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by Ruqia Alnoor

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Post 3: Deliberately creates mystery (Pseudoscience watchlist) 

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Post 3: Deliberately creates mystery (Pseudoscience watchlist) 

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Definition

Deliberately creating mystery is an aspect of pseudoscience to watch out for. It refers to when people try to convince others of pseudoscience by introducing a lot of uncertainty and mystery surrounding the topic.

Connection

Palm readers are individuals that claim to know many aspects of your life and future by reading your palm. They maintain a sense of mystery about your future, keeping their predictions vague to make you believe it. The lack of definitive claims causes people to remain less skeptical. However it's important to realize in this case that when evaluating the source, this individual has no evidence or ability to predict the future.

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Your life line doesn’t mean what you think it does.

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Post 4: Does not progress (Pseudoscience watchlist)

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Post 4: Does not progress (Pseudoscience watchlist)

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Definition

One of the ways to watch out for pseudoscience is whether the field or subject matter does not seem to progress over time, and remains unchanged for many years.

Connection

One example of this is astrology, or the belief in horscopes. Often, the stereotypes associated with the astrological signs has remained the same, and it does not adapt to changing sources and evidence. It relies a lot on personal anecdotes even when the claims conflict with reality.

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Table of Contents

This article was most recently revised and updated by

zodiac, in astronomy and astrology, a belt around the heavens extending 9° on either side of the ecliptic, the plane of Earth's orbit and of the Sun's apparent annual path. The orbits of the Moon and of the principal planets also lie entirely within the zodiac. The 12 astrological signs of the zodiac are each considered to occupy 1/12 (or 30°) of its great circle. These signs no longer correspond to the astronomical constellations in which the Sun actually appears. The constellations are irregular in size and shape, and the Sun regularly passes through one constellation ( Ophiuchus) that is not considered a member of the zodiac.

Because most of the constellations through which the ecliptic passes represent animals, the ancient Greeks called its zone zōdiakos kyklos, "circle of animals," or ta zōdia, "the little animals." The size and number of zodiacal constellations varied in antiquity and became fixed only with the development of mathematical astronomy. The list below gives the constellations of the zodiac, with the dates of the Sun's passage through them in the era when their boundaries were fixed. These dates are still used for the astrological signs, though precession of the equinoxes has shifted the constellations eastward; e.g., on January 1 the direction of the sun is now in Sagittarius instead of Capricornus. The history of the symbols is unknown; they seem to appear first in Greek manuscripts of the late Middle Ages.

♈ Aries (Ram): March 21-April 19

♉ Taurus (Bull): April 20-May 20

♊ Gemini (Twins): May 21-June 21

♋ Cancer (Crab): June 22-July 22

♌ Leo (Lion): July 23-August 22

♍ Virgo (Virgin): August 23-September 22

♎ Libra (Balance): September 23-October 23

♏ Scorpius (Scorpion): October 24-November 21

♐ Sagittarius (Archer): November 22-December 21

♑ Capricornus (Goat): December 22-January 19

♒ Aquarius (Water Bearer): January 20-February 18

♓ Pisces (Fish): February 19-March 20

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Adam Augustyn.

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Zodiac, in astronomy and astrology, a belt around the heavens extending 9 degrees on either side of the plane of the earth's orbit and of the sun's apparent annual path. The 12 astrological signs of the zodiac are each considered to occupy 30 degrees of its great circle.

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Post 5: Convinces by faith and belief (in spite of evidence) (Photo)

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Post 5: Convinces by faith and belief (in spite of evidence) (Photo)

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Definition

Convincing by faith and belief in spite of evidence is when someone bypasses the scientific method by appealing to religious or superstitious beliefs.

Connection

There are individuals that claim that dinosaurs were not real, because it conflicts with some Christian's claim that the earth was made 6000 years ago. While this is easy to debunk by evaluating the sources by historians and researchers, it is a belief people still hold because they have fallen into group-think with other religious members of their community.

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Definition

Ideological support is when people try to convince you of a belief simply because it has a lot of existing ideological support.

Connection

This is a common phenomenon that occurs in cult recruitment. For example, the Church of Scientology attempts to recruit and convince people to join them, citing the fact that they have many existing members. This is a common way to encourage group-think.

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The Church of Scientology maintains a wide variety of beliefs and practices. The core belief holds that a human is an immortal, spiritual being ( thetan) that is resident in a physical body. The thetan has had innumerable past lives, some of which, preceding the thetan's arrival on Earth, were lived in extraterrestrial cultures. Based on case studies at advanced levels, it is predicted that any Scientologist undergoing auditing will eventually come across and recount a common series of events.

Scientology describes itself as the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others, and all of life. Scientologists also believe that people have innate, yet suppressed, power and ability which can be regained if cleared of unwanted behavioural patterns and discomforts. Scientology is described as "a religion to help people use scientific approaches to self-actualize their full potential." Believers reach their full potential "when they understand themselves in their true relationship to the physical universe and the Supreme Being. " There have been many scholarly studies of Scientology and the books are freely available in bookshops, churches and most libraries.

The Church of Scientology believes that "Man is basically good, that he is seeking to survive, (and) that his survival depends on himself and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe," as stated in the Creed of the Church of Scientology.

Roy Wallis of Columbia University describes Scientology as "a movement that straddles the boundaries between psychology and religion, [offering] a graded hierarchy of 'auditing' and training" with the intention of releasing the individual's full potential.

Scientology does not require that their members must exclusively believe in Scientology, distinguishing it from biblical religions. Scientologists may profess belief in other religions, such as Protestantism and Catholicism, and may participate in their activities and sacred rites. Jacob Neusner emphasizes this in the section on Scientology in his book World Religions in America. According to J. Gordon Melton, "Scientologists aim to utterly make the world instead of taking refuge from it," as they participate in culture instead of being isolated. Scientology is inherently nondenominational and open to individuals, regardless of religious background; according to Mary A. Mann, it contains the elements necessary for a global religion and caters to people of all different ethnicities and educational upbringing.

Core beliefs and practices

"Reactive mind" and traumatic memories

Among the basic tenets of Scientology are the beliefs that human beings are immortal, that a person's life experience transcends a single lifetime, and that human beings possess infinite capabilities. Scientology presents two major divisions of the mind. The reactive mind is thought to absorb all pain and emotional trauma, while the analytical mind is a rational mechanism which is responsible for consciousness. The reactive mind stores mental images which are not readily available to the analytical (conscious) mind; these are referred to as . Engrams are painful and debilitating; as they accumulate, people move further away from their true identity. Avoiding this fate is Scientology's basic goal. Dianetic auditing is one way by which the Scientologist may progress toward the state, winning gradual freedom from the reactive mind's engrams, and acquiring certainty of his or her reality as a thetan. Hubbard's differentiation of the reactive mind and the analytical mind forms one of the basic tenets of Dianetics. The analytical mind is similar to the conscious mind, which processes daily information and events. The reactive mind produces the mind's "aberrations" such as "fear, inhibition, intense love and hate and various psychosomatic ills" which are recorded as "engrams."

