I am a Roman Catholic and have heard of Scientology. I have no wish to join it, but I do wish to more fully understand it. I know the religion was established by a science fiction writer around the mid 20th century. But the whole Xenu, frozen thetans, etc, is that really part of the religion? Also, is it true that Scientologists do not believe in psychology or drugs for depression and ADHD? I have never considered Scientology a religion, but I want to re-evaluate my stance on what Scientologists really believe, and if what they believe works towards the common good and is not just a "religion" focused around making money or telling "false truths."
2007-01-27 18:38:47 · 11 answers · asked by stevieray8921 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes, the aliens thing and the anti-psychiatry thing, those are REALLY parts of the "religion".
Scientology, which questionably calls itself a new "religion", 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, 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/
2007-01-27 18:53:51 · answer #1 · answered by ZER0 C00L ••AM••VT•• 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
The only wrestling games that have ever had a true story mode were the Day of Reckoning games on the Gamecube, and there, you were required to use a created wrestler to avoid any chance that you would feud with yourself by picking a wrestler that was a major player in the story mode. In SvR 2008, you can pick any wrestler on the roster, which means that Benoit was probably a major player in 2 or 3 of probably 20 to 30 individual storylines, which were probably removed at WWE's request. Besides, with all the trouble that WWE is going through to remove all mention of Benoit from WWE history, they would probably have made THQ delay the game if truly drastic changes needed to be made.
2016-03-29 05:59:42 · answer #2 · answered by Loretta 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't ever take the sleeping pills route!!
1. They will damage your liver big time and you can get into serious health problems.
2. You will get hooked up on them and you won't be able to have a normal life any more if you don't take your pills everyday.
The sleeping pills industry is damaging our health by capitalizing on our ignorance, and by distracting people from effective and natural ways to deal with this problem. I had been taking prescription sleep medications [Ambien] for over 5 years. It stopped working and I simply took more. Still did not work. Nights were very difficult - medication put me to sleep but I would wake up after 2–3 hours with a strong sympathetic response (fast pulse, pounding heartbeat, wide awake alert). It was a very difficult cycle to break. I was really in bad shape due to lack of sleep.
After years of struggling I was able to cure my insomnia naturally and pretty fast. I followed the Sleep Tracks sleep optimization program, here is their official web -site if you want to take a look: http://www.insomniacure.net
Ohhh..and Good Luck!
2014-09-17 10:09:43 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Remain a Roman Catholic and consider scientology a cult.
2007-01-27 19:34:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I myself was involved with in and contrary to popular belief, they truly are committed to helping people improve their lives, despite all the evidence to the contrary. True, they do have some strange beliefs, but what religion doesn't?
As far as "false truths" are concerned, maybe you should have a look at your religion.
2007-01-27 18:47:52 · answer #5 · answered by tomleah_06 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
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 ( http://www.lisamcpherson.org/ ). It's the only "religion" that won't let you read its "holy" teachings for free.
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! - as told by the great Hubbard himself: (don't read this - according to scientology, reading it before you're ready will kill you of pneumonia!):
"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."
2007-01-27 18:42:09 · answer #6 · answered by eldad9 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Here is a factual description of Scientology. I compiled this myself and because I have been a Scientologist for the past 36 years I do know something about it.
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. 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.
The rumours that circulate about it change over time. Some are dug up and recirculated depending on what gets picked up but the hidden agenda is the same. Because of the workabilty of Scientology technology to help mankind and improve the conditions of life it gets attacked by those that thrive on mankind's miseries.
Regarding psychology, the use of drugs to resolve non physical (mental) problems and psychiatric lables like ADHD. The answer is simple. It's not that Scientology doesn't "believe" in them. It is simply that if you actually observe their overall long term effect on life and society,,,, they simply do not work and in many cases create more harm than good.
The Church of Scientology has created and sponsors many successful secular programs that help ALL sectors of society including other religious organizations confronted with these problems within their parishes and among their parishoners.
Funds donated to the International Association of Scientologists
are channelled into the many non religious , secular social betterment programs that Scientology supports :
International Volunteer Ministers Program. (Disaster Relief)
Youth for Human Rights (Youth education on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights United Nations 1945)
Citizens Commission on Human Rights (Psychiatric Abuse)
Applied Scholastics Education Programs (Programs for Literacy and Eduvcation)
Narconon Drug Education and Rehabilitation Programs (Drug Addiction)
"The Way to Happiness" Foundation ( Booklet of common sense morale precepts used in many areas and countries world wide.)
