What is Scientology?

Question

I don't know .. all I remember is that years ago some guys with folders asked me some questions.. I can't remember a thing about it.... perhaps you can tell me?

Answer 1

Jamus is right; Scientology can't compare to Queensland mangoes. ;-)

Answer 2

It's hard to be objective about Scientology but here goes. It is currently a religion and some people believe that this happened because it bestowed tax-free status as participants buy their way to the top. It is profit-making.

It started as a self-help program, developed by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, who called it Dianetics and it was not a religion. It has similarities to Freudian psychology in that early, negative experiences cause "engrams," which cause personal psychologically-based problems. An electronic device that seemed to be like a simple lie detector was used to "audit" the individual during therapy to uncover and eliminate the engrams.

Answer 3

Im an ex-scientologist.
They have self-help courses to help empower you to control your own life. I took the Personal Communications, and the Better Studying. Good stuff. Now I speak in public, do demos, lecutre to groups. Before that I could barely talk to one person

Most of what gets posted here about it is crap by people who never checked it for real or talked to one.

Answer 4

Scientology is a lie.

Answer 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

Answer 6

It is based on a person being an immortal spiritual being whose survival depends on him/herself and his/her attainment of brotherhood with others and the universe.

Answer 7

Isnt that the worship of Icy's mangos?

Answer 8

Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices initially developed by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics.[1] Hubbard later characterized Scientology as an "applied religious philosophy" and the basis for a new religion.[1] Scientology encompasses a spiritual rehabilitation philosophy and techniques, and covers topics such as morals, ethics, detoxification, education and management. The first Church of Scientology was founded in 1953.[2]

Today the total body of beliefs and practices of Dianetics and Scientology are the intellectual property of the Church of Spiritual Technology that forms part of a network of churches and organizations that promote the use of Dianetics, Scientology and related techniques.[3] Other organizations that promote the use of Scientology’s related techniques are the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises and the Association for Better Living and Education

Scientology and the organizations that promote it have remained highly controversial since their inception. Journalists, courts and the governing bodies of several countries have stated that the Church of Scientology is a cult and an unscrupulous commercial enterprise that harasses its critics and abuses the trust of its members.[4][5][6][7][8] Scientology officials argue that most negative press has been motivated by interest groups, and that most of the controversy is past history.[6][9][10][11][12] The U.S. State Department has commented negatively in their annual International Religious Freedom Reports on countries that discriminate against Scientologists and their religious freedoms.[13]

Scientology's doctrines were established by Hubbard over a period of about 34 years, beginning in 1952 and continuing until his death in January 1986. Most of the basic principles were set out during the 1950s and 1960s. Now described as an "applied religious philosophy," Scientology was at first secular; Hubbard began to characterize Scientology's beliefs and practices as a religion in 1953, and by 1960 he had redefined it as a "religion by its basic tenets."[14]

Hubbard recorded his doctrine in 500,000 pages of writings, 6,500 reels of tape and 42 films that are carefully protected and guarded for posterity.[15]

The Church of Scientology presents Hubbard's work as completely original, reflected in the fact that Scientologists refer to Hubbard himself as "Source." Scientology recapitulates and builds on ideas Hubbard introduced in Dianetics, an earlier system of self-improvement techniques laid out in his 1950 book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.

Hubbard recalls his first influence as that of Commander Joseph Cressman Thompson.[16] Commander Thompson was the first officer in the US Navy to study under Sigmund Freud.[17] Hubbard, the son of a navy officer, met Thompson at the age of 12 during a trip from Seattle to Washington D.C. via the Panama canal. Thompson introduced Hubbard to Freudian analysis.[17] Hubbard later gave his opinion on Sigmund Freud: “I think that was Freud’s great contribution, that something could be done about the mind... He was the first man that ever stood up and said: 'there is hope for it'... Now there was a great humanitarian."[17]

In 1945, Hubbard was for several months in contact with Aleister Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis chapter in Los Angeles, a group headed by John W. Parsons.[18] In a 1952 lecture series, Hubbard recommended a book of Crowley's and referred to him as "Mad Old Boy"[19][20] and as "my very good friend."[21] This regard was not mutual, with Crowley considering him a "lout" who was "playing [a] confidence trick."[22][23][24]

Another influence acknowledged by Hubbard is the system of General Semantics developed by Alfred Korzybski in the 1930s, which was influential in the science-fiction subculture of the 1940s[citation needed]. Scientology also reflects the influence of the Hindu concept of karma, as well as the psychological theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and William Sargant.