Scientology believes that people have hidden abilities which have not yet been fully realized. It is believed that increased spiritual awareness and physical benefits are accomplished through counseling sessions referred to as . Through auditing, it is said that people can solve their problems and free themselves of engrams. This restores them to their natural condition as thetans and enables them to be at cause in their daily lives, responding rationally and creatively to life events rather than reacting to them under the direction of stored engrams. Accordingly, those who study Scientology materials and receive auditing sessions advance from a status of Preclear to Clear and Operating Thetan. Scientology's utopian aim is to "clear the planet", a world in which everyone has cleared themselves of their engrams.

Auditing is a one-on-one session with a Scientology counselor or auditor. It bears a superficial similarity to confession or pastoral counseling, but the auditor records and stores all information received and does not dispense forgiveness or advice the way a pastor or priest might do. Instead, the auditor's task is to help a person discover and understand engrams, and their limiting effects, for him- or herself. Most auditing requires an E-meter, a device that measures minute changes in electrical resistance through the body when a person holds electrodes (metal "cans"), and a small current is passed through them.

Scientology believes that watching for changes in the E-meter's display helps locate engrams. Once an area of concern has been identified, the auditor asks the individual specific questions about it, in order to help him or her eliminate the engram, and uses the E-meter to confirm that the engram's "charge" has been dissipated and the engram has in fact been cleared. As the individual progresses, the focus of auditing moves from simple engrams to engrams of increasing complexity. At the more advanced OT auditing levels, Scientologists perform solo auditing sessions, acting as their own auditors.

One central practice of Scientology is an activity known as "auditing" (listening) which seeks to elevate an adherent to a state of "clear", one of freedom from the influences of the reactive mind. The practice is one wherein a counselor called an "auditor" addresses a series of questions to a preclear, observes and records the preclear's responses, and acknowledges them. An important element in all forms of auditing is to not suggest answers to the preclear or invalidate or degrade what the preclear says in response. It is of utmost importance that the auditor create a truly safe and distraction-free environment for the session.

The term "Clear" is derived from a button on a calculator that deletes previous calculations. According to Scientology beliefs, Clears are "optimal individuals" and "they have been cleared of false information and memories of traumatic experiences that prevent them from adapting to the world around them in a natural and appropriate fashion." Scientologists believe that clears become more successful in their daily lives and that they are "healthier, experience less stress, and possess better communication skills."

"Auditing" is sometimes seen as controversial, because auditing sessions are permanently recorded and stored within what are called "preclear folders". Scientologists believe that the practice of auditing helps them overcome the debilitating effects of traumatic experiences, most of which have accumulated over a multitude of lifetimes. The folders are kept in accordance with the Priest/Penitent legal parameters which do not allow these folders to be seen or used for any other purpose or seen by any others who are not directly involved in supervising that person's auditing progress.

Auditors are required to become proficient with the use of their E-meters. The device measures the subject's galvanic skin response in a manner similar to a polygraph (lie detector), but with only one electrode per hand rather than multiple sensors. The E-meter is primarily used in auditing, which "aims to remove (engrams) to produce a state of 'clear.'" Auditors do not receive final certification until they have successfully completed an internship, and have demonstrated a proven ability in the skills they have been trained in.[original research? ] Auditors often practice their auditing with each other, as well as friends or family. Church members pair up often to get their training, doing the same course at the same time, so that they can audit each other up through the various Scientology levels.

According to scholar Harriet Whitehead, the Church of Scientology "has developed a fine-tooled hierarchically organized system of audit (training) sessions where the technology of these sessions, in fact, is the treatment leading to processes of renunciation and eventually reformulation in the individual," which is similar to psychoanalysis.

Emotional tone scale and survival

Scientology uses an emotional classification system called the . The tone scale is a tool used in auditing; Scientologists maintain that knowing a person's place on the scale makes it easier to predict his or her actions and assists in bettering his or her condition.

Scientology emphasizes the importance of survival, which it subdivides into eight classifications that are referred to as . An individual's desire to survive is considered to be the first dynamic, while the second dynamic relates to procreation and family. The remaining dynamics encompass wider fields of action, involving groups, mankind, all life, the physical universe, the spirit, and the Infinity, often associated with the Supreme Being. The optimum solution to any problem is held to be the one that brings the greatest benefit to the greatest number of dynamics.

ARC and KRC triangles

The ARC and KRC triangles are concept maps which show a relationship among three concepts to form another concept. These two triangles are present in the Scientology logo.

The KRC triangle is the uppermost triangle. It combines the components of "Knowledge" "Responsibility" and "Control". A Scientologist must gain Knowledge of, take Responsibility for, and effectively exert Control over elements of his or her environment.

The ARC triangle is the lower triangle. It is a summary representation of the knowledge the Scientologist strives for. It combines three components: "Affinity" is the degree of affection, love or liking, i.e. an emotional state. "Reality" reflects consensual reality, that is agreements on what is real. "Communication", believed to be the most important element of the triangle, is the exchange of ideas. Scientologists believe that improving one of the three aspects of the ARC triangle "increases the level" of the other two but the most important aspect of this triangle is "communication" mainly because communication drives the other two aspects: "affinity" and "reality". Scientologists believe that ineffective communication is a chief cause of human survival problems, and this is reflected by efforts at all levels within the movement to ensure clear communication, the presence of unabridged standard dictionaries for example being an established feature of Scientology centers. Scientologists believe that the three elements are fundamental between individuals "in that to communicate with a person one must have some affinity for him or her," as Dorthe Refslund Christensen describes it. According to Scientology doctrine, the break in the flow of ARC that hinders survival must be handled in auditing.

The two triangles are connected by a letter "S", standing for SCIO (Latin: "I Know"). Church of Scientology doctrine defines scio as 'knowing in the fullest sense of the word'. It links the two triangles together.

The Dynamics

Hubbard introduced the Scientology cross in the 1950s as the central symbol for the church. He described the eight points of the cross as symbolizing the "eight dynamics" or eight measures for survival that all human beings have, which includes the urge to service as a spiritual being and the urge to survive as a godlike entity. Hubbard writes that survival is moving away from death and towards immortality, and that human beings are constantly on the search for feelings of pleasure and motivated by the avoidance of pain.

1. The first dynamic is the urge toward survival of self.

2. The second dynamic is the urge toward survival through sex, or children. This dynamic actually has two divisions. The second dynamic (a) is the sexual act itself and second dynamic (b) is the family unit, including the rearing of children.

