Inside Scientology - Janet Reitman [187]
Instead, Mike Henderson had doubts and fears, just like every other mortal. "I don't know what's in store for me down the road, but I know I won't get there with Scientology," he said, with resignation. "And after thirty-four years, and six hundred thousand dollars, that is the saddest thing I can say about my life."
Epilogue
What Is True for You
SIX THOUSAND SCIENTOLOGISTS and their guests turned out to christen the new Church of Scientology of Los Angeles on Saturday, April 24, 2010. It was a crystal-clear afternoon, and for the believers who'd gathered at Scientology's West Coast headquarters on Sunset Boulevard—those people for whom the sixteen-foot, illuminated SCIENTOLOGY sign atop the landmark Cedars of Lebanon building is a testament to Scientology's claim of being the "fastest-growing religion of the twenty-first century"—here was the final manifestation of their hard work.
Amid the faceless commercial towers and stucco bungalows installed in this section of East Hollywood, Scientologists and a number of Los Angeles city officials, as well as the Los Angeles County sheriff, Lee Baca, a vocal supporter of Scientology's anti-drug program, gathered before an outdoor stage decorated, as all church functions are, with a huge portrait of L. Ron Hubbard. A dance troupe, attired in glittery top hats and tails, performed a routine. The band played "Hooray for Hollywood." Before the entrance to the new building—which, as everyone there knew, was actually the old building, with a multimillion-dollar facelift and a fresh coat of blue paint—bobbed an arc of blue and gold balloons. "Today marks a milestone step in our planetary crusade to bring on our help on a truly global scale," said David Miscavige, looking out from the podium. Dressed in a sharp navy suit, he commended the Los Angeles Scientologist community for its dedication in creating this new Ideal Org, the fourth such organization to open in 2010 and the most historic, for here, in 1954, is where the first church of Scientology was born.
Now there are countless churches. From London to Nashville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.—and also Quebec City, Brussels, Seattle, Pasadena, Mexico City, Madrid, Rome, and Johannesburg—Ideal Orgs have opened throughout the world over the past several years. By the end of 2011, according to the church's predictions, seventy new organizations will be opened or under construction from Atlanta to Battle Creek, Michigan, and from Caracas to Tel Aviv.
In Clearwater, the landmark Fort Harrison Hotel has been given a $40 million upgrade.* Just next door, connected to the Fort Harrison by a glass-enclosed sky bridge, is a facility referred to as the "Mecca" or "Super Power" building, which is still, more than a decade since ground was broken for it, under construction.†
The Super Power building—named for a highly classified, and expensive, new rundown intended to enhance Scientologists' perceptions—is an enormous white Mediterranean revival–style edifice occupying a full square block of downtown Clearwater. The largest building in all of Pinellas County (church officials call it Scientology's "Sistine Chapel"), it stood as an empty shell for six years, while it underwent a number of redesigns. When it is finally completed, at an estimated cost of $90 million, the seven-story, 380,000-square-foot building will have 889 rooms, 142 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, a 1,140-seat dining room, an indoor running track and sculpture garden, and 2 Scientology museums. The crowning touch will be a two-story illuminated Scientology cross that, perched atop a fifteen-story tower, will shine across the city of Clearwater like a beacon.
What this says about the church, according to its leaders, is that Scientology is a growing, vital movement—far from the dying organization its detractors