themes from the Xenu story are in Hubbard's book Scientology – A History of Man . The degrees above the level of Clear are called "Operating Thetan" or OT. Hubbard described there being 15 OT levels, although he had only completed eight of these during his lifetime. OT levels nine to 15 have not been reached by any Scientologist. In 1988

5586-459: The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina , Applied Scholastics convinced the principal of Prescott Middle School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to implement a program of Study Tech. Critics worried that the move was "an insidious plan ultimately aimed at promoting Scientology." However, Prescott's principal and two education experts claimed that they "saw [no] hidden Scientology agenda or proselytizing in

5684-446: The beliefs that: A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war; where the world can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology. Hubbard developed thousands of neologisms during his lifetime. The nomenclature used by the movement is termed "Scientologese" by members. Scientologists are expected to learn this specialist terminology,

5782-418: The books contain a biography of Hubbard, they omit mentioning his role as the founder of Scientology. The books do not mention any connection with Scientology. Applied Scholastics has also teamed up with educational publisher Heron Books , operated by Delphi Schools , to provide a collection of L. Ron Hubbard's writings on study, education and children. In the 1980's Applied Scholastics, Inc., operating as

5880-618: The category of Western esotericism , while the scholar of religion Andreas Grünschloß noted that it was "closely linked" to UFO religions , as science-fiction themes are evident in its theology. Scholars have also varyingly described it as a "psychotherapeutically oriented religion", a "secularized religion", a "postmodern religion", a "privatized religion", and a "progressive-knowledge" religion. According to scholar of religion Mary Farrell Bednarowski, Scientology describes itself as drawing on science, religion, psychology and philosophy but "has been claimed by none of them and repudiated, for

5978-442: The central mythological framework of Scientology's ostensible soteriology . These aspects have become the subject of popular ridicule. Since its formation, Scientology groups have generated considerable opposition and controversy. This includes deaths of practitioners while under Church of Scientology care, several instances of extensive criminal activities, and allegations by former adherents of exploitation and forced abortions. In

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6076-632: The company acquired Applied Films, a glass coating and web coating business. Also in 2006, Applied announced it was entering the solar manufacturing equipment business. The solar, glass and web businesses were organized into the company's Energy and Environmental Solutions (EES) sector. In 2007, Applied Materials announced the Applied SunFab thin film photovoltaic module production line, with single or tandem junction capability. SunFab applies silicon thin film layers to glass substrate that then produce electricity when exposed to sunlight. In 2009,

6174-548: The company diversified, until James C. Morgan became CEO in 1976 and returned the company's focus to its core business of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. By 1978, sales increased by 17%. In 1984, Applied Materials became the first U.S. semiconductor equipment manufacturer to open its own technology center in Japan and the first semiconductor equipment company to operate a service center in China . In 1987, Applied introduced

6272-627: The company's SunFab line was certified by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). In 2010, Applied announced that it was abandoning the thin film market and closing down their SunFab division. Also in 2007, the company acquired privately held, Switzerland-based HCT Shaping Systems SA, a specialist in wafer sawing tools for both solar and semiconductor wafer manufacture, paying approximately $ 475 million. In 2008, Applied acquired privately held, Italy-based Baccini SpA for $ 330M, company that worked in

6370-602: The deal in March 2021 citing delays in getting approval from China's regulator. In November 2023, Applied Materials was reported to be under criminal investigation by the United States Department of Justice for routing equipment to Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation via South Korea in violation of US sanctions . For the fiscal year 2021, Applied Materials reported earnings of US$ 5.888 billion, with an annual revenue of US$ 23.063 billion,

6468-438: The display business of Applied Films Corporation , acquired in mid-2006. The manufacturing process for TFT LCDs (thin film transistor liquid crystal displays), commonly employed in computer monitors and televisions, is similar to that employed for integrated circuits . In cleanroom environments both TFT-LCD and integrated circuit production use photolithography , chemical and physical vapor deposition, and testing. In 2006,

6566-402: The early 1950s. Hubbard and his early Dianetics organization were prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license in the early 1950s. Hubbard taught that psychiatrists were responsible for a great many wrongs in the world, saying that psychiatry has at various times offered itself as a tool of political suppression and that psychiatry was responsible for the ideology of Hitler, for turning

