Church of Scientology of Texas

It is a scam. They give you a pinch test on the e-​meter and you think wow… it reacted when I recalled the pinch. Then they have you take a written test called the OCA (Oxford Capacity Analysis) which has absolutely nothing to do with the university of Oxford. They then use the results of the test to make you realize that you need help and they are there to give it to you. For $ 50 you can take the communication course and improve your abilities. If you continue, the coursed get far more expensive and believe me they have some awesome high pressure sales people working there.
One of their biggest secrets is about the alien warlord named Xenu who captured billions of other aliens from planets in other solar systems and transported them to Earth and then blew them all up with Hydrogen bombs. They believe that inside your body there are millions of lost souls who have attached themselves to you and you have to get them all to leave.
Look on line for some reviews of Scientology or David Miscavige. It is a fraud and they are only interested in your money.

The IQ test w the E meter is a carnival trick from the turn of the last century. Ron Hubbard was a science fiction writer. MK ultra tactics (google that) and a for profit scheme that ruins families and should be shut down from hustling in our city. PS there is an ass for every seat in this world but if you believe aliens were executed in a volcano here on earth and that’s the reason (thaetons) are giving you the blues– you are just stupid– read a book

This Church is great. There are so many things that could be said about it but to sum it up if you are looking for practical yet spiritual knowledge you can apply in your everyday life then go on in and buy some books or see an introductory film. Your life will not be the same again. They also have amazing renovation plans — other Churches of Scientology around the world have undergone such renovations in the last few years and Austin is going to be done as well. The completed renovations will make this the most posh location on the drag. So don’t judge a book by it’s cover! The personnel in the Church are also helpful and friendly — even if it is not someone’s direct job to help you with something they will either help you or make sure you get someone to help you.

The expansion of this building came at the same time Le Fun arcade closed about 5 or 6 years ago. Give me back my arcade Tom Cruise.

Staff were friendly and helpful. They have free films to watch and many inexpensive introductory courses that are quite useful. There is no dogma and I like Hubbard’s saying «What is true for you, is true». Worth checking out if you are interested in improving your life.

«Would you like to take a personality test?»
This is what the girl at the front door said to Steve and I that summer day long ago.
She was young, and quite pretty, and Steve was smitten. «Of course!» he said, before I even had a chance to tell him what he was getting into. I’d been doing some reading, and I knew. I thought a second time about stopping and then though, «…bad decisions make for good stories…» and through the door I followed my best friend and his captivating new mistress.
I don’t remember what I expected when I walked in. It was interesting to see L. Ron Hubbard’s office, and strange to see how much they told you about the levels and how much they didn’t. But it was nice and clean, if not a bit clinical, and before long we were taking the «personality test».
It was full of words and phrases I didn’t understand, like «noises off». It was fairly simple and apart from those Scientology-​specific questions, anyone with a freshman level understanding of psychology could have guessed their way through it. An MMPI this was not.
Still, I answered it to the best of my ability and turned it in. I then sat down with a counselor, and was told that I was extremely depressed and needed help. This was odd, as at that moment, I was happier than I’d ever been. Scientology was the only answer.
Except that it wasn’t. Your mileage may vary, but I’m a little too skeptical and I read too much. I really just wanted to leave, but I couldn’t desert my buddy, who seemed to be having a pretty good time of it.
After some time, we were brought to the «gift shop» to buy our Scientology study materials. It’s at this time Steve, ever the master of tact and the art of subtlety, and I have the following converstation as he looks over a copy of Dianetics:
«Hey, Scientology. Dude, this is that CULT!»
«Dude. We’re in their church.»
«Really?»
“Yes, really. In fact, it’s probably about time we left.“
I could see the members massing to block our only line of escape. They’d heard Steve’s comments and they were not amused. We ran. It was then that we discovered that the Church of Scientology was set up like a Vegas casino — easy to get into, deliberately designed like a maze to trap you in. Turning down one identical corridor after another, we realized we were lost. And as the horde descended upon us (where did they get torches? And pitchforks?), we realized we were trapped as well. With nowhere to turn, we prepared to make our last stand.
Actually, none of that happened. In a rather unclimatic ending to this tale, we simply walked out the front door. Everyone from start to finish was really very nice to us, and that’s why they get two stars from me instead of one. If they had left me with a better ending to this story, they’d have gotten three. But thank you Church of Scientology for a wonderful memory and a really fun story.

About 10 years ago I went into this Church of Scientology with some friends who wanted to do the IQ test. I was receptive, though basically clueless about what the place and religion was about. Jeff at the Church was really patient with all my comments and questions and recommended reading Dianetics. Most interesting was that he didn’t «force the issue» and hard-​sell it. Just suggested I get it.
So I left and bought it at a used book store a couple days later and was basically confused as hell by it, but intrigued and interested enough. Anyway, I ended up finding out more about what Dianetics is all about and the basic belief system of Scientology, and found it works and I like it.
As far as this specific church goes, it unfortunately is at the lower-​end of building quality compared to others I’ve been to, but I understand they have plans to renovate and improve the quarters, which would be helpful.
I would recommend dropping by if you’re in the area. Would also recommend checking out a book (buying or even the libraries have them) to read up on it. That way you’re getting it from the source and not someones interpretation of it.

