107-510: In Scientology , the concept of the thetan ( / ˈ θ eɪ t ən / ) is similar to the concept of self , or the spirit or soul as found in several belief systems . The term is derived from the Greek letter Θ, theta , which in Scientology beliefs represents "the source of life, or life itself." In Scientology it is believed that it is the thetan, not the central nervous system , which commands
214-423: A business , a religion , or a scam . Hubbard initially developed a set of ideas that he called Dianetics , which he represented as a form of therapy. An organization that he established in 1950 to promote it went bankrupt, and Hubbard lost the rights to his book Dianetics in 1952. He then recharacterized his ideas as a religion, likely for tax purposes, and renamed them Scientology. By 1954, he had regained
321-514: A 'game' it was necessary to 'not know' certain things, so certain perceptions were negated ('not-is-ed')." Since thetans knew everything, this required them to abandon or suppress perceptions and knowledge. Over time, the loss of perception accumulated and certain thetans began to cause harm to others. MEST (physical) beings also sought to "trap" thetans in order to control them. Thetans came to learn contrition, punishing themselves for their own "harmful" acts. According to Hubbard, an essential part of
428-400: A baby." While Hubbard's concept of the thetan led to the development of an elaborate cosmology, the doctrinal structure he created is based on the following propositions: "Man is an immortal spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized." According to Scientology doctrine, a thetan exists whether operating
535-568: A bust or large framed photograph of him on display. The Church of Scientology is headquartered at " Gold Base " in Riverside County, California , where the highest Sea Org officials work, and at "Flag Land Base" in Clearwater, Florida . The organization operates on a hierarchical and top-down basis, being largely bureaucratic in structure. It claims to be the only true voice of Scientology. The internal structure of Scientology organizations
642-421: A calendar in which 1950, the year in which Hubbard's book Dianetics was published, is considered year zero, the beginning of an era. Years after that date are referred to as "AD" for "After Dianetics ". They have also buried copies of his writings preserved on stainless steel disks in a secure underground vault in the hope of preserving them against major catastrophes. The Church of Scientology's view of Hubbard
749-603: A commercial company. Each franchise sends part of its earnings, which have been generated through beginner-level auditing, to the International Management. Bromley observed that an entrepreneurial incentive system pervades the organization, with individual members and organisations receiving payment for bringing in new people or for signing them up for more advanced services. The individual and collective performances of different members and missions are gathered, being called "stats". Performances that are an improvement on
856-537: A confidence trick to obtain money from its targets. The scholar Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi observes that "the majority of activities conducted by Scientology and its many fronts and subsidiaries involve the marketing of secular products." In a report by the European Parliament , it is observed that the group "is a cool, cynical, manipulating business and nothing else." Scholars and journalists note that profit
963-400: A congregation that believes in and helps spread its teachings. Allan W. Black analysed Scientology through the seven "dimensions of religion" set forward by the scholar Ninian Smart and also decided that Scientology met those criteria for being a religion. The sociologist David V. Barrett noted that there was a "strong body of evidence to suggest that it makes sense to regard Scientology as
1070-469: A dangerous cult and as a manipulative profit-making business . These institutions and scholars state that Scientology is not a religion. Scientology has experienced multiple schisms during its history. While the Church of Scientology was the original promoter of the movement, various independent groups have split off to form independent Scientology groups. Referring to the "different types of Scientology",
1177-569: A deity. They regard him as the preeminent Operating Thetan who remained on Earth in order to show others the way to spiritual liberation, the man who discovered the source of human misery and a technology allowing everyone to achieve their true potential. Church of Scientology management frames Hubbard's physical death as "dropping his body" to pursue higher levels of research not possible with an Earth-bound body. Scientologists often refer to Hubbard affectionately as "Ron", and many refer to him as their "friend". The Scientology organization operates
SECTION 10
#17328688306361284-523: A healthy living discombobulated many observers when it first started. Dericquebourg comments that the same things can be found in established churches. The word Scientology , as coined by Hubbard, is a derivation from the Latin word scientia ("knowledge", "skill"), which comes from the verb scīre ("to know"), with the suffix -ology , from the Greek λόγος lógos ("word" or "account [of]"). Hubbard claimed that
1391-466: A high courage level. MEST work means manual labor , physical labor, and hard labor. The term has been used to indicate both a therapy and a punishment. To be "put on MEST work" is to be assigned to do manual labor. In the Sea Org, one is expected to be able to confront all kinds of MEST work. Some positions in the Sea Org are specifically MEST work oriented, such as in an Estates Division which would manage
1498-602: A human body or not. Scientology advertises itself as being able to "rehabilitate" the thetan of a practitioner to a state where the individual can operate with or without a " flesh body ". The term "operating thetan" would then apply as it does when an individual is operating a body. The Operating Thetan (OT) levels are the upper-level courses in Scientology. The Church defines "Operating Thetan" as "knowing and willing cause over life , thought , and matter , energy , space and time ( MEST )." The Church of Scientology states as
