With respect to more popular religions like Christianity and Islam, The Church of Scientology is in its infancy. The church itself was born in 1953 in Camden, New Jersey. Its beliefs aren't much older, dating back to L. Ron Hubbard's 1950 book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. (More on Dianetics here.)
Scientology is unique in that it is a religion born out of pop culture. Its creator, L. Ron Hubbard, is neither a saint nor a deity. Instead, Hubbard wrote semi-popular fantasy and science fiction novels. This makes Scientology a very interesting topic within Religion and Popular Culture. Popular religious themes can be found in nearly every medium. In western culture specifically, Christian themes can be extrapolated from most any art form if one tries hard enough. Scientology, on the other hand, works in the opposite direction. Rather than finding themes of Scientology in all our media, Scientology has incorporated common themes of media into itself. This can be seen in the basis of its formation, its public relations techniques, and its large number of celebrity members.
Though L. Ron Hubbard wrote fiction throughout his life and released several novels posthumous, his real claim to fame is the creation of The Church of Scientology. His celebrity and that of his religion continue to feed each other in the eye of them media. (More on L. Ron and the Hubbard family here.)
Though L. Ron Hubbard wrote fiction throughout his life and released several novels posthumous, his real claim to fame is the creation of The Church of Scientology. His celebrity and that of his religion continue to feed each other in the eye of them media. (More on L. Ron and the Hubbard family here.)
A pensive Hubbard, taken from his website www.lronhubbard.org(1).
References:
1. Chronology: Significant events in the life of L. Ron Hubbard. (2015). L. Ron Hubbard: Founder of Dianetics and Scientology. Retrieved from http://www.lronhubbard.org/ron-series/profile/chronology.html#part1