Does Amarillo Really Have a Church of Scientology?

This conversation came up in a meeting the other day. It was mentioned that we may. The funny thing is when it was brought up I knew exactly what building they were talking about. I drive by it all the time.

So if I would have been asked I would have said that it is weird but we do. I would have been wrong. Since I live by this church that I have driven by a million times I decided to go figure it out myself.

I get why I thought that. The first word I catch out of the corner of my eye is scientist. So in my mind, I saw Scientology. This is not what this church is about. They even have a banner outside with their website so you can find out more about it and if this is a religion for you.

The Church is called the First Church of Christ Scientist - 2701 S Julian Blvd. They have two church services according to their marquee. One is Sunday at 10:30 am with Sunday School and they have a Testimony Meeting on Wednesdays at 7 pm.

Check out their website HERE.

What is Christian Science?

According to their website:

Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, defined Christian Science as “the law of God, the law of good. She’d learned that God is infinite Love, and completely good. A clear glimpse of this through prayer has power to heal and transform anyone. Many people have been healed and redeemed as they learn about their relationship to God through this reliable Science of Christianity.

 

So What are the Differences between Christian Science and Scientology?

I know it seems like they may be similar but in all reality, they are not anywhere to being close. In Christian Science, they believe in God as being the sole creator. Christian Science is a branch of Christianity. Whereas Scientology says people can choose whether to believe in God or not; the individual is at the center of their philosophy.

In Christian Science, they study the Bible, have Sunday Sermons, and pray. Just like most religions. Scientology has audits. Auditing is a process where according to what I found on Wikipedia:

The 'auditor' takes an individual through times in their current or past lives with the purpose of ridding the individual of negative influences from past events or behaviors.

I think the most we know about Scientology is the fact that Tom Cruise follows this religion. So it's only fair to ask which celebrities follow Christian Science? There were several listed including Marilyn Monroe, Robin Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, and Kelsey Grammer.

So there was a time I would have said that yes, Amarillo had a Scientology Church and it was near my house. Nope, just because it has the word science in it they are not similar at all.