3. The third dynamic is the urge toward survival through a group of individuals or as a group. Any group or part of an entire class could be considered to be a part of the third dynamic. The school, the club, the team, the town, the nation are examples of groups.

4. The fourth dynamic is the urge toward survival through all mankind and as all mankind.

5. The fifth dynamic is the urge toward survival through life forms such as animals, birds, insects, fish and vegetation, and is the urge to survive as these.

6. The sixth dynamic is the urge toward survival as the physical universe and has as its components Matter, Energy, Space and Time, from which we derive the word MEST.

7. The seventh dynamic is the urge toward survival through spirits or as a spirit. Anything spiritual, with or without identity, would come under the seventh dynamic. A sub-heading of this dynamic is ideas and concepts such as beauty and the desire to survive through these.

8. The eighth dynamic is the urge toward survival through the Supreme Being, or more exactly, infinity.

According to L. Ron Hubbard's book The History of Man, published in 1952, there are two entities housed by the human body, a genetic entity (whose purpose is to carry on the evolutionary line) and a "Thetan" or consciousness "that has the capacity to separate from body and mind." According to Hubbard, "In man's long evolutionary development the Thetan has been trapped by the engrams formed at various stages of embodiment." Scientology training is aimed at clearing the person of all engrams, thus creating an "Operating Thetan." "Among the abilities of the Operating Thetan is the soul's capacity to leave and operate apart from the body."

People are viewed as spiritual beings that have minds and bodies and a person's "spiritual essence" is called the Thetan. Scientology teaches that "a thetan is the person himself, not his body or his name or the physical universe, his mind or anything else." According to the doctrine, "one does not have a thetan, he is a thetan."

Exteriorization

Exteriorization is a practice in which a thetan functions independently of the physical body, sometimes as a result of auditing process R2-45. According to Lawrence Wright, author of "Going Clear," exteriorization "is the sense that one has actually left his physical being behind," and a commonly reported occurrence among Scientologists.

In Scientology, the human body is regarded as similar to that of other religions in that, at death, the spirit will leave the body. "Life and personality go on. The physical part of the organism ceases to function." Scientology believes in the "immortality of each individual's spirit," therefore making death not a significant worry. The spirit acquires another body necessary for growth and survival. To achieve an individual's true identity is the primary goal.

According to Scientology doctrine, salvation is achieved through "clearing" engrams and implant, the source of human misery, through the auditing process. Salvation is limited to the current life and there is no "final salvation or damnation," author Richard Holloway writes. "Life is a not a one-shot deal. There is only the eternal return of life after life." According to Scientology beliefs, "the individual comes back. He has a responsibility for what goes on today since he will experience it tomorrow."

According to Scientology beliefs, Scientology itself is a blend of science and spirituality, with belief in an immortal spirit and in improving that spirit here on Earth using Scientology's methods. Scientologists do not typically dwell on Heaven or Hell or the afterlife, instead focusing on the spirit. Many Scientologists also belong to other churches.

In the Scientology book, A History of Man, Hubbard discusses that a human's past experiences make up that person's present identity. These include experiences as atoms, seaweed, plankton and clams, pointing to the belief in recurring lives.

The Church of Scientology states that it has no set dogma on God and allows individuals to come to their own understanding of God. In Scientology, "vastly more emphasis is given to the godlike nature of the person and to the workings of the human mind than to the nature of God." Hubbard did not clearly define God in Scientology. When pressed about their belief, Scientologists mention the "eight dynamic" which they say is the "God dynamic".

Scientologists believe in an "Infinity" ("the All-ness of All"). They recite a formal prayer for total freedom at meetings, which include the verses "May the author of the universe enable all men to reach an understanding of their spiritual nature. May awareness and understanding of life expand, so that all may come to know the author of the universe. And may others also reach this understanding which brings Total Freedom ... Freedom from war, and poverty, and want; freedom to be; freedom to do and freedom to have. Freedom to use and understand Man's potential - a potential that is God-given and Godlike." The prayer commences with "May God let it be so."

Scientologists affirm the existence of a deity without defining or describing its nature. L. Ron Hubbard explains in his book Science of Survival, "No culture in the history of the world, save the thoroughly depraved and expiring ones, has failed to affirm the existence of a Supreme Being. It is an empirical observation that men without a strong and lasting faith in a Supreme Being are less capable, less ethical and less valuable." Instead of defining God, members assert that reaching higher states of enlightenment will enable individuals to make their own conclusions about the Supreme Being.

The church considers itself scientific, although this belief has no basis in institutional science. According to religious scholar Mikael Rothstein Scientologists believe that "all religious claims can be verified through experimentation". Scientologists believe that their religion was derived through scientific methods, that Hubbard found knowledge through studying and thinking, not through revelation. The "science" of Dianetics, however, was never accepted by the scientific community. Rothstein also writes that there is a possibility that Scientology partly owes its existence to the conflict with the conventional scientific community, which hindered Hubbard's original intention. Religious scholar Dorthe Refslund Christensen notes that Scientology differs from the scientific method in that Scientology has become increasingly self-referential, while true science normally compares competing theories and observed facts.

Hubbard originally claimed and insisted that Dianetics was based on the scientific method. He taught that "the scientific sensibilities [carry] over into the spiritual realities one encounters via auditing on the e-meter." Scientologists commonly prefer to describe Hubbard's teachings with words such as knowledge, technology and workability rather than belief or faith. Hubbard described Dianetics and Scientology as "technologies" based on his claim of their "scientific precision and workability." Hubbard attempted to "break down the barrier between scientific (objective, external) and religious (subjective, internal) forms of knowledge." Hubbard describes Scientology's epistemology as "radically subjective: Nothing in Scientology is true for you unless you have observed it and it is true according to your observation." This is a type of self-legitimation through science which is also found in other religions such as Christian Science, Religious Science, and Moorish Science Temple of America.

Sociologist William Sims Bainbridge cites Scientology's origins in the subcultures of science fiction and "harmony" with scientific cosmology. Science fiction, viewed to work for and against the purposes of science, has contributed to the birth of new religions, including Scientology. While it promotes science, it distorts it as well. Science fiction writer A.E. van Vogt based the early development of Dianetics and Scientology on a novel based on General Semantics, a self-improvement and therapy program created by Alfred Korzybski for the purpose of curing personal and social issues.

Members of the Church believe that Hubbard "discovered the existential truths that form their doctrine through research," thus leading to the idea that Scientology is science. Hubbard created what the church would call a "spiritual technology" to advance the goals of Scientology. According to the church, "Scientology works 100 percent of the time when it is properly applied to a person who sincerely desires to improve his life." The underlying claims are that Scientology is "exact" and "certain." Michael Shermer, writing for Scientific American in 2011, said that Scientology's methods lacked enough study to qualify as a science, but that the story of Xenu and Scientology's other creation myths were no less tenable than other religions.

