The Church of Scientology has long been the subject of public curiosity. The organization, whose status as a religion is heavily contested, was founded in 1953 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.
Scientologists believe that a spiritual being, known as a thetan, lives within each person's body. According to the church, every thetan is immortal and has lived many past lives, some of which are believed to have taken place on other planets.