Sociologist David G. Bromley of Virginia Commonwealth University characterizes Scientology as "a 'quasi-religious therapy' that resembles Freudian 'depth psychology' while also drawing upon Buddhism, Hinduism, and the ancient, heretical offshoot of Christianity known as gnosticism." In fact during The Phoenix Lectures Hubbard admitted that Scientology wouldn’t have been possible if he hadn’t known the Veda.[25] Hubbard called the Veda Scientology’s earliest ancestor: "And we find Scientology’s earliest, certainly known ancestor in the Veda."[26] Hubbard also gave recognition to the Tao Te Ching, the Dharma and Gautama Buddha as forerunners to Scientology.[27]

The Church of Scientology defines Scientology as "'the study of truth.' It comes from the Latin word 'scio' meaning 'knowing in the fullest sense of the word' and the Greek word 'logos' meaning 'study of.'"[28]

"Scientology would be a study of knowledge," Hubbard stated in 1952.[29] In 1960 L. Ron Hubbard defined Scientology as: "a religion by its basic tenets, practice, historical background and by the definition of the word 'religion' itself."[30] In 1969 he wrote that "It is fundamentally an applied religious philosophy."[31]

In a lecture given on July 19, 1962 entitled "The E-meter," Hubbard said:

So Suzie and I went down to the library, and we started hauling books out and looking for words. And we finally found 'scio' and we find 'ology.' And there was the founding of that word. Now, that word had been used to some degree before. There had been some thought of this. Actually the earliest studies on these didn't have any name to them until a little bit along the line and then I called it anything you could think of. But we found that this word Scientology, you see—and it could have been any other word that had also been used—was the best-fitted word for exactly what we wanted.

Although today associated almost exclusively with Hubbard's work, the word "scientology" predates Hubbard's creation by several decades. Philologist Allen Upward used the word "scientology" in his 1901 book The New Word as a synonym for "pseudoscience,"[32] and this is sometimes cited as the first coining of the word.[33] In 1934, the Argentine-German writer Anastasius Nordenholz published a book using the word positively: Scientologie, Wissenschaft von der Beschaffenheit und der Tauglichkeit des Wissens ("Scientology, Science of the Constitution and Usefulness of Knowledge").[34] Nordenholz's book is a study of consciousness, and its usage of the word is not greatly different from Hubbard's definition, "knowing how to know."[35] However, it is not clear to what extent Hubbard was aware of these earlier uses. The word itself is a pairing of the Latin word scientia ("knowledge," "skill"), which comes from the verb scire ("to know"), and the Greek λογος lógos ("reason" or "inward thought" or "logic" or "an account of").

Answer 9

Ok... so... here's a detailed overview that I wrote (no, it wasn't lifted from another website and isn't copy/pasted from Wiki). I hope it helps you better understand:

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 Level 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://www.spaink.net/cos/essays/atack_ot3.html
http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/spaink-ot3.html
http://xenu.net/archive/leaflet/Xenu-Letter.pdf
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/OTIII/
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://lisatrust.bogie.nl/scientology/essays/jeff-hubbard.htm

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.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/s/scientology/pignotti/
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/24/Tampabay/The_unperson.shtml
http://www.xenu.net/archive/personal_story/funkydonny.html

Answer 10

Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices initially developed by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics.[1] Hubbard later characterized Scientology as an "applied religious philosophy" and the basis for a new religion.[1] Scientology encompasses a spiritual rehabilitation philosophy and techniques, and covers topics such as morals, ethics, detoxification, education and management. The first Church of Scientology was founded in 1953.[2]

Today the total body of beliefs and practices of Dianetics and Scientology are the intellectual property of the Church of Spiritual Technology that forms part of a network of churches and organizations that promote the use of Dianetics, Scientology and related techniques.[3] Other organizations that promote the use of Scientology’s related techniques are the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises and the Association for Better Living and Education

Scientology and the organizations that promote it have remained highly controversial since their inception. Journalists, courts and the governing bodies of several countries have stated that the Church of Scientology is a cult and an unscrupulous commercial enterprise that harasses its critics and abuses the trust of its members.[4][5][6][7][8] Scientology officials argue that most negative press has been motivated by interest groups, and that most of the controversy is past history.[6][9][10][11][12] The U.S. State Department has commented negatively in their annual International Religious Freedom Reports on countries that discriminate against Scientologists and their religious freedoms

Origin
Scientology's doctrines were established by Hubbard over a period of about 34 years, beginning in 1952 and continuing until his death in January 1986. Most of the basic principles were set out during the 1950s and 1960s. Now described as an "applied religious philosophy," Scientology was at first secular; Hubbard began to characterize Scientology's beliefs and practices as a religion in 1953, and by 1960 he had redefined it as a "religion by its basic tenets."[14]

Hubbard recorded his doctrine in 500,000 pages of writings, 6,500 reels of tape and 42 films that are carefully protected and guarded for posterity.[15]


Influences
The Church of Scientology presents Hubbard's work as completely original, reflected in the fact that Scientologists refer to Hubbard himself as "Source." Scientology recapitulates and builds on ideas Hubbard introduced in Dianetics, an earlier system of self-improvement techniques laid out in his 1950 book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.

Hubbard recalls his first influence as that of Commander Joseph Cressman Thompson.[16] Commander Thompson was the first officer in the US Navy to study under Sigmund Freud.[17] Hubbard, the son of a navy officer, met Thompson at the age of 12 during a trip from Seattle to Washington D.C. via the Panama canal. Thompson introduced Hubbard to Freudian analysis.[17] Hubbard later gave his opinion on Sigmund Freud: “I think that was Freud’s great contribution, that something could be done about the mind... He was the first man that ever stood up and said: 'there is hope for it'... Now there was a great humanitarian."[17]

In 1945, Hubbard was for several months in contact with Aleister Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis chapter in Los Angeles, a group headed by John W. Parsons.[18] In a 1952 lecture series, Hubbard recommended a book of Crowley's and referred to him as "Mad Old Boy"[19][20] and as "my very good friend."[21] This regard was not mutual, with Crowley considering him a "lout" who was "playing [a] confidence trick."[22][23][24]

Another influence acknowledged by Hubbard is the system of General Semantics developed by Alfred Korzybski in the 1930s, which was influential in the science-fiction subculture of the 1940s[citation needed]. Scientology also reflects the influence of the Hindu concept of karma, as well as the psychological theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and William Sargant.