B. Hubbard, J. Hatfield and J. Santucci compare Scientology's view of humanity to the Yogachara school of Buddhism, saying that both have been described as "the most scientific" among new and traditional religions respectively. B. Hubbard et al. cite the use of technical language and the claim that teachings were developed through observation and experimentation. They also emphasize that many investigators and researchers consider Scientology to be a pseudoscience because of its absolute and meta- empirical goals.

Scholar Kocku von Stuckrad stated that Scientology is an example of the phenomenon of both the "scientification of religion" and the "sacralization" of science. Donald A. Westbrook elaborates that there is apparently an "ongoing and dialectical relationship" between religion and science in Hubbard's teachings.

The Bridge to Total Freedom

The Bridge to Total Freedom is the means by which Scientologists undertake personal development. Processing is the actual practice of auditing which directs questions towards areas of travail in a person's life to get rid of barriers that inhibit his or her natural abilities. This process is supposed to bring greater happiness, intelligence and success. Training is also given in the process of auditing others. The Bridge to Total Freedom is considered a metaphor for the spiritual life of the believer, and is also a detailed outline of the process a Scientologist undergoes in order to develop spirituality. It follows a strict hierarchy with ascending levels.

The main goal of the first stage is to be freed from limitations of the MEST universe (MEST standing for matter, energy, space and time), while the second stage is about regaining creative powers as a spiritual being which have been lost according to the teachings of Scientology.

Rejection of psychology and psychiatry

Scientology is publicly, and often vehemently, opposed to both psychiatry and psychology. Scientologists view psychiatry as a barbaric and corrupt profession and encourage alternative care based on spiritual healing.

The psychiatric establishment rejected Hubbard's theories in the early 1950s. Ever since, Scientology has argued that psychiatry suffers from the fundamental flaw of ignoring humanity's spiritual dimension, and that it fails to take into account Hubbard's insights about the nature of the mind. Scientology holds psychiatry responsible for a great many wrongs in the world, saying it has at various times offered itself as a tool of political suppression and "that psychiatry spawned the ideology which fired Hitler's mania, turned the Nazis into mass murderers, and created the Holocaust."

The anti-psychiatry organization Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) was founded by Hubbard in 1969. It operates Psychiatry: An Industry of Death, an anti-psychiatry museum.

Through CCHR, Scientology has made claims of psychiatric abuse. The anti-psychiatry organization has had political accomplishments: In 1986, it published a manifesto against psychiatry and psychotropic medication, which was included in a document by the United Nations which saw wide circulation; In 2006, a bill drafted by the group was passed by the Arizona senate "mandating an additional consent form be presented to subjects considering participation in psychiatric research." The form in question "differentiates real disease from mental illness." A similar CCHR bill was rejected by the Florida house, "mandating that a long, ominous-sounding statement about the dangers of psychoactive drugs be presented to parents prior to school referral for mental health evaluation." The movement has gained momentum[clarification needed ] across the US.

How Scientology defines ethics

Scientology teaches that progress on The Bridge to Total Freedom requires and enables the attainment of high moral and ethical standards. According to Hubbard, the goal of ethics is to remove impediments to survival, and ethics is essentially a tool to "get technology in", meaning Scientology's use of the term technology.[citation needed ] Stephen A. Kent describes Scientology ethics as "a peculiar brand of morality that uniquely benefitted [the Church of Scientology] ... In plain English, the purpose of Scientology ethics is to eliminate opponents, then eliminate people's interests in things other than Scientology. In this 'ethical' environment, Scientology would be able to impose its courses, philosophy, and ' justice system' - its so-called technology - onto society."

Applied teachings

The church makes it clear that Hubbard is considered the sole source of Dianetics and Scientology: "The Scientology religion is based exclusively upon L. Ron Hubbard's research, writings and recorded lectures - all of which constitute the Scriptures of the religion." His work, recorded in 500,000 pages of writings, 6,500 reels of tape and 42 films, is archived for posterity. The Religious Technology Center holds "the ultimate ecclesiastical authority and the pure application of L. Ron Hubbard's religious technologies."

Individuals applying Hubbard's techniques who are not officially connected to the Church of Scientology are considered part of the " Free Zone". Some of these individuals were litigated against for using and modifying the practices for their own use and that of others, thereby infringing the law on patent, trademarks, or trade secrets.

Toxins and "Purification"

The Purification Rundown is a controversial detoxification program developed by Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard and used by the Church of Scientology as an introductory service. Scientologists consider it the only effective way to deal with the long-term effects of drug abuse or toxic exposure. The program combines exercise, dietary supplements and long stays in a sauna (up to five hours a day for five weeks). It is promoted variously as religious or secular, medical or purely spiritual, depending on context.

Narconon is a drug education and rehabilitation program founded on Hubbard's beliefs about toxins and purification. Narconon is offered in the United States, Canada and a number of European countries; its Purification Program uses a regimen composed of sauna, physical exercise, vitamins and diet management, combined with auditing and study.

"Handling" of psychosis

The Introspection Rundown is a controversial Church of Scientology auditing process that is intended to handle a psychotic episode or complete mental breakdown. Introspection is defined for the purpose of this rundown as a condition where the person is "looking into one's own mind, feelings, reactions, etc." The Introspection Rundown came under public scrutiny after the death of Lisa McPherson in 1995.

"Word Clearing" and "Learning on a Gradient"

On November 12, 1952, Hubbard delivered a lecture entitled "Precision Knowledge: Necessity to know terminology and law" emphasizing the importance to precise terminology. Scientology defined methods of correcting "misunderstoods" ("misunderstood word or symbol"). Scientologists have their own Technical Dictionary featuring modified definitions of existing English words. Scientology dictionaries also include specialized terminology such as "enturbulate" and "havingness."

Critics of Scientology have accused Hubbard of "loading the language" and using Scientology jargon to keep Scientologists from interacting with information sources outside of Scientology.

Scientology teaches that that material must be learned "on a gradient", that is, in order without skipping or skimming material.

In Scientology doctrine, the idea of communication has a high status. In the book Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities, Petrowsky and Zellner state that in the Scientology belief system, "misinformation or miscommunication is analogous to original sin, inhibiting individual growth and relationships with others." The "misunderstood word" is a central teaching in Scientology. Failure in reading comprehension is attributed to it.

Interpretation and context

Scientology discourages secondary interpretation of its writings. Students of Scientology are taught to direct others to those original sources, rather than to convey any interpretation of the concepts in their own words. Emphasis is placed on keeping the writings in context.

Silent birth

Advocated by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, silent birth describes "the process of childbirth where labor and delivery is done in a calm and loving environment." To provide quiet surroundings for the delivery of the baby, individuals in his/her immediate vicinity are prompted not to speak. According to Scientology practices, silent birth is "mandatory to provide the best possible environment for the pregnant mother and her new baby." Shouting, laughing or making loud remarks must be avoided while the baby is being pushed out. According to The Multimedia Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World, "its origins are fundamentally rooted in the principle that women, particularly expectant mothers, be given the utmost care and respect."

