According to the beliefs of the Church of Scientology, each human’s body is controlled by an eternal being called a Thetan, which passes from body to body forever. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

As a diverse and populated city, Houston is home to many religions — from the mainstream to the downright weird.

It’s no surprise that the Church of Scientology, which became an official U.S. religion in 1993 by receiving tax-exempt status, set up an establishment on Fondren Road for curious Houstonians.

We reached out to the Houston mission with request for an interview or comment but have not heard back. In the meantime, here’s four things you probably didn’t know about Scientology.

It’s still a small religion

Scientology was founded by L. Ron Hubbard, a sci-fi writer who holds the Guinness World Record for the greatest number of books written and published by one person.

In 1950, he published “Dianetics,” which describes the process of talking out feelings and experiences to achieve a status known as “clear.” Although discredited by psychologists and therapists, the book was popular with the general public, and Hubbard began charging people to become trained as “auditors,” or people who listen to another.

Those concepts and trainings expanded into the religion known as Scientology, which decades later has only roughly 25,000 members in the U.S., according to the American Religious Identification Survey. This is despite the church’s claims that it is experiencing “explosive growth” and claims to have 8 million members worldwide.

They believe we’re all Thetans

According to the Church of Scientology, each human body is controlled by an eternal being called a Thetan, which passes from body to body forever.

Once Hubbard’s book “Dianetics” grew popular, he expanded beyond “clear” and said people could achieve a higher level of themselves known as an “Operating Thetan.” The process, which involves paying for courses and auditing sessions, is called “The Bridge to Total Freedom.”

Former Scientologists say the auditing sessions feel therapeutic at first, but as you climb higher into the levels of the religion, you become susceptible to some of Scientology’s stranger and more rigid ideologies.

Scientologists believe in God, but they aren’t Christian

Despite numerous Christian parallels, such as a cross-like symbol, Sunday services, ministers and being a “church,” the Church of Scientology isn’t Christian.

They don’t follow the Bible or any other books except the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, which have been revised numerous times since the religion’s inception. Instead, spokespeople for the religion say their Supreme Being can be from any other religion.

Scientologists liken themselves to Buddhists: It’s not what you believe — it’s what you do that makes you a member.

Only high-level officials believe in Xenu, the alien who founded Earth

The Church of Scientology has never publicly acknowledged its origin story because it is supposed to be unlocked once reaching the third tier of Operating Thetan, or “OT 3.”

Tom Cruise, who has said he is the third highest-ranking Scientologist, reached this level a few years ago.

They believe that 75 million years ago, Xenu, the leader of a Galactic Confederacy of dozens of planets, including Earth, tricked billions of his alien citizens, then froze and detonated all the creatures. The souls of those murdered aliens, or Thetans, are said to inhabit all humans on Earth today.

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“Stranger things: 4 facts about Scientology” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The church holds services every Saturday in the evening when most other shops in the area have closed. | Nguyen Le/The Cougar

There is a church in Old Town Spring, but God is not worshiped there.

It has been a while since the Greater Church of Lucifer’s controversial, headline-grabbing first service. But while the protesting is no more, the emotions remain.

“There were some people boycotting Old Town Spring,” said Matthew Lynn, the local chef and owner of Ellen’s Cafe. “Somehow they thought the shop owners have a say on who could open up down here. We’re just individually owned properties.”

Talk of the town

Except for an episode in which his patrons reacted to the pentagrams, black clothing and tattoos that adorn the church’s members, Lynn said GCoL has been a quiet neighbor.

He, however, regarded the Luciferian establishment as a challenge from the higher power.

“I didn’t want the church here when I first heard about it,” Lynn said. “I was four-square against it, but if you don’t give it any energy then it doesn’t have any energy.”

The place also unnerved followers of the other religious establishment in the area, the Immanuel United Church of Christ, where Rev. Ron Krueger is the pastor. He has not yet visited GCoL, but did say that he would make time to do so in the future.

