Eric Svitok
Professor Szwed
ANTH 100_18
9 October 2016
The World of Scientology
The religion of Scientology is a very controversial topic all over the world and is even considered a cult by many. Those who chose to participate in the beliefs and practices of this faith form their own unique culture with other like-minded individuals. The purpose of my research is to gain insight into the world of Scientology by closely examining the lifestyles and opinions of its followers. What are the lives of Scientologists like and how does it affect them psychologically? Scientology was created in 1954 by the science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. It is considered a body of religious beliefs and practices mainly focusing on the human mind and spirit.
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An example of one of these core beliefs would be Dianetics and having what they call a reactive mind and analytical mind. These divisions of the mind can be thought of as the subconscious and conscious thinking. Scientologists believe that subconscious reactive mental images have a great impact on the spirit of the individual causing them to stray from their true identity. Getting rid of these negative mental images is a way for them to progress towards what they call the Clear State. This is a state where an individual is freed from being controlled by their subconscious thought processes and can be their own person in a sense. In order for a Scientologist to transition to the Clear State, they undergo a process known as auditing. Auditing is something similar to the confession that Catholics practice. It is a one on one session where the individual speaks with an auditor about difficulties in an effort to alleviate negative reactive thoughts. A device called an electropsychometer is used on the auditee which is believed by Scientologists to locate spiritual difficulties from reactive images and confirm if they have been eliminated from the mind or not. Neither the E-meter nor the beliefs behind the reactive and analytical mind hold any scientific evidence. Moreover, the idea of the Clear State fails the scientific method simply because it cannot be measured or tested. However, this does not take away from
His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.” (Church of Scientology International) In addition to this, there are 8 dynamics within Scientology that embrace every aspect of life. These dynamics are: self, creativity, group survival, species, life forms, physical universe, spiritual dynamic, and infinity. By achieving each dynamic, Scientologists believe they are able to achieve ultimate completion and enlightenment. Also, an important aspect of Scientology is freedom, and is expressed as one’s ultimate attainable goal. Likewise within the Wicca religion, freedom is expressed by individuals through their seeking of truth, and in the Wiccan Rede, which basically states that Wiccan are free to act as they please as long as it doesn’t harm another.
When one hears of a cult, one thinks of organizations such as the Church of Scientology, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and small fanatical groups such as the Assembly of God. According to Robert J. Lofton, author of Letters to an Elder, there are two kinds of cults; those that use mind-control, and those that do not. Lofton describes eight characteristics of destructive mind-control cults, saying, “If any group exercises all eight of these control elements, they are, in fact a destructive mind control cult”. Lofton’s characteristics are ‘Environmental Control’, ‘Mystical Manipulation’, ‘Demand for Purity’, ‘Cult of Confession’, ‘Sacred Science’, ‘Loading the Language’, ‘Doctrine over Person’, and ‘Dispensing of Existence’. These eight
I had watched the South Park episode and thought the idea of the religion was absurd. Through my research I have realized Scientology is even more ridiculous than I thought. Not only does the religion contradict itself multiple times on whether or not it is a religion or not, but it also makes speaking out against it nearly impossible. I had to leave out over half of my research because I did not even want to explain some of the crazy procedures Scientology has used. I focused on the shunning of legitimate science because it made the religion sound a little less weird, still really weird just not so much. While spending hours watching their indoctrination materials I was constantly harassed to take a “free personality test, to discover my real self.” This was very annoying. Not only am I afraid that the Church of Scientology website gave my computer a virus, but I am also mildly concerned that somehow this religion will be spying on me. In conclusion Scientology is even more bizarre than I originally
Though most organized religions have been traditionally founded on a belief system, Scientology seemingly was founded on a reaction to one. In 1950, L. Ron Hubbard wrote a book titled Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. The
Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Juliette Lewis, Jenna Elfman, and many more have one thing in common, these celebrities are all affiliated with the religion of Scientology. Scientology is a unique and controversial religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one's true spiritual nature and one's relationship to self, family, groups, mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being. The Church of Scientology is a non denominational religion that was established in 1954. The founder of Scientology Lafayette Ronald Hubbard did not intrude on anyone faiths or beliefs, but based his religion on his thoughts and teachings that all human beings are immortal spiritual
Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Sony Bonno and Lisa Marie Presley all have one similar lifestyle. Yes, they are all famous celebrities, however, this lifestyle has more effect on a person than any career possibly could. These celebrities, among many more, are part of what has been called “The Church of Hollywood.” They are all Scientologists. The Church of Scientology is one manufactured by a former science fiction writer who could not stop lying about himself and his religion up till his death on January 24th, 1986. L. Ron Hubbard lied about everything from his Boy Scout triumphs to his heroism as a decorated soldier. Hubbard is anything but a man of God and yet his followers see him as the ultimate being. Since December of
According to official Scientology website (www.scientology.org), Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the supreme being. A cult can be defined as group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister. Scientology is a cult. My essay will raise points to support my thesis.
