Here's a friendly review of Scientology:
Scientology means knowing how to know. Here's the scoop, according to L. Ron. You are a spiritual being. Basically good, not a sinner by nature. You have a mind and you have a body, but they are separate from the spiritual part of you. See? The spirit. The way the see in Scientology is that there is this spiritual life force, known as Thetan, that is in all living things. And the ultimate goal of all life for all beings is to survive eternity.
There are eight ways, called channels, you can do this: Through your individuality, your family, groups, mankind, all living things, the physical universe, spirits, and God. Check how they get bigger as you go, from you up to the Universe.
The best way to survive is to do the most good for as many of these dynamics, or relationships, as you can. Okay. That was the spirit. Got it? Now let's look at the mind. The mind is a recorder. They believe it keeps track of all the good and bad moments from this life and all your past lives.
So, your mind is keeping track of all this stuff and, like a good mystery novel, give clues, these recordings, to figure out what's wrong with your spirit. Your mind also records painful moments in your unconscious mind, called engrams, problems you didn't know you had. These engrams or spiritual growth can mess up your thinking at nay time, kind of like a computer virus.
Auditor, people who listen, help you find and understand these traumas by using this thing called an E-meter. It's kind of similar to visiting a shrink. They believe you'll be a lot happier when you get rid of this engrams and live life without their side effects. God exist but His identity is a matter of personal awareness and conviction.
Jesus was one of many great teachers. You're on a search to understand yourself, others, life and God. Your job is also to help others and make the world a better place.
Scientology churches are places where people get together to study and receive counseling. Scientologists are actively involved in their communities through things like drug rehabilitation, park cleanups, revitalizing neighborhoods, fighting AIDS and more. Remember, their philosophy is that to survive for eternity you have to help out as much as you can.
Scientologists believe that your spirit is immortal; it never dies. But they believe while you die you don't go to heaven or hell. Instead, you are reincarnated on this earth over and over for forever. Scientology teaches reincarnation as the outcome of life after death.
Scientology offers a path to spiritual awareness and leaves it to the individual to come to his or her own awareness of God. That means the Christian God exists, but so do all the other gods people worship.
Here's a critical perspective of Scientology:
Through its celebrity supporters and its aggressive advertising campaigns, Scientology portrays itself as the perfect blend of science and religion. Whatever it is, it isn't cheap. An hour of Scientology counseling can cost hundreds of dollars. Some former members say they were required to spend more that $250,000 on a never-ending series of classes and counseling lessons. In 1991 Time magazine published a cover story on the group . "Scientology: The Cult of Greed," shouted the cover headline.
Inside, investigative reporter Richard Behar called the organization a depraved yet thriving enterprise and showed how the growing Dianetics empire squeezed millions from believers worldwide. As Behar wrote, "The Church of Scientology... portrays itself as a religion. In reality, the church is a hugely profitable global racket that survives by intimidating members and critics in a Mafia-like manner."
Until his death in 1986, reclusive founder L. Ron Hubbard oversaw all Scientology activities with guru-like control from an offshore fleet of ships. Before Hubbard founded Scientology he was a struggling science fiction writer.
People who knew him in the 1950s claim they once heard him say that if a person really wanted to make money, he would start religion. In 1950 he published "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health." It was an instant success. The book was Hubbard's psycho-therapeutic alternative to the techniques of modern mainstream psychiatry. But when the medical community responded with alarm, Hubbard transformed his theories into a religion, with Dianetics as the scripture of his new movement. The Church of Scientology was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1955.
Hubbard sought tax-exempt status and freedom from governmental interference for his organization. Scientology was eventually granted tax-exempt status in the United States, but it is still denied such benefits in Germany and other European countries. Its recognition as a church saves the organization millions of dollars in taxes.