Sociologist David G. Bromley of Virginia Commonwealth University characterizes Scientology as "a 'quasi-religious therapy' that resembles Freudian 'depth psychology' while also drawing upon Buddhism, Hinduism, and the ancient, heretical offshoot of Christianity known as gnosticism." In fact during The Phoenix Lectures Hubbard admitted that Scientology wouldn’t have been possible if he hadn’t known the Veda.[25] Hubbard called the Veda Scientology’s earliest ancestor: "And we find Scientology’s earliest, certainly known ancestor in the Veda."[26] Hubbard also gave recognition to the Tao Te Ching, the Dharma and Gautama Buddha as forerunners to Scientology.[27]


Definition
The Church of Scientology defines Scientology as "'the study of truth.' It comes from the Latin word 'scio' meaning 'knowing in the fullest sense of the word' and the Greek word 'logos' meaning 'study of.'"[28]

"Scientology would be a study of knowledge," Hubbard stated in 1952.[29] In 1960 L. Ron Hubbard defined Scientology as: "a religion by its basic tenets, practice, historical background and by the definition of the word 'religion' itself."[30] In 1969 he wrote that "It is fundamentally an applied religious philosophy."[31]

In a lecture given on July 19, 1962 entitled "The E-meter," Hubbard said:

So Suzie and I went down to the library, and we started hauling books out and looking for words. And we finally found 'scio' and we find 'ology.' And there was the founding of that word. Now, that word had been used to some degree before. There had been some thought of this. Actually the earliest studies on these didn't have any name to them until a little bit along the line and then I called it anything you could think of. But we found that this word Scientology, you see—and it could have been any other word that had also been used—was the best-fitted word for exactly what we wanted.

Although today associated almost exclusively with Hubbard's work, the word "scientology" predates Hubbard's creation by several decades. Philologist Allen Upward used the word "scientology" in his 1901 book The New Word as a synonym for "pseudoscience,"[32] and this is sometimes cited as the first coining of the word.[33] In 1934, the Argentine-German writer Anastasius Nordenholz published a book using the word positively: Scientologie, Wissenschaft von der Beschaffenheit und der Tauglichkeit des Wissens ("Scientology, Science of the Constitution and Usefulness of Knowledge").[34] Nordenholz's book is a study of consciousness, and its usage of the word is not greatly different from Hubbard's definition, "knowing how to know."[35] However, it is not clear to what extent Hubbard was aware of these earlier uses. The word itself is a pairing of the Latin word scientia ("knowledge," "skill"), which comes from the verb scire ("to know"), and the Greek λογος lógos ("reason" or "inward thought" or "logic" or "an account of").


Texts and Lectures
Main article: Scientology bibliography
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related techniques composed of 15 basic books,[36] 15,000 pages of technical writing and over 3,000 lectures.[37] There isn’t a single Scientology book that is the equivalent of the Bible or the Quran but the study of Scientology is achieved through the chronological study of its basic books and lectures.[38]


Beliefs
Scientology describes itself as the "the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life."[39] Scientology philosophy encompasses all aspects of life from the point of view of the spirit; including a spiritual rehabilitation philosophy and techniques, morals, ethics, detoxification, education and management.[40]

Prime among Scientology's beliefs is: "that man is a spiritual being whose existence spans more than one life and who is endowed with abilities well beyond those which he normally considers he possesses."[41]

Scientology believes man to be basically good and that his experiences have led him into evil. That he errs because he seeks to solve his problems by considering only his own point of view. And that man can improve to the degree he preserves his spiritual integrity and remains honest and decent.[42]

According to the Church, the ultimate goal is: "a civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights."[43]

The purpose of Scientology is "to know"; to achieve complete certainty of one’s spiritual existence and one’s relationship to the Supreme Being.[44] In Scientology no one is asked to accept anything as belief or on faith, the tenets of Scientology are expected to be tested and seen to either be true or not by Scientology practitioners. "That which is true for you is what you have observed to be true."[45]

Scientology says its practice provides exact and precise methods by which a person can achieve greater spiritual awareness,[45] " Auditing" and "Training" being the primary practices.[46]

The exact nature of all of existence is said to be stated in Hubbard's Scientology and Dianetics Axioms.