It will be a welcome-to-the-neighborhood kind of gesture, Krueger said. It would be something different to the sign-waving, the shouting or the praying that occurred on Oct. 31, 2015.

“There were concerns about the people who were in that church that they may not be following a very good path,” Krueger said. “It sounded like something that wasn’t fulfilling and certainly wasn’t Christian, which is our path. I had a concern for the people of the church, too, that hopefully they would find the right path for them.”

GCoL has a phone number that is out of service. It is also not listed as one of the merchants on Old Town Spring’s website. | Nguyen Le/The Cougar

On June 13, the church’s board of directors, HopeMarie Ford, Michael W. Ford and Jeremy Crow, posted a statement on GCoL’s Facebook announcing the resignation of co-founder Jacob No due to mismanaging donations and funds.

The post also revealed his real name as Jacob McKelvy, the owner, digital marketer and consultant at JBM Consulting.

“Obstacles and challenges which we currently face will be overcome and conquered,” the statement read. “We are now putting together steps to ensure this does not happen again in the future.”

GCoL’s official website is currently down as it is being transferred to an in-organization owner.

Operators of GCoL declined to comment when contacted via email.

GCoL went through two vandalism incidents. Their Facebook page has a video titled “GCOL HATE CRIME” showing a couple smashing the front window with a cherub statue. The second one, which made local news, revolved a branch of a 200-year-old pecan tree getting sawed off to damage the church’s roof.

Maria Gagis, manager of The Black Sheep Bistro and The Italian Joint restaurants, thought the acts were horrific reactions to “something you don’t like.” She is also a member of the Old Town Spring Preservation League, an association overlooking the area’s lands and merchants.

“I’d like to know in what church that any minister, rabbi, congregation thinks that that kind of behavior is OK?” Gagis said. “If you have enough time to chop down a tree, you should come to my house, trim some of my trees and I’ll pay you for it.”

Surveillance warnings absent during spring break now appear around the church. | Nguyen Le/The Cougar

Friction between faiths

To Pat, a metaphysical shop owner who kept her last name and business name hidden, extensive media coverage on the Luciferian church placed the town on the map.

“Why don’t people come and find out what they are?” Pat said. “If you truly believe in your faith, you shouldn’t be afraid.”

Besides GCoL’s leaders, Pat would be the first to know about the happenings around the church because her shop is close by. It was also the proximity that got her harassed by the protesters.

On GCoL’s opening day, a protester used oil to flick a holy cross onto the porch of Pat’s shop. When Easter came, two of Pat’s weekend employees got heckled while they were on a smoking break. She also said that the church’s sign was dented the night before.

“The shop owner next door told me, ‘This is not the Christianity I was taught,’” Pat said. “She was appalled. They think religion gives them a right to do what they want.”

There is a petition on Change.org calling for GCoL to be jettisoned for the sake of the town’s image and prosperity. It has yet reached the halfway mark of its 500-signature goal.

Pat believes the petition’s purpose ignores the true damaging agents to the town: layoffs from the recession, election year and lowered oil prices.

“(GCoL members) only meet, at most, twice a month,” Pat said. “They’re not missionaries going around and trying to convert you.”

Typing “Greater Church of Lucifer” into Google Maps will return no results. | Nguyen Le/The Cougar

The Path ahead

Pat said protesters won’t be around if the news cameras aren’t.

“As long as you don’t harm other people or children, what you believe is your own business,” Pat said. “How you treat other people tells who you really are.”

Aaron Ott, an anthropologist and lecturer for UH’s Religious Studies program, was not surprised at the visceral outbursts and GCoL’s reclusive nature. He cited that, even though the West is in a post-Christian era, people don’t want to give up what they know.

“Because Luciferianism and Satanism are conflated by those historically Christian assumptions, a person may not be Christian at all but they will still react to it,” Ott said. “They think it’s an attack on the homeland.”

Ott trusts that GCoL and Luciferianism can have a future in the U.S. One suggestion: refrain from using anti-Christian symbols such as pentagrams or the horned deity Baphomet.