Criminon. Criminal Rehabilitation Programs.(In prisons and with Probation)
These are all international programs.
Scientology is a new religion, only 53 years old. It does not have hundreds of years of accumulated wealth and property like other religions. It must operate and establish itself in the world according to the economics of today's society.
However the "richer" we get, the more we can do for out fellow man.
Scientology gives exchange in abundance for every dollar (or currency) it receives.It is mankind that profits from the funds, and those who donate do so because they know this.
Hope this helps to answer your question.
2007-01-28 06:15:29 · answer #7 · answered by thetaalways 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Yep, that's what they believe. After "auditing" to "Clear" you of engrams, they keep asking for more and more of your money, to enlighten you at the next level.never stops, until you're broke.
2007-01-27 18:54:09 · answer #8 · answered by Icefire 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
THIS IS SCIENTOLOGY
Scientology is a path to find your own personal truth. These are the principles:
1. What is true for you is what you yourself observe to be true. (Because of this rule you can believe in anything you want: Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad or Dharma. Your own believes are your own business. It is a high crime in Scientology for anyone to tell what to think or believe. You are expected to question anything in Scientology.)
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 these pictures are accompanied by ideas or considerations. Lets suppose 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 on Scientology an aberration (a conclusion that is imposed 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 these pictures through communication. This is Dianetics Auditing and is 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's ideas and considerations.
Scientology uses hundreds of processes in order to help a person get a better understanding and a better outlook in life by using his own observations.
6. Scientology Ethics. Ethical people take full responsibility for their actions. Un-ethical people blame others for their actions. "Wrong doings" diminish and deteriorate the freedom of the spirit because the need to justify the "wrong doing". So the spirit is enslaved into repeating the "wrong doing" in order to justify the original "wrong doing". The road to freedom lies within taking full responsibility for your personal condition and actions, past, present and future. Scientology provides the tools to help the person able to be fully responsible over his life thus rehabilitating his ability to be good and self determined.
Also 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 a pseudo science because it 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 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 false 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
Note: Scientology doesn't have anything against Psychology or Neurology. Also the mere awareness that you are a spiritual being and not a body makes you better person.
9. Scientology is a force for good in society. Scientologist fights Psychiatric abuses, http://www.cchr.org/ dangerous and harmful drugs, criminality, http://www.criminon.org and drug addiction. http://www.narconon.org Also Scientology fought and won against the FDA and the IRS. And Scientologist initiated the social reform group "Youth for Human Rights" http://www.youthforhumanrights.org and the movement "Say no to drugs and yes to life". http://www.notodrugs-yestolife.org
Scientologist are some of the more intelligent, able and successful 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.
10. Scientology is the only church that doesn't ask for donations from their parishioners during their Sunday Services. All chapel services are 100% free (marriages, naming ceremonies, ect). Scientology earns it's money by delivering courses and auditing. Courses and auditing are optional. You do not need to take courses and auditing to be in Scientology. All you need to do to be a Scientologist is to read the books and apply Scientology to your life (like I do). But if you want auditing there are many alternative and economical ways to achieve this.
a. You can do volunteer work in your local church and get your services for free.
b. You can study to be an auditor and perform all your auditing with a fellow student. This way you can also provide free services to your friends and family. This is actually the preferred way to become clear because you learn how to help others. Scientology isn't about you going clear but taking responsibility across all your dynamics (self, family, group, humanity, life, ect).
11. Scientology and aliens. The story of Xenu is just a fable like the story of "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.
12. Anti-Scientology propaganda is just that, propaganda. If you wanna know about this propaganda see my blog: http://www.myspace.com/129727315
References
http://www.neuereligion.de/ENG/index.html
http://www.bonafidescientology.org/
http://www.chaplaincare.navy.mil/Scientology.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/scientol.htm
http://www.scientology.org/
http://www.beliefnet.com/sem/scientology-religion.asp?source=YAHSCT&campaign=096&medium=PPC&nopop=1&WT.mc_id=YAHSCT&WT.srch=1
2007-01-28 05:18:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Yes, they really do believe all that sh*t.
But then, look at you believe.
2007-01-27 18:42:26 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