Other beliefs of Scientology are:

A person is an immortal spiritual being (termed a thetan) who possesses a mind and a body.
The thetan has lived through many past lives and will continue to live beyond the death of the body.
Through the Scientology process of "auditing," people can free themselves of specific traumatic incidents, prior ethical transgressions and bad decisions, which are said to collectively restrict the person from reaching the state of "Clear," and after that, the state of "Operating Thetan." Each state is said to represent the recovery of the native spiritual abilities of the individual, and to confer dramatic mental and physical benefits.
A person is basically good, but becomes "aberrated" by moments of pain and unconsciousness in his or her life.
Psychiatry and psychology are destructive and abusive practices.[47]

The Bridge to Total Freedom
Scientology practices (called "Technology" or "Tech" in Scientology terminology) are structured in sequential series or levels, reflecting Hubbard's belief that rehabilitation takes place on a step-by-step "gradient"; for example, that the negative effects of drugs must be addressed before other issues can be addressed. Scientologists follow a sequence of courses that culminate in the esoteric advanced strata of Scientology's teachings. This is described as a passage along "the Bridge to Total Freedom," or simply "the Bridge," in which each step of the Bridge promises a little more personal freedom in some particular area of life.


The Parts of Man
Scientologists believe that man is composed of three distinguishable parts: Mind, Body and Spirit.[48]

The thetan (spirit) is described in Scientology as having no mass, no wavelength, no energy and no time or location in space except by consideration or postulate. The spirit then is not a thing. It is the creator of things

—1956, Professional Auditor's Bulletin 85 [49]
The spirit is defined in Scientology Axiom #1 as a true static. A true static does not have mass, motion, wavelength, location in space or in time. But it can perceive and postulate.[50] The spirit is the true form of man and the spirit can exist exterior to and/or independent from a body.[51] The spirit in Scientology is represented with the Greek letter 'theta' (Ɵ).[52] An individual spiritual being in Scientology is called a thetan.

The mind in Scientology is described as a bank of mental image pictures.[53] These pictures give the spirit experience and knowledge, and stores the thetan’s postulates. In Scientology, the mind is subdivided in two distinguishable sections:[54]

The mind is a communication and control system between the thetan and his environment.

—1956, Professional Auditor's Bulletin 85 [49]
According to Scientology, the analytical mind is that part of the mind which is "totally accessible to the spirit. It is the portion of the mind one is aware of using."[55] This can be referred to as the conscious mind.

Main article: Reactive mind
Scientologists believe that the Reactive mind is "that part of the mind which is not accessible to the spirit and it unknowingly affects the spirit; it is mostly composed of moments of pain and unconscious. It is said to operate on an irrational, stimulus-response basis."[56] This could be likened to the unconscious or subconscious mind.

The physical biological body of man; Scientology describes the body as a carbon-oxygen machine, the thetan being the engineer of this machine. Illnesses and injuries to the body are said to be relieved through the use of "assists."


Dianetics
Dianetics is a substudy of Scientology that deals with the reactive mind, the "bank" of traumatic memories known as engrams which are said to inhibit one's success and happiness.[57]


ARC triangle
Main article: ARC (Scientology)
Another basic tenet of Scientology is the three related components that make up successful "livingness" and are the basis of understanding: affinity (emotional responses), reality (an agreement on what is real) and communication (the exchange of ideas). Hubbard called this the "ARC Triangle," noting that all three points are linked to each other. Scientologists utilize ARC as a central principle in their own lives, primarily based upon the belief that improving one aspect of the triangle increases the level of the other two. The ARC triangle is also the lower triangle represented in the Scientology symbol.[58]


KRC triangle
Main article: KRC (Scientology)
Analogous to the ARC Triangle is a second triangle called the KRC Triangle. KRC stands for Knowledge, Responsibility and Control. Scientologists believe that an area can be made to go more and more right by increasing Knowledge, Responsibility and Control within that area. Many auditing processes and auditor training routines are aimed at increasing an individual's willingness and ability to non-compulsively gain Knowledge of, take Responsibility for and effectively exert Control over elements of his or her environment. This triangle is the upper triangle found in the Scientology symbol.[58]


Tone scale
Main article: Tone scale
The tone scale is a characterization of human mood and behavior by various positions on a scale. The expanded scale ranges from −40 ("Total Failure") to +40 ("Serenity of Being"). Positions on the tone scale are usually designated by an emotion, but Hubbard also described many other things that can be indicated by the tone scale levels, such as aspects of a human's health, mating behavior, survival potential, or ability to deal with truth. The tone scale is frequently used by Scientologists to evaluate humans. According to Scientology, the lower the individual is on the tone scale, the more complex and convoluted one's problems tend to be, and the more care and judgment should be exercised regarding communication and interaction with that individual.


The Dynamic Principle of Existence
Scientology and Dianetics states that the dynamic principle of existence is Survive.[59]

"When one thinks of survival, one makes the error of thinking in terms of "barest necessity". That is not survival. Survival is a gradient scale, with infinity or immortality at the top and death and pain at the bottom."

—Book: Introduction to Scientology Ethics by L Ron Hubbard, p. 19[60]
Scientology states that man survives across eight dynamics. These dynamics are "Self","Family and Sex","Group","Humanity","The Animal Kingdom","The Physical Universe","Spirits","God or Infinity".[61] No dynamic is considered more important than the next one but all dynamics must be considered equally.[62] The Scientology cross has eight sides representing the eight dynamics of life.