1605-492: A minimum of payments to the Scientology organization of $ 350,000 to $ 400,000 (equivalent to $ 542,000 in 2023). OT levels six and seven are only available at Clearwater. The highest level, OT eight, is disclosed only at sea on the Scientology ship Freewinds , operated by the Flag Ship Service Org. Scholar of religion Aled Thomas suggested that the status of a person's level creates an internal class system within
1712-481: A mission wherever they wish but must fund it themselves; the missions are not financially supported by the central organization. Mission holders must purchase all of the necessary material from the central Church of Scientology; as of 2001, the Mission Starter Pack cost $ 35,000 (equivalent to $ 60,200 in 2023). Each mission or Org is a corporate entity, established as a licensed franchise, and operating as
1819-625: A planetary ruler 70 million years ago who brought billions of aliens to Earth and killed them with thermonuclear weapons . Despite being kept secret from most followers, this forms the central mythological framework of Scientology's ostensible soteriology . These aspects have become the subject of popular ridicule. Since its formation, Scientology groups have generated considerable opposition and controversy. This includes deaths of practitioners while under Church of Scientology care, several instances of extensive criminal activities, and allegations by former adherents of exploitation and forced abortions. In
1926-482: A point of doctrine that an individual exists with or without a body. Even beyond the Operating Thetan levels comes the "Cleared Theta Clear", a godlike state which Hubbard describes this way: A thetan who is completely rehabilitated and can do everything a thetan should do, such as move MEST and control others from a distance, or create his own universe; a person who is able to create his own universe or, living in
2033-599: A punishment. These include the Estates Project Force (EPF), Deck Project Force (DPF), Rehabilitation Unit, Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF), the Heavy MEST Work Unit, and the Mud Box Brigade. I didn't actually consider the dirty work itself to be degrading; in fact, Hubbard wrote that MEST work (physical rather than mental labor) helped "extrovert" a person who had gotten too "into his head" and thus
2140-485: A religion is strongly opposed by the anti-cult movement . Its claims to a religious identity have been particularly rejected in continental Europe. Grünschloß writes that labelling Scientology a religion does not mean that it is "automatically promoted as harmless, nice, good, and humane". . The multi-faceted nature of the Church of Scientology that includes pedagogy, communication theories, management principles and methods for
2247-430: A religion", while scholar of religion James R. Lewis comments that "it is obvious that Scientology is a religion". The scholar Mikael Rothstein observes that the Scientology "is best understood as a devotional cult aimed at revering the mythologized founder of the organization". Numerous religious studies scholars have described Scientology as a new religious movement . Various scholars have also considered it within
SECTION 20
#17328688306362354-467: A religion, but the early history of the Scientology organization, and Hubbard's policy directives, letters, and instructions to subordinates, indicate that his motivation for doing so was as a legally pragmatic move to minimize his tax burden and escape the possibility of prosecution. In many countries, the Church of Scientology has engaged in extensive litigation to secure recognition as a tax-exempt religious organization, and it has managed to obtain such
2461-413: A religion. The sociologist Bryan R. Wilson compares Scientology with 20 criteria that he associated with religion and concludes that the movement could be characterised as such. Wilson's criteria include: a cosmology that describes a human reality beyond terrestrial existence; ethics and behavior teachings that are based on this cosmology; prescribed ways for followers to connect with spiritual beings; and
2568-673: A religion: "We don't want a clinic. We want one in operation but not in name...It is a problem of practical business. I await your reaction on the religion angle". In reaction to a series of arrests of his followers, and the prosecution of Hubbard's Dianetics foundation for teaching medicine without a license, in December 1953 Hubbard incorporated three organizations – Church of American Science, Church of Scientology, and Church of Spiritual Engineering. In 1959, Hubbard purchased Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead, Sussex, United Kingdom, which became
2675-603: A status in a few jurisdictions, including the United States, Italy, and Australia. The organization has not received recognition as a religious institution in the majority of countries in which it operates. An article in the magazine TIME , " The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power ", describes Scientology as a ruthless global scam . The Church of Scientology's attempts to sue the publishers for libel and to prevent republication abroad were dismissed. Scholarship in psychology and skepticism supports this view of Scientology as
2782-494: A supernatural source. He published hundreds of articles and books over the course of his life. Scientologists regard his writings on Scientology as scripture . Much basic information about the Scientology belief system is kept secret from most practitioners. The scholar and historian of Scientology Hugh Urban observes that: A great many aspects of Scientology are shrouded in layers of secrecy, concealment, obfuscation , and/or dissimulation . In Scientology Hubbard's work
2889-528: A tendency to personify the MEST universe by giving objects personalities : "Actually, have you ever noticed how a negro, in particular, down south, where they're pretty close to the soil, personifies MEST? The gate post and the wagon and the whip and anything around there. A hat – they talk to 'em, you know. 'Wassa madda wit you, hat?' They imbue them, with personality." In The Fundamentals of Thought , Hubbard claims: "Unlike yellow and brown people,
