Scientology is a body of teachings and related techniques developed by American author L. Ron Hubbard over some thirty years beginning in 1952 as a self-help philosophy, an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics. It claims to offer an exact methodology to help humans achieve awareness of their spiritual existence across many lifetimes and, simultaneously, to become more effective in the physical world. The name "Scientology" is also used to refer to the controversial Church of Scientology, the largest organization promoting the practice of Scientology, which is itself part of a network of affiliated corporations that claim ownership and sole authority to disseminate Dianetics and Scientology.
A stated goal of Scientology is to "rehabilitate" the the tan (roughly equivalent to the soul) to regain its native state of "total freedom." Church spokesmen and practitioners attest that Hubbard's teachings (called "Technology" or "Tech" in Scientology terminology) have saved them from a plethora of problems and enabled them to better realize their highest potential in business and their personal lives.[1][2] However, outside observers?including journalists, lawmakers, and national governing bodies of several countries?have reached conclusions about Scientology that are sharply at odds with the Church's self-representations. These include allegations that the church is an unscrupulous commercial enterprise that harasses its critics and brutally exploits its members.[3] .[4]
Although some scholars accept Scientology as a Nona Fidel religion,[5] [6] it has also been characterized as a pseudo religion or a cult.[7]
Harlan Ellison wrote quite an interesting account of the birth
of Scientology....L.Ron and a few other sci fie/fantasy authors
met regularly for poker. During one game as they discussed
their pet peeves, a challenge was made, to invent a religion
that would attract the gullible. L. Ron won with his idea of
Scientology. I heard Harlan got quite a bit of harassment
from the Scientologists for telling his tale, they worship L. Ron and have made the lives of any nay Sayers a living hell. They actually keep
his old home up and running, fix his breakfast and are eagerly
awaiting his reappearance.
Also, the training needed to "clear" ones theta starts off
for free and simple, but as you buy into their "science", it
costs more and more to advance. Of course the celebrities
they rope in don't have to pay, there are quite a few articles
that expose the hypocrisy of this cult, Vanity Fair had quite an
expose a year or two back. Check it out.
Scientology
Founded by L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986), a popular science fiction author, Scientology is supposed to be a science, a religion and a church. The basic book of Scientology is Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, published in 1950.
In his book Hubbard argues that it is necessary to discover the "single source" for all of our problems, mental or physical. According to Hubbard, this source can be located in what he labeled "engrams," defined as "a definite and permanent trace left by a stimulus on the protoplasm of a tissue. It is considered as a unit group of stimuli impinged solely on the cellular being." What does that mean? Apparently, it means that engrams are "recordings" made in our brain on the cellular level during times of physical or emotional stress. They are not active memories, but negative engrams do affect us. Allegedly, most of our engrams are acquired in the womb - which is, Hubbard says, an unpleasant place because it is "wet, uncomfortable and unprotected."
Hubbard claimed that they cause "...arthritis, bursitis, asthma, allergies, sinusitis, coronary trouble, high blood pressure, and so on." It is claimed that all of our ills can be cured by having our engrams removed by a specially trained "auditor." Through diabetic therapy, we can be released from these engrams and made "clear." These "treatments" cost progressively more and more money as a person goes along. People spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars being audited by the Church of Scientology.
Another important doctrine in Scientology is the idea that, fundamentally, human beings are really "Thetans" - immortal souls which travel from body to body, from life to life. Discovering what happened to us in previous lives is an important feature, thus Scientologists argue that auditing is actually one of their "sacraments," allowing the "Thetan" to become "clear" of past experiences.
Scientology was granted the tax-exempt status of a church in 1993, and today it has about 700 centers in more than 60 countries.
Critiques of Scientology
Hubbard claimed that everything he taught and which was incorporated into Scientology are scientific facts, but he provided no scientific evidence in support of his claims. To date, no scientific tests have ever provided any sound evidence for the supposedly "scientific" claims made by the Church of Scientology. Even worse, Hubbard relied on a false dilemma fallacy in that he claimed that either the individual cells of a human body must be sentient or else the soul must enter us at the time of conception.
Does Scientology even offer any testable claims which science could investigate? Yes, it does - and it should, if it is going to try and call itself a science. Among the claims which can be tested are: it is superior in treating mental illness; it can be 100% effective in improving IQ; it can solve all of humanity's problems; and it is a rational and pr oven science. None of these claims have actually been supported.
The Church of Scientology has claimed to have millions of members, but independent observers say that the numbers are actually quite a lot lower.
What is the philosophy behind Scientology?