Back at Immanuel United Church of Christ, Krueger said he would not shun people from the church should they come to his establishment. He specified that there won’t be a form asking your beliefs upon arrival.

“Jesus welcomes all,” Krueger said.

editor@thedailycougar.com

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“In a small Texas town, a place to follow Lucifer” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s statements have started a fire that scorches other people and their beliefs. |  Justin Cross/The Cougar

“Politics hates a vacuum. If it isn’t filled with hope, someone will fill it with fear.”

Naomi Klein’s words certainly ring true during this unusual presidential race. Nothing brings out America’s hopes and fears like a hard-fought battle for the White House.

The 2016 election cycle — at times a clown show more than a presidential race — comes after a decade of war and fear mongering since 9/11.

It is no coincidence that, “in the age of Donald Trump,” the nation is witnessing extraordinary religious extremism and racism. And religious extremism fans the flames of the politics of fear.

Trump has fueled religious extremism on several occasions. Some of his most dangerous comments include “calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States,” claiming that Christianity itself is “under siege” and, just this month, claiming that president “Obama founded ISIS, literally.”

Tragically for us, Christian as well as Muslim extremists are picking up on his hate speech and mobilizing. It’s not a coincidence, therefore, that Trump enjoys the endorsement of the Ku Klux Klan, or that his comments have been featured on an Al-Qaeda recruiting video.

But rather than blaming this election season’s hate speech entirely on the “Trump effect,” we need to ask deep, honest and introspective questions of ourselves: Why do some American’s flock toward this kind of religious extremism? Why don’t they reject it outright?

It’s easy for us to blame Trump, and even easier still to label him a racist or just plain ignorant. The truth is that Trump is the fruit, rotten and distasteful as it may be, of every election season since George W. Bush. The rise of Barack Hussein Obama, the U.S.’s first African-American president and whose father was a Kenyan Muslim, was enough to roil the racist sensibilities of many in the GOP to its very core.

The ensuing fight for the Republican Party’s survival depended on strengthening their right-wing, Christian, conservative credentials. So in the aftermath of 9/11 and the so-called “War on Terror,” the “Islamophobia industry” — as author Nathan Lean demonstrates — flourished. Conservative activists, donors, intellectuals, televangelists, media and politicians generated a multi-million dollar industry through anti-Muslim programming.

Nowhere was the “Islamophobia industry” more active than during the 2010 midterm election cycle. The “Ground Zero mosque” controversy, neither a mosque nor located on Ground Zero anyway, was made up out of thin air. And it became one in a series of protests blocking mosques from being built anywhere on U.S. soil.

The 2012 election cycle saw the peak of #CreepingSharia, another fearsome but hollow campaign aimed at maligning American Muslims. By 2015, hate crimes against American Muslims were five times higher than before 9/11.

Trump himself is not particularly religious, and there’s no indication he could tell the Bible from Moby Dick. So why does insulting Muslims or Mexicans resonate?

Religious extremism is a tool to harness the fears of working-class, older, white Americans — the political base of the GOP. It’s an audience that includes good, hardworking people, evangelicals, workers who lost factory jobs, families who sent their kids off to war, average people falling victim to alcoholism and suicide at higher rates, and a white America shrinking before a growing Spanish-speaking population.

Trump is banking on scaring enough votes out of them to land him in the White House, an increasingly unlikely prospect after Khizr Khan constitutional intervention at the DNC.

The U.S. is indebted to the Khan family, not just for their son’s sacrifice, but for potentially saving our republic from the politics of fear and persistent religious extremism.

Emran El-Badawi is the program director and associate professor of Middle Eastern studies. If you want to submit a guest column, please contact us at opinion@thedailycougar.com.

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“Guest Column: Trump creates an election of the extremes” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

My grandmother is a bhiksuni, or Buddhist nun, who can always bring serenity into every conversation. She will be 93 soon. This issue is dedicated to her. | Courtesy of Nguyen Le

Point upward, and we will all say it’s the sky. Ask who governs that space, and get ready for conflicting answers.

