HOW does scientology get new members?

Question

I mean, if someone starts talking to me about aliens named 'xenu' and spaceships 'that look like DC-8's' and 'Galactic Confederacy', I correctly assume that I am talking to a total nutbag!!

Answer 1

It pays current members 10% commissions, called FSM (Field Staff Member) commissions, on new recruits they bring in who take a course or get counseling, so Scientology members routinely try to "sell" Scientology to others.

The new members then, in turn, donate vast amounts of money to the "church". Here is a run-down of all the costs involved with Scientology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_as_a_business#Costs

Oh, and... they don't immediately tell new members about Xenu and aliens and all that nonsense. They first draw people in with their quasi-legitimate sounding "personality test" which, regardless of how you respond to it, will "reveal" that you are a sad, desperate, troubled person in dire need of Scientology's help. They will then make you pay for their books, pay for "auditing", pay to take their "courses", pay to take tests in order to "advance" in the church, and if you fail those tests, you have to pay for MORE courses and then you have to pay AGAIN to retake the test.

All the while there are compulsory "suggested" donations and it's always "beneficial" to continue with "auditing" (which is purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 & $9,000 for advanced sessions).

When you FINALLY pay them enough to get to what they call "Operating Thetan Level 3", or OT III, they reveal all of that "Xenu" stuff to you.

Answer 2

I think they entice you to come for a visit then force feed you milk and cookies laced with mind altering drugs. Then they hold you captive for two weeks and subject you to a series of intense L. Ron brainwashing sessions. If that doesn't work they perform a chemical lobotomy using alien technology Hubbub stole from area 51 and make you buy 10 copies of Dianetics before you're released.

Answer 3

Well obviously that's not what Scientology is otherwise you'd be right !
This is what it is :
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. It is a very practical religion.
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 lifeAnd 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.

This is just an overview.
L. Ron Hubbard explained fully the theology and technologies of Scientology in more than 500,000 pages of writings, including dozens of books and over 2,000 tape-recorded public lectures. So it's not possible to fully answer your question on this forum.
Most people get introduced to it by reading basic books or listening to CD's of basic public lectures given by L.Ron Hubbard. Then applying the principles in their lives and finding out for themselves the results and betterment when they apply them.
Otherwise, from a Scientologist's viewpoint, we would be dealing with a "nutbag" and Scientology is for people who can think and look for themselves.
If you choose to be insane go see a Psychiatrist.

Answer 4

They don't come at you with xenu and spaceships right away - they lure you with promises of "personality consulting" or "color analysis", then do a mind job on you.

Answer 5

Watch the South Park episode "Trapped in a Closet"
Its hilarious.

Answer 6

Mind control.. do you really think Katie Holmes chose to marry Tom Cruise?

Answer 7

By his "messenger" Tom Cruise

Answer 8

Perhaps the aliens clone them?

Answer 9

In my own words this is Scientology:

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 knowledge and experience. 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 accompanied by ideas or considerations. Lets supposed 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 situations. This is what we call in Scientology an aberration (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 judgment and free will.

4. You can discharge the energy in this pictures through communication. This is Dianetics Auditing and his the oldest of hundreds of Scientology techniques used to improve the individual.

5. The Spirit creates his own emotions. Are you happy? Are you sad? Are you depress? Maybe you think that something external of you is creating your emotions. Maybe you believe that you are sad because you had a bad day. Or maybe you believe that you are happy because you had a great day. And this might be true. But who made the decision that you had a good or bad day? You did. You decided if life was good or bad, and adjusted your emotions to respond to your own consideration. You created your own emotion.
Some people are born with everything they want and are still unhappy. And others are born into humble means and are happy. What's the difference? The only real difference is each person ideas and considerations.
Scientology uses hundreds of processes to order to help the person get a better understanding and a better outlook in life by using his own observations.

6. Scientology Ethics: Scientologist base their conduct on a non-denominational code of conduct. http://twth.org/eb/?id=16664j

7. Scientology and God. Scientology acknowledges the supreme being and promotes the individual search for closeness to God trough religion.

8. Scientology vs Psychiatry. Psychiatry believes that self awareness, feelings, love and faith is merely cellular activity. Basically they think that you are your brain and you are not in charge of your behavior but your cells are.This is a totally materialistic point of view that denies the spirit and God. Psychiatrist is simply a pseudo science because is based in principles that are false.Psychiatry have never proven that any "mental illnesses" (like they call it) has any connection with a physical illness. Any Neurologist will tell you that there are no medical test to identify a "Mental Illness". All Psychiatrists base their diagnosis on opinion and opinion alone.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3895596783332855545&q=Psychiatry+is+fraude&hl=enhttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8443414209115892468&q=scientology&hl=en
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?p=cchr&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&b=1&oid=12085d1e6c58d04e&rurl=video.yahoo.com&vdone=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fvideo%3Fp%3Dcchr%26toggle%3D1%26cop%3Dmss%26ei%3DUTF-8
Happiness, exhilaration, depression and psychosis are states of mind, not diseases. All what you have to do to stop being depress is change your state of mind. How you do that? By changing your ideas and considerations. Scientology provides the tools to achieve a better state of mind in accordance with your own point of view.
Also Psychiatrist excuse the most horrendous crimes as mental illnesses. This is actually creates a sense of irresponsibility in society because it tells people that they are not responsible for their actions. Second they promote that drugs are the answer for your problems. This message promotes the use of drugs to find release from life and creates the current drug addiction problem in society. Drugs will only give you temporary release but will never solve the source of your problems.And actually drugs will keep you away from finding a true spiritual release.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4437051883726295326&q=psychiatry&hl=en
P.S. Scientology doesn't have anything against Psychology or Neurology only Psychiatry.

9. Scientology and 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 seriously. The story of Xenu doesn't have any significance on Scientology beliefs.

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

Answer 10

All I can say is LMAO!