Church of Scientology ?

Question

When you mention this people think of cults, and Tom Cruise. But, does anybody attend one or know more about it and could give me some real info ? I prefer un-biased opinions.

Answer 1

I can present a critical perspective, and it's all backed up by facts. Many Scientologists claim that the uglier aspects of their "religion" are either lies created by the media or the equivalent of inconsequential footnotes, but I feel everyone has the right to be exposed to both sides of the story. I don't know if that makes me "biased", but I'm only trying to tell the truth. Here's an overview (in my own words):

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. It doesn’t recognize legitimate conditions like autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc, or any neurological disorder or chemical imbalance for that matter, and the “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from members (often with harmful & deadly results). The “Church” blames the psychiatry for the Holocaust, as well as school shootings and even September 11th. It’s been suggested that Hubbard’s vehement opposition was born of the psychiatric community’s rejection of his “tech” as a valid treatment method, but it’s also possible that Hubbard chose psychiatry as a scapegoat. Groups like Scientology are notorious for villainizing a specific out-group as it fosters cohesion within the group.
http://www.anti-scientologie.ch/usa-scientology.htm
http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=3137&IssueNum=136
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/07/01/sci_psy/index_np.html?pn=1
http://perkinstragedy.org

L. Ron Hubbard, the man behind the creation of Scientology, was & still is a controversial figure. Biographies and lists of personal accomplishments differ greatly between Scientology and non-Scientology publications as the “church” tends to exaggerate and outright lie about his early life, his education, , his travels, his achievements etc, preferring to paint a distorted, flattering picture. Several books and articles present facts which flatly contradict these church-published accounts (links to free online copies of these books are provided below). During autopsy, the sedative 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. It had also been said by many who knew Hubbard personally that at the end of his life he was “a psychopathic insane person screaming about BT's [Body Thetans]….”
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/Bare%20Faced%20Messiah.pdf
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/atack/contents.htm
http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/mom/Messiah_or_Madman.txt
http://skull.piratehaven.org/~atman/factnet/lrhbare.txt

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

Tom Cruise is an actor, so much popular for being a Scientologist. The church is well.... don't concentrate to media bias they have no idea what they're speakme approximately... I am a Scientologist. People say we're a cult, however what makes us a cult? They say it's partly due to the fact we hoard cash... This isn't actual. In reality I am very deficient. I were homeless two times and I have continually been authorized. Is it due to the fact we think in an alien that created us? They have all of that nonsense approximately the volcano, however none of it's actual. We think in an alien author, actual, however partly due to the fact we refuse to bow to the Christian God. We don't think that we need to obey and lie down for him or burn without end Is it much less loopy to think in a person within the sky that controls all existence? We don't comply with remedy. We use Dianetics. Dianetics is a procedure that separates the frame from external drive so it could paintings on its possess. I use it each dy and I have no longer bought ill as soon as,as earlier than I did always. I used to be ready to ru a seven minute mile whilst earlier than e I bought 11 minute miles. Dianetics destroys the sickness, remedy hides it. I might ut my cash on Dianetics over remedy any day. We think in dynamics, or methods to are living. One need to entire the primary to transport to the following. they're: one million.Self two.Sexual/household three.organization four.mankind five.animal/beings. 6.Universe. 7.Spiritual eight.Infinity/author No one has but completed the final dynamic so we go away the option open for the man or woman. Tom Cruise is at seven. We use those daily to higher ourselves and make existence right here in the world our possess heaven as we don't think in sin or heaven/hell. We think within the thetan, or soul which will manage the whole thing as it is just obvious. Time is most effective obvious as we see time as difference, wthou difference time might no longer exist. There are more than one dimensions so house is most effective the standpoint of the man or woman watching. Money is most effective high-quality paper fabric that we preserve a importance to. You can electronic mail me any time for big apple extra answersrs.

Answer 3

Yes.... I'm a Scientologist , for the past 36 years, so I know something about the Church of Scientology.
Here's a factual description of my religion that I often post on this forum :

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.
It is also not a messianic religion. This means there is no worship of prophets or messiahs in Scientology. It is not faith based. A truth should be true 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 life.And to rehabilitate his native goodness, abilities and potential.
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. So it's not possible to fully answer your question on this forum, but hopefully this gives you some idea.
If you have any more specific questions feel free to message me and ask.