There are several holidays celebrated by Scientologists, notably L. Ron Hubbard's birthday in March, the Anniversary of the first publication of Dianetics in May, Sea Org Day in August, Auditor's Day in September and the International Association of Scientologists (IAS) Anniversary in October. Most official celebrations are scheduled on weekends. Scientologists also celebrate[vague ] holidays such as Christmas, Easter and New Year's Eve, as well as other local celebrations. Scientologists also celebrate religious holidays depending on other religious beliefs, as Scientologists very often retain their original affiliations with religions in which they were raised.

Sunday services

A Scientology Sunday service has a sermon, similar to some other religions. It typically begins at 11am and Hubbard's writings are read aloud during the service. Much like other religions' services, music is played or sometimes musical performances are enjoyed. The minister speaks on Scientology doctrine, announces that weekly activities of the community and recent updates from churches around the world. Scientologists also say "A Prayer for Total Freedom," asking the "author of the universe" to help them as they seek enlightenment.

The way Scientology's service has been executed has not changed. The minister chooses from a limited selection of possible sermons and group processing exercises. He creates the sermon within the parameters of a literal interpretation of Hubbard's canonical teachings, functioning similar to other indigenous theologians who work with canonical texts.

According to religion scholar James R. Lewis, Sunday services are more for interested non-members and the holidays and events are more for existing members of the church.

The church's rituals can be categorized four ways: first, rituals performed for spiritual transformation; second, collective ceremonies usually called events, including Hubbard's birthday; third, rites of passage including weddings and funerals; and fourth, those that mimic Christian rituals, such as Sunday services. Events include the anniversary of Dianetics, the anniversary of Freewinds and Auditor's Day.

Scientologists also undergo training aside from auditing, which consists of several levels of courses about daily life improvement using various tools, and auditing techniques, so that members are able to perform the same procedure to other Scientologists.

Applications of "Ethics" and "Disconnection"

Scientology has an internal justice system (the Ethics system) designed to deal with unethical or antisocial behavior. Ethics officers are present in every org; they are tasked with ensuring correct application of Scientology technology and deal with violations such as non-compliance with standard procedures or any other behavior adversely affecting an org's performance, ranging from errors and misdemeanors to crimes and suppressive acts, as defined by internal documents. Scientology teaches that spiritual progress requires and enables the attainment of high standards. In Scientology, rationality is stressed over morality. Actions are considered ethical if they promote survival across all eight dynamics, thus benefiting the greatest number of people or things possible while harming the fewest.

While Scientology states that many social problems are the unintentional results of people's imperfections, it asserts that there are also truly malevolent individuals. Hubbard believed that approximately 80 percent of all people are what he called social personalities - people who welcome and contribute to the welfare of others. The remaining 20 percent of the population, Hubbard thought, were Suppressive Persons. According to Hubbard, only about 2.5 percent of this 20 percent are hopelessly antisocial personalities; these make up the small proportion of truly dangerous individuals in humanity: "the Adolf Hitlers and the Genghis Khans, the unrepentant murderers and the drug lords." Scientologists believe that any contact with suppressive or antisocial individuals has an adverse effect on one's spiritual condition, necessitating disconnection.

In Scientology, defectors who turn into critics of the movement are declared suppressive persons, and the Church of Scientology has a reputation for moving aggressively against such detractors. A Scientologist who is actively in communication with a suppressive person and as a result shows signs of antisocial behaviour is referred to as a Potential Trouble Source.

The term Fair Game is used to describe policies and practices carried out by the Church against people the Church perceives as its enemies. Hubbard established the policy in the 1950s, in response to criticism both from within and outside his organization. Individuals or groups who are "Fair Game" are judged to be a threat to the Church and, according to the policy, can be punished and harassed using any and all means possible.

Hubbard and his followers targeted many individuals as well as government officials and agencies, including a program of covert and illegal infiltration of the IRS and other U.S. government agencies during the 1970s. They also conducted private investigations, character assassination and legal action against the Church's critics in the media. The policy remains in effect and has been defended by the Church of Scientology as a core religious practice.

Splinter groups: Independents, Miscavige's RTC, and "Squirreling"

While Scientology generally refers to Miscavige-led Church of Scientology, many other groups practice Scientology. These groups, collectively known as the Free Zone or as Independent Scientologists, consist of both former members of the official Church of Scientology, as well as entirely new members. In 1965, a longtime Church member and "Doctor of Scientology" Jack Horner (b. 1927), dissatisfied with the Church's "ethics" program, developed Dianology. Capt. Bill Robertson, a former Sea Org member, was a primary instigator of the movement in the early 1980s. The church labels these groups as " squirrels" in Scientology jargon and often subjects them to considerable legal and social pressure.

On January 1, 1982, Miscavige established the Religious Technology Center (RTC). On November 11, 1982, the Free Zone was established by former top Scientologists in disagreement with RTC. The Free Zone Association was founded and registered under the laws of Germany, and believes that the Church of Scientology has departed from its original philosophy.

The Advanced Ability Center was a breakaway organization from the Church of Scientology established by former Scientologist David Mayo after he left the Church in February 1983 - a time when most of Scientology's upper and middle management split with David Miscavige's organization. David Mayo had been Hubbard's own auditor.

More recently, high-profile defectors Mark Rathbun and Mike Rinder have represented and stood for the cause of Independent Scientologists wishing to practice Scientology outside of the Church.

Use of contracts

The Church of Scientology requires that all members sign a legal waiver which covers their relationship with the Church of Scientology before engaging in Scientology services.

References

1. ^ Pretorius, S.P. (2006). "The concept 'salvation' in the Church of Scientology". HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies. 62 (1): 313-327.

2. ^ Bromley, David G. James R. Lewis (ed.). Making Sense of Scientology: Prophetic, Contractual. Scientology.

3. ^ Robert Rawitch, Robert Gillette (August 28, 1978). "Scientology Critics Assail Aggressiveness of Church". Los Angeles Times - via newspapers.com.

4. Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary.

5. ^ Ashcraft-Eason, Lillian; Martin, Darnise C.; Oladermo, Oyeronke (2010). Women and New and Africana Religions. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780275991562.

6. ^ Lewis, James R. (July 17, 2008). The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. ISBN 9780195369649. The word "science" appears in the very name of the Church of Scientology, and indeed, this religion is, in many ways, based on notions and behavior derived from different scientific realms. Scientology considers itself to be scientific in the sense that all religious claims can be verified through experimentation, and its believed that the logos of Scientology was derived from through in-depth scientific methods.

