How? What? Scientology?

Question

Can anyone explain scientology to me?
How the hell is that a religion, isnt it a sect?
What are their beliefs?

Answer 1

Scientology teaches that mankind is an immortal being (called a Thetan) not originally from this planet that is trapped by matter, energy, space, and time (MEST). Salvation for a Scientologist comes through a process called 'auditing,' whereby 'engrams' (basically, memories of past pain and unconsciousness that create energy blockage) are removed. Auditing is a very lengthy process and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. When all engrams are finally removed, the Thetan can once again control MEST instead of being controlled by it. Until salvation, each Thetan is constantly reincarnated.

Answer 2

Its not really a sect since its not a subsection of some other religion.

And as far as I can tell its mostly a religion because you couldnt self-help in important parts of peoples lives back in the 1950's unless you were medical or religion.

The Scientology part is lots of excellent self-help courses. I took a couple of them years ago then I quit. But I still use what I got from the Communications course and the Study course. In fact Im fairly sure that I wouldnt be a public speaker now if I hadnt take the Comm course.

The religion part that I saw was very generic. Sunday services wishing good will for people hit by disasters, followed by asking for canned goods or clothing or helping on disaster teams. (no passing of the plate for money)

Apparently there are some extensive believes but we only know that because it keeps getting posted to questions like this. Thats all supposed to be "secret knowledge known only to the highest ups" so 99% of the people who try scientology dont know anything about the stuff that keeps getting said about it. The anti-scientology sites say that the secret beliefs are something about locking up their "god" and leaving us to fight our own way out of the "evil spirits" which are blocking us in our lives. The end goal is to become an "Operating Thetan" in charge of the universe around them. Like I said, all self help stuff.

Answer 3

How can it NOT be a religion?
I can worship a spaghetti monster and its a religion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastafarianism
I can worship a guy that was made up on the internet and its a religion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_SubGenius
I can even BE a god myself!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult
Or even worship no god and be a religion
(various Confucism, Taoism, Buddhism)

So this is a religion that has locked up its god in a volcano and now everyone works to free themselves of his evil influences? Cool!

Seriously though. Scientology still falls in the 0,02% of "Other Religions" of the world so why not just be happy that there is someplace to put them?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Worldwide_percentage_of_Adherants_by_Religion.png

Answer 4

First off, please ignore the "omg cult!!!!" freaking outs of the previous answers.

The actual religion is sort of self-help-ish.

But to the subject of the actual CHURCH of Scientology... some of its centers are beginning to become cultish. A few of them have been cultish for a while.

Just remember that the religion and the church are two separate things, and that a LOT of Scientologists don't like what the church has been up to recently.

Answer 5

$cientology is a cult created by L. Ron Hubbard in order to prove his assertion that the weak-minded Hollywood glitterati will believe anything as long as it comes out the talk-hole of a pretty entertainer and has nothing to do with God. Many critics believe that $cientology is by far Hubbard's greatest work of science fiction.

Answer 6

Ask Tom Cruise.

Answer 7

It's a crazy and dangerous cult.

Answer 8

It's a cult. Here's a comprehensive overview (in my own words, not copy/pasted from another website):

It's a cult. 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