World Religions – Philosophies and Belief Systems – Scientology
Table of Contents
Overview
Scientology is the belief system created by the science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. It bases its belief system on a self-developed principle called dianetics.
– Ephesians 5.6
History of Scientology
Founder
L. Ron Hubbard, 1911 – 1986, was born in Tilden Nebraska on March 13th. He was a science fiction writer whom began writing novels as a young teenager. He wrote his first professional article in 1932 in a flying magazine, the sportsman pilot. In the same year, he established the Caribbean Motion Picture Expedition, a movie production venture in which he employed some students in order to make adventure movies in the Caribbean’s, all for little success.
His first child was born in 1934, L. Ron jr. and soon afterwards his reputation as an action writer began to rise. His second child, a daughter was born, Catherine Hubbard in 1936. He moved his family to Bremerton, Washington where his parents had settled.
In 1938, John Cambell the editor of Astonishing Science Fiction Magazine, persuaded Ron to write some science fiction. Soon afterwards Ron added to this to his genre of writings, along with his westerns and adventure stories. Between 1939-1940, He produced a few famous stories such as “fear,” “Typewriter in the Sky,” and “Final Blackout.”
in 1945, after being discharged from the navy, and almost financially broke, he ended up in Pasadena CA, and met up with Jack Parsons, the leader of a satanic organization called the Ordo Templis Orientis. The U.S. name for the organization headed in England by the infamous black magician, Alester Crowley. He became fascinated by Crowley’s work, and the book Crowley had written “Magick,” and “The Book of The Law.” Crowley became a mentor to Hubbard, a relationship that lasted until Crowley’s death in 1947. In one of his lectures, Hubbard referred to Crowley as “My good friend.” Following in his footsteps, Ron took drugs and practiced black magic.
Hubbard ended up with Parsons girlfriend, Sara Northrup, and got married to her in Washington D.C on August 10, 1946 even though he was still married to his former wife. They ended up living in a trailer park in Port Orchard, Washington. In 1950, he had his 3rd child, Alexis, with Sara just before his book ‘Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health’ was published.
Towards the end of their marriage, both Hubbard and Sara where involved in extra-marital affairs, and Sara left Hubbard in 1951, accusing him of being paranoid-schizophrenic.
Ron Hubbard remarried with the girl he was having an affair with, Mary Sue Whipp, in 1952. The two had 4 children together.
He established the Scientology Church, or Church of Scientology in 1953 in Camden, New Jersey. He claimed he visited heaven twice, 43 trillion years ago, teaching that heaven was just a implant space station in orbit.
On January 24th, 1986, Hubbard died at his ranch in Creston of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea. David Miscavige became his protégé.
Literature Sources
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health
Dianetics comes from two Greek words, Dia meaning “through,” and nous, meaning “mind.”
This book written by L. Ron Hubbard, first published in 1950, it lays out the metaphysical set of ideas and practices regarding both mind and body as practiced by the followers of Scientology. This book is considered the canon of Scientology, and is often referred to as “book one.” It is a self-help or self-improvement book that focuses on dianetics.
Beliefs & Practices
Dianetics
Dianetics states that the mind is divided into 3 parts:
The Conscious “analytical mind”
The Subconscious “reactive mind”
The Somatic mind
The goal of dianetics is to remove the ‘reactive mind’ which Scientologists believe prevents people from becoming more ethical aware, happier, more intelligent, eliminates unwanted emotion, cure illness and make people saner. The procedure to induce this is called auditing. The concepts of dianetics have no real scientific bases and is considered a pseudo-science.
Auditing
Auditing is a process where a series of questions are asked in attempt to the rid the person of painful past experiences, which Scientologists believe is the cause of the ‘reactive mind.’
Health conditions that Scientologists believed to be treatable through this method where; arthritis, allergies, asthma, some coronary difficulties, eye trouble, ulcers, migraine headaches, homosexuality and even death.
It was believed that memories of painful past experiences accumulated in the mind and where responsible for illness and mental problems. Dianetics was defined as a spiritual healing technology.
Concepts & Techniques
Dianetics claims that physical pain is the direct result of the ‘reactive mind.’ The experience of physical pain comes from the reactive mind or subconscious and can be traced to experiences it had or even words it was exposed to. For instance Hubbard claimed that Dianetics teaches if a persons subconscious hears ‘a specific phrase,’ the person will result in having Leukemia, or some other disease.
Discharging the reactive, or subconscious, mind of these experiences and all of a person’s illness’s will disappear. Specific psychometric ideas originated from Sigmund Freud, who Hubbard himself accredited as an inspiration for Dianetics.
Several treatment methods where employed to rid the person of their reactive mind. Abreaction therapy was used, which is the practice of using hypnosis or controlled environments to make a person relive a stressful or painful situation. This was believed to ‘release the poison’ of the experience. This process was alluded to as a ‘clear.’ These processes where performed by an ‘auditor’ who would lead the patient in their ‘clear.’
Criticism & Apologetics
Scientific Evaluation
There is no scientific bases for any of the claims given in Scientology. The belief systems made up by its creator whom had no form training in science and never claimed to have a divine revelation for his work proves nothing more than another of his science fiction works. This is further substantiated by the fact he would live out and talk about impossible fantasies of science fiction, machines and distant places to his followers.
Historic Background
L. Ron Hubbard was a science fiction writer, and never got any degrees in field of science, medicine or psychology. He did not claim himself to have any special revelation, but rather ranted on to his followers about out of body experiences, that little or no meaning beyond an fantasy entertainment value.
There is absolutely no evidence anything he ever wrote was anything more than that, simple science fiction, in fact the evidence seems to point directly to that fact.
Monetary Accumulation
This religion makes it believers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for these auditing and clear sessions. This unnecessary funding leads to suspicions that the entire religion is simply based on draining a person of their resources for the benefit of the religious leaders.
Dangers of Scientology
There is no evidence of scientology being anything more than a glorified self help program.
Scientology has absolutely no scientific or philosophical bases for being a real, morally upright religion. Danger signs point to the fact that this man made religion was used for the creator benefit and does not offer any real spiritual truths for its followers.
References – Scientology
Kingdom of the Cults, Walter Martin 2003
Christian Apologetics Research Ministry – Scientology Denies Church Doctrine