Scientology

Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices based on the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, an American writer and philosopher. "Scientology" means "the study of knowledge." Hubbard founded Scientology in 1954 and contributed to it until his death in 1986. David Miscavige succeeded him and still leads Scientology today.

A Scientology building in Los Angeles, California

Scientology has been controversial since its beginning.^[1] Some critics call it a cult and a money-making business. Churches of Scientology exist in some countries. The largest is in Clearwater, Florida.

Scientology teaches that people are immortal spirits who have forgotten their true nature.^[2] According to Scientology, a system called auditing can help people remember their true nature through re-experiencing painful events in their past and understanding them better.

Many organizations are linked to Scientology. Some help people to stop using harmful drugs or to get back into society after spending time in prison.

According to Scientology, psychiatry should not be allowed to exist^[3][4] because it uses false and torturous methods without helping people.^[5]

Number of followers

The Church of Scientology says that 13–15 million people are a part of the Church.^[6] Critics disagree with that figure, however. They say the organization probably does not have more than 100,000 followers,^[7] mostly in the United States. They say that in 1960, there were probably 50,000 to 100,000 followers in the U.S.^[8] In the 1990s there were only about 45,000 followers left, according to a representative survey.^[9] By 2004, this number had grown to around 55,000.^[10]

Belief system

A Scientology e-meter used in "stress testing"

Key beliefs

Scientology teaches that:

• Man is made of a body, a mind, and a spirit. The spirit is the person himself. He uses his mind and body.
• The purpose of life is to survive.
• People should not use harmful drugs.
• Affinity, reality, and communication help us get along with others.
• The better you feel about yourself and life, the freer you are. This scale of emotion is called the Tone Scale.
• Auditing helps people look at thoughts and understand them better. This in turn helps them feel better.
• Auditing is very painful.^[source?]

In 1972, Hubbard told a group of Scientologists: "You are the people the planet obeys. You are the people who own the planet."

Goals

L. Ron Hubbard wrote:^[11]

"A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest [people] can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology."

Dianetics

Scientologists say that Hubbard's 1950 book Dianetics was the first self-help book ever written.^[source?] Some key concepts in the book are:

• A person's mind remembers painful times. This helps a person to do bad things, and even get sick. Dianetics calls these kinds of memories "engrams".
• A person's mind also remembers everything else.
• Auditing is meant to help a person understand his engrams. Its goal is to become clear of them.

ARC triangle

Another basic teaching of Scientology is that understanding comes from three things together:

1. Affinity (being willing to be close to other people);
2. Reality (an agreement on what is real); and
3. Communication (the exchange of ideas).

Making one thing in this "ARC Triangle" better makes them all better, according to Hubbard. Scientologists use this in their everyday lives.

Tone scale

The tone scale is a way to rate an emotion as bad, better, or good. The scale goes from -40 ("Total Failure") to +40 ("Serenity of Being"). The scale assumes that one way of feeling is better than another. But Hubbard described many other things that go along with emotion, such as health, mating behavior, survival potential, and ability to deal with truth.

The tone scale is frequently used by Scientologists to understand people. According to Scientology, the lower the individual is on the tone scale, the more complex their problems are.

Well-known members

Many well-known people are followers of Scientology. They include:

• Tom Cruise, actor^[12]
• John Travolta, actor^[12]
• Kirstie Alley, actress
• Anne Archer, actress
• Isaac Hayes, singer and actor
• Danny Masterson, actor and disc jockey
• Laura Prepon, actress
• Priscilla Presley, actress
• Archer Xie, politician
• Kelly Preston, actress

Related pages

• Xenu