Scientology views itself as an “applied religious philosophy,” focusing on the human soul, understanding the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being, separate from the body and mind. Scientology means “knowing how to know.” It was founded by Lafayette Ron Hubbard in the US, who wrote a book on “dianetics” in 1950. Dianetics is a way to help rid unwanted sensations and emotions, irrational fears and psychosomatic illnesses; Scientologists describe it as “what the soul is doing to the body through the mind.” The first Church of Scientology was established in February 1954.
Beliefs
Worldview
- Larger realities, or “dynamics” exist outside of the individual
- There are eight dynamics of survival, or life, symbolized by the cross of Scientology:
- Existence of the individual – must attain the highest level of survival for the longest possible time
- Existence of a future generation – toward sex, and the family unit (including children)
- Part of a group – Any group, temporary or permanent, political or social
- All races of man as a human species
- Existence as the physical universe – all matter, energy, space and time – the component parts of the physical universe, called MEST.
- Existence as or of spirits – the source of life itself, separate from the physical universe
- Existence as infinity – The Supreme Being, or God dynamic
Cosmology – Role of the Universe
- The universe was not created by a single supreme being out of nothing; it has a separate existence of its own
- The universe is a product of the minds of thetans
- Thetans originated billions of years ago, and their interaction led to the creation of MEST (matter, energy, space, and time), or the visible universe
- Thetans were trapped in the MEST over time, and they lost their memories and fell to Earth
- Xenu was the leader of the Galactic Confederacy 75 billion years ago, and sought to rid the universe of overpopulation
- Hubbard teaches Xenu captured and paralyzed billions of individuals, destroying their materiality with hydrogen bombs, leaving nothing but their thetan souls behind, trapped bodies, and implanted with false images of the cosmos (including false images of God and the devil), in order to keep them from simply reincarnating
- Material creation is an illusion and a powerfully destructive barrier one must overcome
- The universe is capable of endless manipulation by a spiritually enlightened thetan
Theology – Study of God
- Belief in God, or a Supreme Being, from the Eighth Dynamic, known as infinity
- No details or doctrine about God; this is intentional
- Scientologists who progress to the Eighth Dynamic come to their own conclusions regarding the Supreme Being.
- Their concept of God has been described as panentheistic (believing that all finite entities are within, but not identical to, God)
- In Scientology, there is still a very clear distinction between good and evil.
- Enhancing survival on the eight dynamics of life = good
- Destroying or deny these aspects = evil
Anthropology – Role of Human Beings
- Man is composed of three dimensions: soul (thetan), mind (experiences from multiple lives), and body (temporary/physical dimension)
- The thetan is the true essense of a human being
- Ignorant thetans are bound by engrams, believing they are only physical bodies
- They are weak creatures enslaved to a material universe, unable to realize their true spiritual nature1
- See “Awakening” the Engram.
- Man is good
- But, he is aberrated (capable of straying from rational thoughts or behaviors), thus able to commit harmful acts/sin that will reduce his awareness even further
- Sin is composed of lies and is the opposite of truth
- Reincarnation is not part of Scientology. It is a fact that unless one begins to handle aberrations built up in past lives, he doesn’t progress.
- Individuals are free to believe in past lives or not, although the auditing process leads many to believe in them
- Reincarnation is based upon the principle that one’s former life dictates where one will be in the next, but in Scientology, Hubbard describes the cycle as “simply living time after time, getting a new body, eventually losing it and getting a new one.”
Soteriology – Salvation
Scientology does not hold an official belief about the afterlife. The goal is for an individual to reach a new state, called “Clear,” in which one no longer suffers from engrams or any of the negative effects the mind can cause. To become clear, people go through an auditing process (see Rituals). The goal of auditing is to free the thetan from MEST and to “recapture spiritual awareness and oneness with infinity.”
The classes offered by the Church of Scientology help individuals reclaim their true thetan forms, to become closer to the Supreme Being, and to unlock abilities to “regain” control of the MEST. Hubbard created even more expensive therapies to continue to progress through clarity, becoming even more aware Operating Thetans (OT). Much of the highest OT courses are a complete mystery to the public; the Church of Scientology sues anyone who leaks any of the content in any media (even the Internet). For example, the brief information on the Xenu (from OT III level) available now, only after lengthy court hearings. Scientologists appear to be forbidden to discuss a lot of their content.
Eschatology – the End of Times
Death for Scientology is more of a blessing because the thetan soul is released from the prison of the body, but it is also a cycle one may have to go through many times. Nothing else is really public information about Scientology’s teaching of the “end of times.”
Rituals/Customs
- Psychic powers and out-of-body episodes (means for the thetan to re-realize his or her true powers)
- Auditing
- to remove these “engrams,” the Auditor asks questions of the the “PC” or “PreClear.” Engrams are removed by reliving painful events.
- Once one has achieved a state of “clear,” they progress through numerous levels of “Operating Thetan” (“OT”) to improve this awareness of true thetan abilities.
- Through a process called exteriorization, a thetan can leave the body but still control the body.
- only practiced by the aware OT because they know their true nature is spiritual
Leadership
Autonomous corporations licensed to use Scientology materials locally govern each church, teach the tenets of the faith, and conduct auditing procedures. The Flag Service Organization is responsible for providing instruction for OT levels VI and VII. The related Flag Ship Service Organization, located aboard the ship Freewinds, provides OT-VIII training. Knowledge of the exact content of the OT-level training is not freely available but is restricted to church members who undergo the training.
The Church of Scientology International (CSI) coordinates the activities of the movement and promotes the church internationally. The Religious Technology Center (RTC) has authority for the teachings of Scientology, owns the trademarks, and grants teachers their licenses. The RTC is also makes sure that its “spiritual technology” used properly.
Sacred Text and Writings
- There are more than 15,000 pages of technical writing and more than 3,000 taped lectures on scientology.
- The OT level training content or any more detailed information is not publicly shared.
LG❥
Pursuit of Truth 
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