Yup. Human's have the desire to be part of a group. It's called "Belongingness" Scientology certainly provides that to a unique set of individuals, especially those, like Cruise, who have a narcissistic tendencies. Plus, high profile people in the entertainment industry probably hesitate to walk into any old church, where they may cause quite a stir and be surrounded by a demographic that is vastly different than them. Take a look at the list of Scientologists
Definitely agree. Our desire to be apart of a social group is one of the great crutches of modern religion. I have met so many people that care more about the social group religions inherently provide, than the doctrine or even the philosophy. However, Scientology confuses me because they do seek explanation. It is really the only "new religion" that recruits and still strongly depends on explanation. I guess the only way that this is possible in the 2013 is to utilize the word "science" and a pseudoscientific approach to lure in people who lack a strong social network and have no science education.Human's have the desire to be part of a group. It's called "Belongingness"