2996-464: Is an activity known as " auditing ". It takes place with two Scientologists — one is the "auditor" who asks questions, and the subject is termed the "preclear". The stated purpose is to help the subject to remove their mental traumas (ostensible recordings in the mind which Hubbard termed "engrams"). Scholarship in clinical psychology demonstrates that the purpose of auditing is to induce a light hypnotic state and to create dependency and obedience in
3103-403: Is considered an immortal being who has been reincarnated many times over. Someone who has died is said to have "dropped the body". Scientology refers to the existence of a Supreme Being , but practitioners are not expected to worship it. No intercessions are made to seek this being's assistance in daily life. The mythological framework which forms the basis for what Scientologists view as
3210-497: Is not a thing. It is the creator of things." In a lecture series later published as a book ("The Phoenix Lectures"), he jokingly pointed to a study that implied that a "thetan" manifests a small but measurable amount of mass: From some experiments conducted about fifteen or twenty years ago—a thetan weighed about 1.5 ounces [45 grams]! Who made these experiments? Well, a doctor made these experiments. He weighed people before and after death, retaining any mass. He weighed
3317-459: Is not revealed until a Scientologist reaches Section III of the Operating Thetan levels (commonly referred to as "OT III"). Body thetans were said by Hubbard to be a result of a prehistoric "Incident" involving Xenu . Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard , and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a cult ,
Thetan - Misplaced Pages Continue
3424-411: Is often criticized for the prices it charges for auditing, and examinations of the group have indicated that profit is the group's primary purpose. Hubbard stated that charging for auditing was necessary because the practice required an exchange, and should the auditor not receive something for their services it could harm both parties. During auditing, a device called an electropsychometer ( E-meter )
3531-425: Is posited as complete spiritual freedom in which one is able to do anything one chooses, create anything, go anywhere — an idea which has appealed to many. The scholar Hugh Urban describes the supernatural powers promoted as being gained by an Operating Thetan as: The liberated thetan could even freely create a personal paradise, populating it with heavenly beings and infinite pleasures at will. ... As such,
3638-407: Is presented in their hagiographical biography of him, seeking to present him as "a person of exceptional character, morals and intelligence". Critics of Hubbard and his organization claim that many of the details of his life as he presented it were false. Every Scientology Org maintains an office set aside for Hubbard in perpetuity, set out to imitate those he used in life, and will typically have
3745-414: Is referred to as "other-determinism". Scientology seeks to undo it and return the thetan to "self-determinism", where he can control himself and his environment. The eventual goal is to achieve "pan-determinism", where he acts for the good of all. The Scientological notion of the thetan differs from other religions, such as Judaism and Christianity, in three significant ways. While other belief systems "fuse
3852-449: Is regarded as perfect, and no elaboration or alteration is permitted. Hubbard described Scientology as an "applied religious philosophy", because, according to him, it consists of a metaphysical doctrine, a theory of psychology, and teachings in morality. Hubbard incorporated a variety of hypnotic techniques in Scientology auditing and courses. These are used as a means to create dependency and obedience in followers. Hubbard said of
3959-527: Is strongly bureaucratic with a focus on statistics-based management. Organizational operating budgets are performance-related and subject to frequent reviews. By 2011, the organization was claiming over 700 centres in 65 countries. Smaller centres are called "missions". The largest number of these are in the U.S., with the second largest number being in Europe. Missions are established by missionaries, who are referred to as "mission holders". Members can establish
4066-554: Is the primary motivating goal of Hubbard's Scientology groups. Those making this observation have often referred to a governing financial policy issued by Hubbard that is to be obeyed by all Scientology organization staff members, which includes the following [uppercase in original]: Make sure that lots of bodies move through the shop...A. MAKE MONEY. ... J. MAKE MONEY. K. MAKE MORE MONEY. L. MAKE OTHER PEOPLE PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MONEY...However you get them in or why, just do it. Some scholars of religion have referred to Scientology as
4173-449: Is the primary motivating goal of the Scientology organization. Following extensive litigation in numerous countries, the organization has managed to attain a legal recognition as a religious institution in some jurisdictions, including Australia, Italy, and the United States. Germany classifies Scientology groups as an anti-constitutional sect , while the French government classifies
4280-412: Is to develop a greater awareness and higher levels of ability to operate in the physical universe as an Operating Thetan . The term and concept were defined by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard , who adopted the Greek letter theta (Θ) to represent "the source of life and life itself". Hubbard first introduced his ideas of "theta-beings" in a lecture series of March 1952. He attributed the coining of
4387-400: Is to free a person from the limitations of MEST and to return them to their native "godlike" state and be 'at cause' over their body, environment and past lives. The ultimate goal of auditing is not just to liberate a person from destructive mental phenomena; it is to emancipate him from the laws of matter, energy, space, and time — or MEST, as Hubbard termed them. These are just artifacts of
Thetan - Misplaced Pages Continue
4494-419: Is used. Scientology's primary road map for guiding a person through the sequential steps to attain Scientology's concepts of "clear" and OT is The Bridge to Total Freedom , a large chart enumerating every step in sequence. The steps past "clear" are kept secret from most Scientologists and include the founding myth that seeks to explain Scientology doctrine. Hubbard taught that there were three parts of man:
