Scientology...?

Question

I'm doing a research paper on a non-mainstream culture, religion, group, etc. and I chose Scientology, because it's relatively small and since I go to a Christian school, no one really understands it. I have been all over the internet, reading books, etc. but I want some first hand information. Can anyone who is a Scientologist, or knows first-hand give me some info about how it all works? A book and the official website only provide so much. Thanks!

Answer 1

Here is an online book that you can read: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/cooper/index.html
Here are some more books on the subject:
http://www.amazon.com/Scientology-What-do-they-believe/dp/B00097HC5A/sr=8-2/qid=1162674568/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-7812212-0608922
http://www.amazon.com/Piece-Blue-Sky-Scientology-Dianetics/dp/081840499X/sr=8-3/qid=1162674568/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/102-7812212-0608922?ie=UTF8&s=books
Here is a book written by someone who had been on the inside:
http://www.amazon.com/Escaping-Scientology-Insiders-True-Story/dp/1596690666/sr=8-6/qid=1162674568/ref=pd_bbs_sr_6/102-7812212-0608922?ie=UTF8&s=books
Here is a recent news story regarding a family of Scientologists:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/25/48hours/main2124568.shtml

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

Hi, I am a Scientologist. ( for the past 34 years )

Here is a very basic outline that I put together and post on this forum when this question comes up.
However there is a VERY comprehensive book called " What is Scientology " that was compiled by the church to fully answer all questions about it and what it does and how it all works, applications of it's technology in the world etc. If you contact the Department of Special Affairs at and local Scientology church or mission they will provide you with a copy of this book.

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 personal 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 10 million Scientologists in more than 163 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

Scientology was started by L. Ron Hubbard as a bet with Ray Bradbury to see who could come up with the biggest cult. Apparently, Hubbard won the bet.

Answer 4

Girl, this is the website for you:

http://www.xenu.net

I scoured that website and I found out SO MUCH information. You should check it out. Very informative and contains many testimonies from people who left scientology about what scientology is really like on the inside.

Answer 5

Watch the episode of South Park titled "Tom Cruise won't come out of the closet." it deals with Scientology in a humorous manner you would enjoy.

Answer 6

I appluade Zero Cool for an awesome answer!

Answer 7

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

Answer 8

Scientology isn't a faith system but a series of proceses that a person uses to find his own truth. Here are some of the principles.

1. What is true for you is what you your self observe to be true.

2. Man is his spirit not his mind or his body.

3. The spirit creates his own mind. Please do not confuse the mind with the brain that is a physical thing. The mind is composed of mental image pictures as explained in Dianetics. These pictures serve the spirit to give him knowlege and experiance. These pictures are composed of energy. The energy in the picture can affect the spirit. You can feel better by remembering something that you like or angry by remembering something else. These emotions are actually energy waves emanated by the picture. You can actually feel pain by remembering a pain memory. Sometimes this pictures are acompanied by ideas or considerations. Lets suposed that you father beat you mom up in front of you. Your father was the dominating figure so you might conclude that you have to act like your father in some situacions. This is what we call in Scientology an aberation (a conclusion that is impose to you by a mental picture). This picture is what we call a engram; A pain memory that affects your judgement and free will.

4. A spirit is capable of considerations and ideas and this ideas are solely based on uglyness and beautyfullness. The spirit reject ugly things and intends on making everything beautyfull. Do you like your car, you house, your job, your friends? Are you friends nice with you? Can you improve things in your life? All these are ideas based on uglyness and beautyfullness. This is why the spirits rejects the ugly memories and by rejecting the ugly memories (not confronting them) he is unknowingly affected by them.

5. You can discharge the energy in this pictures true communication. This is Auditing, the Auditor directs your attention to this pictures regardless of how ugly they are and you confront the picture and discharge the energy of the picture true the communication line. Is like if you have battery, in order to discharge the battery you need to discharged against something. If you try to discharge it against your self is just going to chock you.

6. Unethical behavior and wrong doings are the #1 reason a spirit diminishes it power. In order to stop your self from hurting others, you hinder your own abilities and force. The rehabilition of your own abilities and force is dependent on you taking full resposability for your actions.

7. You are fully resposible for your condition. Blaming others for your condition will never solve that condition. It doesn't matter what that condition is, blamming other will never help. Only by fully taking ownership of you condition can you solve that contidition.

Scientology is a very interesting religion that takes years of study to master. I just mentioned a few fundamentals. Scientology is so advance and so different that people can't understand it. People think that they know everything there is to know about life. And when they see Scientology they jump to conclusions when in reality they don't have a clue what are they talking about. The reality is that man attacks what he can't understand. That's why Scientology gets so much bad press.
http://www.chaplaincare.navy.mil/Scientology.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/scientol.htm
http://www.beliefnet.com/sem/scientology-religion.asp?source=YAHSCT&campaign=096&medium=PPC&nopop=1&WT.mc_id=YAHSCT&WT.srch=1

Zero Cool is a self proclaim Atheist that searches Yahoo awnsers in order to bash God or Religion in any way possible, just look at her awnser's: "No, I don't believe in the power of prayer. Prayer does nothing but allow the praying person to feel like they're doing something supernatural about their problem".
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnEHOS.N3ngJHqHpVQ7sOFXsy6IX?qid=20061013101308AAiH013
Now about Zero Cool anti-Scientology propaganda I have this to say:

1. I'm sorry to burst your bubble but Scientologist don't believe in Aliens. The story of Xenu is just a fable like the story Jonah in the Whale in the bible. Fables are not intended to be taken seriosly. The story of Xeno doesn't have any significance in Scientology beliefs.