6664-675: The eight dynamics , the ARC and KRC triangles , the "S and double triangle" symbol, the Scientology cross , and many others . Scientology celebrates seven calendar events including L. Ron Hubbard's birthday, Auditor's Day, and New Year's. There is a Sunday service which is primarily of interest for non-members and beginners. Weddings and funerals are also held. Scientology is vehemently opposed to psychiatry and psychology, and wants to replace them with its own methods. The clinical and academic psychiatry community rejected Hubbard's theories in

6762-472: The entirety of Scientology's "Bridge to Total Freedom" (equivalent to $ 542,000 in 2023). In a 1964 letter, Hubbard stated that a 25-hour block of auditing should cost the equivalent of "three months' pay for the average middle class working individual." In 2007, the fee for a 12 and a half hour block of auditing at the Tampa Org was $ 4000 (equivalent to $ 5,880 in 2023). The Scientology organization

6860-480: The group as a dangerous cult. The sociologist Stephen A. Kent views the Church of Scientology as "a multifaceted transnational corporation , only one element of which is religious". In his history of the Church of Scientology, the scholar Hugh Urban describes Scientology as a "huge, complex, and multifaceted movement". Government inquiries, international parliamentary bodies, scholars, law lords, and numerous superior court judgments describe Scientology both as

6958-536: The massacre, several of the officers in Xenu's service rebelled against him, ultimately capturing and imprisoning him. Hubbard claimed to have discovered the Xenu myth in December 1967, having taken the "plunge" deep into his "time track". Scientology teaches that attempting to recover this information from the "time track" typically results in an individual's death, caused by the presence of Xenu's implants, but that because of Hubbard's "technology" this death can be avoided. The Scientology organization says that learning

7056-667: The metallization steps of solar cell manufacturing. The company was listed at the top of VLSI Research 's list of supplier of photovoltaic manufacturing equipment for 2008, with sales of $ 797M. Since July 2016 the Energy and Environmental Solutions sector is no longer reported separately. Remaining solar business activities have been included in "Corporate and Others". Applied moved into its Bowers Avenue headquarters in Santa Clara, CA, in 1974 and operates in Europe , Japan, Canada ,

7154-460: The most part, by all". Government bodies and other institutions maintain that the Scientology organization is a commercial business that falsely claims to be religious, or alternatively a form of therapy masquerading as religion. The French government characterises the movement as a dangerous cult, and the German government monitors it as an anti-democratic sect. The notion of Scientology as

7252-531: The practical application of Scientologist methods. Adherents are encouraged to validate the practices through their personal experience. Hubbard put it this way: "For a Scientologist, the final test of any knowledge he has gained is, 'did the data and the use of it in life actually improve conditions or didn't it? ' " Many Scientologists avoid using the words "belief" or "faith" to describe how Hubbard's teachings impacts their lives, preferring to say that they "know" it to be true. The central practice of Scientology

7350-451: The prayers, and minister attire suggested by Hubbard reflect his own Protestant traditions. Hubbard claimed that Scientology was "all-denominational", and members of the Scientology organization are not prohibited from active involvement in religions. Scholar of religion Donald Westbrook encountered members who also practiced Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism , and the Nation of Islam ; one

7448-508: The previous week are termed "up stats"; those that show a decline are "down stats". According to leaked tax documents, the Church of Scientology International and Church of Spiritual Technology in the US had a combined $ 1.7 billion in assets in 2012, in addition to annual revenues estimated at $ 200 million a year. Applied Materials Founded in 1967 by Michael A. McNeilly and others, Applied Materials went public in 1972. In subsequent years,

7546-486: The program, and later Tom Cruise lobbied to obtain government funding and met with the Secretary of Education . By 2003, APS materials and tutoring programs were approved in several states. Applied Scholastics has closely managed several service organizations, including: Study Tech is a teaching methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard . Hubbard's theories on education describe three "barriers to learning". The first

