is Scientology a real religion or just a dangerously lethal cult?

Question

Yup Thetaalways sure does sound sane. It almost reads as sensible until you realize that they pay thousands to basically be asked personal questions while holding two cans hooked to an electrical resistance meter.
I think Zero is absolutely right, and her links are very good.

In case anybody missed it I waas being sarcastic to the scientologist. L.Ron Hubbard was convicted of fraud and died while still running from the law.

Answer 1

A dangerously lethal cult. Since I've already given you all the "dirt" on Scientology, I'll give you a basic overview:

Scientology, which questionably calls itself a new "religion", is the brainchild of science fiction writer & occult enthusiast L. Ron Hubbard. The organization, by means of Hubbard’s self created psychotherapy technique called “Dianetics”, claims to be able to help rid members of any & all mental constraints including but not limited to emotional scarring (from this & "past" lives) due to "engrams" (past negative experiences stored in our unconscious mind), psychological disorders & 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).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianetics#Scientific_evaluations
Dianetics review: http://dir.salon.com/story/books/review/2005/06/28/dianetics/index.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,812852,00.html

The official Scientology organization is composed of a number of “levels”. One begins as a “preclear” & works their way up. One must purchase virtually every service crucial to advancement directly from the "church" & at staggering prices. "Auditing", for example, is purchased in 12½ 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 & 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 millions 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 & 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 during everyday life. They don’t recognize legitimate conditions like autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc, and the “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from member (often with harmful & 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 & self-help methods to keep people loyal & convinced of its merit while it simultaneously sucks them dry financially & attempts to keep them far away from ANYONE, even friends & 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 these links for more information: http://www.lisamcpherson.org/
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/24/Tampabay/The_unperson.shtml
http://www.factnet.org/Books/SocialControl/scs.html#toc http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/s/scientology/pignotti/

Answer 2

I think that any faith has a right to be called a religion. Many Christians call any religion other than Christianity and a few others a cult (It is the same way with some other religions). What exactly is a cult? Why are some religions considered cults and others are not? If it is the length of time the religions has been around then Hinduism (And some religion starting with Z) would be the true religions and Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Bhuddism could be considered cults. If it is the amount of followers it has then Scientology would not be a cult because it has a lot of followers. Personally I think cult is to a religion as the n word is to African Americans and ****** is to gay people.

Answer 3

Nope. It is not a real religion. It is a very dangerous cult that brainwashes their members. I advise you and anybody to stay away from it. They are all about getting your money and controlling you. I know that for a fact because I used to be in that crazy cult for 3 years back in the 70's.

Answer 4

it is neither

it is a form of masturbation, dressed up as religion, sold by L Ron Hubbard, and it is making a bunch of money for some people.
it is not dangerous. It is not lethal. It IS a cult. And for some weak-minded, pretty people---ie. Cruise, Travolta, et al. it serves as a way to make a guy happy. It is a bunch of garbage, but it is not HARMFUL garbage---it's just trash. Nice, easily-digested trash.

Answer 5

Boy there's no happy medium with you is there??

Here's some factual information about Scientology..... you
decide for yourself... or not.
It's definitely my religion because it works for me.Other folks misinformed opinions don't change my personal observation and experience.

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 in the area of God , the Supreme Being, or the Infinite. This area is left totally up to the indivdual as pasrt of his life. It does not conflict.
You can have no specific religious beliefs and still benefit from it.
And it is only true for you according to your own observation and experience with it.
It is also not a messianic religion. This means there is no worship of messiahs in Scientology. There are no “beliefs” as such because a truth should be according to ones own observation and experience.
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.

Real Religion ?
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.
With Scientology expanding to well over 10 million members in over 163 countries world wide the opinion of half a dozen posters on Yahoo Answers will not change the fact that Scientology is a bonafide and expanding new religion in the 21st century.
It is true that the theology and technology of Scientology was discovered and developed by L.Ron Hubbard. But he was just a man, and never said he was anything else.
He did not make any statements about God or the Supreme Being other than to say acknowledge it's existence as the "Eighth Dynamic".
But he did not attempt to define it or describe it.
In Scientology does not intrude in this area,it is left to the individual

Answer 6

According to the man who founded it, it's a joke. A joke perpetrated on tens of thousands of "religion addicts". Is it dangerous? Not to those who aren't sucked in by it.

Answer 7

I don't think they are leathal.
tom cruise was a bit scary last time I saw him- but I don't see anyone being murdered in the name of scientology any time soon

Answer 8

It's dangerous only in the aspect that it keeps people from Jesus Christ, and is a false idolatry. Only a flake would buy any of that, but that's what satan counts on. Lots of naive people will be in hell.

http://www.billygraham.org/SH_StepsToPeace.asp

Answer 9

Yes it is a false cult.

Pastor Art

Answer 10

religion or cult, doesn't matter what you want to call it. Just look at L. Ron Hubbard's eyes and tell me you don't see evil in them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Ron_Hubbard

He might well have been Satan in human form, for all we know.