Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Scientology in Inglewood


THE NEW Church of Scientology was dedicated November 5, 2011, in front of 5,000 Scientologists and their guests.  Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, was joined by civic leaders and government officials to commemorate the opening of a new Church in Inglewood.

The Church stands in the heart of downtown, at 315 South Market Street, and shows the attempts of the Church to branch out to a new demographic.  The neighboring community center stands just a few minutes away in South Los Angeles, at 8039 South Vermont Avenue. Together this Church and community center provide for all Scientology religious services as well as its many humanitarian initiatives and social betterment programs for the benefit of Inglewood and South Los Angeles.

Whether or not this church has been well received is still up for question, and something I don't foresee gaining many new members any time soon.  The location is actually housed in a historic art deco landmark that dates from the early 1930s. It features a 380-seat event hall, which is not surprisingly called the L. Ron Hubbard Community Auditorium.  It also has various class rooms and tutoring centers geared towards helping children to read and host community-wide initiatives.  While the "Church" is attempting to run initiatives to help the community, their presence alone may turn people off to the idea and perhaps scare them away from their help.

--Julian

Photo Credit: The Church of Scientology website

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