What is scientology (20 chars)?

i just really don't get the general premise. all the sites i see are pretty complicated in terms of explanation so can someone give me a simple explanation of what Scientology really is about. Whit do they believe in?
i only said 20 chars because Te question has to have 20 chars. i used that to fill the space. Lil

It's a cult is what it is started by a science fiction guy !!!

Give them your money


Wow, smack on 20 characters. It's a miracle.

A cult created by a failed writer to make money.

The basic premise is that there are alien lifeforms inside everyone that can only be expelled by "auditing" courses. The courses are extremely expensive and are not run by qualified psychotherapists.
After giving Scientology thousands upon thousands of dollars for these courses, you become a "Clear" which means you've expunged all the aliens (Thetans) and are spiritually enlightened.

In a nutshell, it's a load of garbage designed to extort money from gullible individuals.

They are a cult
they sucker people in with 'free psychological evaluations'
the psychobabble is called diabetics and is based on the writings of a second rate sci-fie author.
to 'cure' your problems you have to undergo 'auditing' (this costs money, of course)
as you go deeper into the cult, you learn more about the ridiculous theology underlying the cult... Xenu and H bombs, volcanoes and jumbo jets.
this is a universal way of suckering people into cults and is known as 'milk before meat'
the idea is that they start you off on the easily believable stuff (the milk) and you dint learn until the ridiculous stuff (the meat) until you are deep into the organization
Mormons use the same 'milk before meat' philosophy

L. Ron's scam. 14 characters, not including the ones about how many characters it has. But including white spaces.

Here?s a factual description for you:
(From a Scientologist who has studied and practiced this religion for over 38 years):

Definition:
The term Scientology is taken from the Latin word "SCIO" : which means, in the fullest sense of the word, "knowing", and the Greek word "LOGOS" which simply means "study of".

The subject of Scientology is further defined as :

"the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life. "

Scientology is a new religion. It is an applied religious philosophy. By ?applied? is meant that it is for use in life and living. You actually use it in your day to day life to change and improve existing conditions. It is a practical religion.
All religions if you study them have a basic philosophy, but they also have certain dogma, rituals and observances and a certain faith or belief is required. There is nothing wrong with this , but Scientology is not that kind of religion. It does acknowledge the principle of God or the Supreme Being but does not try to define or describe this principle, leaving it up to the individual.
It is also not a messianic religion. This means there is no worship of prophets or messiahs or gods. It is not belief or faith based. In Scientology a truth is true for you according to your own observation and experience .
The dictionary definition that applies:

Religion: The spiritual or emotional attitude of one who recognizes the existence of superhuman power or powers.

The most basic principle of Scientology is that YOU are your own immortal soul, that this is not a thing you have but what YOU actually are.
Scientology believes or considers that Man is basically good. This is different from many religions that promote that he his naively evil or bad unless ?made? good.

The whole purpose of Scientology knowledge application and procedure is to increase an individual?s understanding and awareness of himself as a spiritual being and to rehabilitate his native abilities and potential.
When you do this the sphere and zones of his positive influence increase and move outward into his life , his family and friends, his groups and Mankind of which he is part .

How this result is achieved is the ?technology? of Scientology, which was developed by L Ron Hubbard from discoveries he made after extensive research into the field of the mind and the human spirit.
Some of this knowledge was already existing in the sacred lore of ancient texts like the Veda or Vedic Hymns going back 10,000 years. New and additional discoveries were made about the nature of the human spirit and fully recorded and codified .
Scientology?s closest spiritual ties with any other religion are with Orthodox (Hinayana ) Buddhism with which it shares an historical lineage. But even here the relationship is based mainly on friendship and the recognition of the being as a spirit rather than any organizational ties.

L.Ron Hubbard published 18 basic books from 1950 to 1955 to fully communicate the basic principles of Scientology, the path of his research and the spiritual technology that he developed from this.
He completed all his research before his death in 1986 and left all his materials and copyrights to the Church of Scientology?s Religious Technology Centre along with most of his personal estate when he died.

The Church of Scientology is currently established Ind operating internationally in over 160 countries world wide. However it is still a new religion, less than 60 years old.
The true story of Scientology as a religion goes like this:
1. A philosopher develop es a philosophy about life and death.
2. People find it interesting.
3. People find it works.
4. People pass it along to others.
5. It grows.

This is just an overview.
L.Ron Hubbard explained fully the theology and technologies of Scientology in more than 500,000 pages of writings, including dozens of books and over 4,000 tape recorded public lectures.
So it?s not possible to fully answer your question on this forum, but I hope this helps.

You can also go to WNW.scientology.org for a much more detailed description of this religion.