Depending on the person you talk to, the figure that looks after and over us assumes different names and is described in different ways. For me, it’s the Buddha.

Back in Vietnam, whenever Tet comes around, my family goes to a monastery about 30 miles from the city where my elders and theirs are residing. It is here that I can express my gratitude toward the Buddha, whom my parents said has been looking after everyone in the household since my first breath and will continue to do so for the next in my bloodline.

You give thanks to the Buddha by lighting an incense (or a bunch on special occasions), clasping them with your palms, raising them to your forehead and gently whispering your prayers. With complete focus and all my heart, my parents assert that whatever goodness I yearn for will be realized: be it safe travels, freedom from ailments, a passing grade or being able to support my family now — and my families later.

Of course, how I make contact with the higher power is different from someone else’s method. A few might use their access to the omnipresent figure to get “permission” to do harm. There are also those who deem there’s little proof to comprehend the person upstairs, or simply that there’s no one there at all.

Vietnam, like the U.S., has a couple of lines in the constitution stating how all faiths in the universe can have a place in everyday life. In reality, the differences in who and how you worship is an agent to raise scorn or draw a rift in the community.

There has been plenty of the latter here in this nation — something to which recent headlines and the comment section underneath them can attest. It has reached a point where the world seems to have only two religions to name, and “with prejudice” is the only appropriate way for one to show awareness of the other.

This is where the Faith Issue comes in. In the pages that follow, I hope you will find a snippet of your faith among others, and how each is good and perceived. “Snippet” is the key word here: only a peek, only a piece, only a patch in the whole canvas that make up your creed.

But sometimes people forge a definition out of this particular patch. Like all definitions, it is a simplification of a grander thing. Rather than be contented, the tree you see should encourage you to inspect the whole forest.

Stay open-minded as you read on. Use an element of a faith that you will read through here as new knowledge, known information to share and a topic for civilized discussions. Too often religion, when brought up, is handled with silence, aversion or hostility when it is one of the most crucial topics to know about.

Yes, faith can be heady, weighty and, at times, ugly. It also has everything that is otherwise, too.

As with all published materials from The Cougar, the articles in the Faith Issue will personally enlighten you and continue the global exchange of ideas — in particular those about the force overlooking all lives and the guidelines from said force that we have chosen to upheld.

I have faith that what I wish for can happen.

copychief@thedailycougar.com

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“Editor’s note: Faith can be an opener, no matter the form it takes” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Beyonce will come to Houston, musically, and team up with Rihanna at the House of Blues this weekend. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Beyoncé vs. Rihanna

9:30 a.m. Saturday to 1:30 a.m. Sunday, House of Blues

Prove to the two musical royalties that you are willing to get in formation and have your money to attend this special tribute/dance event! Must be at least 21 years old.

Houston Latin Fest

1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Jones Plaza

Get your tickets to a music festival that celebrates the Latin culture, heritage and universal diversity. Who needs to fly this weekend when the North, Central, South and the Caribbean shall come to Houston? Hosted by Telemundo Houston.

Pokémon Day

10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Children’s Museum of Houston

Add more entries to your Pokédex among the premises, see your favorite pocket monsters in reality (read: costumes) and take pictures with staple characters from the media franchise! Oh, and Pikachu ears, too. Tickets are $12, but take $2 off when you come to the event as Charmander.

Incredible India

8:30 p.m., Saturday, Miller Outdoor Theater

More than 60 local dancers will bring years of India’s exquisite culture and beauty to life right before audiences’ eyes. Free tickets for the covered seating area can be picked up on the day at the box office between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Or you can head for the hill.

Umbrellas Over the Esplanade

6 to 10 p.m., Friday, 2800 Navigation Blvd.

For this month, “Evenings on the Esplanade” welcome the talents of local artist Amanda De Rosario, the band Nick Gaitan & The Umbrella Man and barbecued treats from the acclaimed Pitmaker Team.

