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Scientology
Scientology is a religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard in 1952. Questions about Scientology can be directed here.
282 Questions
What is the difference in simple terms between Christian Science and Scientology?
They are totally separate and are not affiliated. They just have similar-sounding names. Scientology is its own religion that does not involve Christianity in any way. It has its own followers and tenets. The Church of Christ Scientist is a Protestant denomination founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1866.
What is the scientology place of worship?
a church, usually. They are often not as fancy as other churches or mosques, but its a church, all the same.
The Church of Scientology does not own the Lidl or any other supermarkets. But that is not to say that some Scientologists, being business people, will not own businesses in their own right. The Church of Scientology owns buildings that are churches, and they may buy buildings for their churches. Other than that, they do not buy businesses or supermarkets.
If they do, it's in the science FICTION portion of the bookstore or library.
What are the sacred writings that are important to scientology?
The writngs on Scientology are extensive. First let us understand that Scientology is a Natural Religion, not a divinely inspired Revealed Religion. Scientology is a study of what is behind the material universe, and what are the properties of that life force which is man. Mr. L. Ron Hubbard wrote these works. He never spoke of his writings as divinely inspired. But what he did do was write what he learned of the physical universe, and man, and how man fitted into the physical universe, so man could be cause, not effect. With knowledge of man as a life force L. Ron Hubbard worked out ways to alleviate man from the great spiritual burden and suffering that many have in life. L. Ron Hubbard wrote millions of words on Scientology. He recored over three thousand lectures on the subject. For some of those writings, see this site: www.scientology-canberra.org.au/canberrabooks.html There are dozens and dozens of his books. Any one can change a person when he understands what he is as a life force and something can be done about it.
How Does A Person Worship God As A Scientologist?
Scientology is not a faith based religion. Members are not required to believe or pray.
Scientology is instead an applied religious philosophy which offer tools that can be applied to life.
These tools range from courses on how to communicate better, how to get along with others, how to handle negative people, how to raise children, how to be successful and much more.
It is taking the spiritual nature of man and combining with something that is really practical and easy to come across.
You rarely hear a Scientologist say "I believe in Scientology". Scientology is something we use not believe. In Scientology if something isn't true for you after you personally experience it, then it isn't true. Something is only true if you personal observed it to be true.
Scientology is all-denominational. People from any and all faiths can apply its principles. There are Muslim Scientologists, Christian Scientologists, Buddhist Scientologists... no one is asked to change his personal beliefs in regard to God or Gods.
Check out the free online courses on our website Scientology dot org to find out more.
What are some of the practices of scientology?
Give them your money! Just kidding, but seriously. Scientology attempts to give you false enlightenment, they brain wash you and cut you down on sleep, minerals, food and they place you in situations such as hours of staring into their eyes in order to hypnotize you into signing your assets over. The practises of Scientology depend on what lies they come out with first but once you reach OT III you will be told about an alien called Xenu who travelled through space, collecting billions of aliens and killing them on Earth. After this you will be led deeper into Scientology, told that you must purify yourself because the aliens ancestors are inside YOU. Also, I am not a member of the Internet phenomenon known as Anonymous but their teachings are few. They attempt to teach you falsities, if you want to know their practises then just go on their website and it's all there. Know this though, joining Scientology is a big mistake.
What does it mean to be a scientologist?
A Scientologist is an individual who practices Scientology as a religion. Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices initially developed by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics.[1] Hubbard later characterized Scientology as an "applied religious philosophy" and the basis for a new religion.[1] Scientology encompasses a spiritual rehabilitation philosophy and techniques, and covers topics such as morals, ethics, detoxification, education and management.
http://www.scientology.org/
Does Dianetics prohibit same-sex marriage?
Dianetics is a set of ideas and practices regarding the metaphysical relationship between the mind and body that was invented by L. Ron Hubbard and is practiced by followers of Scientology. For most of its existence, Scientology has defined homosexuality as a deviance that needs to be cured. The San Diego branch of Scientology supported Proposition 8 to ban "gay marriage" in the state of California. A 2004 article in the St. Petersburg Times reported that the Church defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman, however, a Church of Scientology representative provided an author who was writing some tomes on religion the following statement in 2005:
"The Church of Scientology does not dictate sexual preferences. Scientology is a practical method of improving conditions in life and works to increase a person's abilities, give higher IQ and better reaction time, greater ability to solve his problems in life - things of this nature."
Still, it is clear that when Dianetics was formulated by Mr. Hubbard he would have been opposed to calling a relationship between same-sex individuals a marriage.
What are some of scientology religion's sacred teachings?
