The Church Of Scientology's Beliefs

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.

There are many groups that hide behind religion in order to get these benefits. Scientology is one group that refers to themselves as a “New Religion.” They protect themselves with this right in order to get away with their actions. There have been many reports accusing Scientology of exploiting members physically and financially. They get away with these illegal activities by lying. Lying is something that the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, has presented as acceptable in the religion, which isn’t tolerated in many real religions. However, if the Charter was to address groups like Scientology with more severity, they would not be able to hide anymore. No longer would they get away with their crimes, but these groups, and so-called religions, will actually face the consequences. In addition, freedom of religion is misused when these groups go against their religion. This refers to religious movements that state they are preaching a religion. In reality, they are going against the basic principles of that religion to do what they feel is right. For instance, many cults like the KKK are based off Christianity, but they don’t follow Christian principles. They do this so that they can have the benefits of being a non-profit religious group, like tax exemptions, but then take advantage of this label to perform hate crimes and get away with them. For this reason, it is

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

“Maybe it’s an insanity test, Haggis thought- if you believe it, you’re automatically kicked out. He considered that possibility, but when he read it again, he decided ‘This is madness’.” Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright (copyright 2013 ) takes an inside look at Scientology, with interviews and accounts from former Scientologists such as Paul Haggis and Mark Rathbun, important church officials such as David Miscavige and Tom Cruise, and the founder: Ron L. Hubbard. Scientology is a religion which claims to lead one’s spirit on a path to eventual enlightenment and understanding of one’s spiritual nature.Going Clear details the horrors and unveils the mysteries surrounding this church. Going Clear is separated into three parts: Part One- which divulges the story of the founder L. Ron Hubbard, and the organization he creates, Part Two- Hollywood- which deals with the important celebrity connections and how important the celebrities are to the church, and Part Three- The Prison of Belief : an exposé on the harsh conditions many members face, the bullying and corruption within the organization, and the sense of helplessness and entrapment one feels when trying to leave the church. The author makes an very effective argument and achieves his goal of exposing the corruption within the church by providing first-hand accounts and legal records, contrasting views and official statements from the church, various rhetorical strategies as

As outlined in the reading, Scientology's origin myth, shrouded in secrecy and mystique, serves as the cornerstone of its belief system, providing adherents with a grand narrative of cosmic significance and existential purpose. By presenting the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard as divinely inspired revelations and positioning Hubbard himself as a messianic figure, Scientology effectively elevates its founder to the status of a prophet and enshrines his writings as sacred scripture. This mythologized account of Hubbard's life and teachings not only legitimizes Scientology's authority structure but also imbues its doctrine with an aura of transcendent truth, making it all the more difficult for adherents to question or renounce their

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

The main principles of the religion’s belief systems is that Scientology addresses the spirit—not the body or mind—and believes that Man are far more than a product of his environment, or his genes. Scientology is something one does, not something you believe in.

Scientology is a new religion that was created in 1954 by L. Ron Hubbard. According to Dictionary.com it says Scientology is a nondenominational movement founded in the United States to accent self knowledge and have the chance to come to your full spiritual potential (dictionary.com). Scientology is also kind of like a class you can take. Online they have courses that you can take like the hubbard dianetics, scientology life improvements, purification, and many more. L. Ron Hubbard was born on March thirteenth, nineteen eleven in Nebraska. His first spiralling thought that got him wondering about scientology was when an american naval officer showed him the theories of psychoanalysis (scientology missions of belleair, L. Ron Hubbard). The

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

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

Scientology has a concept of God, but more so they believe in a Supreme Being. They don't want their members to rely on faith alone, but rather on the training one does through the “Eight Dynamics” to eventually understand their relationship with the Supreme Being once they reach the eighth dynamic. Another aspect of the religion is the concept of “clear”. The term is described as a state of mind in which a person has no worries, erratic behavior, or insecurities. When what they refer to a being no longer having a “reactive mind” that person can become much more than themselves. This state of being “clear” they say is achievable, and many around the world have done so and it is the goal of man for more than 2500 years. Another concept that

destructive cult is a rigidly structured absolutist group usually under an authoritarian, charismatic leader which isolates itself from established societal

I saw the HBO documentary that was based on this book, and it was so good that I had to read the book. It was really interesting learning about the religion of Scientology and what the people actually believe. I also thought

Scientology is a religious system based on the seeking of self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment through graded courses of study and training. (Google) Scientology was founded in 1954, by Lafayette Ronald Hubbard. A man who wrote and published Dianetics, aka the bible of Scientology.The church’s beliefs and practices are based off of Dianetics, and the teachings of Rodn L. 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 “Going”) Auditing is when church members specifically know as auditors, to first listen and give counsel to members of the church, second help the members be rid of body thetans