opinion
Scientology has been dragged into the spotlight at times since its inception. However, in the past year, she has found herself in major media headlines for extended periods of time. This year is shaping up to be more or less the same, as defendants in the 2023 Danny Masterson rape case allege the organization uses mob-style tactics to silence its members and even profit from illegal activity.
Scientology has been shrouded in mystery from the beginning, so getting to the bottom of exactly what Scientology and what it means to be a Scientologist is difficult to decipher. Depending on the source, Scientology is a religion, a path to mental health, a method of treating physical ailments, a cult, or a highly sophisticated updated version of the mob.
To understand Scientology, it is necessary to begin with its beginnings and then hold firmly to it as the path toward understanding the winds and textures of each scenario. So buckle up, and let's start from the beginning.
the creator
Scientology was founded in 1954 by writer L. Ron Hubbard. Mr. Hubbard was not a theologian or writer of great biblical or religious works.
Mr. Hubbard mainly wrote westerns, horror and science fiction. Born from his book titled Dianetics: the modern science of mental healthScientology was based on the concept that every individual has two parts of their mind – one is rational and the other is not.
Dianetics specifically describes the human mind as having a conscious “analytical mind” and an unconscious “reactive mind.” The reactive mind, according to Dianetics, houses our traumatic and painful past, which, if left unchecked, leads to pain that can manifest itself in either mental health problems or even physical illnesses.
Scientology offers a cure for this “reactive mind” through a process called “auditing.” An audit consists of asking questions aimed at locating your inner pain and erasing it from your mind with the goal of it becoming “obvious.”
They also have a tool to measure your clarity. While being audited, individuals maintain an electrometer or “electronic meter” that measures the strength of the electrical current in their body.
It is this audit that began to put Scientology at the forefront of the news and with the law, since obtaining audit services costs a fee.
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Money money money
In 1958, the Internal Revenue Service revoked Scientology's tax-exempt status because its audits looked more like “mental therapy,” as it put it at the time, than a religion. The IRS's decision was celebrated by many, including doctors and psychiatrists, who felt the organization used untested, unscientific methods not based on medicine to treat mental illness and physical ailments.
This revocation of their tax-exempt status prompted Scientologists to organize an entire group within the organization to fight any attacks against the religion. The result was a long battle with the IRS, culminating in the restoration of tax-exempt status in 1993, making it the longest investigation in IRS history.
The internal organization and mechanics of Scientology are enough to raise eyebrows. Despite the secrecy surrounding it, what is known is very impressive.
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There are multiple layers of the Scientology hierarchy with highly organized systems explicitly designed to counter any negative press or attacks. Many might think that Scientology is headquartered in Hollywood, given the organization's obvious appeal to celebrities.
However, the headquarters are located in Clearwater, Florida, and commanders reside primarily on ships dubbed “offshore organizations.” The leader of Scientology, David Miscavige, has the title of Captain.
Getting a little weird
The Scientology website describes the organization as a religion, saying:
“…Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of the true spiritual nature of the individual and his relationship to self, family, groups, humanity, all forms of life, the physical universe, the spiritual universe, and the Supreme Being.”
This sounds all well and good, but if you stop for a moment, it becomes clear that none of this means or explains anything. On the face of it, Scientology seems closer to meditation or yoga, a practice that aims to focus the mind and control our emotional reactions to the outside world in an effort to achieve inner peace and perhaps achieve the additional benefits of relieving physical and mental pain.
But thanks to some leaks about Scientology's internal doctrine, we know there's a lot more to the religion. Like Buddhism, Scientologists believe that humans have lived multiple lives but are trapped in different bodies.
Only after one reaches a “clear state” will one be freed from one’s trapped physical body. The idea is that each of us is an immortal being known as a “thetan.”
VCU religious studies professor David Bromley explains:
“You move up the bridge to freedom by working on becoming a 'process thetan,' which transcends physical law at the highest level. Sometimes you come across people in Scientology who say they can change the physical world with their minds.
This is when it gets a little weird.
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Aren't we all just aliens?
Thetans, according to Scientology, are the souls of an ancient intergalactic civilization that was destroyed here on Earth and have clung to humans. This closure is what causes our inner turmoil and the source of our physical pain.
It is claimed that once you reach the lucid state of OT or Operational Thetan, you become privy to the advanced secret texts of Scientology. These texts purportedly explain that an alien named Zeno, who was an intergalactic ruler 70 million years ago, took billions of aliens from other planets here and killed them with thermonuclear weapons.
This extreme galactic violence led to the creation of the thetans, who torture humans until they are excreted from our bodies, rendering us, you guessed it, lucid.
Secret texts read like an episode of a series Ancient aliens Mixed with a bit of plot from Matrix. When asked by Playboy magazine what Scientology is, famous Scientologist Tom Cruise said:
“What I believe in my life is that it's a search for how to do things better, whether that's being a better man or a better father or finding ways to improve myself.”
When we keep this perspective in mind, it is difficult to find fault with Scientology. Aren't all religions, at their core, about finding ways to be better people for ourselves and the world around us?
Aren't we all, regardless of our religious background, aiming to do things better and be better? The question is: Does Scientology have a far more sinister foundation and function – or is it simply a religion more open to the fantastical aspects of the faith than the rest?
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