What is scientology?
Is
Scientology religion? Can someone be a Christian and a Scientologist? Is Dianetics psychoanalysis or a
philosophical system? This article provides a brief explanation of the beliefs
of Scientology and how they differ from Biblical Christianity.
Scientology
was founded by Lafayette Ron Hubbard, who wrote the very popular book Dianetics, from which the principles of
Scientology originated. During his formative years, L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986)
studied Freudian psychoanalysis. He was a prolific writer, with more than 300
books and short stories published. Scientology is a religion and a
psychoanalytic, human potential belief system. Many of the concepts found in
Dianetics resemble those of psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud. This system
borrows from other religions, particularly a form of reincarnation from
Hinduism. Some well known adherents of Scientology are: John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Tom Cruise,
Katie Holmes, Kirstie Alley, Mimi Rogers, Priscilla Presley, Isaac Hayes, and
others.
What are the beliefs
of Scientology?
“Scientology is a religion that contains tools
and methods to assist you in finding your own answers to life’s questions.”[1]
One
of the primary tenets is belief in some Ultimate Reality and eternal truth,
while helping humans to become more aware of God and achieve spiritual
improvement. There are churches and a concept of life after death. From the website
we see the religious nature of Scientology:
“To serve the spiritual needs of
congregations and to ensure all religious services are ministered in strict
accordance with Scientology scripture ...”[2]
Human
existence will transcend this lifetime:
“Man is an immortal spiritual being.” (website, FAQs)
Scientology
teaches that humans are inherently good:
“Scientology further holds man to be
basically good, and that his spiritual salvation depends upon himself and his
fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.” (FAQs)
God
and Jesus Christ are mentioned infrequently in Scientology. Purportedly,
“Scientology helps man become more aware of God”, but also teaches “beliefs in
an Ultimate Reality that transcends the material world”.[3] God may be “a big Thetan”
or there may be many gods, as Hubbard stated:
“There are gods above other gods, and gods beyond the gods of the
universes.”[4] However, the God of the
Bible is under the impression He is the only God (Isaiah 45:21, 1 Timothy 2:5,
and others). The scriptures of Scientology are the writings and recorded
lectures of L. Ron Hubbard. However, the only divinely inspired scriptures are
found in the Old (Luke 24:27) and New Testaments (2 Peter 3:16). According to
Hubbard, Jesus was a fine teacher with good information, but did not effectively
explain his source for the information and may have believed in reincarnation.
Jesus is referred to on the same level as Buddha, both of whom were “just a
shade above clear”[5]
(described below), which is not bad for mere humans. However, Hubbard certainly
does not place Jesus in the same categories as does the Bible: equal with God (John 10:30, Isaiah 9:6, John
8:58, Colossians 1:15-19); sinless (Hebrews 4:15, 2 Corinthians 5:21); and able
to perform miracles (Matthew 11:5, Luke 7:22, John 11:44).
Dianetics
The
book Dianetics, written by L. Ron
Hubbard in 1950, introduced a human potential psychological system which was
described as “The Modern Science of Mental Health”, leading to the beginning of
Scientology in 1953. Allegedly, “Dianetics
means ‘through the soul’ (from Greek dia,
through, and noos, soul). Dianetics is further defined as ‘what
the soul is doing to the body.’ It is a way of handling the energy of which
life is made in such a way as to bring about a greater efficiency in the
organism and in the spiritual life of the individual.” (p. 566)
The
basic source of human’s problems in life are “engrams”, which are formed during
painful moments in our lives. These repressed memories can be formed prenatally
and even during previous lives:
·
“These
engrams are a complete recording, down to the last accurate detail, of every
perception present in a moment of partial or full ‘consciousness’”.[6]
·
“no
engram has any constructive value.”
(p. 85)
·
“The
engram is the single and sole source of aberration and psychosomatic illness.”
(p. 94)
·
“Intelligence is inhibited by engrams”
(p. 55)
·
“Aberrations, under which is included all
deranged or irrational behavior, are caused by engrams. They are
stimulus-response, pro- and contrasurvival.”(p. 56)
Therapy
in Dianetics involves an “auditor”
assisting the client in ridding his or her life of engrams. After a sufficient
number of auditing sessions, the client may eventually obtain “release” and
become a “clear”:
·
“Dianetically,
the optimum individual is called the clear.”
(p. 14)
·
“The
clear … is an unrepressed person” (p. 26) without aberrations.