Morals
Scientologists follow a non-denominational code of conduct called The Way to Happiness. Scientology defines morals as "a code of good conduct laid down out of the experience of the race to serve as a uniform yardstick for the conduct of individuals and groups"[63] but warns that "over time, morals can become outmoded, burdensome, and so invite revolt."[64]

"In the absence of extended reasoning powers, moral codes, so long as they provide better survival for their group, are a vital and necessary part of any culture."

—Book: Introduction to Scientology Ethics by L Ron Hubbard, p. 25[65]
Scientology states that there is no absolute right or wrong but that right and wrong are actually a gradient from right to wrong.[66] No construction can happen with out some small destruction.[67] A action must contain construction which outweighs the destruction it contains in order to be considered good.[68] Good is any action which brings the greatest construction to the greatest number of dynamics while bringing the least destruction.[69]

"Good, bluntly, is survival. Ethical conduct is survival. Evil conduct is non-survival. Construction is good when it promotes survival."

—Book: Introduction to Scientology Ethics by L Ron Hubbard, p. 21[70]
"An absolute wrongness would be the extinction of the universe and all energy and the source of energy… An absolute right would be the immortality of the individual himself, his children, his group, mankind and the universe…"

—Book: Introduction to Scientology Ethics by L Ron Hubbard, p. 16[71]

Scientology Ethics
Main article: Ethics (Scientology)
Ethics is defined by the Church of Scientology as the actions an individual takes on himself to ensure his continued survival across the dynamics. It is a personal thing that an ethical person does by his own choice.[72]

"Ethics actually consists of rationality toward the highest level of survival for the individual, the future race, the group, Mankind and the other dynamics taken up collectively. Ethics are reason. Man's greatest weapon is his reason."

—Book: Introduction to Scientology Ethics by L Ron Hubbard, p. 18[73]
Scientology delineates various ethical states or conditions which represent the degree of success or survival of something and delineates precisely a sequence of steps to be taken improve that condition of existence.[74] The "conditions" referred to, in order from best to worst, are Power, Affluence, Normal, Emergency, Danger, Non-Existence, Liability, Doubt, Enemy, Treason and Confusion. While members with high and uprising production have usually a condition between "Normal" and "Power."

In order to make these ethical decisions that affect others around them, Scientologists are expected to use statistical measurement to assess the "measurement of survival potential."[75] By reading the statistical trend, Scientologists identify their condition and take delineated steps to solve this condition. A downward trend could identify an 'emergency condition' while a upward trend could identify a 'affluence condition'.[76] According to The Scientology Handbook, the Scientology method of statistics can, and should, be applied to individuals, groups, organizations, and any production activities inside and outside Scientology.

"Simply put, a statistic is a basic tool for the measurement of survival potential."[77]


Criticism of Scientology Ethics
Professor Stephen A. Kent quotes Hubbard as pronouncing that "the purpose of ethics is to remove counter intentions from the environment. And having accomplished that the purpose becomes to remove other intentionedness from the environment." What this translates to, says Kent, is "a peculiar brand of morality that uniquely benefitted [the Church of Scientology] ... In plain English, the purpose of Scientology ethics is to eliminate opponents, then eliminate people's interests in things other than Scientology."[78]


Past lives
In Dianetics, Hubbard proposed that the cause of "aberrations" in a human mind was an accumulation of pain and unconscious memories of traumatic incidents, some of which predated the life of the human. He extended this view further in Scientology, declaring that thetans have existed for tens of trillions of years (several orders of magnitude greater than what mainstream science generally estimates the age of the universe to be). During that time, Hubbard explains, they have been exposed to a vast number of traumatic incidents, and have made a great many decisions that influence their present state. Hubbard's 1958 book Have You Lived Before This Life contains descriptions of past lives given by individual Scientologists during auditing sessions. According to an early lecture of Hubbard's, it is, as a practical matter, both impossible and undesirable to recall each and every such event from such vast stretches of time.[79] As a result, Hubbard's three decade development of Scientology focused on streamlining the process to address only key factors. Hubbard stated that Scientology materials as described in books, tapes, and research notes include a record of everything that was found in the course of his research.[citation needed]

According to Hubbard, some of the past traumas may have been deliberately inflicted in the form of "implants" used by extraterrestrial dictatorships such as Helatrobus to brainwash and control the population. Hubbard's lectures and writings include a wide variety of accounts of complex extraterrestrial civilizations and alien interventions in earthly events, collectively described by Hubbard as "space opera." There is a huge Church of Spiritual Technology symbol carved into the ground at Scientology's Trementina Base that is visible from passing aircraft or from satellite photography.[80] Washington Post reporter Richard Leiby wrote, "Former Scientologists familiar with Hubbard’s teachings on reincarnation say the symbol marks a 'return point' so loyal staff members know where they can find the founder’s works when they travel here in the future from other places in the universe."[81]