7644-546: The public. Materials have also been passed on to other sources and made available by publishers such as the media organization WikiLeaks . To gain the OT levels of training, a member must go to one of the Advanced Organisations or Orgs, which are based in Los Angeles, Clearwater, East Grinstead, Copenhagen, Sydney, and Johannesburg. Conservative estimates indicate that getting to OT VIII would require

7742-400: The scholar of religion Aled Thomas suggests it was appropriate to talk about "Scientologies". Urban describes Scientology as representing a "rich syncretistic blend" of sources, including elements from Hinduism and Buddhism , Thelema , new scientific ideas, science-fiction, and from psychology and popular self-help literature available by the mid-20th century. The ceremonies, structure of

7840-457: The semiconductor equipment industry. In 2015, Applied Materials left the solar wafer sawing and the solar ion implantation businesses. Applied Materials was named among FORTUNE World's Most Admired Companies in 2018. In 2019, Applied Materials announced its intention to buy semiconductor equipment manufacturer (and former Hitachi group member) Kokusai Electric Corporation from private equity firm KKR for $ 2.2 billion, but terminated

7938-461: The semiconductor manufacturing process, as well as systems for inspecting masks used during the patterning process. Opal develops and manufactures high-speed metrology systems used by semiconductor manufacturers to verify critical dimensions during the production of integrated circuits. In 2000, Etec Systems, Inc. was purchased. The following year, on June 27, 2001, Applied Materials acquired Israeli company Oramir Semiconductor Equipment Ltd. ,

8036-527: The spirit, mind, and body. The first of these is a person's inner self which he calls a " thetan ". It is akin to the idea of the soul or spirit found in religious traditions. Hubbard stated that "the thetan is the person. You are YOU in a body." Hubbard referred to the physical universe as the MEST universe , meaning "Matter, Energy, Space and Time", which includes your body. Scientologists believe that thetans can exteriorize ; leave their body. The thetan

8134-575: The status of " clear ". Scholarship differs on the interpretation of these beliefs: some academics regard them as religious in nature; other scholars regard them as merely a means of extracting money from Scientology recruits. After attaining "clear" status, adherents can take part in the Operating Thetan levels, which require further payments. The Operating Thetan texts are kept secret from most followers; they are revealed only after adherents have typically given hundreds of thousands of dollars to

8232-408: The subject. When deemed free of engrams they are given the status of "clear", and then continue doing further auditing until they are deemed to have reached the level Operating Thetan . Hubbard assigns vitality, good health and increased intelligence to those who are given the status of " clear ", having removed the source of their "psychosomatic illnesses". The further status of Operating Thetan (OT)

8330-428: The system's path to salvation is the story of Xenu . Reflecting a strong science-fiction theme within its theology, Scientology's teachings make reference to " space opera ", a term denoting events in the distant past in which "spaceships, spacemen, [and] intergalactic travel" all feature. Hubbard wrote about a great catastrophe that took place 75 million years ago. According to this story, 75 million years ago there

8428-578: The techniques taught is a method of auditing oneself, which is the necessary procedure for reaching OT level seven. Scientology has its own unique definitions for ethics and procedures for justice . According to scholar Stephen Kent, "The purpose of Scientology ethics is to eliminate opponents, then eliminate people's interests in things other than Scientology. In this 'ethical' environment, Scientology would be able to impose its courses, philosophy, and 'justice system' – its so-called technology—onto society." Hubbard created many symbolism concepts, including

8526-704: The text." The school's principal felt that the program was worthwhile. In October 2005, St. Louis Public Schools superintendent Creg Williams discovered the group's Scientology connections and immediately advised area principals to cease working with Applied Scholastics. Additionally, CEO Bennetta Slaughter falsely claimed a "partnership" with the Hazelwood School District in St. Louis. Some parents were upset when Applied Scholastics methods were introduced in September 2008 at Bambolino Montessori Academy,

8624-430: The thetan who truly realized his power to create and destroy universes would in effect be "beyond God".   ... The thetan has been deceived into worshipping such a God by mainstream religion and so forgotten its own godlike power to create and destroy universes. The prices to undertake a full course of auditing with the Church of Scientology are not often advertised publicly. As of 2011 it can easily cost $ 400,000 to do

