What is Scientology?

Question

I've heard of different rumours. Alien beliefs and all that jazz. Just looking for a quick breakdown. thanks.

Answer 1

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_evaluation_and_criticisms
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”, stacking them around volcanoes & blowing them up by dropping “h-bombs” into the volcanoes. Scientologists believe the souls of these aliens (these souls are "Body Thetans") were captured, brainwashed & released; they then attached themselves to our ancestors (and according to Scientology’s belief in Thetan immortality, they also attached to us during “past lives”) & 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://www.spaink.net/cos/essays/atack_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 members (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://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/07/01/sci_psy/index_np.html?pn=1
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.xenu.net/archive/personal_story/funkydonny.html

Answer 2

I just brought a book last week, called CURIOUS OBSESSIONS in the history of Science and Spirituality by Rachael Kohn really explains about Scientology and other things like The Spiritual Art of Medicine,The Lost Race of Giants and Aryans. It is really good reading if you like books. Other wise look on the net.

Answer 3

Yes there are lots of rumours. The truth can be found at any church or mission of Scientology.

Scientology-knowing what you know.
Core belief-we are all spiritual beings with untapped ability.
Practises-many and varied, all leading to more understanding.
Uses-life improvement, increases ability to help others.
Applicability-all areas of life.
Cost-as little or as much as you like.
Membership-$0-unlimited.
Beginners book-Scientology. A New Slant on Life.

The best way to understand any subject is to read about it or study it.

There has just been a total re-release of all the basic Scientology books. They have been re-released with all the lectures, notes, glossaries and texts that were originally intended to be there. This makes it easy to understand because it is now in the correct order.

Answer 4

Scientology is an applied religious philosophy. It is applied because it involves doingness to improve conditions, ethics and the well being of persons and society. It is a religion because it applies to the spirit in relation to itself, others, and its environment. It has vastly helped many throughout the world. I am a Scientologist. Go look for yourself. Visit an org or a mission and see what Scientology is...find out for yourself. There are many lies on the internet. Most of the responses here are simply untrue and very malicious. I am not an alien. I am an ordinary Joe. You owe it to yourself to find out the truth directly...what is true for you. Visit an org or mission.

Answer 5

Let me qualify my answer... I worked for a service business run by Scientologists for 3-1/2 years. As a result, I my bosses and customers were both primarily Scientologists.

If you ask a Scientologist what it is all about, they will tell you how it guides you, using various formulas, towards any goal you choose - How it is a helpful tool, when properly used, will allow you to achieve success and harmony.

As someone looking in from the outside and having to deal with them on a daily basis, I have a different viewpoint. Scientology is getting what you want, when you want it, and how you want it. Screw everyone else. It is a study in egocentricity. and its religious status is a joke.

Answer 6

A science-fiction writer made up a religion and said that aliens came from another planet and put us here and they are watching over us. Thats pretty much the big picture but that have lots of little weird things they do such as after your baby is born you cant talk to it for at least 24hrs. And they more money you pay to the church the more spiritual you are in their eyes. Its all crazy, Thats Tom Cruise's religion.

Answer 7

a religious cult, founded by elron hubbard. student of psychology, switched to theology in effort to start a legal church for his own beliefs, they demand you break all relationships with anyone not a member. demand complete devotion. claims humanity was a race of gods at first , and came to earth and gave up certain powers, over time, space, and matter. they evolved by reincarnation into humans, but for some reason can't remember this.they must pay thousands of dollars to have a preclear, which has their engrams removed( i think that's how it's spelled). once removed then you can have power to control your sins, problems, addictions, depression, and diseases, and your own your way to becoming the god you once were. they practice dynetics- part of buddahism, claims that jesus was a clear theiton, the name of the race of the gods, and there is no heaven or hell. to reach salvation you must take part in this preclear. it contains a lot of eastern mysticism and new age beliefs. they wear crosses to try and be credible. ironically the founder died of several venerial diseases one possibly aids. his son said that his dad was a con artist and wanted no part of his false religion .

Answer 8

the belief is that an alien lord sorted out overcrowding by taking the aliens and throwing them in volcanos. the souls from the aliens left the volcanos and were embedded in all living things.

this, they say, is the reason for our terminal blues.

mostly, egotistical people follow Scientology, as the final outcome is somehow related to us realising how godlike we are.

Answer 9

began via L. Ron Hubbard as 'self aid technique' known as Dianetics (he began out writing SiFi books after which wrote self aid books) ...it right into a became "faith".....many folks (Christians, atheist, agnostics, former individuals, ect) say it's the superb 'textual content-booklet' instance of a non-violent Cult (idea a few individuals have pronounced bodily and emotional abuse) the elemental concept is: for the duration of your and beyond lives you might have had poor studies that you just can not take into account, those repressed studies 'keep you again'.... via targeted counseling known as "Dianetics" (supplied via the CoS. for a nominal price) you'll 'method/manage' those unhealthy studies....as soon as there all looked after, you'll go beyond to a "prime simple of life" ....THE END....

Answer 10

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 - Check out http://www.lisamcpherson.org/ , a victim of the cult who was starved to death.

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! - in the words of the founder:

"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 11

Scientology is a Christian sect. Tom Cruise is the best known member.

For information on their beliefs, use Wikipedia.