In his 1952 book entitled "Scientology: A History of Man" Hubbard even adapted the words of Jesus as found in Matthew 11:5 to describe his new teaching: "This is useful knowledge. With it the blind again see, the lame walk, the ill recover, the insane become sane and the sane become saner. By its use the thousand abilities Man has sought to recover become his once more." Since then, Scientology has blossomed.
The organization claims millions of members in dozens of countries, though some defectors say that current membership may be less that seven hundred thousand. The church reports that more than sixteen million copies of "Dianetics" have been sold. Hubbard's reputation as an explorer, science fiction writer, and para-botanist enlarged to make him the worldwide spokesman for this rapid growing cult.
Still, some of Scientology's teachings sound like the far-fetched story lines from one of Hubbard's many sci-fi novels. In 1985 one of the many lawsuits brought against the organization by former members resulted in the release of secret Scientology teachings to the general public. Unlike many Christian groups who try to give away Bibles, Scientology closely guards its scriptures. One of the many lawyers referred to the group's teachings and techniques as trade secrets.
Here's how an Associated Press story summarized the group's ideas: "Seventy-five million years ago, Earth was called Teegeeach and was among ninety planets ruled by Xemu, who spread his evil by thermonuclear bombs... Xemu, attempting to solve overpopulation problems, destroyed selected inhabitants of the planets and implanted the seeds of aberrant behavior in their spirits to effect future generations of mankind... Being from the planet were taken to at least ten volcanoes on Earth where H-bombs far more powerful than any in existence today were detonated, destroying the beings but freeing their spirits, called thetans... The thetans were trapped in a compound of frozen alcohols and during a 36-day period, Xemu implanted in them the seeds of aberrant behavior for generations to come."
Devoted Scientologists pay tens of thousands of dollars to study such material, which is part of the group's upper-level training called OT III. When their teachings and tactics are questioned. Scientologists are not prone to turn the other cheek. In the 1950s Hubbard declared war on the psychiatric establishment, which ridiculed his ideas.
Today Scientologists still organize protests against psychiatric drugs. During the 1970s Scientology battled the U.S. government, which had long denied the organization the tax exemptions routinely granted to religious groups. Scientologists went so far as to infiltrate and install wiretaps in the offices of a number of federal agencies, including IRS, a perennial foe.
Scientology leaders even devised an elaborate plot to take over parts of the federal government. The plot came to light after eleven church members, including Hubbard's third wife, Mary Sue, were convicted of stealing government documents and attempting to cover up their activities.
Mary Sue Hubbard was sentenced in federal court to four years in prison for her role in a conspiracy to plant church spies in government agencies, steal government documents, and bug at least one government meeting. L. Ron Hubbard turned his back on his wife, declaring that she was part of a rogue operation that was not acting on the organization's behalf. But no amount of denials can conceal the fact that Scientology is unusually ruthless in its attacks on perceived enemies.
Over the years, Scientology lawyers have gone after ex-members, journalists, and so-called cult-watching groups. In the 1990s Scientology sets its sights on a Chicago group called the Cult Awareness Network, CAN, which has referred to Scientology as a cult. Lawyers affiliated with Scientology helped bring a successful lawsuit against CAN, which was saddled with a judgment of $1.1 million and was forced to declare bankruptcy. Ultimately, a Scientology supporter bought CAN's name and resources.
After that, people who called CAN for information on Scientology never heard it called a cult again. L. Ron Hubbard died January 24, 1986, at age seventy-four. He had spent the last two years of his life on a remote and meticulously manicured 160-acre ranch in California. Heber C. Jentzsch assumed leadership of the movement.
One of Hubbard's survivors was hid eldest son, Ronald E. DeWolf, who changed his last name to remove any associations with his father. Even before Hubbard's death, DeWolf referred to him as one of the biggest con men of this century, a black-magic practitioner who concocted this theories while under the influence of drugs. DeWolf, now a Christian, also says his father had many mistresses and was plagued by venereal disease.
Answered By: Mr McKenzie- Tears of Joy - 10/17/2009 |