7. ^ Shermer, Michael (November 1, 2011). "The Real Science behind Scientology". Scientific American. 305 (5): 94. Bibcode:2011SciAm.305d..94S. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1111-94. PMID 22125870.

8. ^ Mieszkowskii, Katharine (2005). "Scientology's War on Psychiatry". . Archived from the original on July 10, 2012.

9. ^ Stephen A. Kent (September 2003). "Scientology and the European Human Rights Debate: A Reply to Leisa Goodman, J. Gordon Melton, and the European Rehabilitation Project Force Study". Marburg Journal of Religion. 8 (1).

10. ^ Sappell, Joel; Robert W. Welkos (June 27, 1990). "Church Seeks Influence in Schools, Business, Science". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.

11. ^ Streeter, Michael (2008). Behind Closed Doors: The Power and Influence of Secret Societies. New Holland Publishers. pp. 217-219. ISBN 978-1-84537-937-7.

12. ^ Free Zone Assoc. (January 30, 2002). "Introduction". Freezone.org. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013.

13. ^ Meyer-Hauser, Bernard F. (June 23, 2000). "Religious Technology Center v. Freie Zone E. V". Case No. D2000-0410. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013.

14. ^ Brown, Janelle (July 22, 1999). "Copyright - or wrong? : The Church of Scientology takes up a new weapon - the Digital Millennium Copyright Act - in its ongoing battle with critics". . Archived from the original on June 26, 2009.

15. ^ Colette, Mark. "Former Scientology film crew member describes surveillance activities in Ingleside on the Bay". Caller-Times, Corpus Christi. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013.

16. ^ Sweeney, John (September 26, 2010). "Mr Shouty and Cruise: the rematch". The Sunday Times. Marty Rathbun, who like Rinder is now an independent scientologist ... Rinder, though a 'heretic' to the church, lives and breathes Independent scientology.

17. ^ Tobin, Thomas C.; Childs, Joe (January 1, 2012). "In new year's message, Scientology insider blasts 'extreme' fundraising". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Rathbun, now a leading figure in a movement for Scientologists to practice independently of the church ...

Bibliography

Cowan, Douglas E.; Bromley, David G. "The Church of Scientology". In Gallagher & Ashcraft (2006), pp. 169-196.

Flowers, Ronald B. (1984). Religion in strange times: the 1960s and 1970s. Mercer University Press. ISBN 978-0865541276.

Gallagher, Eugene V.; Ashcraft, W. Michael, eds. (2006). Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America. Five Volumes. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-275-98712-1.

Lewis, James R. (2009). Scientology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533149-3.

Melton, J. Gordon (2000). The Church of Scientology. Salt Lake City: Signature Press. pp. 32. ISBN 978-1-56085-139-4.

Neusner, Jacob (2003). World Religions in America. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-22475-2.

Neusner, Jacob (2009). World Religions in America (4th ed.). Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-23320-4.

Palmer, Susan J. "The Church of Scientology in France: Legal and Activist Counterattacks in the "War on Sectes"". In Lewis (2009), pp. 295-322.

Urban, Hugh B. (2011). The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691146089.

Zellner, W.W.; Petrowsky, March (1998). Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities: A Sociological Analysis. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780275958602.

External links

Church sites

Articles

Other sites

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Scientology beliefs and practices - Wikipedia

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The Church of Scientology maintains a wide variety of beliefs and practices. The core belief holds that a human is an immortal, spiritual being ( thetan) that is resident in a physical body. The thetan has had innumerable past lives, some of which, preceding the thetan's arrival on Earth, were lived in extraterrestrial cultures.

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Definition

Mystical energy is when people attempt to encourage a belief by attributing the claim to some mysterious, mythical energy behind the phenomenon.

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Definition

Proof by verbosity is when someone tries to convince you of something simply by introducing a lot of jargon and a lot of words to their argument in an effort to confuse people.

Connection

Many pseudoscientists that attempt to sell ineffective "supplements" may attempt to use a lot of complicated scientific words and over-explain to confuse people and convince them of their authority. One example is Methylene blue, which is being pushed as a supplement to boost the brain, the body, and improve cognition. People who sell this product make many claims about it in an effort to be verbose.

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Verifying you are human. This may take a few seconds.

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Definition

Red herrings are when something unrelated is used to distract from an existing topic. It attempts to derail the conversation and confuse people by introducing anecdotes and irrelavent details.

Connection

One example of a red herring is when a politician attempts to distract from an issue by brining up another, unrelated issue. This attempts to prevent people from evaluating the evidence by distracting onto a new issue.

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Post 10: Suppression by Authorities (Red flag)

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Post 10: Suppression by Authorities (Red flag)

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Definition

Suppression by authorities is when a claim is trying to be supported by the fact that the government is trying to "suppress" it. It is told to do something, and justifying that it is good for you because the government is preventing you from it. It tries to scare people by avoiding an evaluation of sources, convincing them the government may be manipulating the facts. This makes them rely more on anecdotes.

Connection

During the COVID pandemic, the government discouraged people from attending large events and indoor gatherings. Some people rushed to the conclusion that the government was suppressing large gatherings to suppress freedom of speech and push unrelated agendas. This led to a distorted sense of truth, and pushed people away from evaluating appropriate sources and sticking to the scientific method relating to COVID-related policies.

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Getting together with friends and family is an important part of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our ability to gather with others safely for several years. Many meaningful events were cancelled or rescheduled, such as weddings, celebrations, funerals and other family gatherings. While the COVID-19 situation is much different now than it was in 2020 and restrictions are rapidly changing as the situation improves, it is still important to consider ways to make it easier and safer for people planning to meet and attend important events and gatherings. This is because the virus is still around and still has the ability to make people sick and die. These questions and answers are designed to help people make informed decisions that will protect you and your guests when planning or attending a small public gathering.

While we are in a much better situation than we were in 2020, COVID-19 is still around and the virus is circulating in all countries. Population immunity from vaccination and past infection(s) are providing protection from developing severe disease and death. As such, in the fourth year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no zero risk when it comes to any kind of gathering - especially events that bring groups of people together.

Regardless of the size of the event, you are at risk from COVID-19 whenever you get together in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated settings. The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads through the air between people, often when in close proximity to another person and more easily indoors, especially in poorly ventilated settings.

If you feel unwell or show any symptoms of COVID-19, get tested. If the test is positive, stay at home.

If you choose to attend a gathering, ensure you keep following these personal protective measures:

wear a well-fitting mask and keep a safe distance from others, as feasible

avoid crowds and keep indoor spaces well-ventilated;

always practice respiratory etiquette by covering coughs and sneezes;

clean your hands regularly;

stay up to date with vaccinations;

stay home if you are sick;

consider self-testing with a rapid test before attending the event, as you could be infected without showing symptoms; and

get tested if you have symptoms or you've been exposed to COVID-19.