2.What the heck is a "body theta". A thetan is the Scientology term for the human spirit, there is no such thing as body thetans. I have been in Scientology for over 10 years and I have never heard the term "Body Theta".

3. "The reality of chemical imbalance"? What reality of chemical imbalance? It has never been proven that man can have a chemical imbalance that affect its behavior. Blood test, cat scan, x-rays or any medical test can't determine if a person is crazy. Crazyness are is a label applied to certain socially unacceptable behaviors. A disease is something that a person has and is some form of cellular irregularity or abnormality. Many experts agree that Psychiatry is solely based on opinion and long term use of Psychiatric druds are highly harfull not to mention many side effects including addiction. Anti-drepresants should only be used as a short term solution to calm your nerves during a highly stressfull situacion like a family death and post-partum depresion, ect.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3895596783332855545&q=scientology&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8443414209115892468&q=scientology&hl=en

4. What coersive to recruit methods? Scientology has in your face solutions for in your face problems. This seems very strait foward to me.

5. We label everyone who disagrees or questions Scientology a Supresive? That's not true, we only label those that try to harm or attack Scientology or Scientologist.

6. Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable and has charisma? So was Jesus Christ, Bhuda and Mahomma what's your point?

7. It believes 'the end justifies the means' in order to solicit funds & recruit people? Hey, we have our code of conduct too. There are thing we consider right and wrong like everyone else.
http://twth.org/eb/?id=16664j

8. Its wealth does not benefit its members or society? Scientologist are highly involved in their comunities and run many comunity help programs.
Do you know that the campain "Say no to drugs and yes to life" was started by scientologists?
http://www.notodrugs-yestolife.org/index.htm
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/11/emw468494.htm
Do you know that Scientologist fight for Human Rights?
http://www.youthforhumanrights.org
Do you know that Scientologist run the biggest criminal rehabilitation organisation there is?
http://www.criminon.org/
Do you know run the most sucessful drug rehab program there is, with a 75% long term sucess rate.
http://www.narconon.org/narconon_results.htm
Do you know that Scientologist provide for free a very basic, easy to understand and to apply "moral code".
http://twth.org/eb/?id=16664j
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/10/30/Tampabay/Spiritual_symbiosis__.shtml

9. "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."

Anwser: Scientologist are some of the more inteligent, able and sucessfull people in this planet. Including Jenna Elfman, Kelly Preston, John Travolta, Priscilla Presley, Sofia Milos and Leah Remini. Even Danny Masterson from the that's That '70s Show is a Scientologist and he is freaking funny. Also Bryan Zwan CEO of Digital Lightwave and Craig Jensen CEO of Executive Software International are scientologist too.

10. Those sites that she mentions are no more credible than the sites that say that 9/11 was a plot from the goverment and that the hollocaust never happened.

For example the reference on wikipedia about Xenu is just a fable and no Scientologist believe it to be true. In fact most Scientologist I have meet haven't even heard the story. The fable of Xeno doesn't have any significance on Scientology believes.

The site"http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/" alleges that Lisa McPherson died of neglect when in fact it was determined by several forensic examiners that "Lisa McPherson, died suddenly and unpredictably of a blood clot in her left lung that originated from a knee bruise she suffered in a minor auto accident 17 days earlier." The forensic examiner that originaly said that Lisa died of dehidration and bed rest (Dr Joan Woods) admited that she didn't perfom the autopsy and afther examining the facts she changed the cause of death of Lisa to be natural.
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/57230113.html?dids=57230113:57230113&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jun+13%2C+2000&author=CRAIG+PITTMAN&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1.A&desc=McPherson+case+expected+to+haunt+medical+examiner+Series%3A+STATE+DROPS+CHARGES+AGAINST+SCIENTOLOGY

Also that site alleges that Lisa McPherson was held against her will when in fact Lisa was taken to the Scientology resort by her own request. In Judge Quesada's own words "Based on the undisputed facts of this case, plaintiff has not made and cannot make a showing that Lisa McPherson was unlawfully restrained 'against her will' by the defendants. In fact, all of the evidence indicates the opposite. Lisa McPherson refused psychiatric observation or admission at the hospital; she expressly stated her desire to receive the religious care and assistance from her fellow congregants"
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/74470672.html?dids=74470672:74470672&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jun+22%2C+2001&author=ROBERT+FARLEY&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=3.B&desc=Church+scores+round+in+death+suit
I can challenge the information in those sites and "PROVE" that the information in those sites are not only false but absurd.

There are 10 million of Scientologist in the planet living happy and fruitfull lives.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/10/24/2003333176
Last years Scientology opened 1,300 missions including missions in Nepal, India and Venezuela. http://www.scientology.org/html/opencms/cos/scientology/en_US/news-media/briefing/2005/vm/seindia/050406.html
http://www.scientology.org/html/opencms/cos/scientology/en_US/world/news/missionary/pg000.html
The reason that Scientology is here and growing is simple: "Because Scientology works".