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Multi-million pound Scientology base opens in the West Midlands

It is the secretive religion which has attracted curiosity and controversy and counts the likes of Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its followers.

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The Scientology base in Birmingham. Credit: ScientologyNews.org

Now the Church of Scientology has opened a £4.2 million headquarters in the West Midlands.

The base at the Grade-II listed Pitmaston House in Moseley features an information centre, where followers can access an ‘introduction to dianetics and Scientology’, and 500 films detailing the ‘beliefs and practices’ of the religion and ‘legacy’ of its founder, the science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard.

There is also a chapel for ‘Scientology congregational gatherings’ including weddings and naming services, the church said.

Leaders said the building would also host ‘community-wide events, open to members of all denominations’. The facility also includes seminar rooms and classrooms and a wing dedicated to ‘Scientology auditing’, which the church says means spiritual counselling.

Scientology, which has its roots in California, has been the subject of intrigue for years due to its secretive and controversial nature, as well as its ability to attract some of the biggest Hollywood stars.

Cruise and Travolta are among the most well-known of the flock, with Cruise crediting Scientology for ‘saving’ him.

The Scientology base in Birmingham. Credit: ScientologyNews.org
The Scientology base in Birmingham. Credit: ScientologyNews.org
The Scientology base in Birmingham. Credit: ScientologyNews.org
The Scientology base in Birmingham. Credit: ScientologyNews.org
The Scientology base in Birmingham. Credit: ScientologyNews.org
The Scientology base in Birmingham. Credit: ScientologyNews.org

But questions have arisen about the church’s practices, while journalists wanting to find out more about the religion have often been viewed with suspicion and had requests for interviews turned down.

While the church has only now taken the wraps of its new HQ, leaders have had designs on setting up in the West Midlands for more than a decade. Pitmaston House was bought by the church in 2007.

Leaders said the new Midlands HQ would provide ‘community programmes for the betterment of Birmingham’.

A healthy crowd of more than 1,000 ‘Scientologists and guests’ turned out for the opening of the base in Moseley amid protests and heavy security.

A huge blue rosette and ribbons were draped across the front of the building ahead of the opening ceremony. Faith leaders and other dignitaries delivered speeches to mark to occasion, including David Miscavige, ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion.

A Scientology news release told how the church was opened in ‘the heart of Birmingham at a joyous grand opening ceremony’.

Yann Lovelock, senior advisor for the Birmingham Council of Faiths, was among those who spoke at the launch event.

He said: “What we’re all welcoming today is the opening of a resource that contributes to the good of Birmingham; that contributes to better awareness of who we are individually and what we can add to the general welfare. This centre is a huge commitment on your part and I, for one, in welcoming you as spiritual partners, look forward to your efforts in making not just our city but the world a better place.”

Decima Francis, founder of theFrom Boyhood to Manhood Foundation, said: “The Church of Scientology and the teachings of Mr. L. Ron Hubbard remind me of Shakespeare’s sonnets, meaning: ‘That which is beautifully crafted – lifts the human spirit.’

“And Mr. Hubbard had that intellect, that heart and that soul. He knew he needed to help others see beyond the physical form they are housed in, to who they really are. What a gift, to take such complicated things and make them so simple. Well, the fact is, L. Ron Hubbard empowers every human being – so they can raise their soul up beyond the sky.”

The Church of Scientology says that a human is an immortal, spiritual being that is resident in a physical body.

The religion offers believers a life improvement strategy it calls dianetics.

People take courses of dianetics counselling, known as auditing, in the hope of ridding themselves of destructive influences from their current or past lives.

Scientologists say it is a religion, but a string of defectors have accused it of being a dangerous cult.