What is this scientology business all about?

Question

what's the religion all about exactly

lol i don't really mean it's a business it's just the way i speak - If alot of ppl wear yellow one day..I'd be like what's this yellow business all about

oh damn- I actually used it right lol

Answer 1

" 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

Scientology is not considered a religion in many countries including the UK, France, Germany, Greece, Belgium, amongst others...

This is a good site with lots of links to ex-member testimonials, books by ex-members, articles and evidence critical of scientology, etc...
http://www.clambake.org

Go here for some video's and interviews concerning scientology.
http://www.xenutv.com

"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. [23]
* Humans retain many emotional problems caused by early stages of evolution (see Scientology History of Man).

Scientology claims to offer an exact methodology to help a person achieve awareness of his or her spiritual existence and better effectiveness in the physical world. "Exact" methods of spiritual counseling are taught and practiced which are claimed to enable this change. According to the Church, the ultimate goal is to get the soul (thetan) back to its native state of total freedom, thus gaining control over matter, energy, space, time, thoughts, form, and life. This freed state is called Operating Thetan, or OT for short."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology#Beliefs_and_practices

Scientologists though are good people who have been duped into thinking they are improving themselves, helping people and the planet but they are doing the total opposite under the Church of $cientology, it's a great shame.

Scientology is taught in levels, and so those at the start aren't doing the same things as those high up the levels.

Those at and above OT III have slightly differenent beliefs.

They believe in Xenu, the intergalactic space lord, who 75 million years ago caused mass-murder of trillions of aliens from his overpopulated federation of planets. He flew them to earth and blew them up with H-bombs in volcanoes (because lava isn't enough?!?). But those pesky aliens would only escape back and cause problems, so Xenu caught them all and implanted them with misleading information, i.e, he brainwashed them so they would be utterly confused... So these alien souls had no bodies and where confused and so they attached themselves to humans and are the cause of all our problems and illnesses in the world. They 'audit' these Body Thetans as they call them out of their body by clearing the BT of any problems then reminding him of the Volcanoe thing...

Think i'm making this up? I would...

Luckily I have proof, this stuff came out in court.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kspaink/fishman/index2.html

Removal of these BT's are meant to bring back Man's lost superpowers of total cause of the (MEST) universe...People at this level are called OTs. Needless to say no OTs have ever demonstrated anything of worth, apart from Tom Cruise and his utter destruction of his career...

Here are some more links for you:
http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/
http://www.zipperfish.com/free/yaafm11.php
http://www.whyaretheydead.net
http://www.lermanet.com

Answer 2

OK , here is an accurate description of what this Scientology "business" is all about.
Actually your first definition or concept was correct.
The Church of Scientology operates as a fully registered charity
and was awarded that status in the USA after an extensive audit from the IRS. ( Now you gotta know the IRS wouldn't do that if there was ANY evidence that it was a business!! )

Scientology is an applied religious philosophy. When I say "applied" I mean you actually use it in your life to change or improve existing conditions. This is different from a religious practice. All religions if you learn about them have a basic philosphy, but they also have certain dogma, rituals and observances, and a certain faith or belief is required. There is nothing wrong with this, but Scientology is not that kind of religion. It does not intrude on anyones faiths of beliefs particularly in the area of God , the Supreme Being, or the Infinite. This area is left totally up to the indivdual, which is why you can be a practicing Jew,for example and still use and apply the priniciples of Scientology in your life. It does not conflict. If anything it will enhance your understanding of your chosen religious practice.
You can have no specific religious beliefs and still benefit from using it.
And it is only true for you according to your own observation and experience with it.
It is a non denominational religion . The dictionary definition that applies:
Religion: The spiritual or emotional attitude of one who recognises the existence of superhuman power or powers.