The church of Scientology has been the subject of controversy since its inception. Its methods and beliefs have attracted the attention of scholars from around the world. The church has been under government investigation and has endured a countless amount of lawsuits (Reitman 14). It is also a hot topic by the media with several endorsements by some of the most recognized Hollywood celebrities. However, the main topic of debate regarding the Church of Scientology is its status as a religion. Some members claim that the church has helped them overcome their struggles and that they are happier people, while others condemn it as a dangerous cult (Sweeney). The church of Scientology is a religious group whose purpose is to retain their
Scientology is a religious system based on the seeking of self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment through graded courses of study and training (“Scientology”). Scientology was founded in 1954, by Lafayette Ronald Hubbard. A man who wrote and published Dianetics, which is the equivalent of the Bible in Christianity. The church’s beliefs and practices are based off of Dianetics, and the teachings of Hubbard. Scientologists say they believe that through religious training such as auditing and spending time at the church they will reach a state of clear, as well as recall past lives (Wright 2013). Auditing is when church members specifically know as auditors, to first listen and give counsel to members of the church, second help the members
Scientology, founded in 1950 (Hubbard. What is. 3), "is an applied religious philosophy" (Hubbard. What is. 4), which is a branch of psychology (Fundamentals. 7). Developed by Lafayette Ron Hubbard, Scientology was created "from discoveries resulting from
It’s not unknown that The Church of Scientology has been a contentious subject of conversation for decades. The controversial religion was originally discovered by a gentleman named L. Ron Hubbard in 1954 through the establishment of ideas in which he believed would act as an antidote to mental health concerns called Dianetics. After an unsuccessful attempt resulting in bankruptcy, Hubbard branched his ideas into the basis of a new found religion called Scientology ("The Beliefs and Teachings of Scientology”). To Hubbard’s advantage, Scientology expeditiously accelerated in growth, becoming one of the fastest expanding religions in the 20th century. Scientology pledged a “light at the end of the tunnel” to those wandering through dark times, and created a pathway to a faultless understanding of one’s true spiritual fulfillment through a system of self-knowledge in relation to one’s own life, community, and mankind. Due to the Scientology’s controversial beliefs, abnormal practices, and aberrant church-member relationships, the religion poses as a superlative model of church rebelling against society’s social norms.
Scientology has a lot of kinds of beliefs. One of the basic beliefs that scientology has is that experience is saved in the brain as à series of memory traces named engrams. These engrams can cause negative behavior such as, self-dating. Engrams can keep happening if à person is going through hard times, for example: When à relative passes away, à person needs to stop thinking about the situation of someone’s death; otherwise, the engrams are going to reinforced and recur. One of the purpose of scientology is to make people clear when it comes to engrams,and also become more self-determining. Scientologists believe that engrams are not beneficial for people, so they try to prevent them by not thinking about hard situations that can recur. The
Scientology was developed by L. Ron Hubbard in 1954 (Molloy 485). He lived from 1911 to 1986 (Molloy 485). Mr. Hubbard was actually a world renowned science-fiction author, but he came up with a process that “helped people clarify their understanding of the human process of knowing” which was later turned into Scientology (Molloy 485). Hubbard also had many writings and published works (The Church of Scientology 25). He had published more than 5,000 writings, dozens of books, and over 3,000 tape recorded lectures (The Church of Scientology 25). There are many Churches of Scientology around the world and in the United States including Los Angeles, Florida,
Scientology was developed by L. Ron Hubbard in 1954 (Molloy 485). He lived from 1911 to 1986 (Molloy 485). Mr. Hubbard was actually a world renowned science-fiction author, but he came up with a process that “helped people clarify their understanding of the human process of knowing” which was later turned into Scientology (Molloy 485). Hubbard also had many writings and published works (Staff of the Church of Scientology 25). He had published more than 5,000 writings, dozens of books, and over 3,000 tape recorded lectures (Staff of the Church of Scientology 25). There are many Churches of Scientology around the world and in the United States including
One of the most prominent figures in this documentary was Paul Haggis. Paul is a writer and filmmaker whose former membership with the Church gives him distinct credibility (Science of Persuasion YouTube Video). His experiences grab the audience’s attention, seeing as he was a scientologist for three years. Paul spoke out about his experiences with Scientology, calling it a “cult” and mentioning many disturbing aspects about the church