4601-430: Is very important not to go past a word one does not understand. A person should instead consult a dictionary as to the meaning of the word before progressing, something Scientology calls "word clearing". According to Scientology texts, its beliefs and practices are based on rigorous research, and its doctrines are accorded a significance equivalent to scientific laws. Blind belief is held to be of lesser significance than
4708-401: Is worthless. Thus the yellow and brown races are not very progressive, but, by and large, saner. And the white race is progressive but more frantic. The yellow and brown races do not understand white concern for "bad conditions" since what is a few million dead men? There are plenty of identities and there is plenty of attention, they think. The white can't understand them. Nor can they understand
4815-521: The Big Bang event : Incident One was a kind of Garden of Eden fall from grace that occurred four quadrillion years ago, which is when Hubbard dates the origin of the universe. Before Incident One, thetans were in a pure, godlike state. Suddenly, there was a loud snap and a flood of light. A chariot appeared, trailed by a trumpeting cherub; then darkness. This incident marked the moment when thetans became separated from their original static condition and created
4922-467: The Introspection Rundown , a brutal and inhumane method to allegedly solve psychotic episodes. The rundown came under public scrutiny when in 1995 Scientologist Lisa McPherson suffered a mental breakdown and was removed from the hospital and held in isolation at a Church of Scientology for 17 days before she died. Scientologists view Hubbard as an extraordinary man, but do not worship him as
5029-525: The Ontario Court of Appeal . The Church of Scientology was convicted of fraud by a French court in 2009, a judgment upheld by the supreme Court of Cassation in 2013. The Church of Scientology has been described by government inquiries, international parliamentary bodies, scholars, law lords, and numerous superior court judgments as both a dangerous cult and a manipulative profit-making business . Numerous scholars and journalists have observed that profit
5136-588: The Operating Thetan levels, which require further payments. The Operating Thetan texts are kept secret from most followers; they are revealed only after adherents have typically given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Scientology organization. Despite its efforts to maintain the secrecy of the texts, they are freely available on various websites, including at the media organization WikiLeaks . These texts say past lives took place in extraterrestrial cultures . They involve an alien called Xenu , described as
5243-478: The physical universe . It was coined in 1950 by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard , and is spoken as a word rather than spelling out the letters. MEST is used to refer to the physical universe (as opposed to a spiritual universe) . Property and possessions including cars, houses, clothes, jewelry, and other physical or material goods are MEST. In the Sea Org , MEST is considered relatively unimportant. By
5350-636: The 1970s, Hubbard's followers engaged in a program of criminal infiltration of the U.S. government , resulting in several executives of the organization being convicted and imprisoned for multiple offenses by a U.S. federal court. Hubbard himself was convicted of fraud in absentia by a French court in 1978 and sentenced to four years in prison. In 1992, a court in Canada convicted the Scientology organization in Toronto of spying on law enforcement and government agencies and criminal breach of trust, later upheld by
5457-512: The Church of Scientology's stated goals is "the rehabilitation of the human spirit", by which it means the restoration of the thetan's original abilities. Hubbard claims that thetans are able to change reality through "postulates"—decisions made by the individual about the nature of the reality around them. Some thetans are said to have (mis)used this ability to "implant" others with hypnotic suggestions, forcing other thetans to "cluster" around bodies (hence body thetans ). This sort of directed control
SECTION 50
#17328688306365564-483: The Constitution and Usefulness of Knowledge , which used the term to mean the science of science . It is unknown whether Hubbard was aware of either prior usage of the word. As the 1950s developed, Hubbard saw the advantages of having his Scientology movement legally recognised as a religion. In an April 1953 letter to Helen O'Brien, his US business manager, he proposed that Scientology should be transformed into
5671-751: The GO infiltrated the IRS and numerous other government departments and stole tens of thousands of documents pertaining to the Church, politicians, and celebrities. In July 1977, the FBI raided Church premises in Washington, DC, and Los Angeles, revealing the extent of the GO's infiltration into government departments and other groups. Eleven officials and agents of the Church were indicted; in December 1979, they were sentenced to between 4 and 5 years each and individually fined $ 10,000 (equivalent to $ 42,000 in 2023). Among those found guilty
5778-452: The MEST universe is able to create illusions perceivable by others at will, to handle MEST universe objects without mechanical means and to have and feel no need of bodies or even the MEST universe to keep himself and his friends interested in existence. A body thetan is a disincarnate thetan who is "stuck" in, on or near a human body, and all human bodies are said to be infested by these disembodied thetans, or clusters of them. This information
5885-516: The Nazis into mass murderers, and the Holocaust. The Scientology organization operates the anti-psychiatry group Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), which operates Psychiatry: An Industry of Death , an anti-psychiatry museum. Though Hubbard had stated psychosis was not something Scientology dealt with, after noticing many Scientologists were suffering breakdowns after using his techniques he created