The most basic principle of Scientology is that YOU are your own immortal soul, that this is not a "thing" you HAVE but what YOU actually are.
The whole purpose of Scientology is to increase an individual's understanding and awareness of himself. And thereby his native abilities .
When you do this the sphere and zone of his positive influence increases and moves outward into his life, his family ,his friends, his groups and mankind which he is part of.

How this result is achieved is the "technology" of Scientology, which was developed by L.Ron Hubbard after his extensive research and the discoveries he made, about the human spirit. The basic religious philosophy and knowledge of Scientology is very old, going back 10,000 years at least to the Veda or Vedic Hymns from the East. The developement of the technology is new.
He completed his research before his death in 1986 and left all of his results and copyrights
to the Church of Scientology along with most of his considerable estate., when he died.

He published a book in 1951 to communicate the basic principles he discovered called: " Scientology The Fundementals of Thought"
There are currently over 8 million Scientologists in more that 150 countries world wide. However we are a new religion, only 53 years old.
The true story of Scientology as a religion goes like this:
1. A philosopher developes a philosophy about life and death.
2. People find it interesting.
3. People find it works.
4. People pass it along to others.
5. It grows.

Answer 3

The word Scientology literally means "the study of truth." It comes from the Latin word "scio" meaning "knowing in the fullest sense of the word" and the Greek word "logos" meaning "study of."

Scientology is the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life. The Scientology religion comprises a body of knowledge extending from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these:

Man is an immortal, spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized — and those capabilities can be realized. He is able to not only solve his own problems, accomplish his goals and gain lasting happiness, but also achieve new, higher states of awareness and ability.

In Scientology no one is asked to accept anything as belief or on faith. That which is true for you is what you have observed to be true. An individual discovers for himself that Scientology works by personally applying its principles and observing or experiencing results.

Through Scientology, people all over the world are achieving the long-sought goal of true spiritual release and freedom.

Answer 4

There are two elements to Scientology- Dianetics, which is more of tehcnical knowledge, and Scientology the religion itself. It's classified as a religion because it's purpose is to enrich the soul/spirit and through that improve your own personal connection with the creator. Most Scientologists are still faithful to their original belief- it does not replace your existing religion, it adds to it. So some one can be a Christian Scientologist, a Jewish Scientologist, etc- as long as you believe in a creator and in the soul.

The basics are this: They believe in the reactive mind and the analytical mind. The reactive mind is constantly pulling us down- whenever we are semi-conscious, our reactive mind is 'recording' details around us. For instance, if you're in a car crash, everything everyone around you is saying, all the smells, and things like that gets stored in the reactive mind. When you're fully conscious, anything similar to the sounds and smells and feelings stored in the reactive mind can trigger a response that emotionally recreates the feelings you were experiencing during the car crash. Dianetics uses a process called Auditing to clear you of all the things stored in the reactive mind, so that you are functioning on a daily level completely on the Analytical mind- so your responses and feelings are only due to what you experience at that moment, not due to some subconscious pre-programmed memory.

That's the basic gist of it. For more detail go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

People are afraid of what they don't understand. I am not a Scientologist, but because I understand it, it poses no threat to me. So don't just accpet anything you hear from someone second hand as truth- whether that information is positive or negative- rather go speak to someone at one of the churches. You don't have to pay anything just to speak to them, and there's no obligation to then become one.

Answer 5

Is Scientology a business?

Scientology conducts itself in ways that are more typical of businesses than churches. Due to Scientology's doctrine of exchange, services are not given away but must be paid for. In the Scientology policy entitled "Governing Policy," L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "MAKE MONEY. MAKE MONEY. MAKE MORE MONEY. MAKE OTHER PEOPLE PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MONEY." [capitalization for emphasis is his]

Scientology has filed court cases to protect their trademarks and even trade secrets. Official Scientology publications typically state that "Scientologist is a collective membership mark designating members of the affiliated churches and missions of Scientology." A collective membership mark is a type of trademark - and hence is related to commerce - and this suggests that Scientology organizations wish to control whether an individual may call himself or herself a Scientologist. Scientologists practicing outside the official church are unlikely to recognize this arrogated authority.