The upper secret levels of Scientology
See also: Operating Thetan and Space opera in Scientology doctrine
Scientologists who have achieved the State of Clear may continue onto the Upper or OT (Operating Thetan) Levels. These levels are available by Church invitation only after a review of the candidate's character, ethics and contribution to the Aims of Scientology.[82] The contents of these advanced courses are held in strict confidence within the Church and individuals who have read these materials may neither discuss nor disclose what they contain without jeopardizing their standing in the Church.[82] Presently, there are eight such levels, OT I to VIII.[83] Church management has promised to release a ninth OT level once certain expansion goals are met.[84] The highest level released to date, OT VIII, is only granted at sea, on the Scientology ship, the Freewinds, which was established to provide a "safe, aesthetic, distraction-free environment" where this OT level could be delivered.[85]

Despite their confidentiality within the Church, excerpts and descriptions of these materials were published online by a former member in 1995 and then circulated in mainstream media.[82] This occurred after the confidential teachings were submitted as evidence in court cases involving Scientology, thus becoming a matter of public record.[86][87] In the confidential OT levels, Hubbard describes a variety of traumas commonly experienced in past lives, experiences that extend many millions of years into the past.[86] He also explains how to reverse the effects of such traumas.[86]


Xenu and Body Thetans
Main articles: Xenu, Galactic Confederacy, and Body Thetan
Among these advanced teachings, one episode revealed to those who reach OT level III is the story of Xenu and his Galactic Confederacy.

Scientologists have argued that the published accounts of the Xenu story and other teachings are distortions of their practice, presented out of context for the purpose of ridiculing their religion.[82]

Xenu (sometimes Xemu) is introduced as an alien ruler of the "Galactic Confederacy" who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of people to Earth in spacecraft resembling Douglas DC-8 airliners, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then clustered together and stuck to the bodies of the living. Scientologists believe the alien souls continue to do this today, causing a variety of physical ill-effects in modern-day humans. Hubbard called these clustered spirits "Body Thetans," and the advanced levels place considerable emphasis on isolating them and neutralizing their ill effects.[88]


Practices
Auditing
The central practice of Scientology is "auditing," which is a one-on-one communication with a trained Scientology counselor or "auditor." Most auditing uses an E-meter, a device that measures very small changes in electrical resistance through the human body when a person is holding onto metal cans and a small current is passed through them.[89]

The auditing process is intended to help the practitioner (referred to as a preclear or PC) to unburden himself or herself of specific traumatic incidents, prior ethical transgressions and bad decisions, which are said to collectively restrict the preclear from achieving his or her goals and lead to the development of a "reactive mind." In one form of auditing, the auditor asks the preclear to respond to a list of questions which are designed for specific purposes and given to the preclear in a strictly regulated way. Auditing requires that the preclear be a willing and interested participant who understands the questions, and the process goes more smoothly when he or she understands what is going on. Rule #19 of the Auditors' Code demands that an auditor makes sure that the practitioner fully understands the question.[90] Per the same Church policy, auditors are trained not to "evaluate for" their preclears; i.e., they are forbidden from suggesting, interpreting, degrading or invalidating the preclear's answers. The E-meter is used to help locate an area of concern. Auditing is not to be mixed with other practices.[91]

Scientologists have said that they received benefits from auditing including improved IQ, improved ability to communicate, and enhanced memory. They have also said that they are generally happier after auditing.[92]

During the auditing process, the auditor may collect personal information from the person being audited. Auditing records are referred to within Scientology as "PC (preclear) folders" and are said to be stored securely when not being added to during auditing sessions.[93] The Auditors' Code states that an auditor promises never to use the secrets of a preclear divulged in session for punishment or personal gain.[90]


Scientology Zero to Five
The uses of Scientology can be divided into six distinct levels from "Scientology Zero" and "Scientology One" up to "Scientology Five." (These are not to be confused with the levels of gradation shown on the Church of Scientology's Bridge to Total Freedom chart.) They are:

Scientology Zero deals with the Scientologist's immediate surroundings, the world and society, for the general public. Addresses dangerous environments and applying Standard Tech to them.
Scientology One deals with "essential data about living and life, applicable to anyone". This is the point at which many people are at among those who could be considered a Scientologist in the broadest sense of the word - those who simply have read some Hubbard books, and have used and applied things learned in them.
Scientology Two is obtaining and applying Scientology training and course materials in an Org.
Scientology Three covers attaining Clear and preparation for Operating Thetan (OT) levels.
Scientology Four deals with OT levels and Saint Hill Special Briefing Course (SHSBC) materials.
Scientology Five is the use of Scientology tech applied to the highest global sociopolitical echelons.[94][95]

Training
Training is the process of learning Scientology technology and how to apply it in life, as well as the discipline of auditing. It is a Scientology practice considered as important as auditing.[96] "The practice of Scientology, then, is composed in equal parts of auditing and training..."[96]

Training is accomplished in a Scientology academy under supervised study. All study is done by following a checklist that indicates which Hubbard's writings and lectures are to be studied. After the study the student must demonstrate that he can apply what he just learned to get a pass in the checklist item.[96]

The academy levels up to level 4 take two weeks each to accomplish on a forty hours per week study schedule.[97] The longest Scientology course is level 6, which is composed of sixteen individual checklists, each requiring an average of three to four weeks of study. In this course a total of 12,000 pages of materials and 450 lectures are studied.[98]


Silent birth and infant care
Main article: Silent birth
Hubbard stated that the delivery room should be as silent as possible during birth.[99] This stems from his belief that birth is a trauma that may induce engrams into the baby. Hubbard asserted that words in particular should be avoided because any words used during birth might be reassociated by an adult later on in life with their earlier traumatic birth experience.

