What Is Scientology

What is scientology? According to the official Scientology website at www.scientology.org, "Scientology is the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life." However, is this the only purpose of the Church of Scientology? According to Merriem-Webster's dictionary religion is, "a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith." To determine the true reasoning ¬¬¬behind the study of Scientology one must examine the basis of this religion. This ever growing religion has been accused by many to be a possible scam or dangerous cult however; through various analyses of its beliefs and practices one can determine its real nature.

Scientology was founded on the theory of dianetics. This theory states that the human mind consists of the analytical mind and the reactive mind. This theory was developed by L. Ron Hubbard the creator of Scientology. Dianetics consists of various mental techniques used to free the mind of unwanted memories that may prevent members from reaching their potential. When Hubbard established this theory he was rejected by the American Psychological Association and decided to create his own religion. In the cult days of scientology, there was no authority figure and members were free to experiment with therapies and ideas as they pleased. However, upon Hubbard's return to the organization, he claimed himself a leader. His return caused great change as members no longer sought answers for themselves, but rather believed that all knowledge came from Hubbard.

The key to Hubbard's success was his effective speech techniques. In one of many speeches he stated, "I'd like to tell you something of the story of Dianetics and Scientology the things I've never confided to anyone before."(A. Mooney p46) His careful usage of the words 'never' and 'confide' captivated his audience and convinced them to trust him. Hubbard's strategies of careful speaking and references to reliable texts allowed him to lead Scientology and establish his recognition. This reveals that many followers of Scientology may not be attracted by the beliefs of this religion but rather by deception and convincing speeches.

Scientology consists of many central underlying beliefs. Members of the church typically enrol in various courses to acquire as much knowledge on these beliefs. The major idea of Scientology is that a person is an immortal spiritual being (or a thetan) that has a mind and a body. This thetan has lived many previous lives and will live past the death of its current body. (CSI, 2006) This belief combined with other ideas convinces members that through counselling they can reach a state of spiritual success and enhance their abilities in this lifetime.

A few common practices of Scientologists include the ARC triangle and the tone scale. The ARC triangle represents three components that make up a successful lifestyle: Affinity, reality, and communication. (CSI, 2006) This principle means that by enhancing any one of these components, the other components will also be enhanced. The belief that these components are entangled shows that Scientology seeks to develop its members into greater beings. The tone scale is an indicator that gives information on a member as a whole. It is believed that everything from a person's health to one's mating behaviour can be determined by their emotional status on a scale of -40 to 40. (CSI, 2006) This practice contradicts many of modern medicines findings and helps one understand why Scientology opposes psychiatry and psychology.

It appears that members benefit from a discipline called auditing. This pricey therapy is believed to remove the obstacles to reaching human development and allows one to be in entire control of his or her life. Auditing uses a mechanical device known as an E-meter to locate areas of tension. The auditor asks a member a series of questions and reactions to these questions are registered by the E-meter. A large debate occurred in the United States on whether this treatment should be tax deductible. Although Scientology claims that auditing is mandatory for reaching spiritual freedom, the nature of the treatment makes it non tax deductible. A religion that requires one to invest large amounts of money to reach their potential seems unethical.

According to the Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements(Lewis,2004), Scientology is frequently criticized for its mandatory fees to acquire a "higher" level of knowledge. This accusation may appear very unsympathetic however it is entirely justified. Scientology requires that one spends thousands of dollars to read and acquire the knowledge of all eight levels of documents. In one instance, a member named Steven Fisherman committed fraud to raise the required money to acquire a higher level of knowledge. This not only shows that Scientology pressures its members to give money to the church but those members are brainwashed enough to perform the unimaginable to acquire a desired level of knowledge. It is clear why 50-70% of members who leave scientology suffer from financial, physical or psychological problems. (Wollersheim, 1999)

If so many members suffer from problems due to Scientology, then why does it continue to grow? One theory is the hypnosis factor. Richard Ofshe(1995) claims that the success of Scientology relies heavily on hypnosis. He believes that clients are hypnotized and deceived into believing that they are able to carry out supernatural accomplishments. In the hypnosis they are also convinced that they have regained memories from their previous lives. These memories from hypnosis tend to be more realistic than actual memories thus being very effective. If this theory is accurate, one can see how hypnosis can be used to manipulate people into paying thousands of dollars in fees and performing the unimaginable to achieve their 'potential'.

It appears that Scientology has a great amount of negativity towards it. To deal with such hostile attacks, the church created the Guardians Office in 1966. However, this only resulted in more hostility as the Guardians Office used illegal and immoral methods to deal with critics. This led many members to face criminal prosecution for their actions. It is shocking that Scientology can tolerate being the cause for the suffering of its own members. The fact that Scientology cannot deal with its critics rationally indicates that the religion is somewhat radical and lacks the skills to communicate effectively with non-members. In 1981, nine Scientologists were convicted in a conspiracy to steal government documents regarding Scientology. (Singer, 1995, 89) The religions commitment to secrecy is a major cause of many of its troubles.

In 1992, the Church