·
“The
clear has full color-visio, tone-sonic, tactile, olfactory, rhythmic,
kinesthetic, thermal and organic imagination in kind.” (p. 23)
·
“the
clear is an unaberrated person … The clear has no engrams … Clear is the goal
in Dianetics therapy ...” (p. 565)
Reincarnation or past lives
Scientology
contains teachings involving past lives, while claiming to not ascribe to
belief in reincarnation. For example:
“Reincarnation is a definite system
and is not part of Scientology” and “Past lives is not a dogma in Scientology
…”, but then goes on to state:
“… generally Scientologists, during
their auditing, experience a past life and then know for themselves that they
have lived before” and “In Scientology, you are given the tools to handle
upsets and aberrations from past lives that adversely affect you in present
time.”[7]
If
we are not reincarnated, how do these past lives affect us today? Scientology
teachings agree with the Bible that humans are spiritual and will live forever.
On the official Scientology website, the following description of humans is
given:
“Man is an immortal, spiritual being.
His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are
unlimited … He is able to achieve … new, higher states of awareness and
ability.”[8]
However,
the beliefs of Scientology and Christianity quickly diverge. The analogy to the
Biblical concept of salvation and eternal life in heaven with God in
Scientology is the effort to remove engrams from our lives, thereby enabling
humans to achieve optimum existence. The difference is described as:
“Some religions offer salvation in the
hereafter, while Scientology offers certainty of eternal salvation now.”[9]
It
may be noted that the Bible asserts eternal life begins when someone believes
in Jesus Christ (John 6:47).
Biblical
Christianity clearly does not teach the doctrine of reincarnation or the
influence of past lives: “… it is appointed for men to die once and after this
comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Jesus said to the thief crucified next to him,
“Today (not ‘in some later life’) you shall be with me in paradise.” (Luke
23:43) The Apostle Paul stated that believers are either in this body or with
the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6), not in another body in another life. And, whereas
Scientology teaches that humans can achieve godlike status, the true God is not
taken into account and the means of salvation does not include repentance from
sins (Acts 3:19), belief in Jesus Christ (John 1:12), or God’s mercy (Ephesians
2:8).
Nature of man
Hubbard
clearly stated his disagreement with the Biblical teaching on sin and repentance:
“It is despicable and utterly beneath
contempt to tell a man he must repent, that he is evil.”[10]
Hubbard
also taught, “Man is good. Take away his basic aberrations and with them go the
evil of which the scholastic and the moralist were so fond.” (Dianetics, p. 26) The concept of human
sin, according to Scientology, does not deem man to be responsible for his own
sinfulness:
“A fundamental tenet of Scientology is
that man is basically good but has become “aberrated” (capable of erring or
departing from rational thought or behavior) through spending many lifetimes in
the physical universe and therefore commits harmful acts or sins.”[11]
The
Bible disagrees with Hubbard, asserting: No one is good (Romans 3:12); we were born
with a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5); “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23); and
salvation is found through belief in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12
and Acts16:31).
Conclusion
The
beliefs and practices of Scientology are not compatible with Biblical
Christianity. There is no evidence for the effects of engrams as described in
L. Ron Hubbard’s belief system. The basic nature of man is described in
Scientology as good and in the Bible as sinful. The Christian concepts of sin,
forgiveness, and salvation are not a part of Scientology. Interactions by
Christians with those who are currently or have been involved with Dianetics or
Scientology should never be disparaging, but rather demonstrating kindness (2
Peter 1:7) and bringing the truth (Ephesians 4:15 and Jude 23) in love (John 13:34).
[Biblical
references are from the NASB version.]
[1]Scientology
website: <http://www.scientology.org/#/scn6a_partsofman>,
accessed 26 Feb 2009.
[2]Scientology
website, “Churches, missions and groups”
[3]Scientology
website, “Why is Scientology called a religion?”
[4]L.
Ron Hubbard, Scientology, 8-8008 (Los
Angeles: ASHO, 1967), 73, cited by Kurt
Van Gorden in The Kingdom of the Cults
(Bloomington, MN: Bethany House
Publishers, 2003), 363.
[5]Kurt
Van Gorden in The Kingdom of the Cults,
365.
[6]L.
Ron Hubbard, DIanetics (Los Angeles,
CA: Bridge Publications, 1950), 82-82.
[7]Ibid.,
“Does Scientology believe in reincarnation or past lives?” <http://www.whatisscientology.org/To/Part12/Chp36/pg0643-e.html>,
accessed 8 Mar 2009.
[8]Scientology
website, “Introduction to Scientology” <http://www.scientology.org/religion/presentation/pg006.html>,
accessed 4 Mar 2009.
[9]Scientology
website, “In what way does Scientology differ from other religions?”
[10]Hubbard,
Auditor’s Bulletin, 31, cited by Kurt
Van Gorden in The Kingdom of the Cults
(Bloomington, MN: Bethany House
Publishers, 2003), 367.
[11]Scientology
website, Catechism FAQ, “Does
Scientology believe man is sinful?”
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