5992-461: The Scientology organization stated that OT levels nine and ten would only be released when certain benchmarks in its expansion had been achieved. The Church of Scientology has gone to considerable length to try to maintain the secrecy of the texts, but they remain widely available on the internet. This is partly due to litigation involving Scientology, whereby the Fishman Affidavit was leaked to
6099-497: The Scientology organization. The Scientology organization claims that the material taught in the OT levels can only be comprehended once its previous material has been mastered and is therefore kept confidential until a person reaches the requisite level. Higher-level members typically refuse to talk about the contents of these OT levels. Those progressing through the OT levels are taught additional, more advanced auditing techniques; one of
6206-795: The Sea Org, rose to prominence. Hubbard died at his ranch in Creston, California, on January 24, 1986, and David Miscavige succeeded Hubbard as head of the Church. In 1993, the Internal Revenue Service dropped all litigation against the Scientology organization and recognized it as a religious institution. Hubbard lies at the core of Scientology and his writings remain the source of its ideas and practices. Sociologist of religion David G. Bromley describes Scientology as Hubbard's "personal synthesis of philosophy, physics, and psychology". Hubbard claimed that he developed his ideas through research and experimentation, rather than through revelation from
6313-497: The Xenu myth can be harmful for those unprepared for it, and the documents discussing Xenu are kept secret from most members. The teachings about Xenu were later leaked by ex-members, becoming a matter of public record after being submitted as evidence in court cases. They are now widely available online. Members who have been given the teachings routinely deny these teachings exist. Hubbard however talked about Xenu on several occasions,
6420-507: The Xenu story bears similarities with some of the science-fiction stories Hubbard published, and substantial themes from the Xenu story are in Hubbard's book Scientology – A History of Man . The degrees above the level of Clear are called "Operating Thetan" or OT. Hubbard described there being 15 OT levels, although he had only completed eight of these during his lifetime. OT levels nine to 15 have not been reached by any Scientologist. In 1988
6527-446: The area, rubbish, etc." An individual who is low on Scientology's emotional tone scale will make ENMEST out of any MEST, "will prefer sordid and squalid quarters, will drive ancient and rickety cars, will dress only in the most ragged clothes." With respect to Scientology auditing , ENMEST is a nonphysical/thought component of an engram , and it is desirable to remove it through auditing. The aim of Scientology auditing processes
SECTION 60
#17328688306366634-475: The associated spiritual and creative powers. As a result, thetans came to think of themselves as nothing but embodied beings. Thetans are believed to be reborn time and time again in new bodies through a process called "assumption" which is analogous to reincarnation . Dell deChant and Danny Jorgensen liken Scientology to Hinduism , in that both ascribe a causal relationship between the experiences of earlier incarnations and one's present life. With each rebirth,
6741-446: The beliefs that: A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war; where the world can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology. Hubbard developed thousands of neologisms during his lifetime. The nomenclature used by the movement is termed "Scientologese" by members. Scientologists are expected to learn this specialist terminology,
6848-421: The body. Thetan has been described as: The concept for the thetan was first described in the early 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard , drawing on reports by Dianetics practitioners, who in session found clients came up with descriptions of past-life experiences . A thetan can be incarnated many times over lifetimes and does not cease to exist at body-death, nor go to a heaven or hell. An important goal in Scientology
6955-618: The category of Western esotericism , while the scholar of religion Andreas Grünschloß noted that it was "closely linked" to UFO religions , as science-fiction themes are evident in its theology. Scholars have also varyingly described it as a "psychotherapeutically oriented religion", a "secularized religion", a "postmodern religion", a "privatized religion", and a "progressive-knowledge" religion. According to scholar of religion Mary Farrell Bednarowski, Scientology describes itself as drawing on science, religion, psychology and philosophy but "has been claimed by none of them and repudiated, for
7062-611: The concept of the body and soul", the thetan is "separate and independent". Also unlike the Judeo-Christian tradition, Scientologists believe that the thetan has "lived through many, perhaps thousands of lifetimes." Third, different from the Christian notion of original sin, Scientology believes that the thetan is basically good, but "has lost touch with its true nature." Religious scholar Richard Holloway writes that thetans were not created, but they created themselves, adopting and creating
7169-402: The early 1950s. Hubbard and his early Dianetics organization were prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license in the early 1950s. Hubbard taught that psychiatrists were responsible for a great many wrongs in the world, saying that psychiatry has at various times offered itself as a tool of political suppression and that psychiatry was responsible for the ideology of Hitler, for turning
7276-686: The effects of the MEST universe ( MEST here stands for matter, energy, space, and time) on the thetan are believed to become stronger. Scientologists believe that the thetan has been "embodied on many occasions", but they generally avoid the term "reincarnation". They also reject the idea of transmigration, "i.e. the belief that the thetan would incarnate into any animal less than human." Scientology's first phase has to do with removing "encumbrances acquired in this life and in past existences," J. Gordon Melton writes. According to Melton, these encumbrances are called "engrams" and are "described as aberrations attached to
