Since its inception in 1954, the Church of Scientology has been involved in a number of controversies, including its stance on psychiatry, Scientology's legitimacy as a religion, the Church's aggressive attitude in dealing with its perceived enemies and critics, allegations of mistreatment of members, and predatory ...

Jon Atack wrote that Scientology is essentially anti-Christian, and "Hubbard attacked Christianity as an 'implant', and said that Christ was a fiction." Bent Corydon quoted Hubbard as stating that Christianity evolved from the "R6 Implant": "The man on the cross. There was no Christ!

The R6 Implants were the work of the Galactic Confederacy's tyrannical leader, Xenu, 75 million years ago. According to Hubbard, Xenu destroyed billions of captured subjects during Incident II by dropping them into volcanoes and attacking them with nuclear weapons.

Los Angeles, California, has the largest concentration of Scientologists and Scientology-related organizations in the world, with the Church of Scientology's most visible presence being in the Hollywood district of the city.