What the hell is Scientology? What do they believe?

Answer 1

Scientology may be a religion, as you cannot trounce on people's beliefs, there are entitled to it no matter how strange, even Xenu.
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/xenu

Originally it was set up as therapy, not religion. Ron changed it to religion as a means to escape the law, escape taxes, and so as to appeal more to the masses. It worked...dianetics was failing at the time scientology was created.

Scientologists hold different beliefs depending on how long they have been inside the Church.

Scientologists believe:
o Man has a immortal soul called a thetan.
o You have a primitive reactive mind which is the source of much of man's problems, which collects "engrams" from traumatic times or when you are unconscience.
o A lot of physical illnesses/problems are physcosomatic caused by "Engrams".
o You can 'audit' engrams out and this will solve your issues and clear up your health. They also believe it makes you a more intelligent, aware and reasoned individual.
o Reincarnation and the ability to know these past lives and get to more engrams this way.
o Paying lots of money to scientology for there tech, courses, and auditing.
o Getting more people into scientology.

If they have got to OTIII, then the belief changes slightly.
o The universe is quadrillions years old.
o Xenu the Interglatic Space Lord ruled a confederation of overpopulated planets.
o Xenu took a load of these aliens from each planet and brought them to earth.
o They were then exploded in volcanoes 75 million yrs ago.
o Their souls were then caught on ribbons and taken to implant stations, where Xenu brainwashed & confused them so they wouldn't leave the planet. This includes implanting all the world religions.
o These Alien souls called Body Thetans have attached to humans, and are infact the real cause of your problems and why you get and retain engrams...
o You audit these body thetans out by auditing there engrams and taking them back to the Xenu incidents I & II.
o People have jaw aches from when they were a clam in human evolution....hence the name of the main critical site http://www.clambake.org

You can read about this in a neutral site. wikipedia
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/scientology
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/xenu

However, the Church of Scientology, the organisation is most definitely a money making scam, and a dangerous cult.

If they told you about Xenu upfront, how many people would join? This is where it crosses over to a cult:
They lie to people to gain adherents, they lie to keep them.
They lie to the media, they lie to governments.
They use hard sell techniques, and create social dependancy through social control aka mind control.
They prevent scientologists from looking at the facts about scientology
They charge through the roof for what they sell.
They aren't credited by the scientific community
They hound and harass critics.

And much much more, this is what makes it a cult, not their beliefs.

This is what one critic thinks of scientology:
" The Church of Scientology is a vicious and dangerous cult that masquerades as a religion. Its purpose is to make money. It practices a variety of mind-control techniques on people lured into its midst to gain control over their money and their lives. Its aim is to take from them every penny that they have and can ever borrow and to also enslave them to further its wicked ends.

It was started in the 1950s by a science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard in fulfilment to his declared aim to start a religion to make money. It is an offshoot to a method of psychotherapy he concocted from various sources which he named "Dianetics". Dianetics is a form of regression therapy. It was then further expanded to appear more like a religion in order to enjoy tax benefits. He called it "Scientology".

Scientology is a confused concoction of crackpot, dangerously applied psychotherapy, oversimplified, idiotic and inapplicable rules and ideas and science-fiction drivel that is presented to its members (at the "advanced" levels) as profound spiritual truth. "
http://www.clambake.org/roland-intro.html
http://www.clambake.org

Go here to see some video clips of scientologists in action:
http://www.xenutv.com

It can cost someone upto and beyond $380,000 to get to the top in scientology, and this may take decades.
http://www.clambake.org/archive/CoS_prices.html

They also hound critics trying to discredit and ruin them in any way (even if illegally), pressuring with lawyers, etc in order to stop any criticism rather than tackling the points raised by the critic. The campaign against critics is a well documented one.
http://www.suppressiveperson.org/

You can find much information out on the web, including even whole books written by ex-members:
http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/
(free to read, just click on 'em)

Answer 2

Some central beliefs of Scientology:

A person is an immortal spiritual being (termed a thetan) who possesses a mind and a body.
Through the Scientology process of "auditing", one can free oneself of "engrams" and "implants" to reach the state of "Clear", and after that, the state of "Operating Thetan". Each state is said to represent recovering the native spiritual abilities of the individual, and to confer dramatic mental and physical benefits.
The thetan has lived through many past lives and will continue to live beyond the death of the body.
A person is basically good, but becomes "aberrated" by moments of pain and unconsciousness in his or her life.
What is true for you is what you have observed yourself. No beliefs should be forced as "true" on anyone. Thus, the tenets of Scientology are expected to be tested and seen to either be true or not by Scientology practitioners.
Psychiatry and psychology are evil and abusive. [21]
Humans retain many emotional problems caused by early stages of evolution (see Scientology History of Man).

