What exactly is Scientology?

1. 92

   peeplesposted 12 years ago

   What exactly is Scientology?
   
   I have gone to the official site and find a lot of words but not much explanation. Do they believe in a God? What do they believe in?

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2. 0

   Starmom41posted 12 years ago

   try this one:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientolog … _practices

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3. 46

   Ericdierkerposted 12 years ago

   I think that the appropriate answer is a question. What is religion? Scientology fills the answer to a picture. But when you ask what is faith and what is spirituality there is a blank, within the "gospel" of scientology. Scientology is the epitome of religion with out the brick and mortar of Love.

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   1. 72

      lone77starposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I kind of agree with you, but love comes from the individual. Every Scientology counseling session I had always left me feeling greater love for all.

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4. 72

   lone77starposted 12 years ago

   I used to be in Scientology (1960-1985). I'm not real sure of its direction today, but from my own experience it's a religion like most others. They believe in God, but use the term "8th dynamic" to describe that infinite source.
   
   They also believe in reincarnation. They believe that the individual is basically good and that anyone can solve any problem they have. They have spiritual counseling which addresses things of the past that have impinged on the person's present. That counseling helps to increase the individual's awareness so that they see the mechanics not only of the problem, but of the world around them, as well.
   
   As a Christian, Scientology helped me become a far better Christian.
   
   As a senior in high school, Scientology counseling helped me prepare for my midterms. I felt so incredibly aware during review that I soaked up the information like a sponge. I ended up making the only "A" in English literature class -- a class in which I had been struggling because I had been unable to do much of the homework that semester.
   
   By addressing the sources of problems (the truth of them), they disappear instantly. Powerful stuff. Too bad the organization's politics became too oppressive, especially when L. Ron Hubbard died. It seems to have lost its way. I sincerely hope they find their way back, some day. Hubbard was on to something really good. Perhaps where he fell short was in forgetting the dangers of ego.

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5. 95

   SmartAndFunposted 12 years ago

   I think Erickdierker, Lone77star and wikipedia are giving you a soft, sweet, "lite" definition of scientology. I had the opportunity to get to know a group of scientologists and what I learned from them about the organization was rather disturbing. It is stranger than fiction and would be funny if it weren't (apparently) true. IMHO it fits the definition of a cult quite easily. As you can tell, I am not a fan of this organization. I think there are some power-hungry people at the top who take advantage of vulnerable people and are after more power and money. I tend to agree more with these two hubs about scientology that I found: http://jennapope.hubpages.com/hub/The-S … Connection
   http://argo49.hubpages.com/hub/Scientology-at-a-Glance
   I also found an anti-scientology website, but have not taken the time to explore it: http://www.xenu.net/

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   1. 72

      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I have to agree with you. After Hubbard, the Church lost its heart, if it ever had one. But the spiritual gains were far more than "sweet and lite." Miscavage seems to be corrupt. Oh, well.

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   2. 95

      SmartAndFunposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Lone77star, Indies love to bash Miscavige (rightly so) while holding up Hubbard as a wonderful person, but the truth is, he was an awful human being who should not be revered. L. Ron Hubbard was a liar, misogynist, child abuser, con man, cult leader.

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   3. 95

      SmartAndFunposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      L. Ron Hubbard was also a racist!

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6. 87

   Patty Inglish, MSposted 12 years ago

   In his own words, the futurist author Harlan Ellison witnessed L. Ron Hubbard asking author Lester Del Rey how to market science fiction books more profitably.  Del Rey told Hubbard to start his own religion to do so and Hubbard started Scientology. Therefore, to me it began as a marketing gimmick and what it is today may or may not be different.
   
   Video interview evidence, Robin Williams interviews Ellison, at times 6:00 to 6:59:
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9AGVARpqdk

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7. 40

   cer1056posted 12 years ago

   Scientology is a Religious Philosophy.
   They have there own established teachings, rituals, and practices.
   
   Scientology is a 'cult' in the truest sense of the word.  Most major religions become cults - especially the ones that have been around for a really long time.  The best way to program someone is get a hold of them as a child and raise them in the propaganda doctrines - like Hitler discovered. 
   
   I define a 'cult' as an organization that uses subliminal mind control in order to gain control over the mind, will, and power of the individual.
   
   As with all true cults - the average participant does not realize they have been mind controlled.  I managed to actually break the conditioning / programming.
   
   Scientology uses very subtle techniques to program the individual.  The conditioning / programming occurs when you read Hubbard's books, and he wrote a lot of books!  The more you read, the stronger their programming over you.
   
   i had to become a Trained Hypnotist to discover how the programming works, and it took years.
   
   Hubbard himself is worshiped as the Source!, in Scientology.
   
   Their original teachings were based in principles that Hubbard claimed to discover about how the Mind works and was revealed in the book - Dianetics the Modern Science of Mental Health (1950).
   
   After learning how to do Out-of-the-body Projection, Hubbard founded the Church of Scientology as a religion in 1955.  Hubbard worked for a short while along with the founder of Eckankar - who also wanted to start his own religion.
   
   The SRI - Stanford Research Institue CIA's funded Project Stargate was based upon using Scientology high level OT's  - (meaning Operating Thetans's) who were capable of doing Out-of-body Projection at will (under the Scientology term 'Exteriorization'). 
   
   My research into Hubbard personally indicated that he was a student of the Satanist Aleister Crowley in the 1940's along with Jack Parsons, the Co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.   
   
   Parsons and several of the high level scientists who worked for the Lab were into Black Magick and Naval intelligence sent Hubbard to go and keep tabs on them.   (Talk about sending the fox to watch over the hen house.)
   
   Hubbard joined the OTO - Order of the Templi Orientis, run by Crowley, and graduated the 9th degree as a very adept practicing Occultist.   After graduating the Ninth Degree, the student was directed to collect all their own personal beliefs as teachings and found their own anti-christian religion.

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