Hubbard also wrote that the mother should use "as little anesthetic as possible."[100] In the 1960s Hubbard gave certain dietary recommendations.[101] In the 1960s, Hubbard wrote that breastfeeding should be avoided if the mother is smoking or is lacking good nutrition herself.[102] Hubbard compared common replacement formulas which he described as "mixed milk powder, glucose and water, total carbohydrate," with what he considered the "skim breast milk from … overworked mother[s]" that "smoke and sometimes drink" and offered—as an alternative to commercial products—what he called the "Barley Formula" made from barley water, homogenized milk and corn syrup. Reports about adding honey to the formula have turned out to be inaccurate and are not part of the original recipe by Hubbard.[103] Hubbard claims that he "picked it up in Roman days,"[104] referring to the use of barley.[105] Hubbard crafted the barley formula to, in his words, provide "a heavy percentage of protein"[104] and called it "the nearest approach to human milk that can be assembled easily."[106] The formula is still popular with many Scientologists, although health practitioners advise that it is an inappropriate replacement due to the absence of important nutrients like Vitamin C,[107] the lack of which causes scurvy.


Church ceremonies
Scientology, as practiced by members of the Church of Scientology, includes the social ceremonies for marriage, birth, and death, that are a part of most religions. The ceremonies are performed in front of the congregation by an ordained Scientology minister.[108] Most, if not all, of the actual ceremonies used were written by L. Ron Hubbard and are collected in the book, Ceremonies of the Church of Scientology.[109][110]


Funeral service
At a Scientology funeral service, the minister speaks directly to the thetan (the individual as a spirit) and grants forgiveness for anything the deceased has done so he can begin life anew.

We do not contest your right to go away. Your debts are paid. This chapter of thy life is shut. Go now, dear [deceased], and live once more in happier time and place.[111]


Membership
The Church of Scientology claimed to have 10 million members as of 2006,[112] though national figures it has released indicate a far smaller total. The Church has an official membership system, the International Association of Scientologists, but IAS membership is not what the Church means by 'member.' Estimates of Scientology adherents worldwide vary considerably.[113] In 2007 the Church claimed 3.5 million members in the United States,[114] but according to a 2001 survey published by the City University of New York, 55,000 people in the United States would, if asked to identify their religion, have stated Scientology[115] A possible problem with such surveys may be that many Scientologists have cultural and social ties to other religious groups and when asked "what is your religion" answer with their traditional and more socially acceptable affiliation.[113] Religious scholar J. Gordon Melton has said that the church's estimates of its membership numbers are exaggerated.[116]


Organizations
Main article: Church of Scientology
Scientology is composed of a complex network of corporations, churches and organizations all geared towards promoting the use and dissemination of Scientology and related techniques.

Ownership
The Church of Spiritual Technology is a non-profit organization that owns the copyrights of Scientology. Representing the Church of Spiritual Technology is Religious Technology Center (RTC). RTC is the holder of the trademarks of Dianetics and Scientology.[117] All Scientology organizations must license the right to use Scientology and all related techniques from this organization. Its stated purpose is to maintain Scientology pure per the writings of L. Ron Hubbard.[118] RTC is headed by David Miscavige a man believed to be the most powerful person in Scientology.[119]


The Mother Church
The Church of Scientology International is the mother church of Scientology and provides management to all Scientology organizations world wide.[120]


The Churches of Scientology
Main article: Church of Scientology
The first Church of Scientology was incorporated in Camden, New Jersey as a non-profit organization in 1953. A Scientology Mission is considered a church when it has reached the size required to administer all courses and auditing required for delivering the state of clear.[121] Overall there are 142 Churches in 28 countries established world wide.[122]


Scientology Missions
Scientology Missions are smaller churches that deliver basic Dianetics and Scientology services.[123] The Scientology Missions directory reports over 300 missions in 50 countries world wide.[124]


Advanced Organizations
Scientology's Advanced Organizations are churches specialized in the delivering of Scientology's higher levels.[125] Those organizations are located in Los Angeles, Clearwater Florida,[126] United Kingdom, Sydney Australia, Copenhagen Denmark, and the cruise ship Freewinds.[127] The highest Scientology level, OT8 is only delivered at the cruise ship Freewinds.


Other Scientology-related organizations

World Institute of Scientology Enterprises
World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE) is an organization which licenses Hubbard's management techniques for use in businesses.


Association for Better Living and Education
The Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) is a secular, non-profit organization with the stated purpose of reversing social decay by promoting the application of L. Ron Hubbard's social betterment programs; including drug rehabilitation, criminal rehabilitation, education and morals.[128]

Narconon is sub division of ABLE that promotes and delivers L. Ron Hubbard's drug rehabilitation programs and manages a number of drug treatment centers world wide. It was founded by William Benitez in 1966.[129] Benitez was an inmate of Arizona State Prison who found a book by Hubbard in the prison library and used it to get himself and others inmates off drugs.[130]
Criminon is sub division of ABLE that promotes and delivers L Ron Hubbard's criminal rehabilitation program and manages drug rehabilitation programs for inmates.
The Way to Happiness foundation is sub division of ABLE that promotes a secular moral code written by L. Ron Hubbard.
Applied Scholastics is sub division of ABLE that promotes the use of Hubbard's educational methods.