They believe that everyone is inhabited by alien spirits. They believe everyone is an immortal soul, or thetan, that is trapped in a human body. They also believe that at high levels you can have superpowers. They also believe that the evil dictator Xenu, the dictator of the Galactic Federation, took billions of people from his planet and brought them to Earth, where he killed them all with hydrogen bombs. Their souls are what they think are thetans.
What is the date founded of scientology?
L. Ron Hubbard began his studies of the mind and spirit in 1923, resulting in a manuscript entitled "Excalibur" in 1938. It was in this unpublished work that the word Scientology first appeared to describe what Mr. Hubbard termed "the study of knowing how to know." He decided against publishing the book for the fact, "'Excalibur' did not contain any therapy of any kind but was simply a discussion of the composition of life." Consequently, "I decided to go further."
That "going further" resulted in Dianetics, a subject which was introduced into the much broader field of Scientology to provide an actual "therapy" easily applied by the man in the street. Thus, in 1947, he wrote a manuscript detailing the core discoveries of Dianetics. Although not published at the time, the manuscript was circulated among friends and colleagues, who copied it and passed it on to others. (This work was eventually published in 1951 as Dianetics: The Original Thesis.)
As copies of the manuscript continued circulating, Mr. Hubbard began receiving a flood of letters requesting further information. Indeed, he soon found himself spending all his time answering letters and decided to write a comprehensive text on the subject-Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
Published on May 9th, 1950, it sparked a storm of popular enthusiasm, and immediately hit the New York Timesbestseller list where it remained for 28 consecutive weeks. As such, it was the biggest selling book on the mind ever written, and remains so today. Contained within was the discovery of the reactive mind-the hidden source of nightmares, unreasonable fears, upsets and insecurity.
Yet L. Ron Hubbard never considered Dianetics an end to his research but, rather, a steppingstone to the discovery and isolation of a long-illusive life source. And indeed, the techniques of Dianetics provided the means by which practitioners soon began discoveringpast lives. Pressing application and research even further came the accomplishment of what is known as exteriorization-demonstrating the spirit was indeed separable from the body and mind: The Scientology religion was born.
Thereafter, L. Ron Hubbard delved ever deeper into the spiritual nature of Man, documenting his discoveries in thousands of recorded lectures, films, articles and books.
While to present those discoveries, he literally circumnavigated the globe and so Churches of Scientology opened on four continents-headquartered at his long-term residence in southern England.
Through ensuing years, L. Ron Hubbard continued advancing the subject until his passing in 1986.
His legacy comprises tens of millions of published words, recorded lectures and films, while with over 250 million copies of his books and lectures in circulation, he has inspired a movement spanning all continents and all cultures.
How do scientologists view illnesses?
Christian scientists view illness as a natural weakness of the body. Christians believe that the body grows old and can be prone to sickness, even though their spiritual well-being supersedes their physical bodies.
What is the holy book or sacred text of scientology?
In Scientology we have "The Basics".
The Basics are a collection of 18 books, all written by founder of the religion L. Ron Hubbard, that cover all the principles and practices of our religion.
These books can be obtained from the publishers "Bridge Publications" (for the US) or "New Era Publications" (for Europe). The books are also sold on the Scientology website or in any Scientology Bookstore inside a Scientology Church around the globe.
Millions of Scientology books are now also available in more than 151,000 libraries in 192 countries so that a person can just walk into a library and read them for free.
The basics represent a chronological path of research and development. It is extremely important, to have a full understanding, that a person follow the correct order in studying these materials. For example, the first books introduces new words and meanings, that are not repeated in the second book. More words and meanings are added in the second book which are not repeated in the third. You get the idea. If you pick up the 8th book from the basics without an understanding of the basics, you would probably feel confused.
Suggest reads for starters:
- Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health
- Scientology: A New Slant on Life
- The Way to Happiness
Full list of books by chronological order or research:
- Dianetics: The Original Thesis
- Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science
- Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health
- Science of Survival
- Self-Analysis
- Advanced Procedures and Axioms
- Handbook for Preclear
- A History of Man
- Scientology: 8-80
- Scientology: 8-8008
- The Creation of Human Ability
- Dianetics 55!
- Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought
- The Problems of Work
- Scientology: A New Slant on Life
- Scientology 0-8: The book of basics
- Introduction to Scientology Ethics
- The Way to Happiness
Do scientologists have to wear special clothes?
Usually black pants and white shirts with the logo on the shirt, or business suits.. hahaha
What are the important beliefs values about scientology?
Scientology was established as a secular philosophy in 1952 by science-fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, then recharacterised by him in 1953 as an "applied religious philosophy."
Scientology beliefs are structured in a series of levels, with new initiates working their way up by steps to the more advanced strata of esoteric knowledge (ALL levels must be purchased). This is described as the passage up "the bridge to total freedom," or simply "the bridge." The more advanced teachings are kept strictly confidential.
