Scientology? Is it amazing or a load of old rubbish?

Question

What is Scientology all about?

Answer 1

This is what Scientologists ACTUALLY believe:

Xenu was an alien ruler of the "Galactic Confederacy" who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of people to Earth in spacecrafts resembling Douglas DC-8 airliners, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then clustered together and stuck to the bodies of the living. The alien souls continue to do this today, causing a variety of physical ill-effects in modern-day humans. L. Ron Hubbard (a science-fiction writer and the creator of Scientology) called these clustered spirits "Body Thetans," and the advanced levels in Scientology place considerable emphasis on isolating them and neutralizing their ill effects.

To rid ourselves of "Body Thetans" and also “engrams” (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind) so that we can become “clear”, we have to go through "auditing" with a member of the “church” who uses an "e-meter" to measure our “reactive mind”...... and we have to pay lots and lots and lots of money for “auditing” (purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 and $9,000 for advanced sessions) and to take courses on Scientology to advance to higher “levels” in the “church”. The “church” has also taken a very hostile stance towards psychiatry and psychiatric drugs irrespective of the fact that some people require medication to remain adequately functional in everyday life. They deny the reality of chemical imbalance and profound mental disturbance and accordingly do NOTHING to effectively stabilize the dangerously unstable. The “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (with deadly results).

Scientology is undeniably a cult. Every cult can be defined as a group having all of the following five characteristics:

(1) It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate and retain its members [convincing potential members that they are unhappy and Scientology is the only means of helping themselves]. (2) It forms an elitist totalitarian society. [they label everyone who disagrees or questions as a “Suppressive Person” and requires members to “disconnect” from them] (3) Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable and has charisma. [Yes, that would be Hubbard] (4) It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds & recruit people. (5) Its wealth does not benefit its members or society. [self evident proof for 4 & 5 as it does milk members for virtually everything they have and it’s wealth doesn’t find it’s way back to it’s members or society at all]

Cults are extremely harmful. To remain within the strict mental and social confines of a cult for even a short time can have the following disastrous effects:

Loss of choice and free will. Diminished intellectual ability, vocabulary and sense of humor. Reduced use of irony, abstractions and metaphors. Reduced capacity to form flexible and intimate relationships. Poor judgment. Physical deterioration. Malnutrition. Hallucinations, panic, dissociation, guilt, identity diffusion and paranoia. Neurotic, psychotic or suicidal tendencies.

Answer 2

Rubbish.

Answer 3

I saw the programme and that Scientology guy was spooky. He did them no favours at all, making the Scientologists appear very sinister. As for their followers, who am I to tell them what to believe. Free will is all important and a God given right. They must just allow everyone else to exercise their free will too.

Answer 4

I saw a documentary on it recently. A Sikh reporter tried to investigate Scientology by becoming a member. He had to go to Russia to learn about it so he could go through his test, which was taken in Britain and seemed full of odd and intimate questions, for which the answer was not so important as the reaction.
Scientology sees unusually secretive, almost like the Masons. There are breakaway groups like in most religions, so there is no definitive idea of what it all means.

Answer 5

Scientology is a bunch of BS

Answer 6

Actually it is both. It is an amazing load of old rubbish.

Answer 7

Rubbish, personally I think Rustafarians are better.

Answer 8

A science fiction writer makes a bet with friends that he can make a million bucks from creating his own religion and Scientology was born. Oh well......

Answer 9

It's basically a crazy cult started by the science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. It is basically a religion about aliens and gods from outer space. It borrows heavily from Von daniken and really is crazy.
BUT it does not seem crazy at first - oh no! It is clever like that. It uses small, logical increments of reasoning to slowly win you over into believing a lot of crazy things are real.

I am very interested inn theology and religions in general and have looked into most major world religions and all of them have a lot of merits, but I find precious little merit in Scientology.

You know that episode of the Simpsons with the Leader and the cult where the whole family are converted over to working as slaves for free - that is not too dissimilar to Scientology.

Answer 10

a brief description of scientology is that long ago aliens shot humans over in pods to earth and let us live and grow. and we all have little energy running through us. there are good energys and bad energys. and over time the bad energy get flushed out. and that some glorious day the aliens will come back for us....
at least thats what i heard iam not sure if thats right but thats the basics of it.

Answer 11

Just like Christianity, both based on sci-fi. The difference, is that the creator of Scientology wrote his books before he started the religion.