Anthropological Observation And Evaluation: Scientology

Though most organized religions have been traditionally founded on a belief system, Scientology seemingly was founded on a reaction to one. In 1950, L. Ron Hubbard wrote a book titled Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. The

It’s not unknown that The Church of Scientology has been a contentious subject of conversation for decades. The controversial religion was originally discovered by a gentleman named L. Ron Hubbard in 1954 through the establishment of ideas in which he believed would act as an antidote to mental health concerns called Dianetics. After an unsuccessful attempt resulting in bankruptcy, Hubbard branched his ideas into the basis of a new found religion called Scientology ("The Beliefs and Teachings of Scientology”). To Hubbard’s advantage, Scientology expeditiously accelerated in growth, becoming one of the fastest expanding religions in the 20th century. Scientology pledged a “light at the end of the tunnel” to those wandering through dark times, and created a pathway to a faultless understanding of one’s true spiritual fulfillment through a system of self-knowledge in relation to one’s own life, community, and mankind. Due to the Scientology’s controversial beliefs, abnormal practices, and aberrant church-member relationships, the religion poses as a superlative model of church rebelling against society’s social norms.

The Church of Scientology was founded in the 1950s by science-fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. The self-described “religion” emerged from his then newly published book entitled Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. Dianetics is "a methodology which can help alleviate such elements as unwanted sensations and emotions, irrational fears and psychosomatic illnesses (illnesses caused or aggravated by mental stress)” (Church of Scientology International, 1992).

According to Remini, people want to join the Church of Scientology because they think that they are “helping mankind.” However, she said

“Maybe it’s an insanity test, Haggis thought- if you believe it, you’re automatically kicked out. He considered that possibility, but when he read it again, he decided ‘This is madness’.” Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright (copyright 2013 ) takes an inside look at Scientology, with interviews and accounts from former Scientologists such as Paul Haggis and Mark Rathbun, important church officials such as David Miscavige and Tom Cruise, and the founder: Ron L. Hubbard. Scientology is a religion which claims to lead one’s spirit on a path to eventual enlightenment and understanding of one’s spiritual nature.Going Clear details the horrors and unveils the mysteries surrounding this church. Going Clear is separated into three parts: Part One- which divulges the story of the founder L. Ron Hubbard, and the organization he creates, Part Two- Hollywood- which deals with the important celebrity connections and how important the celebrities are to the church, and Part Three- The Prison of Belief : an exposé on the harsh conditions many members face, the bullying and corruption within the organization, and the sense of helplessness and entrapment one feels when trying to leave the church. The author makes an very effective argument and achieves his goal of exposing the corruption within the church by providing first-hand accounts and legal records, contrasting views and official statements from the church, various rhetorical strategies as

Scientology’s Death and Afterlife Scientology portrays the work of L. Ron Hubbard who founded the religion in 1957. Scientology is new in comparison to other religions, but nonetheless it has its strong following and devoted Scientologists in which they embody the work of L. Ron Hubbard. Focusing on the death and afterlife of Scientology reveals unique traits and practices in which the founder sought fit for his theory of a virtuous belief system. Fortunately, the creation of this religion is extremely well documented and provides an insight to the founder’s life and how death and afterlife ties in perfectly with his theory. Scientologists are extremely fortunate to have a well-documented story of the creation of Scientology and

Nevertheless, many people would find Dianetics to be enlightening, feeling that it provided answers to difficult questions and solutions through “scientific techniques” (Reitman 65). Hubbard had opened the Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation in Elizabeth, New Jersey before the book was even published (58). After the success of the book, he would soon open up similar organizations on some of the major cities in the United States such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Honolulu.

The sacred manifests itself as a reality diverse from ordinary realities. Humans become mindful of the sacred when it appears itself as something distinctive from the norm. It is a matter that each person must examine for himself. In Scientologists man is more than just a mind and body and that he, himself, the soul, who is in control of his mind and body. Scientologists are to be Clear and achieve the status of being an Operating Thetan who has dominance over “life, thought, matter, vitality, space and time.” Scientology in specific is built on the numerous works of its originator, L. Ron Hubbard, starting with the first book portraying his disclosures around the human intellect called “ Dianetics: the Unique Thesis”, Scientology's "sacred

“The foundation upon which scientology rests is deeply and ineluctably religious - the resolution of man’s ancient, persistent quest to understand himself, the universe, and the Supreme Being”. L. Ron Hubbard came to found the Scientology religion to deliver freedom for the spirit. It is a religion that has created an exact path to complete and definite accepting of ones true spiritual nature. The main fundamental truths, which scientology beliefs stem from 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 does not ask for followers to accept the truths on pure faith but to affirm the religion by applying its principles and experiencing the outcomes.

Religious intolerance is a social issue, and affects every level of the religious community, from the followers to the conductors of Scientology. Widespread intolerance has always been a problem for Scientology for many reasons. Religious intolerance has always re an extremely serious issue which faces all religions of the world. However, the practice became popularized when monotheistic religions such as Christianity

Scientology, founded in 1950 (Hubbard. What is. 3), "is an applied religious philosophy" (Hubbard. What is. 4), which is a branch of psychology (Fundamentals. 7). Developed by Lafayette Ron Hubbard, Scientology was created "from discoveries resulting from

In the 2000s Scientology has exploded into a more widely known; and widely made fun of religion. Scientology is still a contested religion. Scientology as a religion has not changed their view on psychology; if anything Scientology has become more extreme in their view on medicine of the mind. Celebrities such as Tom Cruise (Scientology’s biggest star) have recently spoken out about psychology and psychiatry saying, “I’ve never agreed with psychiatry, ever,” evidencing the religion’s view on psychology and psychiatry has not changed (qtd. in Wright 363). The more extreme practices of convincing its members that the cure to physical ailments is Scientology has changed; since the religion no longer claims to be the cure for the common cold. The

Scientology is the study and handling of the spirit in the relationship to itself, universes and other life. The Scientology religion was discovered by Lafayette Ronald Hubbard. Welcoming millions of new members each year, the Scientology religion is rather popular and can be found in 6 continents. There are more than 11,000 churches, missions, and groups over 184 nations.

Hubbard’s Dianetics plays a major role in the belief system of Scientology. There are three major topics discussed when breaking down the ideas and practices involved in Dianetics. According to Hubbard, man’s goal of life is infinite survival, and this is also mans’ motivation. The goal of life plays a major role in Dianetics because it is the basis on how to achieve infinite survival. Dianetics means, “Through the mind or soul,” but Scientologists have used it to mean what the soul is doing through the body. Dianetics will be the aiding factor in helping man

Scientology has been classified a cult for a multitude of reasons, one of many is the amount of money they ask for from their members. The church defends against these allegations with all of the campaigns they supports and that each member is encouraged to give as they can. There are six main campaigns the church created and many laws they fights for and against. The church suggest that they are one of the biggest voices for human right acts and