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Official Church of Scientology: What is Scientology?

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Developed by L. Ron Hubbard , Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one's true spiritual nature and one's relationship toself, family, groups, Mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being.

Scientology addresses the spirit-not thebody or mind-and believes that Man is far more than a product of his environment, or his genes.

Scientology comprises a body of knowledge which extends from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these are:
Man is an immortal spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.
Scientology further holds Man to be basically good, and that his spiritual salvation depends upon himself,his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.

Scientology is not a dogmatic religion in which one is asked to accept anything on faith alone. On the contrary, one discovers for oneself that the principles of Scientology are true by applying its principles and observing or experiencing the results.

The ultimate goal of Scientology is true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for all.

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Scientology Beliefs & Practices: What is Scientology?

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Watch video on Scientology beliefs and learn more about the Scientology religion, developed by L. Ron Hubbard, which provides a path to understanding the spirit, life, relationships and the universe. Learn how the practice of this world religion has changed lives with personal success stories about seeking happiness and helping others during crisis.

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I always grew up hearing about Scientology. I never really understood what it was or who ran it but I just knew that it was a little out there. This year I watched the documentary on Netflix about it and learned some about it as the year went and really got to understand how insane and sad it really is. Scientology was founded by the one and only L.Ron Hubert with his self help technique called diabetics. And yes I understand a lot of people know about this religion/cult but I think that most people really don’t understand how insane this place is and how it is still alive. Dianetics proposes that everyone has two parts of their own minds in which one is perfect and the other is not. In the bad part of the mind there are bad life experiences called enegrams. The goal of Scientology is to have your mind fully cleared of all enegrams. Hubert beliefs were not found to be correct and he decided to go the religious route to allow for his organization to be protected by the government like many cults we learn about. You buy your way up the ladder, spending more and more money in the hope that you will be clear of all bad things in life. This organization is still alive and strong. I went to UCLA before coming to VT and I often would walk by a Scientology building and just have a feeling of disappointment for the people inside.

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EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | www.ebsco.com

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Hubbard Founds the Church of Scientology | EBSCO

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L. Ron Hubbard, an American writer and former Navy officer, founded the Church of Scientology in 1954 after developing his self-help methodology known as “dianetics.” This approach emphasizes self-awareness and mental clarity through a process called “auditing,” where individuals explore their past with the guidance of an auditor. Hubbard’s work combined elements of psychology, Eastern religion, and spirituality, positioning individuals as immortal spiritual beings capable of overcoming their past to achieve higher states of awareness. The term “Scientology” itself refers to the study of the spirit in relation to life and existence. Initially stemming from his bestselling book, *Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health*, Hubbard’s ideas attracted a substantial following, leading to the establishment of numerous churches worldwide. Over time, the Church of Scientology has been both praised and criticized, with supporters claiming transformative personal benefits and detractors labeling it a cult. Prominent figures, including celebrities like Tom Cruise and John Travolta, are known to be associated with Scientology, further contributing to its visibility and ongoing influence. The church’s doctrines continue to evoke significant interest and debate regarding their impact on individuals and society.

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The founder of Scientology was L Ron Hubert and he was the original leader of this movement. Hubert was very much out there in his personality and did not shy away from cameras. He was someone who liked the attention and often exhibited narcissistic actions. There have also been more leaders including there leader right now who is David Miscavige. He has had reports of physical abuse against his members and more.

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The core understanding of the movement is not found until you pay a lot of money to really know what is going on. Supposedly the idea is that around seventy five million years ago the ruler of all worlds named Xenu caught beings called thetans and put them on earth. It’s a long story but eventually all these beings die and then there souls attach to human bodies and bring a negative auto to their life until Scientology treats it for you. One of there main treatments is called the E meter. There is a person asking you questions while you hold two devices which suppusoldy measure your answers in relation to you having enegrams or not. After you have been fully audited you will eventually be clear. This causes comtroversy because a lot of the time the people being audited give really detailed personal information that is often to much personal information in which Scientology uses against them.

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When it comes to recruitment they focus on advertising big celebrities who are apart of the cult. When you join the cult you also become heavily isolated and often people once joining and never talked to or seen again. If they  are seen they are not the same person anymore.

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I think Scientology is both a world rejecting and a world affirming NRM. This is because it believes that humans can improve but it also does a lot of harm to people like isolation and abuse.

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Scientology first arrived around the end of world war 2 which was a very enomic time. Hubert definitely saw this time as a perfect introduction into his healing process of dianetics. There was a lot of uncertainty during this time including the Cold War which really had people scared. During this time technology was being used more and more which also made it difficult for people to understand what is true and what is not. This made it difficult to understand if the E Meters was an actual thing. People were looking for something to believe in at this time which is where Scientology came in.

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People who joined this cult are mostly middle class to lower middle class. They are the types of people I feel that would join James Arthur Rays movement as well. But I feel less women join Scientology compared to women who joined Rays movement. Also people with a lot of money would join and I mean the top top 1 percent are sometimes associated with Scientology. If you joined this group you were supposedly above other people due to being in an elite group that was isolated from everyone else

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I honestly think that if there was not such a big self held movement in the sixties that Scientology would not be around. But during this time self improvement was huge which was great but due to how little media and details we had on what was true and what wasn’t this made knowing what groups were true or not very difficult. With this Scientology blossomed into the group it is now

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Alex Gibney. Going Clear : Scientology and The Prison of Belief. Netflix. 2015.Netflixhttps://www.netflix.comWatch Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief

Doug Kiesewetter. What The Hell is Scientology. Soflete. What the Hell is Scientology?

Lili Bazargan. How Scientology Almost Destroyed Tom Cruises Career. IBHS News. 2024. How Scientology almost destroyed Tom Cruise’s career – Brush and Palette

Eamon Mcniff. Leah Remini on Her Break With the Church of Scientology: 'I Wanted to Be The One to Say It'. ABC News. 2015. Leah Remini on Her Break With the Church of Scientology: 'I Wanted to Be The One to Say It' - ABC News