Scientology And Scientology: The Church Of Scientology

At first glance, Wicca and Scientology may appear to be completely opposite religions, sharing no common tenets or practices. Contrary to this, both systems of beliefs actually share several distinctive qualities that set them apart from many major religions in the world.

The word “Cult” has not always had such a negative connotation attached to it. Many religions would’ve been considered cults when they first began. By the end of the 19th century many visionaries had revealed radically new religious systems, claiming immunity to the impurities of the old ones (Powers, 1997). These were no more than a group of people organizing themselves in worship and devotion for a person, object, or movement. They practiced rituals different to other “mainstream” religions, and were therefore considered cults.

There are many groups that hide behind religion in order to get these benefits. Scientology is one group that refers to themselves as a “New Religion.” They protect themselves with this right in order to get away with their actions. There have been many reports accusing Scientology of exploiting members physically and financially. They get away with these illegal activities by lying. Lying is something that the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, has presented as acceptable in the religion, which isn’t tolerated in many real religions. However, if the Charter was to address groups like Scientology with more severity, they would not be able to hide anymore. No longer would they get away with their crimes, but these groups, and so-called religions, will actually face the consequences. In addition, freedom of religion is misused when these groups go against their religion. This refers to religious movements that state they are preaching a religion. In reality, they are going against the basic principles of that religion to do what they feel is right. For instance, many cults like the KKK are based off Christianity, but they don’t follow Christian principles. They do this so that they can have the benefits of being a non-profit religious group, like tax exemptions, but then take advantage of this label to perform hate crimes and get away with them. For this reason, it is

I had watched the South Park episode and thought the idea of the religion was absurd. Through my research I have realized Scientology is even more ridiculous than I thought. Not only does the religion contradict itself multiple times on whether or not it is a religion or not, but it also makes speaking out against it nearly impossible. I had to leave out over half of my research because I did not even want to explain some of the crazy procedures Scientology has used. I focused on the shunning of legitimate science because it made the religion sound a little less weird, still really weird just not so much. While spending hours watching their indoctrination materials I was constantly harassed to take a “free personality test, to discover my real self.” This was very annoying. Not only am I afraid that the Church of Scientology website gave my computer a virus, but I am also mildly concerned that somehow this religion will be spying on me. In conclusion Scientology is even more bizarre than I originally

Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Juliette Lewis, Jenna Elfman, and many more have one thing in common, these celebrities are all affiliated with the religion of Scientology. Scientology is a unique and controversial religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one's true spiritual nature and one's relationship to self, family, groups, mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being. The Church of Scientology is a non denominational religion that was established in 1954. The founder of Scientology Lafayette Ronald Hubbard did not intrude on anyone faiths or beliefs, but based his religion on his thoughts and teachings that all human beings are immortal spiritual

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

Cultic activity has taken place since the practice of religion was established thousands of years ago. Since then, literally thousands of denominations have been inoculated throughout the world, especially in the United States. A cult, according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary is a system of religious beliefs and rituals. By definition, this includes organizations such as Baptists, Catholics as well as Satanists and Witches. While this maybe true, cults have been popularly perceived as Separatists who are consumed by the belief of apocalyptic events, and the leader is someone who believes he or she is chosen by God or some other deity to lead those who are to follow him or her. One group that fits this description is the

The church of Scientology has been the subject of controversy since its inception. Its methods and beliefs have attracted the attention of scholars from around the world. The church has been under government investigation and has endured a countless amount of lawsuits (Reitman 14). It is also a hot topic by the media with several endorsements by some of the most recognized Hollywood celebrities. However, the main topic of debate regarding the Church of Scientology is its status as a religion. Some members claim that the church has helped them overcome their struggles and that they are happier people, while others condemn it as a dangerous cult (Sweeney). The church of Scientology is a religious group whose purpose is to retain their

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

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.

Most historians use the more neutral term ‘new religious movement’ instead of the cult, because there is no one definition of cults, their number and membership cannot be accurately measured even today (Sarah Pike, 2016). New religious groups are regularly developed from another, more accepted religion. An example of this is Christianity, which first began as a cult extending from Judaism (Sarah Pike, 2016). While this was regularly the case, many cults did not begin as religious groups. A famous example of this is the movement called Synanon, which was originally organised to rehabilitate drug addicts, but then later changed into a commune and won legal recognition as a religion (Sarah Pike, 2016). A theory among UFO groups, there is a widespread belief that extraterrestrials have no vocal cords, an atrophied digestive system and no sexual organs (B.A. Robinson, 2009). This is symbolic of three common religious disciplines: silence, fasting and celibacy. These attitudes may have somewhat shaped what the UFO group Heaven’s Gate believed in.

L. Ron Hubbard stated to Lloyd Eshbach in 1949, "I’d like to start a religion. That’s where the money is." Five years later, the church of Scientology was born. Hubbard was a college dropout who had two failed marriages and claimed to have an honorable career as a US Navy officer despite never seeing combat. Eventually, he turned to writing science fiction in the late ‘40s since, you know, he was good at making up things.

Religion has evolved from a belief system for moral values to be enforced in society as a benefit for survival. As society changed, new movements began such as capitalism, imperialism, and consumerism which evolved religion as well. Looking towards modern times, new religions continue to be formed. Science and technology boomed, as a result there have been new religions created. There exists the Abrahamic religions in which Abraham is considered a highly sought figure. The religions which are considered Abrahamic are: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. New religions are continually being formed, such as Mormonism, New Life, Scientology, etc. Followers of Scientology may argue it is a Modern Religion, while those opposed believe that scientology is a cult lead by a corporation in disguise. The shadiness of the institution forced Britain to ban churches for Scientology.

Scientology, defined as the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life, its aim, according to Hubbard is to create a civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war; where the world can prosper and honest being can have rights, and where free man is free to rise to greater heights (Wiki 2016). Sounds nice, but then again so does finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The originator of the concept of dianetics and scientology is named L. Ron Hubbard, born 1911 in small town Tilden, Nebraska. Said to be a prolific writer of pulp magazine, adventure, fantasy, and science fiction, in 1948 Hubbard wrote a book titled “The Original Thesis” outlining his ideas for a new form of

Throughout history, all religions have had their beginning. Religion itself has the ability to influence and shape its followers and the world. Whether religions stem from an established religion or a new religion, both are defined as new religious movements (NRMs). These new religious movements can take a scientific approach to religion, such as Scientology, referred to as a “client cult” where services are provided or branch off from an established religion like Christianity as did Mormonism with its teachings based upon the Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon. (Fisher, 2014, 459, 465) With various NRMs emerging including Scientology and Mormonism, will they endure and continue to grow, attracting future generations to their particular religion? Their similarities and differences will be examined.