My experience with this location of the Church of Scientology is to be taken not as an evaluation of the religion but of my experience there:
I was in Austin for the second time ever for what amounted to UT trying to schmooze National Merit Scholars and other smartypants and wannabe smartypants kids into coming to their school and joining the honors programs. We were kept under a pretty tight reign, but I got this kid to sneak away from campus with me, and we ended up on the drag.
Seventeen and nerdy but rebellious, we were totally tempted by the «stress test» set up on the corner in front of the Scientology building. A church employee asked us if we wanted to see the sources of stress in our lives. «Duh, we’re adolescent dorks» is what I should have told the woman, but I sat down instead, and a pair of aluminum cans with a conductivity meter attached told me that the source of my stress was my grades. His was his pet (oops, he didn’t have one).
Anyway, after giggling under my breath a little, I persuaded the guy to go inside with me for a «personality test.» They asked us if we were 18. «Yeah, we’re here for summer school. We’re juniors, «I replied. We took the tests, and by this time I was a little worried that the guy I was with was taking this quite seriously, as he took about 10 minutes longer than me for the exam. They ran our multiple choice tests through a machine and sat us down separately and showed us the big «problem areas» in our lives. I made up this huge story about being an English major and having such-​and-​such issues with blah-​blah-​blah, and rather than suspect that I was lying through my teeth, the employee showed me how my «life story» matched up with my issues and told me his church could help. Just as he was getting around to the many «classes» I could take to fix my imaginary «issues,» I overheard the female employee asking the guy if he’d like to come back for a «free movie» — he was very interested and asked if the books in the corner were for sale. He’d forgotten to lie, and he was very close to being taken into the fold. I jumped up and said, «We’re going to be late for our study group! We’ve got to go!»
Turns out this kid, I think his surname was Clinkenbeard (seriously), hadn’t ever heard of Scientology before in his tiny small West Texas hometown. I never saw him again after that weekend, and I blame the Scientologists for discouraging him from the «weirdness» that is Austin. I, on the other hand, was totally excited about all the interesting things I’d encounter here.
So two stars for a little bit of nerdy fun, minus the rest of the available stars for trying to get a couple of wacky underage passersby to buy into whatever it is they’re selling … and for turning a cute young man off from Austin forever.
Also: My ex went in here years ago because they always have an ad up for workers, and after he took their IQ test they offered to send him off to the mothership or main instructional center or whatever in California and care for him forever if he’d just give up everything and devote his life to Scientology. He then watched their movie and took a personality test, but if they can’t convince a man who believes pretty much every conspiracy theory that comes his way, I can’t really respect their conversion tactics.

Religiously speaking, my piety is a bit lax, but I did have the privilege of paying a visit to the Church of Scientology of Texas on one hot summer day.
First off, if you’ve ever been to UT Austin and spent… oh…30 seconds on the Drag, you’ve probably seen the looming half-​block sized building at 2200 Guadalupe. This is home to the Austin-​based HQ of the Texas branch of Scientology. I was giving some old college friends a Drag tour one afternoon when a recruiter (see Shane’s review) invited us in. Well sure, why not. Haven’t been to church in a while.
The woman was incredibly nice, very friendly and answered any and all questions we had. After we spent 30 minutes taking an IQ test and conversing about our potential interest in the church, I asked her the whys, hows and whos of her relationship with Scientology. She was very accommodating.
I know very little about Scientology and even less about Dianetics, but my one-​time experience with this particular branch left me a bit uneasy. As our recruiter spoke, I flipped through a couple of books on a large coffee table in their main lobby. My impression is that Scientology stands on a dual-​supported cornerstone of intelligence and a LOT of money. What was my first, second and third clue? The most prominent figure in modern day Scientology is one Mr. Tom Cruise. There’s your money. Second, they aggressively recruited my above-​and-​beyond-​genius-​level brother-​in-​law. There’s your smarts. Thirdly, the chapter of the book I was able to read while visiting that day mentioned something about tiers of membership based on financial status. Hmm. I don’t know about you, but I like my religion all-​inclusive with my tithe on the side.
Anyway, the point of the review is to describe Austin’s version… not the belief as a whole. I’m sure if Leah Remini was here, I’d get the full story. Church of Scientology Texas is housed in an inspiring, but somewhat tacky piece of real estate. Any business or organization that can handle that much rent in one of the most inflated districts of Austin is certainly doing something right. As for the service it offers, I’m not so sure. Oh, and the parking’s a bitch.
Maybe worth a visit.