Admission is free. For $20 you can get an umbrella, paint it under De Rosario’s direction upon request and keep your creation when the exhibition ends on Sept. 12.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Beyonce’s music, cultures will grace Houston this weekend” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

$1 Hot Dog Day

10 a.m., Saturday, Traders Village Houston

Search for bargains or consume one this weekend! All you have to do is hand over a little bit of cash for a delicious return on investment. Admission is free. Parking is $4.

Infinite Pause: Photography and Time

10 a.m. to 5 p.m., every Tuesday and Wednesday until Sept. 5, Museum of Fine Arts 

Time can be frozen and these artists can prove it. See the top photographers from the 1850’s to the 21st century seize movement, capture action and frame the element that, by design, is always moving forward. Entry is $15.

White Linen Nights w/ Soul Creatures

11 p.m., Saturday, Fitzgerald’s

Houston’s hottest funk band is going to heat up the white night with songs you can definitely rock out to. Show starts at 11 p.m. upstairs. No payment at the door — just bring your purest jamming attitude. Also in the neighborhood is the White Linen Night on White Oak event.

Jazz ‘n’ Blues Brunch

11 a.m to 2 p.m., Saturday, House of Blues

Indulge your taste buds with an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet and entertain your ears with snazzy tunes of smooth jazz, blues or R&B. Talk about a perfect marriage. Live music is from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Buffet is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Suicide Squad

Check cinemas for showtimes!

Summer’s biggest theatrical event is finally here. When there’s a villain in the neighborhood, the right move to beat it is to call more villains. See clips and more information over at Cooglife.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Make weekend fulfilling with cheap hot dog, upbeat music” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Harry Potter Midnight Release Party!

9 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Brazos Bookstore

Return to J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World with trivia, a little bit of real magic and receive copies of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts I & II at midnight. In its stage form, the story about the sons of Potter and Draco Malfoy has been earning rave reviews.

SummerSeries at the Silos

5 to 9 p.m., Friday, The Silos on Sawyer

Enjoy all sorts of arts — everything from photography, paintings, mixed media, ceramics and more — from talented creators and mingle over summer cocktails at this exhibition located in the First Ward. Entry to the event is free.

Houston Jazz Festival “Benefit for Bash” ft. Frank Lacy

2 p.m., Saturday, House of Blues

Local jazz artists will gather and celebrate the music and talents of drummer/composer Sebastian Whittaker, also known as “Bash.” Four-time Grammy-award winner Frank Lacy will be one of the performers at this event. Tickets are $20 each and for standing room only.

City With No Limits Movie Night

8 p.m., Saturday, Discovery Green

It can’t get more “Space City weekend” than this: an outdoor screening of Interstellar with an astronaut in attendance. The film starts at 8:45 p.m.

Amber Secrets: Feathers from the Age of Dinosaurs

9 a.m. to 5 p.m., ongoing until March 26, Houston Museum of Natural Science

Who says the past can’t be captured? See insects, creatures and plants from the mid-Cretaceous period and entertain the idea of a real-life Jurassic Park at this special exhibition. Entry is $30 per person.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Make the weekend magical with Harry Potter, jazz” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The Gulen Institute at the University of Houston, named after cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused of orchestrating a short-lived military coup in Turkey, published a statement Friday denouncing the act that resulted in 6,000 arrests and 290 deaths.

“We condemn any military intervention in domestic politics of Turkey,” according to the statement. “Events on the ground are moving quickly and it would be irresponsible for us to speculate on them. We remain concerned about the safety and security of Turkish citizens and those in Turkey right now. Comments by pro-Erdogan circles about the movement are highly irresponsible.”

The statement originated from the pro-Gulen nonprofit, Alliance for Shared Values.

In May, charter schools with links to Gulen in the U.S. — including Texas’ science-and-math-centric Harmony Public Schools — were named in a lawsuit from the Turkish government.

“We have been retained by the Republic to expose allegedly unlawful conduct by the Gulen network worldwide,” said Robert Amsterdam, founding partner of the international law firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP, in October 2015. “We cannot entrust an entire generation of children to a group that claims to uphold the ‘truth of light,’ yet is itself covered in darkness.”

