Why does the one of the Scientology emblems have a cross on it?

Question

Do you find it odd since scientology has nothing to do with Christianity? What is it and why do some people flock to it? Is it another counterfiet religion?What are your thoughts on it?

Answer 1

You're right... the Scientology cross, like Scientology itself, has no connection to Christianity. The Scientology cross is similar to the Rosicrucian or Rosy cross and the "crossed-out cross" of Aleister Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis. Hubbard was briefly a member of the Rosicrucians and was involved in OTO "magical workings" in Pasadena, California some years before founding Scientology.
http://www.religio.de/atack/occ3.html
http://www.lermanet2.com/scientology-and-occult/crowleyscrossedoutcross.jpg

My thoughts on Scientology: it's a dangerous, deceptive, destructive, manipulative, greedy, scamming, brainwashing, bullying cult. I can answer many of your other questions by posting for you this comprehensive overview (I wrote it, didn't copy it from another website):

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). Their “treatment” of substance abuse includes little more than massive doses of vitamins and extended sessions in a sauna.
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
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Narconon/detox.htm
http://www.nypress.com/20/22/news&columns/feature.cfm

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 $200-$750 for introductory sessions to between $8,000 & $9,000 for advanced sessions. Basically, Scientology claims to possess exclusive knowledge of the path to religious redemption & then charges obscene amounts of money for every tiny incremental step towards this end. 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, epilepsy, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or ANY neurological disorder / chemical imbalance at all, & the “church” has been known to withhold prescription pharmaceuticals from members (often with harmful & deadly results). The “Church” blames psychiatry for the Holocaust, as well as school shootings & 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. Organizations like Scientology are notorious for villainizing a specific out-group because their “stand against the enemy” fosters cohesion within said organization, & psychiatry was an effective rallying point considering many people already distrust & oppose the mental health profession.
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 & lists of personal accomplishments differ greatly between Scientology & non-Scientology publications as the “church” tends to exaggerate & outright lie about his early life, his education, his travels, his achievements etc, preferring to paint a distorted, flattering picture. Several books & articles present facts which flatly contradict these church-published accounts (links to free online copies of these books & articles are provided below), showing conclusively that he was NOT the brilliant, accomplished figure revered by Scientologists. During his 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 bullies all known critics, opponents, “enemies”, etc, often through malicious litigation & character assassination. It’s a particularly greedy as well as manipulative & dangerous cult that takes its anti-psychiatry fanaticism to deadly limits.
http://www.solitarytrees.net/racism/harass.htm#start
http://www.factnet.org/Books/SocialControl/scs.html#toc
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/24/Tampabay/The_unperson.shtml
http://www.xenu.net/archive/personal_story/funkydonny.html

Answer 2

Well - THEY say : The first dynamic, self, is the effort to survive as an individual, to be an individual and to fully express one’s individuality.

The second dynamic is the urge toward existence as a future generation. It has two components: sex and the family unit, including the raising of children.

The third dynamic is the urge to survive as a member of a group. A company, a political party, a church or a social organization are all examples of the third dynamic.

The fourth dynamic is the urge for survival of man as a species. All of the races of man together constitute the fourth dynamic.

The fifth dynamic is the urge to survive for all life forms -- animal or vegetable and anything directly and intimately motivated by life.

The sixth dynamic is the urge for survival of the physical universe and reflects the drive of the individual to enhance the survival of all matter, energy, space and time --the component parts of the physical universe.

The seventh dynamic is the urge toward existence as a spiritual being.

The eighth dynamic is the urge toward existence as infinity. This is also identified as the Supreme Being. Thus, this dynamic can be called the infinity, or God, dynamic.

"The Scientology cross is an eight-pointed cross which represents the eight parts or dynamics of life as described above. The Scientology cross symbolizes the ability to live happily across all eight dynamics."

Which is typical Scientology babble which means nothing.

Answer 3

L. Ron Hubbard used that cross because he was infatuated with Aleister Crowley who's cross is very similar and was "invented" before hubbard's/scientology's cross.
A cross is not purely a christian symbol, there are many different types of crosses that symbolise many different things.
I can't really answer the other questions as well as some other people can. Zero Cool has the best answers about what scientology really is.

Answer 4

The equal-armed cross is usually thought of today as being an exclusive Christian symbol but the sign has a history going back at least to the Neolithic period some 6000 years ago.

Father K answered correctly about the Scientology version, per their data. All of which, to him, is as meaningless as the blessed virgin Mary is to any other religion. :-)

What is it? That would be best answered by reading a book on the subject. As to whether it's a counterfeit religion, that would depend on what one considers a "genuine" religion.

My thoughts on the subject aren't relevant to your understanding, since that's just my opinion.

Answer 5

If you are referring to the Scientology cross, then understand what its meaning is.

In his research in Dianetics and Scientology, founder L. Ron Hubbard discovered that the common denominator of all existence is SURVIVE!

Whatever man has done through the ages, whether civilized or cultured, it was found to be inherent in all of a beings activities. The concept first arose in his book "Dianetics: the modern science of mental health". Hubbard then broke down this concept of Survival into 4 dynamics, or urges.

1-Self
2-Sex or Procreation
3-Groups
4-Mankind

Scientology, which followed on the heels of Dianetics and her results, brought about 4 additional dynamics to light.

5-Life Forms
6-Physical Universe
7-Spirit
8-Infinity (commonly known as God or the creator etc.)

This adds up to 8 dynamics.

The Scientology cross embraces and represents these eight dynamics. Through Scientology, a person realizes that his life and influence extend far beyond himself. He becomes aware also of the necessity to participate in a much broader spectrum. By understanding each of these dynamics and their relationship, one to the other, he is able to do so, and thus increase survival on all these dynamics.

As a matter of interest, the cross as a symbol PREDATES Christianity, however, Scientology is not completely based on Christianity. It certainly does embrace the teachings and goals of Christ.

Answer 6

Scientology is a crazy mix of ideas pulled at random from some freaks brain

Answer 7

Scientology is a faith too, a false religion, meant to take people away from Gods eternal gift of love and salvation.....

Answer 8

The Scientology cross has 8 sides representing the 8 dinamics of life: Self, family, group, humanity, all life, the phisical universe, spirits, infinity or God.