Introduction: In America, the Amish religion began in the early 1700s--its small following has been growing in America ever since. Scientology has roots in the 1950s, and has significantly grown in popularity due to endorsements from very influential celebrity followers. The Branch Davidian once held a considerable following; however, in 1993, that came to a fiery end. In the United States, there is a growing interest in smaller religious groups; groups, that when looked further into, are at the center of much adversity. With growing popularity, juxtaposed with growing controversy, what is it that compels society to join these almost secular groups, instead of the traditional ideologies the nation was founded upon?
At the arrival of this …show more content…
But despite this high statistic, there is corruption in the Amish community. A story of a Mary Byler, 20, reveals some ugly truths of the Amish society. Byler was not only raped and sexually assaulted by men in the Amish community and at least three of her eight brothers, but also physically abused by her stepfather. Byler said, "If somebody was raping me, I'd look up to the ceiling, count the blocks or count the cracks in the wall, or just I was completely not there emotionally” ("Sexual Abuse in the Amish Community."). This abuse scarred Byler because of the lack of sexual education taught to adolescent girls in the Amish community. Byler also speaks of the physical violence by her stepfather to her and her brothers. He would hit them with “shovels and hacksaws, fists, halters, anything and everything he could get his hands on.” Byler eventually gained the courage to get justice with help from outside the community. Once Byler’s brothers were convicted, sadly, her community was more empathetic for her brother Johnny Byler. This event shows the struggle of an innocent girl getting abused by not only her family, but also the whole Amish community. During the time of Rumspringa the teens have “the opportunity to taste life with cars, electricity, alcohol, and rock and roll so Amish-raised teens decide whether to be baptized and enter the church” …show more content…
This religion began in 1952 when a science fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard, published his beliefs. In his writing, Hubbard “became the first to scientifically isolate, measure and describe the human spirit, while objectively demonstrating spiritual potentials well in advance of scientific thought” ("How Do People Get into Scientology?"). Throughout Hubbard’s life, he published more than 5,000 writings of Scientology and oversaw the direction of several churches. At the time of Hubbard’s death in 1986, The New York Times reports the congregation having anywhere from 700,000 to six million followers. Now, Scientology reports a gain of 4.4 million people each year and has spread into 176 countries. Scientology is rapidly gaining popularity. Scientology’s flagship website, scientology.org, suggests that “people get into Scientology because they want to improve something in their lives or because they wish to help others improve and thus create a better civilization.” Tom Cruise and John Travolta are notable advocates of this religion. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, “Hubbard . . . had an infatuation with bringing famous people into Scientology” and had a “Project Celebrity” (Young). Scientology is a new, modern religion which many people have tried to criticize, but “the church is also known for the extraordinary lengths to which Scientology leaders go to keep believers in line and censor criticism” (Gjelten). The