7383-613: The eight dynamics , the ARC and KRC triangles , the "S and double triangle" symbol, the Scientology cross , and many others . Scientology celebrates seven calendar events including L. Ron Hubbard's birthday, Auditor's Day, and New Year's. There is a Sunday service which is primarily of interest for non-members and beginners. Weddings and funerals are also held. Scientology is vehemently opposed to psychiatry and psychology, and wants to replace them with its own methods. The clinical and academic psychiatry community rejected Hubbard's theories in
7490-477: The end of 1950 in a series of lectures in California, Hubbard introduced a distinction that formed the basis of further theoretical change, between 'MEST' and 'theta'. MEST (Matter, Energy, Space, Time) was Hubbard's acronym for the material or physical universe, while theta stood for the universe of thought. MEST body means the physical body; the human body. The body is, after all, composed of mest. It follows
7597-529: The entire universe. In the primordial past, according to Scientologist teachings, thetans brought the material universe into being largely for their own pleasure." The universe is thought to have no independent reality, but to derive its apparent reality from the fact that most thetans agree it exists. Scientologists believe that thetans fell from grace when they began to identify with their creation, rather than their original state of spiritual purity. Eventually, they lost their memory of their true nature, along with
7704-467: The entirety of Scientology's "Bridge to Total Freedom" (equivalent to $ 542,000 in 2023). In a 1964 letter, Hubbard stated that a 25-hour block of auditing should cost the equivalent of "three months' pay for the average middle class working individual." In 2007, the fee for a 12 and a half hour block of auditing at the Tampa Org was $ 4000 (equivalent to $ 5,880 in 2023). The Scientology organization
7811-480: The group as a dangerous cult. The sociologist Stephen A. Kent views the Church of Scientology as "a multifaceted transnational corporation , only one element of which is religious". In his history of the Church of Scientology, the scholar Hugh Urban describes Scientology as a "huge, complex, and multifaceted movement". Government inquiries, international parliamentary bodies, scholars, law lords, and numerous superior court judgments describe Scientology both as
7918-456: The hotel functions, or a janitor. MEST work projects , on the other hand, are mostly renovation, demolition, and construction. More often than not, a Sea Org member is assigned to MEST work as a punishment, and children (young Sea Org members) are not exempt from such assignments. There have been many work units explicitly run as MEST work units or with a large component being MEST work — and assignment to such units has routinely been given as
8025-469: The human body as a vehicle for existence. Non-Scientologists Joel Sappell and Robert Welkos described in a 1990 article in the LA Times how Scientologists believe that when a person dies—or, in Scientology terms, when a thetan abandons its physical body—they go to a "landing station" on the planet Venus , where the thetan is re-implanted and told lies about its past life and its next life. The Venusians take
8132-429: The laws of mest. One of these laws is Newton's first law of motion: inertia. This is the tendency of a mest object to remain motionless until acted upon by an exterior force. Or to continue in a line of motion until acted upon by an exterior force. Well, the main force around that is continually acting on a human body is a thetan, the being himself. The body will remain at rest (since it is a mest object) until acted upon by
8239-536: The massacre, several of the officers in Xenu's service rebelled against him, ultimately capturing and imprisoning him. Hubbard claimed to have discovered the Xenu myth in December 1967, having taken the "plunge" deep into his "time track". Scientology teaches that attempting to recover this information from the "time track" typically results in an individual's death, caused by the presence of Xenu's implants, but that because of Hubbard's "technology" this death can be avoided. The Scientology organization says that learning
8346-502: The mind (termed " engrams ") that can be removed only through an activity called " auditing ". A fee is charged for each session of "auditing". Once an "auditor" deems an individual free of "engrams" they are given the status of " clear ". Scholarship differs on the interpretation of these beliefs: some academics regard them as religious in nature; other scholars regard them as merely a means of extracting money from Scientology recruits. After attaining "clear" status, adherents can take part in
8453-456: The most part, by all". Government bodies and other institutions maintain that the Scientology organization is a commercial business that falsely claims to be religious, or alternatively a form of therapy masquerading as religion. The French government characterises the movement as a dangerous cult, and the German government monitors it as an anti-democratic sect. The notion of Scientology as
8560-994: The person, bed and all, and he found that the weight dropped at the moment of death about 1.5 ounces [45 grams] and some of them 2 ounces [60 grams]. (Those were super thetans!) Although Hubbard did not name the doctor concerned, there was indeed such an attempt, by Duncan MacDougall , to measure the weight of dying patients to determine the weight of the soul, although MacDougall's experiments took place about fifty years before Hubbard's lectures, not fifteen or twenty, and are generally not regarded as having any scientific validity. According to Hubbard's son Ronald DeWolf (born L. Ron Hubbard Jr.), his father stated that thetans are immortal and perpetual, having willed themselves into existence at some point several trillion years ago. After they originated, thetans generated "points to view" or "dimension points", causing space to come into existence. They agreed that other thetans' dimension points existed, thus bringing into existence
