It's just a personality cult, but the real question perhaps ought be why supposedly reasonably intelligent people fall for such personalities and organisations.
It is not even glorified. It is plain and simple plaigarism. (sp?) But as another memeber on here said, what religion isn't?
Scientology was an intentional scam. L Ron Hubbard was a Sci-Fi writer who told everyone what he was going to do. He put his belief in the fact that he knew what made people tick and started this bogus crap that included a lot of proven and effective methods to control the mind.
IT's just the whole ridiculous story is just that. Ridiculous.
All religions known, living or dead, were invented by humans, showing there is no such thing as any "one true religion"; but things like Scientology inhabit a twilight world of power-cults whose main beneficiaries are the founders or the chosen few who continue them.