The central beliefs of Scientology are that:
- a person is an immortal spiritual being (termed a thetan) who possesses a mind and a body, accompanied by a lesser "genetic entity";
- the thetan has lived through many past lives, stored memories of which can cause problems in the present day;
- a person is basically good, but is "aberrated" by the memories of past traumas.
Alternate Answer:
The major beliefs of Scientology are stated in 'The Creed of The Church of Scientology'.
We of the Church believe:
That all men of whatever race, color or creed were created with equal rights;
That all men have inalienable rights to their own religious practices and their performance;
That all men have inalienable rights to their own lives;
That all men have inalienable rights to their sanity;
That all men have inalienable rights to their own defense;
That all men have inalienable rights to conceive, choose, assist or support their own organizations, churches and governments;
That all men have inalienable rights to think freely, to talk freely, to write freely their own opinions and to counter or utter or write upon the opinions of others;
That all men have inalienable rights to the creation of their own kind;
That the souls of men have the rights of men;
That the study of the mind and the healing of mentally caused ills should not be alienated from religion or condoned in nonreligious fields;
And that no agency less than God has the power to suspend or set aside these rights, overtly or covertly.
And we of the Church believe:
That man is basically good;
That he is seeking to survive;
That his survival depends upon himself and upon his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.
And we of the Church believe that the laws of God forbid man:
To destroy his own kind;
To destroy the sanity of another;
To destroy or enslave another's soul;
To destroy or reduce the survival of one's companions or one's group.
And we of the Church believe that the spirit can be saved and that the spirit alone may save or heal the body.
The Creed of the Church of Scientology was written by L. Ron Hubbard shortly after the Church was formed in Los Angeles on February 18, 1954. After he issued this creed from his office in Phoenix, Arizona, the Church of Scientology adopted it as official because it succinctly states what Scientologists believe.
The best way to understand what the beliefs are, is to personally read the basic books of the subject. These books, called 'The Basics', are available to anyone in nearly any public library for free. Most Scientologists have or plan to acquire the complete set of these books for themselves or their family to have as their own, so they can understand the basic beliefs as well as possible.
Scientologists believe the best way to read these books is read them chronologically, in the exact order the author wrote them so one can see the development of the ideas and beliefs for themselves one at a time at one's own speed. There are lectures available for each of the basic books that provide a further and much greater understanding of the principles in each book. You get to hear the author in person, one on one.
These books describe the nature of an individual person from the viewpoint of the author. They include his personal researches and conclusions, and they recognize the contributions of others to the subject, and what was not contributed, as well. Descriptions are provided in great detail for anyone to read or listen to.
These books and lectures have been accepted by Scientologists as a statement of their beliefs and that they are available for all to read and have, only if they wish.
Does Scientology harm children?
This is a matter of opinion. Like any religious belief system the parents are the ones that decide for the children what they are going to believe and brainwash them so to speak into their ideals. Now when the child grows up and see's for themselves that that is not what they wanted to have in their lives they can change their minds, then. To each their own.
Answer">AnswerUnlike the previous, I would say not to do it. While children can easily fall into the practice of religions ans fears of such things like hell, I would say the effect is quadrupled at least onto children. For one the graphic images that the church shows on psychiatry would be very damaging to children, and the Fair Game policy would be rather desensitizing and could cause extremism. Also the church makes it notoriously difficult to leave the church, and those who quit spend a lifetime of harassment. Not to mention that if the parent in question quits, they may be disconnected from their child by the church. If you are a parent of the church, don't give into the churches demands. Although you want your child to be clear, don't involve them in something you may regret later on.You can walk away from Scientology at anytime. As with any religion, counseling, movie, video game, or any other influence on your child only you as the parent can make the right choices. I can not speak to weather or not graphic images of psychiatry are shown to children by the church. I have as a child experienced first hand the graphic images shown concerning hell, crucifixion, and the "evils of rock and roll" by the Southern Baptist Church. Though I don't think those images were damaging to me. As to the ability of the church to disconnect the child from the parent that is simply not a legal possibility in the US.
How did the scientology spead the world?
Through his knowledge, trial and error and studies, Hubbard eventually wrote the book "Dianetics, The Modern Science of Mental Health." It made the number one best seller list, and stayed! People wanted more information, Hubbard giving demonstrations in various cities, setting up initial, basic organization along the way.
What is the main purpose of scientology?
Implicit in the Scientology worldview is a mandate to employ the truths of Scientology to uplift Mankind. Consequently, as Scientology grows, so too the humanitarian programs Scientologists support. Those programs now include:
- The world's largest nongovernmental anti-drug campaign, reaching tens of millions of at-risk youth each year;
- The establishment of drug rehabilitation centers in more than 40 nations;
- The world's largest nongovernmental human rights public information campaign, broadly promoting the 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
- Global education programs bringing the gift of literacy to tens of millions of students in America, Europe, Asia and Africa;
- A Way to Happiness movement spanning 135 nations, uplifting populations and restoring the brotherhood of Man.
