[[{“type”:“media”,“view_mode”:“media_large”,“fid”:null,“attributes”:{“class”:“media-image alignright size-full wp-image-1606”,“typeof”:“foaf:Image”,“style”:“”,“width”:“100”,“height”:“100”,“title”:“”,“alt”:“New York Times”}}]]Dartmouth’s Jeff Sharlet tells The New York Times that Church of Scientology ads during the country’s biggest advertising event, the Super Bowl, were the church’s attempt to paint itself as appealing and nonconformist.

The church ran commercials February 3 in local markets in New York, Los Angeles and other cities, telling viewers, “Some will doubt you. Let them. Dare to think for yourself, to look for yourself, to make up your own mind,” the Times reports.

“They are trying to say, ‘Trust us,’” says Sharlet, an assistant professor of English.

Read the full story, published 2/5/13 in The New York Times.