8667-456: The physical universe of matter, energy, space, and time (MEST). In the process, they lost awareness of their immortality. ENMEST is a compound word meaning "enturbulated MEST". To enturbulate means "to cause to become turbulent, agitated and disturbed." ENMEST is "property, energy, or space which has been rendered less useful by poor thinking. Time which is wasted. ... [for example], a rotten canvas, broken chairs, things which don't belong in
8774-531: The practical application of Scientologist methods. Adherents are encouraged to validate the practices through their personal experience. Hubbard put it this way: "For a Scientologist, the final test of any knowledge he has gained is, 'did the data and the use of it in life actually improve conditions or didn't it? ' " Many Scientologists avoid using the words "belief" or "faith" to describe how Hubbard's teachings impacts their lives, preferring to say that they "know" it to be true. The central practice of Scientology
8881-447: The prayers, and minister attire suggested by Hubbard reflect his own Protestant traditions. Hubbard claimed that Scientology was "all-denominational", and members of the Scientology organization are not prohibited from active involvement in religions. Scholar of religion Donald Westbrook encountered members who also practiced Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism , and the Nation of Islam ; one
8988-463: The previous week are termed "up stats"; those that show a decline are "down stats". According to leaked tax documents, the Church of Scientology International and Church of Spiritual Technology in the US had a combined $ 1.7 billion in assets in 2012, in addition to annual revenues estimated at $ 200 million a year. MEST universe MEST is an acronym for m atter, e nergy, s pace and t ime, and means
9095-530: The public. Materials have also been passed on to other sources and made available by publishers such as the media organization WikiLeaks . To gain the OT levels of training, a member must go to one of the Advanced Organisations or Orgs, which are based in Los Angeles, Clearwater, East Grinstead, Copenhagen, Sydney, and Johannesburg. Conservative estimates indicate that getting to OT VIII would require
9202-466: The rights to Dianetics and founded the Church of Scientology , which remains the largest organization promoting Scientology. There are practitioners independent of the Church, in what is referred to as the Free Zone . Estimates put the number of Scientologists at under 40,000 worldwide. Key Scientology beliefs include reincarnation , and that traumatic events cause subconscious command-like recordings in
9309-400: The scholar of religion Aled Thomas suggests it was appropriate to talk about "Scientologies". Urban describes Scientology as representing a "rich syncretistic blend" of sources, including elements from Hinduism and Buddhism , Thelema , new scientific ideas, science-fiction, and from psychology and popular self-help literature available by the mid-20th century. The ceremonies, structure of
9416-410: The self that produce dysfunctional behavior patterns." Jon Atack , whose book A Piece of Blue Sky details how he reached Operating Thetan level V before leaving Scientology, describes Hubbard's doctrines about thetans: "Thetans are all-knowing beings, and became bored because there were no surprises. Hubbard asserted that the single most important desire in all beings is to have a 'game'. To have
9523-477: The spirit, mind, and body. The first of these is a person's inner self which he calls a " thetan ". It is akin to the idea of the soul or spirit found in religious traditions. Hubbard stated that "the thetan is the person. You are YOU in a body." Hubbard referred to the physical universe as the MEST universe , meaning "Matter, Energy, Space and Time", which includes your body. Scientologists believe that thetans can exteriorize ; leave their body. The thetan
9630-408: The subject. When deemed free of engrams they are given the status of "clear", and then continue doing further auditing until they are deemed to have reached the level Operating Thetan . Hubbard assigns vitality, good health and increased intelligence to those who are given the status of " clear ", having removed the source of their "psychosomatic illnesses". The further status of Operating Thetan (OT)
9737-428: The system's path to salvation is the story of Xenu . Reflecting a strong science-fiction theme within its theology, Scientology's teachings make reference to " space opera ", a term denoting events in the distant past in which "spaceships, spacemen, [and] intergalactic travel" all feature. Hubbard wrote about a great catastrophe that took place 75 million years ago. According to this story, 75 million years ago there
9844-578: The techniques taught is a method of auditing oneself, which is the necessary procedure for reaching OT level seven. Scientology has its own unique definitions for ethics and procedures for justice . According to scholar Stephen Kent, "The purpose of Scientology ethics is to eliminate opponents, then eliminate people's interests in things other than Scientology. In this 'ethical' environment, Scientology would be able to impose its courses, philosophy, and 'justice system' – its so-called technology—onto society." Hubbard created many symbolism concepts, including
9951-580: The thetan that is supposed to be running it. The MEST universe is considered to be the physical universe as opposed to the native thought-universe of thetans, and was created by thetans. In 1986, David Miscavige 's public announcement to Scientologists referred to L. Ron Hubbard's death as leaving the MEST universe: "L. Ron Hubbard discarded the body he had used in this lifetime for seventy-four years, ten months, and eleven days. The body he had used to facilitate his existence in this MEST universe had ceased to be useful and in fact had become an impediment to
10058-430: The thetan who truly realized his power to create and destroy universes would in effect be "beyond God". ... The thetan has been deceived into worshipping such a God by mainstream religion and so forgotten its own godlike power to create and destroy universes. The prices to undertake a full course of auditing with the Church of Scientology are not often advertised publicly. As of 2011 it can easily cost $ 400,000 to do