Answer 4

This is my experience: I walked by the big Scientology center in Hollywood, and the people were pretty creepy. They tried to get me to take some test to show how miserable my life was so they could tell me how their religion could fix everything. And they seemed a little desperate.

It is based on an idea by L.Ron Hubbard, who was a science fiction author.

I think they have some common sense in some areas, and that's why people take them seriously, but there's something really creepy about it.

Answer 5

Everyone in the world fits into one of two camps about Scientology.

You think its the greatest thing since sliced bread or you think its a false cult.

I believe its a false cult.

The web site below will tell you why.

And why about some other false cults as well.

Pastor Art

Answer 6

Un-biased opinions?

Thats not possible. An opinion represents your personal biases.

Answer 7

SCIENTOLOGIST HERE !

OK here is my un-biased opinion ! ( as oposed to my biased opinion ).

My Back History
I was raised a Protesant Christian yet my parents always said my religious beliefs were up to me ! I was first interested in Dianetics as it had answered questions I always had about the mind, I looked up the mind in the Encyclopedia Britanica and found no answeres from the current scientific community, I was amazed that none had figured it all out scientifically yet! So I found Dianetics and it said it had answeres so I looked into it ( aside from the fact that it was supposed to free my mind of past upsets ) and I wondered what the church was all about but was mostly interested in Dianetics. I went to NYC and made friends in a church there and took some courses etc.. So Dianetics had a method of freeing the mind, but once that got going people got beyond just that and used the scientific principals to free themselves from other things in life. Because Scientology addresses Me as a spirit and how I handle life as a spirit and improves my life in that way it is a Religion and that was all cool with me. So I learned about things I could use to improve my life and also myself as a spiritual being. Among those were why I was restraining myself from a particular relationship, also salvaged my education, also did the purif and got drugs and toxic residue out of my body, also from what I learned I was able to understand what to do to help/handle a friend who went into insulin shock - he was sure glad I was there. Also it's kind of cool looking forward to going to church because I'm actually handling things in my life with what I'm learning there. I don't just study stuff , I study stuff that I can and do use every day in life to improve my life and the lives of those around me. Due to an already genius level IQ I do tend to pick this stuff up easily, but it's presented so that anyone can understand life and the mechanics thereof, enabling them to improve ANY situation they choose.

Un-biased Opinion stuff

I like people no matter who they are, as long as thier intentions tward me and people of good will are honest and strait forward. So I could tell you about all the good people I have met at the churches of scientology around the country, but I won't as you wanted unbiased.

So here it goes...Unbiased is as unbiased does...

and there are towns and cities and states and countries and govt's all over the world that have awarded and accomodated churches of scientology for thier good works in the humanities, education reform,religious freedom fighting ( for all religions ), criminal reform, cleaning up drug addiction, disaster relief, even for cleaning up parks and communities and architectural restoration of historical buildings. As these awards are given by govt's of people all over the planet it is an unbiased opinion of global proportions.
here is more info from around the world http://www.scientologytoday.org
also
http://www.volunteerministers.org

Some more unbiased opinion, this time from govts and courts around the globe, here is what they have to say about the lies told about the Church of Scientology by a few criminal posters who are the source of all the lies and bad stuff you here about on line... http://religiousfreedomwatch.org this will explain why you hear all that wierd culty stuff and where it is coming from...not because we say so, but the people of earth say so.

Biased oppinion

OK, so aside from all that my biased opinion is that Scientology works and is Good, biased because I use it and it has proven itself to me in my life and my many personal friends from the Church seem to have similar experience and biased opinion also, but don't take our word for it, think for yourself, find out for yourself.

Answer 8

Ron L Hubbard, founder of scientology: "I want to start a religion. That's where the money is"

Kinda says it all, really

Watch the south park scientology episde and wiki it.

Answer 9

This is what they believe:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xDPkn9LX0rU

This is a video of inside the "church"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rD9bCdHqU3s


It was founded by a science fiction writer.
Please don't join it you get brainwashed and go broke.

Answer 10

no dont attend one, but research their ideas they are not a cult.

Answer 11

Church of Scientology...........Lets break it down..."Church" a groups of believers.."of"....of...."Scientology"...Science + ology....Science is the all the natural world....ology is the study of...now lets arrange these word..."The Study of Science in a group of believers"... wala!!