International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation ■ Vol. 2, 2021 89
An employment contract that provides for no
remuneration is invalid.l A contract with such
a long term is, similarly, invalid.li But to say
that the billion-year contract is invalid within
the mainstream legal system is somewhat
beside the point. Scientology has never
argued that the contract is valid within the
mainstream legal system, lii and it has not
sought to have a court of law enforce the
contract. Scientology has its own legal
system, which operates independently of the
mainstream legal system. liii That is not,
however, to say that Scientology’s
downplaying of the significance of the
billion-year contract on its public websites is
accurate. liv A former Sea Organisation
member states:
In 1989 I left the Sea Org for personal
reasons, following their standard “route
out” procedure. I was told that I could
return to the Sea Org at any time but
would be required to go through some
ethics procedures if/when that happened.
I also understood that since I departed for
my own reasons, not because I was
required to leave by some church policy,
that the covenant remained in effect and I
still owe the Church of Scientology
999,999,998 years. They are not planning
to come and collect me any time soon, but
the obligation still stands, on my honor as
a Scientologist in good standing.
And no, the billion years part was not a
joke. It was a knowing commitment of
your efforts for that period into the
future.lv
“Routing out” is a procedure (which I do not
further described here) through which
Scientologists can leave the organisation.
Leaving the religion through approved
mechanisms will generally protect a
Scientologist from being labelled a
“suppressive person” and being
“disconnected” from by family members.
The quotation makes clear that the billion-
year contract is a very serious commitment.
The commitment is not only as serious as a
contract, it is arguably more serious than a
contract. While one’s obligation under a
contract is extinguished by a number of
events including the failure by one party to
perform his obligations,lvi one’s commitment
under the billion-year contract is never
extinguished. Just like in the mainstream
legal system, breaching a contract has
consequences. Scientologists can be
disciplined through the enforcement
mechanisms and correctional facilities
described previously. lvii The potential
consequences include the imposition of a
freeloader bill, under which former members
of the Sea Organisation are retroactively
billed for the free services they received
while they were in service. lviii The
consequences are generally more serious than
those within the mainstream legal system
because they also include excommunication.
Excommunication is of much greater impact
to the member than pecuniary consequences.
The member feels like she is, notably, losing
the right to eternal life.lix
In this section, I have sought to provide a
framework through which we can think about
the billion-year contract. I have analysed the
nature of contracts and of the commitment
that the billion-year contract regulates. I have
also drawn comparisons to other religious
legal and quasi-legal instruments.
Conclusion
In this paper, I have sought to provide an
overview of and a framework through which
to think about the billion-year contract used
in the Scientology religion.lx I have sought to
provide one more building block to an
unfortunately nascent yet vital field of
research at the intersection of religious
studies and law, which one might term, as I
previously have, lxi Scientological legal
studies. As would be necessary for countless
more aspects of the Scientology religion, I
An employment contract that provides for no
remuneration is invalid.l A contract with such
a long term is, similarly, invalid.li But to say
that the billion-year contract is invalid within
the mainstream legal system is somewhat
beside the point. Scientology has never
argued that the contract is valid within the
mainstream legal system, lii and it has not
sought to have a court of law enforce the
contract. Scientology has its own legal
system, which operates independently of the
mainstream legal system. liii That is not,
however, to say that Scientology’s
downplaying of the significance of the
billion-year contract on its public websites is
accurate. liv A former Sea Organisation
member states:
In 1989 I left the Sea Org for personal
reasons, following their standard “route
out” procedure. I was told that I could
return to the Sea Org at any time but
would be required to go through some
ethics procedures if/when that happened.
I also understood that since I departed for
my own reasons, not because I was
required to leave by some church policy,
that the covenant remained in effect and I
still owe the Church of Scientology
999,999,998 years. They are not planning
to come and collect me any time soon, but
the obligation still stands, on my honor as
a Scientologist in good standing.
And no, the billion years part was not a
joke. It was a knowing commitment of
your efforts for that period into the
future.lv
“Routing out” is a procedure (which I do not
further described here) through which
Scientologists can leave the organisation.
Leaving the religion through approved
mechanisms will generally protect a
Scientologist from being labelled a
“suppressive person” and being
“disconnected” from by family members.
The quotation makes clear that the billion-
year contract is a very serious commitment.
The commitment is not only as serious as a
contract, it is arguably more serious than a
contract. While one’s obligation under a
contract is extinguished by a number of
events including the failure by one party to
perform his obligations,lvi one’s commitment
under the billion-year contract is never
extinguished. Just like in the mainstream
legal system, breaching a contract has
consequences. Scientologists can be
disciplined through the enforcement
mechanisms and correctional facilities
described previously. lvii The potential
consequences include the imposition of a
freeloader bill, under which former members
of the Sea Organisation are retroactively
billed for the free services they received
while they were in service. lviii The
consequences are generally more serious than
those within the mainstream legal system
because they also include excommunication.
Excommunication is of much greater impact
to the member than pecuniary consequences.
The member feels like she is, notably, losing
the right to eternal life.lix
In this section, I have sought to provide a
framework through which we can think about
the billion-year contract. I have analysed the
nature of contracts and of the commitment
that the billion-year contract regulates. I have
also drawn comparisons to other religious
legal and quasi-legal instruments.
Conclusion
In this paper, I have sought to provide an
overview of and a framework through which
to think about the billion-year contract used
in the Scientology religion.lx I have sought to
provide one more building block to an
unfortunately nascent yet vital field of
research at the intersection of religious
studies and law, which one might term, as I
previously have, lxi Scientological legal
studies. As would be necessary for countless
more aspects of the Scientology religion, I
