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LOS ANGELES, CA—Results of a recent survey of religious conversion conducted by the Institute for Spiritual Awareness in Irvine, California, revealed the surprising revelation that Post Mormons are flocking to L. Ron Hubbard’s Church of Scientology. According to project lead, Peter Hanson, nearly 42% of former Mormons who joined another church chose Scientology, nearly three times more than any other denomination.
 According to those surveyed, Scientology offers many of the same comforting assurances that Mormonism once did, and making the switch was natural.
“When I became aware of my Thetan self, it felt so familiar. I knew it was true, even if it is eerily similar to the Pre-existence,” said Emily Gunderson, a former Mormon. Others cite “familiarity” as one of the primary reasons for finding a home in Scientology.
Said R. Michael Adams of Sandy, Utah, “Just look at L. Ron Hubbard. He reminds me of Thomas S. Monson.” Adams also notes the use of a formal, first initial when referring to Hubbard. “Just like in Mormonism! When I heard that name, I felt like I was back home.”
Many former Mormons in Salt Lake are finding spiritual leadership under long-time Scientologist, Heber M. Fielding. “When our Mormon brothers and sisters realize that Joseph Smith was close to understanding what L. Ron Hubbard eventually came to realize, then the conversion is easy,” he told the Peep Stone.
According to Fielding, Smith was contacted by an Alien visitor named “Mo’rroni” from another planet in the Galactic Federation. Though Smith misunderstood the alien being to be an angel, he at least grasped the concept that God is really the Galactic Ruler, living far away from earth. Fielding notes it is unfortunate that Smith failed to heed the warning about Xenu, and Mormons remain as dark as everyone else who was subject to the 3-D movie that implanted the notion of God and Jesus Christ in their minds. “It’s hard to believe I was once so deceived,” recalls Fielding.
For younger former Mormons, star power seems to be a drawing card. “Tom Cruise is just so hot,” says Mandy Benson. “Thurl Bailey and Steve Young are nice enough guys, but I want to belong to a Church where I have a chance to meet a true celebrity.”
Among the chief observers of the phenomenon of Post Mormon conversion to Scientology, Gaston Wietenberger suggests that once the mind has been shaped by a cultic organization, it finds resonance with other, similarly eccentric organizations. “In the case of the Mormonism/Scientology, we find former Mormons remain highly susceptible to the notion of a man having ‘special’ inspiration, writing a book, starting a Church, accepting obscene quantities of money, that sort of thing.”
Wietenberger notes that very few former Scientologists find Mormonism appealing. “Most report that Mormonism feels too mainstream, too vanilla to be true. They say that the war in heaven just doesn’t have the same appeal as an H-bomb in a Hawaiian volcano blowing up boxes and boxes of pre-packaged people from 76 other planets. Who can blame them?”
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