These measures are a good idea to protect yourself and others, even when the event or venue doesn't require you to practice them.

Organizers and attendees of any gathering should always take caution, regardless of the size and type of the event and whether they are planned or spontaneous. This applies to private or community celebrations, sports matches, religious gatherings, etc.

If you are hosting an event, consider using an outdoor space. The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily indoors, especially in poorly ventilated settings. Outdoor venues are safer than indoor spaces.

Make your event as safe as possible for guests and ensure good ventilation if the event is held indoors.

Make sure to thoroughly clean the area where the gathering is held. This is important for COVID-19 as well as other infectious diseases. Help your guests follow COVID-19 basic prevention measures: provide masks, options for hand hygiene including alcohol-based hand sanitizer or access to soap and water and encourage respiratory etiquette (covering the mouth and nose with a bent elbow or a tissue when they cough or sneeze).

Continue to encourage event attendees to take personal protective measures such as staying home when sick, seeking medical advice if at risk of severe disease, wearing a well-fitting mask and keeping a distance, as feasible, practicing respiratory etiquette, and hand hygiene and staying up to date with vaccinations.

As always, follow guidance issued by local public health authorities before you plan a gathering.

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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Small public gatherings

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Getting together with friends and family is an important part of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our ability to gather with others safely for several years. Many meaningful events were cancelled or rescheduled, such as weddings, celebrations, funerals and other family gatherings.

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Post 11: Emotional Connection (Reason for Belief)

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Post 11: Emotional Connection (Reason for Belief)

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Definition

One of the reasons for belief is caused by a personal emotional connection. This means someone believes something despite the evidence or valid sources, simply because it makes them emotional.

Connection

When the false claim that vaccines cause autism began, many parents who happened to have autistic children who also happened to have taken vaccines began to believe this claim. In this case, they believed this claim because they were emotional over their children's situation, and believed the claims inspite of evidence from appropriate sources.

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No links between vaccinations and autism, researchers prove - Altogether Autism

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There is no link between the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism – Altogether Autism, September 2019. Vaccines do…

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Post 13: Perception and Observation (Reasons for belief)

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Post 13: Perception and Observation (Reasons for belief)

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Definition

Perception and observation is a reason for belief when people believe something because they can directly visualize it, even if it is not necessarily accurate.

Connection

An example of "perception and observation" is when people believe there is water when in reality what they're seeing is a mirage. This is in reality an optical illusion, but people believe it because they believe their own perception. They are unable to evaluate any sources in this instance besides their own anecdotal vision.

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Today's Wonder of the Day was inspired by WonderTeam. WonderTeam Wonders, " What is a Mirage? " Thanks for WONDERing with us, WonderTeam!

You may have seen movies or cartoons about characters stranded in the desert. With the sun the sand, they along in search of water. becomes overwhelming. Sweat soaks their clothes.

Then-up ahead-someone spots something on the . Could it be? Yes! It appears to be... water! A cool blue in the middle of the desert! Hope!

They push on, but they never seem to get any closer to the . It remains out on the , staying just out of reach. How can this be? Then someone realizes what's going on: it's a !

While they may be a huge feature in cartoons, mirages are real. They're caused by light refraction , which is a fancy scientific term that means the bending of rays of light. Mirages are common in hot areas. When you're driving along a blacktop highway in high heat, it's common to look into the distance and see something that looks like water near the .

Mirages happen when there's a quick change in the of air in the atmosphere. This occurs when the air in one area is much hotter than the surrounding air. For example, a hot highway surface will heat the air just above it to a much higher temperature than the other air in the area.

As light rays pass from the cooler air to the hotter air, they bend and create mirages. The light bouncing toward your eyes at different angles makes it seem like you're seeing a mirror image of what's ahead. Your brain interprets this as a reflection caused by a pool of water.

All you need for a is a difference in air caused by a difference in air temperature. Although mirages are often associated with high heat, such as in the desert, they can also occur in icy areas or over cold water.

In these situations, the mirages usually make things appear higher than they really are. For example, a boat might appear taller than it is or a body of land might appear to be floating in the air.

In polar regions, you may from time to time be able to see very special, quickly changing mirages called Fata Morgana. These mirages appear often above mountain ranges and can include a variety of and compressed images that look like they're on top of each other.

CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.7, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.W.2, CCRA.W.3, CCRA.W.4, CCRA.W.5, CCRA.SL.1, CCRA.SL.2, CCRA.SL.4, CCRA.L.1, CCRA.L.2, CCRA.L.3,

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Today's Wonder of the Day only LOOKS real!

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Post 12: Patternicity (Reasons for belief)

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Post 12: Patternicity (Reasons for belief)

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Definition

Patternicity is when people believe something because they can see some consistent pattern, making them believe things that may not be true.

Connection

Some people believe that there can be symbolism in clouds, relying on the fact that they can occasionally see images or patterns made by the clouds. In this case, this reason for belief is not backed by any scientific method, and instead relies on an individual's visual anecdotes. This is called pareidolia.

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EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world

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Human World

Seeing things in everyday objects

Maybe you've seen the proverbial bunny in the clouds on a warm summer day, or the face of a clown in a mud splatter on the side of your car? Seeing familiar objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns is called pareidolia. It's a form of apophenia, which is a more general term for the human tendency to seek patterns in random information. Everyone experiences it from time to time.

Seeing the famous man in the moon or the canals on Mars are classic examples from astronomy. The ability to experience pareidolia is more developed in some people and less in others. Look at the photos below to learn more and test your own ability to see things that aren't there.
Available now! 2023 EarthSky lunar calendar. A unique and beautiful poster-sized calendar showing phases of the moon every night of the year! Makes a great gift.
Pareidolia is making sense out of what you think you see

Seeing things varies by individuals

Sometimes the ability to see objects in photos, where no such objects exist, has results that are not simply beautiful or intriguing, but downright bizarre. For example, consider the old photo above from an anonymous Swedish photographer of the 19th century.

In the image above, many viewers will immediately see the image of a bearded man with wavy hair, which could resemble Jesus, near the left center of the image. In fact, however, the face is just a phenomenon of light, shadow, and placement. The "face of Jesus" is actually a child with a bonnet, and the hair is vegetation in the background.

You have probably have seen claims of images of Jesus in a piece of toast, or the Madonna in the misshapen form of a gourd. Although intrinsically meaningless, such images are sometimes striking. More often, though, the similarity to known persons, animals or objects is a bit more subtle.

Did pareidolia lead to creating the constellations?

To a certain extent, the definition of pareidolia can explain why the ancients connected the dots and came up with the patterns we know as constellations. It does not take a great deal of imagination to see a lion in Leo, a scorpion in Scorpius, or a mighty hunter in Orion. To be honest, many other constellations, such as Cancer the Crab or Capricornus the Sea Goat, stretch the pattern recognition idea a bit far, making the naming process more one of contrivance than of pareidolia.