10165-414: The thetan's imagination, in any case. Bored thetans had created MEST universes where they could frolic and play games; eventually, they became so absorbed in their distractions they forgot their true immortal natures. According to Wallis, a MEST Clear is a person at 4.0 on the emotional tone scale , who would be near accident proof, without any psycho-somatic ills, nearly immune to bacteria, and would have
10272-454: The thetan, "capsule" it, and send it back to Earth to be thrown into the ocean off the coast of California. They quote Hubbard as saying, "If you can get out of that, and through that, and wander around through the cities and find some girl who looks like she is going to get married or have a baby or something like that, you're all set. And if you can find the maternity ward to a hospital or something, you're OK. And you just eventually just pick up
10379-534: The thetans' game was the "conquest" of matter, energy, space, and time by the life force, theta. This has produced multiple universes which have ended and begun in succession, each new one being more solid and entrapping than the last. The thetans have by now become so enmeshed in the physical universe that many have identified themselves totally with it, forgetting their quadrillions of years of existence and their original godly powers. According to Scientology, thetan powers are said to remain potent and restorable. One of
10486-424: The use of which separates followers from non-Scientologists. The Scientology organization refers to its practices as "technology", a term often shortened to "Tech". Scientologists stress the "standardness" of this "tech", by which they express belief in its infallibility. The Church's system of pedagogy is called "Study Tech" and is presented as the best method for learning. Scientology teaches that when reading, it
10593-567: The white does not usually believe he can get attention from matter or objects. The yellow and brown believe for the most part (and it is all a matter of consideration) that rocks, trees, walls etc., can give them attention. The white man seldom believes this and so is likely to become anxious about people. Thus the white saves people, prevents famine, flood, disease and revolution for people as the only purveyors of attention are scarce. The white goes further. He often believes he can get attention only from whites and that yellow and brown peoples' attention
10700-797: The word "Scientology" meant " knowing about knowing or science of knowledge ". The name "Scientology" deliberately makes use of the word "science", seeking to benefit from the "prestige and perceived legitimacy" of natural science in the public imagination. In doing so, Scientology has been compared to religious groups like Christian Science and the Science of Mind , which employed similar tactics. The term "Scientology" had been used in published works at least twice before Hubbard. In The New Word (1901), poet and lawyer Allen Upward first used scientology to mean blind, unthinking acceptance of scientific doctrine (compare scientism ). In 1934, philosopher Anastasius Nordenholz published Scientology: Science of
10807-454: The word to his wife Mary Sue . As an essential point of Scientology doctrine, a person's sense of identity and self-awareness stem entirely from the "thetan". It is redundant to refer to "a person's thetan", because the person does not exist independently. Hubbard once defined a thetan as: "... having no mass, no wave-length, no energy, no measurable qualities and no time or location in space except by consideration or postulate. The spirit
10914-570: The work he now must do outside of its confines." In the Theta-MEST theory, the native thetan, being bored, decided to create a physical universe. Then pretended to forget he was playing in a MEST universe, then did forget it and became part of the MEST universe. Per Wallis, "Thetans are by now in a hypnoid state, having forgotten their quadrillions of years of existence and their original godly power, barely capable of even leaving their bodies at will." Lawrence Wright describes Hubbard's version of
11021-550: The worldwide headquarters of the Church of Scientology and his personal residence. With the organization often under heavy criticism, it adopted strong measures of attack in dealing with its critics. In 1966, the organization established the Guardian's Office (GO), a department devoted to undermining those hostile towards Scientology. The GO launched an extensive program of countering negative publicity, gathering intelligence, and infiltrating organizations. In " Operation Snow White ",
11128-462: Was Hubbard's then-wife, Mary Sue Hubbard. Public revelation of the GO's activities brought widespread condemnation of the Church. In 1967, Hubbard established a new group, the Sea Organization or "Sea Org", the membership of which was drawn from the most committed members of the Scientology organization. By 1981, the 21-year-old David Miscavige , who had been one of Hubbard's closest aides in
11235-481: Was a Baptist minister. In practice, however, Westbrook noted that most Church members consider Scientology to be their only commitment, and the deeper their involvement became, the less likely they were to continue practicing other traditions. Debate as to whether Scientology should be regarded as a cult, a business, a scam, or a religion has continued over many years. Many Scientologists consider it to be their religion. Its founder, L. Ron Hubbard , presented it as
11342-428: Was a Galactic Confederacy of 76 planets ruled over by a leader called Xenu . The Confederacy was overpopulated and Xenu transported millions of aliens to earth and killed them with hydrogen bombs . The thetans of those killed were then clustered together and implants were inserted into them, designed to kill any body that these thetans would subsequently inhabit should they recall the event of their destruction. After
11449-534: Was not performing well, which is why manual labor was done on the RPF .The work was not really the point. It was the humiliation of being sent to do the lowest grunt duties in front of all the Freewinds crew. This was the reason for many of Miscavige's random punishments—to ensure everyone understood their status was very impermanent and he could remove it with the snap of his fingers. Hubbard felt that African Americans had
#635364