Scientology missions were originally called "franchises." When Scientology management drastically increased licensing fees owed by missions/franchises, at least one mission refused to pay but continued offering Scientology services. Scientology sued the mission for trademark infringement and obtained an injunction.

Is Scientology a religion?

That's a very difficult question to answer accurately. To many individual Scientologists, Scientology definitely holds the place of a religion in their lives; however, most of them would probably tell you that it has nothing to do with faith or belief, relying instead on things they believe they've seen demonstrated or proven.

Other Scientologists, especially those who joined more than 20 or 30 years ago, would tell you they never considered it a religion, but rather a technology.

Answer 6

Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices created by American pulp fiction[1][2] and science fiction [3] author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as a self-help philosophy. By 1960 Hubbard had redefined it as a "religion by its basic tenets".[4] 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,[5] while many of those independents make the very same criticism about the Church.[6]

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[7][8] and other perceived 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 and ex-members.[9] 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.[10] Scientology's principles have been characterized as pseudoscientific by scientists, medical doctors and psychotherapeutic practitioners. Although some religious scholars consider Scientology a religion,[11] it has frequently been perceived as a cult and a pseudoreligion.[12][13]

Allegations of Scientology's cult status may be attributed to its unconventional creation by a single authoritative and charismatic leader.[14][15] Within the church, members are arranged in a hierarchically pyramid ranked structure,[16] 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[17] 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.[18] 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[19] while critics say Church membership is likely to be less than 100,000.[20]

Answer 7

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 perceived 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 and ex-members.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 may 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.

Answer 8

Scientology as EST was in the 70's in that it attracts many troubled people and convinces them that by recruiting others to the organization that they will be enlightened. It is an emotional and mental health pyramid scheme.

You can find people who will believe anything, for their own purposes, having nothing to do with truth. The placebo effect is alive and well in Scientology.

Answer 9

Since you asked about the "business" Im guessing you mean the courses? Great stuff. On communications, how to effectively study, self confidence, getting off of drugs, shaking peer pressure, working out the things that are blocking you in life. Hmmm reading that list I understand much more on why hollywood people get into it and my impressions of the ones that are scientologists.

Answer 10

I think you answered your question. It is a "business".

It was created by science fiction author Ron Hubbard in a writing contest among other science fiction autors.
They believe that the violent death of an ancient race by an intergalactic lord created angry souls known as "thetans". These thetans "possess" all of us and are the source of all of our psychological problems.

The rest of it is just a twisted version of "Buddhism" such as finding inner peace and finding the "truth".

They abstain from drugs of any kind so as not to disturb the "thetan" inside one's head.

They use E-meters to measure this "thetan" level in someone's body. A healthy E-meter reading means that the person is achieving harmony and other nonsense.

As you said, it is a business. They get a lot of money from E-testing.

Answer 11

Scientology is about the individual man or woman. Its goal is to bring an individual to a sufficient understanding of himself and his life and free him to improve conditions in the way that he sees fit.

The Scientology religious philosophy contains a precise system of axioms, laws and techniques, exhaustively researched and documented as workable. As such, it provides the individual with the ability to dramatically improve conditions, not only in his own life but in the world around him.

In a word, Scientology works.

And this is why millions of people the world over use its principles in their daily lives, why a growing number of people find such relevance in Scientology for themselves, their families, their organizations, their nations and this entire civilization.

All Scientologists are drug-free, and spearhead effective actions in countries around the world to get others off drugs. Scientologists have helped millions of underprivileged children to dramatically improve their reading level, vocabulary and comprehension, and the record of Scientology’s fight for human rights is unparalleled.

Scientology is not authoritarian. There is no enforced belief. Rather, a maxim in Scientology is that only those things which one finds true for himself are true. In Scientology one learns to think for himself – it is a voyage of self-discovery.