Celebrities have recently been more open about their views. They are not afraid to voice their stances on foreign relations and domestic issues.
Another quality they are willing to share with the world is their religion.
Actors like Tom Cruise, Kelly Preston and John Travolta have been public about their following of Scientology.
The belief system was founded by L. Ron Hubbard around 1950 and since then has gained an intense celebrity following.
Hubbard founded Scientology with his books, "Dianetics" being one of the most well-known.
"The '60s were such a time of people looking for answers," Julia Corbett Hemeyer, professor of religious studies said. "They were open to mystical combinations and experimentation. Scientology benefited from being around at that time."
Scientology was fortunate to survive the trend in exploration, Hemeyer said.
"Groups can start up, not really find a following and get into financial trouble usually," she said.
Scientology is a non-denominational belief system that works with a person's current religion, T.J. Hensley of the Church of Scientology in Cincinnati, Ohio said. With this method, anyone from any religion can still retain their own religious rituals and customs while also studying Scientology.
Those interested in fully participating in Scientology use a lifestyle method called a Purification Rundown.
Hensley said people maintain their own diet, but make a few changes by eating some vegetables, exercising and spending time in the sauna. Hensley said the goal is to purify the body from toxins.
The Church of Scientology has Sunday Services, depending on the branch of the church. Hensley said this consists of discussing the creed, a short sermon and break off into groups to provide guidance on a personal level.
What could make Scientology unique is how part of it is geared toward famous people. Hemeyer said Scientology is rare in that it has a Celebrity Centre with its own building in Los Angeles and its own Web site separate from the Scientology Web site.
"I can't think of another site where I've seen this," Hemeyer said.
Hensley said the Celebrity Centre exists to help people in the public eye serve their own public and private personal needs.
But not every celebrity is driven to the Church of Scientology. Other philosophies have also come under the radar as popular among actors and professional athletes. The most recent example is Kabbalah, a Jewish mysticism. The ancient applied philosophy has gained followers like Madonna and Elizabeth Taylor.
"Mysticism is a religious approach to God," Philip Miller, director of libraries at Hebrew Union College in New York, said. "It takes a certain spiritual inclination to handle (its teachings)."
Kabbalah, Miller said, is not a cult as much as it is a hidden knowledge.
"It's not a cult in the black magic sense," Miller said.
Miller said Kabbalah used to be reserved for men who were 40 and older and married.
Miller said the reason for the restrictions were that the ideas of Kabbalah were thought to be "so potent that they would drive a young person crazy."
True Kabbalah, Miller said, has a master-disciple relationship. He said those who study Kabbalah might be uncomfortable with just anyone talking about it.
"They might be spreading the wrong ideas," Miller said.
For this reason, Miller said the Kabbalah Centre has created skepticism among traditional Kabbalah students.
The centre was founded by Rabbi Philip Berg and his family. Miller said Berg and his family used to only teach those who qualified for Kabbalah, but recently moved to popularize it.
Hemeyer said the world is more open to different belief systems.
"The climate of tolerance has increased," Hemeyer said. "People do feel freer to speak out about their own particular path."
"People like celebrities and sports figures have a good basis to speak out and be heard," she said.
Both Scientology and the Kabbalah Centre have seminar or class-based systems to educate people about the belief systems before they fully join. Hemeyer said this is how each chooses to organize and get the message out.
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