What about the face on Mars?

Staying in the realm of astronomy for a bit, many have seen a face or a rabbit in the moon or any of a variety of other figures on the face of the moon for ages. Nowadays, technology has given us close-ups of other planets that serve as fodder for the pareidolia monster.

For example, some self-appointed experts have stated that the image above - which is an enlargement of a small section of image M0400291 from the Mars Global Surveyor - shows large glass tunnels on Mars, or even evidence for ice worms on the red planet. What the image above really shows is a convergence of deep canyons on the planet Mars. At the bottom of these canyons are crescent-shaped sand dunes, which form when the wind is predominantly from one direction. Such dunes are common in desert areas of the Earth and are known as barchans.

Our own interests and experiences play a part

In some ways, the pareidolic images we discover tend to indicate things about which we are most interested, whether they be people, puppies or planes. Finding such "embedded" images can be fun and interesting, almost a hobby for some. But for some they can also fuel obsessiveness and paranoia. Enjoy finding your own pareidolic images, but keep in mind that what you are seeing is not really there, but in your mind.
Enjoying EarthSky? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!
Bottom line: Seeing things as recognizable images in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns is called pareidolia. Here are photos of many examples of pareidolia in nature.

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EarthSky | Seeing things that aren't there? It's called pareidolia

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Human World Maybe you've seen the proverbial bunny in the clouds on a warm summer day, or the face of a clown in a mud splatter on the side of your car? Seeing familiar objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns is called pareidolia.

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Post 14: Unexplained (Reasons for belief)

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Post 14: Unexplained (Reasons for belief)

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Unexplained definition

This is a reason for belief that leads people to believe something because the phenomenon is unexplained or not well-understood.

Connection

For example, archeologists and historians are uncertain about the way the pyramids in Egypt were created. People therefore believe in things that are not based in the scientific method, such as the belief that aliens built the pyramids. Because there is little known about the pyramids, it is difficult to definitively debunk such claims, causing people to have a distorted view of the truth about the pyramids.

https://www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-egypt/were-pyramids-built-by-aliens-conspiracy-real-history-facts/

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Of all the examples in Egypt, the most famous is the Great Pyramid of Giza, built over several decades in the 26th century BC on the command of pharaoh Khufu. It was the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one still surviving, and for nearly 4,000 years it stood as the tallest human-made structure in the world.

The conspiracy theory: an alien construction

So the theory has it, the pyramids were not the result of decades-long construction projects involving tens of thousands of people, gigantic logistical and administrative efforts, near-inexhaustible supplies of stone, and master architects and engineers. Instead, they were built by aliens, or at least aliens showed humans how to build them.

Extra-terrestrial interference has not been the only outlandish theory to explain how an ancient civilisation boasted such awesome monuments. The people of Atlantis have received similar credit. Much about the pyramids, from how they were made to what is inside them, remains unknown to this day, so perhaps unsurprisingly there are many misconceptions as well as conspiracy theories.

More like this

A common claim that still lingers is that they were built by slaves. " The Bible suggests that the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites, and classical authors visiting Egypt recorded that slaves must have been used. But if you came from a civilisation that used slaves, like Greece or Rome, you're probably going to assume any massive monument was built by slaves," says Joyce Tyldesley, Egyptologist at the University of Manchester. "While there certainly was what could be called forced labour, it is incorrect to imagine slaves being whipped and dragged from other countries. They were native Egyptians rather than prisoners."

What is the source of the theory?

Although pyramids have existed for more than four millennia - and across many civilisations around the world - the introduction of aliens was a fairly recent idea. "I would say it really develops after HG Wells publishes The War of the Worlds in 1897. This starts a run of sci-fi books," says Professor Tyldesley.

"There's one in particular in 1898, Edison's Conquest of Mars [by American astronomer and writer Garrett P Serviss], which reveals that the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx are Martian constructions. It's not supposed to be a serious book; it's fiction. But this idea that someone from outside Earth might have visited Egypt and built the pyramids took hold."

In 1968, the Swiss author Erich von Däniken published his bestselling book, Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past, which went a long way in popularising the theory that ancient astronauts visited Earth, were welcomed as gods, and greatly influenced the cultures, religions, technologies and, of course, architecture of ancient civilisations.

The reasons why the theory took hold

There is a compelling argument that the belief in ancient aliens visiting Earth and imparting their superior knowledge stemmed, initially at least, from a deep-rooted racism and prejudice against people from the past, a reluctance or refusal to believe that an ancient civilisation from somewhere else in the world - like Africa or, in the case of the Mesoamerican pyramids, Central America - could actually construct such impressive monuments. Any explanation, even aliens, would be preferable or more believable.

"It's not appreciating the skills and abilities of the people of the past because we have sufficient evidence to show that these people could do this type of building," says Professor Tyldesley. "But I think there's more to it than that. Prior to the idea of aliens helping to build the pyramids, we had the idea that people from Atlantis might have helped, and prior to that we had the idea that God inspired the builders."

The long succession of changing and evolving theories may be a result of the longevity of the pyramids themselves: they are still there, inspiring wonder and bewilderment. "The fact that we didn't understand the Egyptian beliefs of death and the afterlife for a long time after the end of the dynastic age meant that we were forced to find explanations to try and understand why they were there."

The evidence that debunks the conspiracy

"If we take the Great Pyramid of Giza, we know that it was built by gangs of workers summoned under a sort of national service or corvée system," says Professor Tyldesley. "They had fairly basic but effective tools, and the workers were able to cut blocks of stone, transport them to the construction site and gradually erect the pyramid. "There are parts of the technology we can't see today - for example, the ramps - but basically, it was the sheer amount of person power that made it all possible."

The existence of a limestone quarry near to the site of the Great Pyramid, plus evidence of the camp sites for the workers, reveals how extensive the project would have been. "We have evidence of how they were fed and for the cemeteries where they were buried," adds Professor Tyldesley. But it is only in the past 50 to 70 years that our understanding of pyramid building has made significant strides, which for a long time left a vacuum in which conspiracy theories were able to take root. Egyptologists, archaeologists and historians could do more, according to Professor Tyldesley, to present the evidence and a credible alternative to the idea of alien visitors.

"The construction of the pyramids encouraged not only building techniques, it encouraged civil service to develop to coordinate all the workers; the development of boats to ship timber or stone; medical skills to deal with accidents; and possibly increased the sense of community. I think the building of the pyramids is absolutely fundamental to the building of Egypt."
Writer and broadcaster Dr Joyce Tyldesley is honorary research fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology at Liverpool University, and teaches Egyptology at Manchester University

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Were the pyramids built by aliens? The real history that debunks the conspiracy

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Are the pyramids too awesome to have been the work of the mere mortals of ancient Egypt?