is scientology a religion?

Answer 1

NO. Scientology CLAIMS to be a new "religion". It's actually the brainchild of science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. The organization claims to be able to help rid members of any and all mental constraints including but not limited to emotional scarring (from this and "past" lives) due to "engrams" (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind), psychological disorders and chemical imbalances (the solution is to convince members that these things don't actually exist) & drug dependence (including legally prescribed psychopharmaceuticals which counteract the effects of psychological disorders Scientologists believe to be nonexistent).

The official Scientology organization is composed of a number of “levels”. One begins as a “preclear” and works their way up. One must purchase virtually every service crucial to advancement directly from the "church" and at staggering prices. "Auditing", for example, is purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 & $9,000 for advanced sessions. Visit this link to see how $380,000 is a conservative estimate for the total cost of moving all the way up the Scientology hierarchal ladder: http://www.xenu.net/archive/prices.html These are the total costs for auditing alone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_as_a_business#Costs

At level OT III (Operating Thetan 3), some very strange and fiercely guarded secrets are imparted upon worthy members who have paid enough money to advance to such a level (and no, this isn't a joke): the evil alien ruler Xenu killed a lot of aliens (Thetans) from around the universe by kidnapping them, bringing them to earth in golden DC8 “space-planes” & blowing them up inside volcanoes with hydrogen bombs. Scientologists believe the souls of these aliens (these souls are "Body Thetans") were captured, brainwashed and released who then attached themselves to our ancestors (who passed them all the way down to us) & cause many of our mental & physical ills. http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/spaink-ot3.html http://xenu.net/archive/leaflet/Xenu-Letter.pdf

Scientology has taken a very hostile stance towards psychiatry & psychiatric drugs irrespective of the fact that some people require medication to remain adequately functional in everyday life. The “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (with deadly results). Suspiciously, it was discovered upon Hubbard’s death that the anti-anxiety drug hydroxyzine (Vistaril®) was present in his body, which several of his assistants would later attest was only one of many psychiatric & pain medications Hubbard ingested over the years. http://www.clambake.org/archive/ronthenut/16.gif
(visit this link to read about the uses of hydroxyzine: http://www.drugs.com/mtm/v/vistaril.html )

To be blunt, Scientology is a cult. It employs semi-legitimate psychotherapy and self-help methods to keep people loyal, convinced of its merit while it simultaneously sucks them dry financially and attempts to keep them far away from ANYONE, even friends and family, who would dissuade them from remaining in such a harmful situation. It is a harmful, dangerous cult that takes its anti-psychiatry fanaticism to deadly limits. See this link for more information: http://www.lisamcpherson.org/

Answer 2

Yep.

You can download 3 free Scientology exposes, The Scandal of Scientology, The Bare Faced Messiah and A Piece of Blue Sky here:

http://usminc.org/scientology.html

Answer 3

No, it's not a religion. It's a money making scam... although you could argue that of all religions, Scientology beats them all hands down.

Answer 4

Scientology is a business disguised as a religion.

Answer 5

Well its definitely a well discussed subject that gets lots of varied opinions on this forum (Religion&Spirituality) .
I seem to be the only Scientologist responding however.
Yes it is a religion.
Here is a description of what it actually is and why it is a religion.
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 life 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. L. Ron Hubbard researched and made new discoveries about the human spirit. He developed technology from these discoveries to apply to increase spiritual awareness and ability.
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.

Scholastic criteria for a religion :
1. A belief in some Ultimate Reality, such as a supreme or eternal truth that transcends the here and now of the secular world;
2. Religious practices directed towards understanding, attaining or communing with this Ultimate Reality; and
3. A community of believers who join together in pursuing this Ultimate Religion.
Based on these criteria, ever scholar who has examined Scientology has concluded that it has the required elements of a religion.

Here are some of the names of those who have done independant studies of Scientology and made these conclusions:
Dr Bryan Ronald Wilson Oxford University England
Regis dricquebourg, Prof of Sociology of Religion Lille University France.
Prof Lonnie D. Kliever American expert on religion.
Dr J. Melton Founder/Director Institute for the Study of American Religion (Santa Barbara)
Dr Frank K. Flinn Prof in religious studies at Washington University.
Dr M Darroll Bryant Prof of Religion and Culture Universit of Waterloo Ontario Canada.
James A Beckford Prof Warick University England.
Michael A Sivertsev. Chrm for New Religions Russia
Mr Fumio Swanda One of Japans foremost authorities on religion and former director of Sophia University.
There are many more studies available. These are just a few.

This answer may seem a bit over the top, but this question get's asked a lot.

Answer 6

No, its a false "doctrine" and a cult. It was made up by some guy, and from what I hear, these people think there's aliens battling for control in their bodies. I think this is a sad excuse for people who are searching to fill a void in their lives, and Jesus is always the answer. Let's look at "Scientology"--gee, could it have been started by someone in science? I thought I read somewhere it was started by a science fiction writer.

Answer 7

It,s just another method of "Brainwashing" - Controlling the Minds of all who are unfortunate to fall for their B U L L S H I T ----- In keeping with many other so called Religions --- "Do as we say - not do as we do" Suppression , Dictatorship , Instilling Fear ,, the "You will Burn in Hell" Devices -- Sadly , the many Millions of good and genuine "True Believers" are Deeply Hurt and Dissapointed by these Moronic Despots whose sole Purpose is "Control"

Answer 8

NO. IT IS PSUEDO RELIGION

L. Ron Hubbard was a science fiction writer who made up scientology. He sold the rights to it to some creeps who exploited it into a religion to make money. hubbard regrets that he ever did this.

Answer 9

http://www.xenu.net/
contains all the information you need.

It's an evil cult designed to make money and nothing else . Its effects on believers are destructive.

Read "the road to xenu" - http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/xenu/ - an account of a girl who escaped scientology after 12 years!

The cult's core belief - no, I am not kidding here!

"The head of the Galactic Federation (76 planets around larger stars visible from here) (founded 5,000,000 years ago, very space opera) solved overpopulation (250 billion or so per planet, 178 billion on average) by mass implanting. He caused people to be brought to Teegeeack (Earth) and put an H-Bomb on the principal volcanos (Incident II) and then the Pacific area ones were taken in boxes to Hawaii and the Atlantic area ones to Las Palmas and there "packaged".

His name was Xenu. He used renegades. Various misleading data by means of circuits etc. was placed in the implants.

When through with his crime loyal officers (to the people) captured him after six years of battle and put him in an electronic mountain trap where he still is. "They" are gone. The place (Confederation) has since been a desert. The length and brutality of it all was such that this Confederation never recovered. The implant is calculated to kill (by pneumonia etc) anyone who attempts to solve it. This liability has been dispensed with by my tech development.

One can freewheel through the implant and die unless it is approached as precisely outlined. The "freewheel" (auto-running on and on) lasts too long, denies sleep etc and one dies. So be careful to do only Incidents I and II as given and not plow around and fail to complete one thetan at a time.

In December 1967 I knew someone had to take the plunge. I did and emerged very knocked out, but alive. Probably the only one ever to do so in 75,000,000 years. I have all the data now, but only that given here is needful.

One's body is a mass of individual thetans stuck to oneself or to the body.

One has to clean them off by running incident II and Incident I. It is a long job, requiring care, patience and good auditing. You are running beings. They respond like any preclear. Some large, some small.

Thetans believed they were one. This is the primary error. Good luck."

Answer 10

No, it's a cult. A fiction writer coming up with a religion? Come on.

Answer 11

Well they say it is, but since it doesn't seem to have a deity or any recommended way of living a good life (that one can actually truly practise - staying quiet while giving birth?! I don't think so!!) apart from donating large amounts of money to the cause, I don't really think it is.