NEW RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT —Jane and Forrest Dockery, leaders of the new Church of Scientology Mission in Moorpark, hope to share the teachings of Scientology with other people in the community. The Simi residents have been studying Dianetics for more than 35 years. They say the religious philosphy has helped them to create a stable and thriving family, and it enabled them to succeed in business, too. SYLVIE BELMOND/Acorn Newspapers As leaders of the new Church of Scientology Mission in Moorpark, Forrest and Jane Dockery encourage skeptics of their religious philosophy to learn about it firsthand—not through the media.

“The harmony we’ve experienced in our lives is what has drawn us to open the Mission of Moorpark so we can provide the same tools to other members of our community,” Jane said.

Scientology is a religion based on the books of L. Ron Hubbard and what he called Dianetics, a practice that focuses on self-improvement. Started in California in the 1950s, the Church of Scientology has grown to include millions of members worldwide.

“We have found Scientology has given us the tools we needed to create a successful business and family as well as grow ourselves as individuals,” said Jane.

Hubbard was an engineer and a scientist who studied at George Washington University in the late 1940s. Before starting the Church of Scientology, he was a prolific science fiction writer.

“He saw where scientists were going with technology and realized that humanity was not in line with that, so he embarked on his own research of the mind,” Forrest said.

The couple discovered Scientology in the early ’70s shortly after moving from the Midwest to Southern California. They’ve been active in the religion ever since.

They led a small Scientology group out of their Simi Valley home before relocating to Moorpark’s Campus Plaza shopping center in August 2009.

The Moorpark Mission hosted a grand opening in December to introduce local Scientologists and visitors to the new church offices. About 55 people attended the event.

“We’re really happy to be in Moorpark, and we really want to make a difference here,” Jane said.

Unlike traditional religious establishments, Scientology churches don’t offer weekly worship services. The Moorpark Mission contains a bookstore, a study area and a small room for seminars, film screenings and spiritual counseling. The mission is open from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, on Saturday afternoons and by appointment.

About 60 to 70 people attend regularly, Jane said.

Newcomers usually purchase a book and a course packet and then come to the mission to receive guidance offered by the Dockerys, Jane said. Introductory study materials cost between $65 and $100.

Based on Hubbard’s book “Dianetics,” Scientology provides a workable approach to solving life’s concerns and problems of the mind, Forrest said.

“Discoveries made while the book was written led to Scientology,” he said.

According to Scientology, the tremendous scientific advances of this era weren’t matched by similar advances in the human mind. Although scientific and technical advances have helped people gain material wealth, the increased affluence also produced new anxieties for individuals, especially those who lack understanding of themselves and their fellow human beings.

People don’t have to join the church to benefit from Hubbard’s teachings, Jane said. In addition to helping people deal with emotional issues, Scientology provides practical answers to everyday problems.

“Scientology offers solutions that you can take home and apply for yourself,” she said.

Members of the church, who come from all different walks of life, also come from all faiths because they’re allowed to retain their own beliefs, Jane said.

Although Scientologists believe in God, the interpretation of the divine is up to the individual.

“The main principal of Scientology is that if it’s not true for you, it isn’t true,” Jane said.

Scientologists believe people are divine beings whose actions in the world influence their spiritual futures, said Kathy Morrill, spokesperson for the Church of Scientology of the San Fernando Valley.

Morrill, who’s been with the church for almost 40 years, said Hubbard’s teachings have produced improved relationships and success in her life.

“This is a fascinating religion to be involved with; it’s always kept me interested, even in all these years,” she said.

Defending the faith that’s been criticized in the media for being cultlike, Morrill said misconceptions are usually created by the press and by people who know little about the religion.

“Mainly people don’t understand Scientology because they haven’t read Hubbard’s books,” she said.

Scientologists use a spiritual counseling program called “auditing” to help people resolve negative experiences in their past.

“A great deal of that comes from listening, to enable people to solve their own issues,” Morrill said.

In regard to charges of preferential treatment given to well-known individuals at the church’s celebrity center in Hollywood, Morrill said artists have particular needs.

Special accommodations exist to give well-known entertainers privacy and to keep them from being a distraction to other members, but the center, used by Scientologists of all backgrounds, is not a secret place, Morrill said.

Celebrities like Tom Cruise and John Travolta are outspoken advocates for the Church of Scientology; they proclaim the religion is life-affirming, empowering and the secret of their success.

A controversy erupted in 2005 when Cruise openly criticized actress Brooke Shields for using an antidepressant to treat postpartum depression following the birth of her first daughter. He did that because Scientologists believe the consequences of drug use are always worse than the problem a person is trying to solve, Morrill said.

In recent years, Morrill said, the church has been involved in the community through anti-drug campaigns and a variety of volunteer ministry programs.

And in the last 20 years, Scientologist volunteers have provided emergency services at 126 disaster sites.

“We’re active in the community, but our goal isn’t to get everyone we contact into Scientology. Our purpose is not conversion,” Morrill said. “Our purpose is to better the environment.”

In addition to contributing time to church-related outreach programs, Jane Dockery joined the Women’s Fortnightly Club of Moorpark about three years ago. The club mainly raises funds to support educational programs in Moorpark schools.

Carol Sanders, president of the Women’s Fortnightly Club, said Dockery is a valued member of the club.

“She’s the type of woman that makes you smile and she makes you feel good about yourself,” Sanders said.

The Moorpark Mission is at 6593 Collins Drive, Ste. D16. For more information, call (805) 416-6558.