Activities
Scientology and Scientologists take part in a number of social reform and charitable activities:

Activities to reform the field of mental health (Citizens Commission on Human Rights);
A political action committee, (Citizens for Social Reform) to promote social programs with legislators at the US federal and state levels;
A campaign directed to implement the groups interpretation of the 1948 United Nations document "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights" (sometimes with particular emphasis on the religious freedom elements).[131]
Started in 1993, the Drug-Free Marshals is a youth drug-education and prevention program. They provide free literature and information about dangerous drugs. With their cowboy hats they "swear in" the youth as Drug-Free Marshals, pledging to remain drug-free and to encourage their peers to do the same. The church claims that 3.1 million people have been sworn in as Drug-Free Marshals.[132]
Another Scientology anti-drug campaign is the No to drugs - yes to life campaign. This campaign is geared toward educating the public at large whereas the Drug-Free Marshals campaign is geared towards educating the youth.[133]
Freedom Magazine is Scientology’s investigative news journal that is mailed to politicians and public figures. It addresses issues that concern the Church of Scientology.
The Scientology Volunteer Ministers is a league of Scientologists that dedicate their time to help in disaster relief efforts and other charitable causes. Over the weekend, Scientology churches set up tents in towns and cities in their area and Volunteer Ministers provide one-on-one attention to people who visit.

Scientology splinter groups
Main article: Free Zone (Scientology)
Although "Scientology" is most often used as shorthand for the Church of Scientology, a number of groups practice Scientology and Dianetics outside of the official Church. Some groups are breakaways from the original Church while others have started up independently. The Church takes an extremely hard line on any of these groups, labeling them "apostates" (or "squirrels" in Scientology jargon) and often subjecting them to considerable legal and social pressure. These groups avoid the name "Scientology" so as to keep from being sued, instead refer to themselves collectively as the Free Zone. Such groups include Ron's Org and the International Freezone Association among others.


Scientology and celebrities
The Church of Scientology has consistently attracted artists and entertainers, particularly Hollywood celebrities. L. Ron Hubbard saw to the formation of a special Church of Scientology which would cater to artists, politicians, leaders of industry, sports figures and anyone with the power and vision "to create a better world."[134] There are eight of what are referred to as Celebrity Centers across the world, though Hollywood is the largest and most important.

Publicity has been generated by Scientologists in the entertainment industry. Among the most well-known of these figures are John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Catherine Bell, Beck, Jason Lee, Isaac Hayes, Tom Cruise, and Katie Holmes. Also James Packer, Australia's richest man, is a Scientologist.[135]

Former Scientologists say that celebrity practitioners get more attention and care than noncelebrity practitioners. For example, former Scientologist Maureen Bolstad has noted that a couple of dozen Scientologists including herself were put to work on a rainy night through dawn planting grass in order "to help Tom impress Nicole."[136][137]

Andre Tabayoyon, a former Scientologist and Sea Org staffer, testified in a 1994 affidavit that money from not-for-profit Scientology organizations and labor from those organizations (including the Rehabilitation Project Force) had gone to provide special facilities for Scientology celebrities, which were not available to other Scientologists."[citation needed] A Sea Org staffer … was taken along to do personal cooking for Tom Cruise and [David] Miscavige at the expense of Scientology not for profit religious organizations. This left only 3 cooks at [Gold Base] to cook for 800 people three times a day … apartment cottages were built for the use of John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Edgar Winter, Priscilla Presley and other Scientology celebrities who are carefully prevented from finding out the real truth about the Scientology organization … Miscavige decided to redo the meadow in beautiful flowers; Tens of thousands of dollars were spent on the project so that Cruise and [Nicole] Kidman could romp there. However, Miscavige inspected the project and didn't like it. So the whole meadow was plowed up, destroyed, replowed and sown with plain grass."[138]

Diana Canova, who experienced Scientology both before and during her period of TV stardom, expressed it in a September 1993 interview: "When I started, I wasn't in television yet. I was a nobody—I'd done some TV, but I was not one of the elite, not by a long shot—until I did Soap. Then it became…I mean, you really are treated like royalty."[139]

Of the many new religious movements to appear during the 20th century, the Church of Scientology has, from its inception, been one of the most controversial. The organization has come into conflict with the governments and police forces of several countries (including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada[141] and Germany) numerous times over the years, though supporters note that many major world religions have found themselves in conflict with civil government in their early years.

Reports and allegations have been made, by journalists, courts, and governmental bodies of several countries, that the Church of Scientology is an unscrupulous commercial enterprise that harasses its critics and brutally exploits its members.[4][142] In some cases of US litigation against the Church, former Scientologists were paid as expert witnesses and have since stated that they submitted false and inflammatory declarations, intended to be carried in the media to incite prejudice against Scientology,[143] and deliberately harassed key Scientology executives, by knowingly advancing unfounded opinions, either to get a case dropped or to obtain a large settlement.[144]

Good Luck