8722-424: The use of which separates followers from non-Scientologists. The Scientology organization refers to its practices as "technology", a term often shortened to "Tech". Scientologists stress the "standardness" of this "tech", by which they express belief in its infallibility. The Church's system of pedagogy is called "Study Tech" and is presented as the best method for learning. Scientology teaches that when reading, it

8820-836: The wafer fabrication steps of creating a semiconductor device , including atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), rapid thermal processing (RTP), chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), etch, ion implantation and wafer inspection. The company acquired Semitool for this group in late 2009. In 2019, Applied Materials agreed to buy semiconductor manufacturer Kokusai for $ 2.2 Billion. The Applied Global Services (AGS) group offers equipment installation support and warranty extended support, as well as maintenance support. AGS also offers new and refurbished equipment, as well as upgrades and enhancements for installed base equipment. This sector also includes automation software for manufacturing environments. AGS combined an existing business unit with

8918-802: The word "Scientology" meant " knowing about knowing or science of knowledge ". The name "Scientology" deliberately makes use of the word "science", seeking to benefit from the "prestige and perceived legitimacy" of natural science in the public imagination. In doing so, Scientology has been compared to religious groups like Christian Science and the Science of Mind , which employed similar tactics. The term "Scientology" had been used in published works at least twice before Hubbard. In The New Word (1901), poet and lawyer Allen Upward first used scientology to mean blind, unthinking acceptance of scientific doctrine (compare scientism ). In 1934, philosopher Anastasius Nordenholz published Scientology: Science of

9016-432: The world. In return, these schools pay 4% of their gross income to Applied Scholastics. Applied Scholastics markets several books that are " Based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard " and were copyrighted by L. Ron Hubbard Library and printed by Bridge Publications , the publishing arm of the Church of Scientology. Later, the books were re-published under the imprint "Effective Education Publishing". They include: Though

9114-555: The worldwide headquarters of the Church of Scientology and his personal residence. With the organization often under heavy criticism, it adopted strong measures of attack in dealing with its critics. In 1966, the organization established the Guardian's Office (GO), a department devoted to undermining those hostile towards Scientology. The GO launched an extensive program of countering negative publicity, gathering intelligence, and infiltrating organizations. In " Operation Snow White ",

9212-470: Was Hubbard's then-wife, Mary Sue Hubbard. Public revelation of the GO's activities brought widespread condemnation of the Church. In 1967, Hubbard established a new group, the Sea Organization or "Sea Org", the membership of which was drawn from the most committed members of the Scientology organization. By 1981, the 21-year-old David Miscavige , who had been one of Hubbard's closest aides in

9310-481: Was a Baptist minister. In practice, however, Westbrook noted that most Church members consider Scientology to be their only commitment, and the deeper their involvement became, the less likely they were to continue practicing other traditions. Debate as to whether Scientology should be regarded as a cult, a business, a scam, or a religion has continued over many years. Many Scientologists consider it to be their religion. Its founder, L. Ron Hubbard , presented it as

9408-428: Was a Galactic Confederacy of 76 planets ruled over by a leader called Xenu . The Confederacy was overpopulated and Xenu transported millions of aliens to earth and killed them with hydrogen bombs . The thetans of those killed were then clustered together and implants were inserted into them, designed to kill any body that these thetans would subsequently inhabit should they recall the event of their destruction. After

9506-464: Was also named as a defendant in the suit. Employees at AM confirmed that "Scientology teachings were used regularly by the company during self-improvement and confidence seminars led by a company called Applied Scholastics". AM settled for an estimated $ 600,000 and admitted the company "lacked sensitivity with regard to the controversial nature of L. Ron Hubbard". In 1998, the group submitted five of its books for approval as supplemental classroom texts to

9604-594: Was established in 1987. Prior to that, APS was managed under the Social Coordination Bureau of the Guardian's Office (SoCo). The organization is staffed by Scientology officials , and it licenses the methods and materials to other organizations, and oversees their use. Applied Scholastics was included in the 1993 closing agreement between the IRS and the Church of Scientology, and was classified as

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