After the coup, Erdogan requested President Barack Obama to extradite Gulen to maintain U.S.-Turkey ties. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that he will consider the matter when evidence is presented.

“The country that would stand behind this man is no friend to Turkey,” said Binali Yildirim, Turkey’s prime minister. “It would even be a hostile act against Turkey.”

Gulen denied that he directed the coup.

“I don’t believe that the world believes the accusations made by President Erdogan,” Gulen said. “There is a possibility that it could be a staged coup and it could be meant for further accusations (against Gulen and his followers).”

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Gulen Institute at UH denounces Turkey coup attempt” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

While unlikely, let’s wish for no rain this weekend because there are Pokemon to catch, AC/DC gets a proper homage and there’s a chance to see Bruce Lee.

Pokemon GO Party

Show some love for the wildly popular mobile game from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. Meet other players, show your collection, go hunting, visit a Pokestop or do battle at two nearby gyms. Take a photo and share it with #HoustonArboretum to get a chance at winning a Family Tree Membership. Don’t forget to bring drinks, snacks, hats and sunscreens.

2016 Houston DUB Show

The most prominent publication of car culture is gracing Houston with rides modified to the nines and artists that will certainly rock the venue like Desiigner plus 50 Cent. Pre-sale tickets end Saturday. On the day of event — Sunday — tickets start at $30. Get down to NRG Center and hang around from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Back in Black: The AC/DC Concert Experience

There are tribute bands that look the part and tribute bands that channel the part. For the guys of Back in Black, they do both. Electrify yourself with tunes from the iconic name of rock — and music, even — from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday at the House of Blues. Tickets are here and all ages are welcome. Special guests include the Van Halen tribute band, VHT, and Think Lizzy who will be all things Thin Lizzy.

Screen Asia: The Way of the Dragon

Take on the summer heat with Bruce Lee’s smash hit that sees him going to Rome to protect his cousins’ restaurant business from gangsters. Bring blankets, lawn chairs and snacks to the Asia Society Texas Center on Friday because this is an outdoor screening. Enjoy offerings from an on-site food truck at 7 p.m. and see the kicks flying at 8 p.m.

Puffy, Prickly, Poured

Anya Tish Gallery on Montrose presents an exhibition where the three titular properties represent the styles of three U.S.-based, international-born artists. See Claire Ashley’s sewn sculptures, Dan Lam’s surreal blobs and Xuan Chen’s works that transform the painting process. Exhibition is on view Friday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. all the way to Aug. 13.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Weekend events celebrate AC/DC, Pokemon” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

The Facebook post and subsequent reactions to it have been covered by the Houston Chronicle, Channel 13 and Channel 11. | Trey Strange/The Cougar

President and Chancellor Renu Khator made a statement on Thursday addressing the Facebook post from Rohini Sethi, the vice president of the Student Government Association, that has enraged students and initiated calls for her resignation.

“SGA has always been ‘of the students, by the students and for the students’ and UH’s system of shared governance does not allow administrative intervention in SGA,” Khator said.

Khator encouraged students to foster change through listening and acceptance.

“The University and I stand firm on the values of diversity, inclusion and unity,” Khator said. “But differences of opinion are the natural byproduct of such discourse, and UH remains committed to the principles of free and open expression.”

Sethi’s controversial post on Black Lives Matter last Thursday stemmed the trending #RemoveRohini and, most recently, a petition directed at Khator for Sethi’s removal. The petition is close to reaching its goal of 500 signatures.

SGA planned an open forum about the event to take place Thursday, but it has been rescheduled for July 26.

The statement also said that the Center for Diversity and Inclusion has planned activities to create “respectful” conversations between students.

Channel 13 got Sethi’s apology on Tuesday, and she published an explanation on her Facebook. However, a statement issued on Twitter from the Black Student Caucus, a collective of black leaders on campus, rejected her apologies.

A screenshot of Khator’s statement is below.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“Khator issues statement on #RemoveRohini” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar