Only real answers PLEASE..I'm not trying to down any religion I just really want to understand why so many people belive in it..What are the teachings?
2007-01-25 07:50:18 · 15 answers · asked by Art 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Scientology is the brainchild of science fiction writer and occult enthusiast 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
Here’s an explanation of what “auditing” is: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061224182319AA2nnd6
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 DC-8 “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; they then attached themselves to our ancestors (who passed them all the way down to us) & cause many of our mental & physical ills to this day. Auditing is said to “clear” us of these Body Thetans as well as the “mental implants” they supposedly impose on our minds. 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 (& I don't say this to be mean, just to be accurate), 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’s a particularly greedy as well as manipulative & dangerous cult that takes its anti-psychiatry fanaticism to deadly limits. See this link for more information: http://www.lisamcpherson.org/
2007-01-25 08:55:38 · answer #1 · answered by ZER0 C00L ••AM••VT•• 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Scientology is very strange. It was created by L. Ron Hubbard. One of their main beliefs is that we humans are impure. We are impure because aliens have infested our souls. They believe that our sins are from aliens, ala Body Snatchers. They do not believe in medical drugs, which many people now know from Tom Cruise's rant against Brooke Shields for taking antidepressants. If you haven't noticed, celebrities are just about the only members of scientology. This is because the religion is based around members cleansing their souls of these impure beings, often at thousands of dollars for tests and associated work. Many members are also pressed to make large contributions to the church. I'm not trying to down the religion, but I am being truthful about what it is, and honestly, not much is known about it because members often are sworn to secrecy about some of the practices, and they will not disclose their financial status.
2007-01-25 08:02:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's not a religion, Scientology masquerades as a religion. There's no theology, no God It's meant to be sort of a substitute for psychotherapy. If you join Scientology you'll be enrolled in a never ending series of courses and a process they call "auditing" which is supposed to "clear" your mind.
I was involved in it briefly some years ago -- long enough to learn that it's both useless and a money grab. It's VERY expensive and it's sometimes destructive to people.
Google Scientology and you'll be buried in information.
2007-01-25 08:03:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I am serious about this. Scientology teaches that your soul is held down by alien ghosts who were sent to die by a warlord millennia ago. The only way to free your soul of these ghosts is to give money to the Church. Lots of money.
Actually, that episode of South Park summed the "religion" up perfectly.
2007-01-25 07:59:29 · answer #4 · answered by Draco Paladin 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
"A stated goal of Scientology is to rehabilitate the thetan (roughly equivalent to the soul) to regain its native state of "total freedom." Church spokesmen and practitioners claim that Hubbard's teachings (called "Technology" or "Tech" in Scientology terminology) have saved them from a plethora of problems and enabled them to better realize their highest potential in business and in their personal lives.[1][2] However, outside observers—including journalists, lawmakers, and national governing bodies of several countries—have alleged that the Church is an unscrupulous commercial enterprise that harasses its critics and brutally exploits its members."
2007-01-25 07:56:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
It teaches only "What you need to know.."..like every other religion it is a guide in it's unique way on how to live your life and interact with those around you as well as define your own spirituality...these are the common denominators of all faiths.
2007-01-25 07:58:46 · answer #6 · answered by Blind Sighted 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What little I do know makes no since. It was
started by a science fiction writer called
L. Ron Hubbard. HE invented this religion.
The things they believe are unreal. Check out
his books and you will understand what kind of
person you are talking about. I really feel
sorry for the people who have fallen victim
to this man.
2007-01-25 08:02:10 · answer #7 · answered by Kerilyn 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It teaches that aliens are at war and the faithful will be one day carried off in a giant spaceship to flee the destruction of the Earth. I'm not even joking!
2016-03-29 02:25:04 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Quick answer before the scientologist make yahoo take the question down because it offends them ...
2007-01-25 07:57:09 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Scientologists ACTUALLY believe the evil alien ruler Xenu killed a lot of aliens (Thetans) from around the universe by bringing them to earth & blowing them up inside volcanoes. They believe the souls of these aliens (these souls are "Body Thetans") have attached themselves to us & cause many of our mental & physical ills. Members who know about Xenu will attempt to deny it or pretend like it doesn’t matter. They are required to sign a contract binding them to silence on the matter. Lower level members don’t know about Xenu & accordingly deny everything because they honestly don’t know.
To rid ourselves of "Body Thetans" & 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”...... & we have to pay lots & lots of money for “auditing” (purchased in 12.5-hour blocks, costing anywhere from $750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 & $9,000 for advanced sessions) & to take courses on Scientology to advance to higher “levels” in the “church”. The “church” has also 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. They deny the reality of chemical imbalance & profound mental disturbance & 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. For more information on what a cult is & what their damaging effects are, please visit the link provided at the bottom of the sources. Just know that Scientology DOES qualify by meeting these 5 criteria:
(1) It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate & retain its members. (2) It forms an elitist totalitarian society. (3) Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic, not accountable & has charisma. (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.
Source(s):
Watch this very revealing video that will, in about 4-5 minutes, show you EXACTLY what Scientology is all about: http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/...
This video is a bit longer. It’s a CBS “48 Hours” special on the mentally disturbed son of Scientologist parents who refused to put him on the anti-psychotic drugs that would have stabilized him & prevented him from killing his mother:
http://www.scientomogy.com/jeremy_perkin...
L. Ron Hubbard HIMSELF writes about Xenu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/xenu#.22xen...
Hubbard SPEAKS about Xenu/Xemu (wav file): http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/otiii/xemu0.w...
http://xenu.net/
http://www.watchman.org/sci/
http://www.scientology-kills.org/...
http://usminc.org/scientology.html...
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/otiii/...
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/secrets/...
http://www.holysmoke.org/pc/pc.htm...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/scientology...
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/room174.ht...
http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecen...
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/sto...
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articl...
http://www.truthaboutscientology.com/rea...
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/80/story_...
Cult information - http://www.cultinformation.org.uk/faq.ht...
Official site - http://www.scientology.org/
2007-01-25 08:03:07 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