- The Scientology Volunteer Minister program bringing emergency relief to more than 10 million people at every major disaster site through the last twenty years.
Additionally, through the Citizens Commission on Human Rights Scientologists have further spotlighted and worked to outlaw the enforced drugging of schoolchildren, the psychiatric brutalities of electric shock and lobotomy, and biological warfare experiments.
Finally, the Church was among the original champions of the Freedom of Information Act and other access laws to protect the public interest and end government human rights abuses.
In conclusion, then, the Church of Scientology and Scientologists work in alignment with the Aims of Scientology and the dream of a "civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where Man is free to rise to greater heights."
What are the major foods of Scientology?
There are no major foods of Scientology, but no taking any form of psychiatric medicine at all whatsoever. Actually, that is not true. While in the Sea Org, the paramilitary wing of $cientology, you can be put into the Rehabilitation Project Force (against your will and indefinitely) and made to subsist on a diet consisting entirely of beans and rice. Yummy!
L. Ron Hubbard travelled the Orient as a young man in he 1920's. He already had an interest in the mind from a naval commander he met as a teenager.
Scientology research began in the early 1930's and the first time L. Ron Hubbard used the word was in 1932.
After the war he wrote a book on the mind and it was mimeographed and distributed. In 1950 he wrote the first real publication on the mind called Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. Here a person researched into his memories of earlier to find what was giving him problems now. What they found was an otherwise unknown mind that he labelled the reactive-mind.
Since 1949 the practitioners of Dianetics had been occasionally reporting past life memories. So while people were getting well from Dianetics there was research into past lives through the Hubbard Dianetics Research Foundation. While past lives may have seemed controversial, the truth of what existed in the minds of men was too overwhelmingly evident to be ignored.
In 1951 Mr. Hubbard gave a lecture on how spiritual thought could be physically measured by an instrument. An engineer in that audience manufactured the instrument, called an e-meter (electro-galvanometer). It was not complicated. With it the mind was available for total investigation, including before this lifetime.
Now they were studying and researching memories that were not obviously the body's memory but the spirit's memory. This was what one might call a soul. But in Scientology you did not have a soul, you were that soul.
In 1953 a group of Scientologists formed the first Church of Scientology in California. In 1954 the Founding Church of Scientology was established in Washington D.C.
What percent of the world's population practices Scientology?
Statistics regarding membership are highly unreliable. Contrary to one's own name or job, there is not official record in the US to keep track of the religious affiliation of citizens. Members of new religious movements tend to be more reserved in their religious affiliation and only share their views within a constricted circle of friend. Most of the statistics that one can find on the internet mostly rely on social media and polls, and fail to provide an accurate answer.
Another consideration is that new religious movements tend to be more localized. For example if we take the number of Scientologists in the city of Los Angeles, and the number of Scientologists in Oklahoma City we could find that the number of Scientologists in Los Angeles is 200 times higher (not an actual number, it is just to provide an example) because of the higher concentration of artists and Scientology Organizations in that area. Nationwide statistics should not be used for New Religious Movements, because they are not territory specific.
The best source of information on membership is from the religion itself. Only Scientology churches can keep track of the exact numbers. They have records of courses and services, which further allows them to separate active Scientologists from not-active Scientologists. They keep records of visits for their mailing lists. For reliable statistics by Scientology, I would suggest reading the Freedom Magazine. You can find the website online.
Are there any festivals in scientology?
There are holidays, such as the birthday of L. Ron Hubbard and the day that the book "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health" was released as well as the day that celebrates the role of the Scientology Minister known as Auditor's DAY. Scientologists also celebrate traditional things like Christmas and New Years, etc. I guess all of these things could be considered to be festivals since there are parties, events and speeches.
What is the belief system that scientology is based on?
Confucianism is a belief system based on the teachings of kong fu zi [called Confucius by europeans], his philosophy can be summarized in 5 words: ren. li yi, zhi and xin.
the most important are ren, which describes how 2 people should ideally treat each other,
li which means doing the proper thing
these 2 concepts striveto create harmony in society
yi refers to uprightness or honesty
zhi refers to knowledge
and xin means faithfulness or integrity
Confucianism is a belief system based on the teachings of kong fu zi [called Confucius by europeans], his philosophy can be summarized in 5 words: ren. li yi, zhi and xin.
the most important are ren, which describes how 2 people should ideally treat each other,
li which means doing the proper thing
these 2 concepts striveto create harmony in society
yi refers to uprightness or honesty
zhi refers to knowledge
and xin means faithfulness or integrity
