But despite its success -- and like a lot of other belief systems -- what Scientologists believe and how they perceive a higher power is often misunderstood.
Here's a look at the basics about Scientology:. Read More. Scientology describes itself as a religion that was founded in the s by L. Ron Hubbard. At the core of Scientology is a belief that each human has a reactive mind that responds to life's traumas, clouding the analytic mind and keeping us from experiencing reality. Members of the religion submit to a process called auditing to find the sources of this trauma, reliving those experiences in an attempt to neutralize them and reassert the primacy of the analytic mind, working toward a spiritual state called "clear.
Leah Remini's Scientology series gets second season. The process involves a device called E-meter, which Scientologists say measures the body's electric flow as an auditor asks a series of questions they say reveals sources of trauma. The church goes on to say, "Science is something one does, not something one believes in. Auditing purports to identify spiritual distress from a person's current life and from past lives. Scientologists believe each person is an immortal being, a force that believers call a thetan.
Bromley and other scholars say the church promotes the idea of an ancient intergalactic civilization in which millions of beings were destroyed and became what are known as "body thetans," which continue to latch onto humans and cause more trauma.
Advanced Scientologists confront body thetans through more auditing. Bromley says the church discloses that cosmic history only to more advanced Scientologists. The church's media affairs department did not respond to requests for comment to this story. In a CNN interview, church spokesman Tommy Davis was asked whether the basic tenet of the Church of Scientology was to rid the body of space alien parasites.
People should really come to the church and find out for themselves what it is. Who was L. Ron Hubbard? Ron Hubbard was the founder of Scientology. Born in Nebraska in , Hubbard was the son of a U. Navy officer who circled the globe with his family, according to Scientology expert J.
Photos: L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology. Ron Hubbard published a series of articles and then a book on what he described as a new approach to mental health.
In , Hubbard founded the Church of Scientology. Hide Caption. Hubbard and his children in December They are testing a device called an E-meter, which Scientologists say measures the body's electric flow as an auditor asks a series of questions that they say reveals sources of trauma.
Hubbard works in his greenhouse in December Hubbard in the south of France in May Hubbard talks with reporters in his office in The Religious Nature of Scientology. The Place of God in Scientology Belief. Religious Philosophy, Religion and Church by G. Scientology a New Religion by M. Kliever Ph. Flinn Ph. Adjunct Professor in Religious Studies.
Is Scientology A Religion? A normal, analytical mind, he believed, will make good survival decisions. However, Hubbard contends, when a mind is not working properly, the reactive mind will take over and create negative images called engrams. Bad engrams can even be left over from past lives. Hubbard believed people need to confront and eliminate these engrams to return to the way a mind should work, and he created Scientology for this purpose.
In an interview with Business Insider , former Scientologist Steve Hall shared that much of the allure of Scientology is the focus on self-inquiry:. It's done in a safe environment and the counselor has a code of conduct. The auditor does not tell the person what to think and does not tell them what to say. He just guides them on a path of self-discovery.
And once you've experienced it you want more, because it helps you become a better person. You're able to open up new lines of communications with people you were afraid to talk to before. The shy kids who can't talk to girls can suddenly get up the nerve, that's the good side.
The idea of Scientology is that by undergoing certain counseling sessions, rituals, and pursuing self-discovery, people can improve themselves. Scientology is particularly attractive to those who feel that they are mentally or emotionally being held back from realizing their full potential. Perhaps the most famous Scientologist is actor Tom Cruise. Other famous adherents include John Travolta, Michael Pena, Kirstie Alley, Catherine Bell, Elisabeth Moss, and dozens more , while just as many celebrities are among the ranks of former Scientologists.
David Miscavige is the leader of the church of Scientology. Born in , Miscavige was reportedly miraculously cured of severe allergies and asthma after a Dianetics session, after which his family joined Scientology in At 16, Miscavige left school to join the Sea Org, a religious order that controlled all Scientology management organizations. He rose through the ranks and earned the personal favor of L. Numbers are difficult to produce.
A common estimate of how many Scientologists there are in America is around 25, Statistics for other countries are even harder to find. However, it is clear that Scientology is embraced by well under one percent of the population. Unfortunately for the noninitiate, much of Scientology belief is secret and only available to higher tiers of Scientologists.
But the following are 10 of the most important beliefs in Scientology that outsiders know of:. The basic principle of human existence is survival. According to Dianetics , each person has an analytical mind that is usually in charge of making daily decisions and judgments necessary for survival.
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