I think I answer this Q, at least once a day.

Answer 3

Scientology is a religion created by a science fiction author in the 60's. They believe that humans came to the planet by an alien that detonated atomic bombs on volcanoes. If you read about it, you can pretty much see its bullsh*t and you wonder why so many people, especially celebraties buy into it.

Answer 4

L. Ron Hubbard the science fiction writer, was sitting at a bar with Robert A. Heinlein and bet him that he could make millions of dollars by starting a religion, Scientology believes that star trek like characters brain washed all of us and we must be deprogramed by paying a lot of money to become a scientologist. His son L. Ron jr. has publicly denounced his farther, along with his first two wives, and his gay son Quentin was found dead on October 28, 1978 under suspicious circumstances. L.Ron Hubbard married Sara Northrup pregnant with Jack Parsons child, while still married to Margaret "Polly" Grubb with whom he fathered children. L. Ron jr. and Katherine May, Quentin was the child of Mary Sue Whipp. L. Ron Hubbard died of a Vistaril overdose January 24, 1986.

Answer 5

Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices created by American pulp fiction and science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as a self-help philosophy. By 1960 Hubbard had redefined it as a "religion by its basic tenets". The name "Scientology" is also sometimes used to refer to the Church of Scientology, which is the largest organization promoting the belief system of Scientology. There are other organizations and individuals who are not affiliated with the Church of Scientology who regard themselves as practitioners of and believers in Scientology, sometimes collectively called the Free Zone. The Church regards such independents, almost without exception, as not practicing the "true" Scientology set out by Hubbard, while many of those independents make the very same criticism about the Church.

The Church of Scientology presents itself as a religious non-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of the human spirit and providing counseling and rehabilitation programs. Church spokespeople claim that Hubbard's teachings (called "Technology" or "tech" in Scientology terminology) have saved them from addictions, arthritis, depression, learning disabilities, mental illness, cancer, homosexuality and other problems.

The controversial organization has attracted much criticism and distrust throughout the world because of its closed nature and strong-arm tactics in handling critics. Lawmakers, including national governing bodies of several countries, have characterized the Church as an unscrupulous commercial organization, citing harassment of critics and exploitation of its members. Scientology's principles have been characterized as pseudoscientific by scientists, medical doctors and psychotherapeutic practitioners. Although some religious scholars consider Scientology a religion, it has frequently been perceived as a cult and a pseudoreligion.

Allegations of Scientology's cult status can be attributed to its unconventional creation by a single authoritative and charismatic leader. Within the church, members are arranged in a hierarchically pyramid ranked structure, with higher level members holding authority over lower ranked subordinates, especially as evidenced by the Sea Org. The Church indoctrinates its members providing very little initial knowledge of the inner secrets of the organization. In order to reach this knowledge parishioners are required to advance forward in rank through study and payments to the Church, the incentive of which is the stepped acquisition of promised powerful secrets and gaining of supernatural abilities.

According to a 2001 survey published by the City University of New York 55,000 people in the United States would, if asked what their religion was, have said Scientology. The worldwide number of Scientologists is disputed: the Church of Scientology claims around 10 million members as of 2006, but claimed national membership figures it has released when totalled indicate a figure of around 500,000. Adherents.com suggests there may be 500,000 Scientologists worldwide while critics say Church membership is likely to be less than 100,000.

Also see www.scientology.org

Answer 6

I'm not sure what it is but people shouldn't judge others beliefs. If some believed that humans were brought to earth from aliens, well to them it's true; others believe it was a god that created everything. it shouldn't matter what religion you follow, there's no right or wrong answer, as long as you're happy following it, they're your beliefs and that should be a good enough reason to follow a religion without being judged upon.

Answer 7

Whatever it is, Tom Cruise has definitly succeeded in keeping me from ever even considering to consider joining the cult.. erm, religion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Answer 8

If you're very wealthy and vain you might like it. Also seem to have to be a sci-fi nut. If you have any common sense though, I wouldn't avise it. Its like a religion for those who are too superficial to understand real religion, which takes mental thought.

Answer 9

i know what they dont believe in and that's doctors! for everyone of the people they bring me &say we cured this persons affliction or disease, i could probably research n show you 50 they didnt with that $hit! i like tom cruise in the movies but im not trusting anyone with my health with nobody but someone with a doctor md

Answer 10

They believe that things happen nautrually, through science and nature as opposed to God creating everything.