The Church of Scientology
Comparative Theology

 



 

Continue reading Part - 2  >>

 

Scientology publicly claims to be an "applied religious philosophy", as well as being compatible with other religious belief systems. However, in the secret upper levels of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard says many uncomplimentary things about religion in general and Christianity in particular. Because the "Church" of Scientology is less than forthcoming in revealing its entire belief structure, this web site was created to promote the scholarly study of the public and private beliefs of Scientology and Dianetics. These beliefs are then contrasted with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Created: 7 April 1997
Last Update: 28 Nov 1998

 

Index

 

Introduction

Scientology and its forerunner, Dianetics, were developed by L. Ron Hubbard. Dianetics started as a "science of mind", a self-help therapy that developed concurrently with the heady days scientific advancement after World War II. Dianetics became a New Age "religion" when Hubbard's subjects began recalling incidents from previous lifetimes. Hubbard claimed that this proved Man's spiritual nature, which he dubbed "Scientology". While Scientology publicly claims to simply be a brand-new diety-free philosophy (and therefore compatible with any religion), its roots can be traced to old-fashioned pagan spiritualism, gnosticism, and magick.

Hubbard was a science fiction author prior to writing Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, and so understood the value of copyright law. Today, the "Church" of Scientology uses copyright law to hide their scriptures from scrutiny. Due to their litigous nature, the copyrighted (and sometime trade secret) writings of L. Ron Hubbard must be quoted within the bounds of Fair Use . This secretiveness makes research much more difficult, so some errors may occur. Every effort has been made to verify the Scientology source references, either from Scientology source documents and/or by first-hand validation by ex-Scientologists who have seen the documents.

The source material used in this document includes:

  • HCOBs, HCOPLs, Books, and Lectures (Scientology "scripture") by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology.
  • Previously secret Advanced Technology, including the Operating Thetan(OT) and New Era Dianetics for OT Series, by Hubbard.
  • Various magazine articles and critical texts, including Bare Faced Messiah, by Russell Miller.
  • Various web pages.
  • Internet newsgroup alt.religion.scientology (hereafter, "a.r.s.") articles, various authors.

One note on the use of the phrase "Church" of Scientology: at present, the Church of Scientology International (CSI), the umbrella organization for the many sub-corporations of Scientology, calls itself a Church. The US Government, in the form of the Internal Revenue Service, has granted 501(c)(3) tax exempt status to it. However, the Boy Scouts are also a 501(c)(3) organization, so this in itself does not "prove" that Scientology is a religion. As will be seen, Scientology is not recognized as a religion in many parts of the world. I have chosen to put "Church" in quotes out of respect for both sides of this contentious issue, recognizing CSI's right to call themselves whatever they please, and governments' right to call Scientology whatever they please.

Since Scientology doctrine continues to dribble out of a.r.s. like a leaky faucet, this page is always under construction. Please feel free to contribute, report errors, or discuss issues with me at perry@ezlink.com.

 

Dianetics Doctrine

This article from The Christian Research Journal, Summer 1993 is a good place to start because it avoids much of the jargon that is inherent in any direct reading of Dianetics or Scientology doctrine. It describes the philosophy and theological presuppositions of Scientology and then provides a comparison between Scientology and Christianity. It is a well-done scholarly work, complete with a rich set of references.

Dianetics grew out of the self-help movement of the 1950s and 1960s, as chronicled in Bare-Faced Messiah. Dianetics was positioned as a "Science of the Mind" or an alternative to psychiatry. Making up in enthusiasm what he lacked in credentials, Hubbard performed "research" (which has never been made public) with a crude lie-detector which he called the "E-meter". Hubbard then developed "technology" (auditing procedures with the E-meter) which produced the State of Clear, a super-human with vast mental powers. There was no faith and no religion involved; Dianetics was represented as being Pure Science.

Attempts by independent researchers failed to duplicate Hubbard's claims and in many cases disproved them. In one experiment [1], independent researchers followed Hubbard's instructions for producing an "engram" as found in Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. The subject was rendered unconcious with sodium pentothal, and pain was administered by squeezing the skin between the subject's fingers. Simultaneously, a passage from a college Physics text was read. Hubbard's auditors were unable to recover the resulting "engram" which, according to Hubbard, should have been created.

Snubbed by professional medical societies as a quack, Hubbard undauntedly continued his "research" into engrams and the reactive mind. Through shabby scientific method , Hubbard "discovered" various mental implants, placed there by psychiatrists on faraway planets trillions of years ago, which caused humans to behave irrationally. Hubbard manufactured a conspiracy against himself and Dianetics by the successors of these ancient psychiatrists who in Hubbardian cosmology are the source of human suffering on Earth. Even today, the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights criticizes psychiatric procedures, ostensibly to bolster the theories of Dianetics and Scientology. One of CCHR's more recent exploits was to cast doubt on Eli Lilly's psychoactive drug Prozac, denying effective treatment to thousands of troubled patients. Much to Scientology's chagrin, the international medical community has seen fit to ignore CCHR as well.

Thus, Dianetics grew purely from an ill-advised psuedo-scientific endeavor. It never addressed the supernatural, and treated the spirit (thetan) in a secular fashion similar to Freud's id.

[1] "An Experimental Investigation of Hubbard's Engram Hypothesis (Dianetics)", [alternate] [alternate] by Fox, Davis, and Lebovits. Psychological Newsletter (Dept. of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY) 1959, 10:131-134

 

Metamorphosis to Religion

"L. Ron Hubbard is widely rumored to have said The way to make a million dollars is to start a religion. ... the short answer is that it's almost certainly true.", Don Lindsay, Start a Religion FAQ [Frequently Asked Questions].

Dianetic auditing requires that the "basic" engram, upon which later similar engrams are tied, must be found to clear the entire chain. In need of an answer to explain why Dianetics didn't work, Hubbard claimed that the "basic" may lie outside of this lifetime, i.e. in a "Past Life". Hubbard's unsupported medical claims for Dianetics' capabilities were coming under increasing scrutiny from the FDA. Hubbard finally "found religion" in Past Lives.

In a 1953 letter , Hubbard is seen to be increasingly desperate to find people that would pay for his dubious therapy. He proposes adding a "religion angle" to Scientology to avoid the legal pitfalls of claiming to be a science. Unfortunately, Hubbard tried to have it both ways. He simultaneously called Scientology a secular mental therapy to attract scientific-minded people, then he called Scientology a religion to foil FDA scrutiny. William Barwell, a.r.s. poster, has compiled a list of Hubbard quotes, circa 1952-1962 in which Hubbard denies that Scientology is a religion.

The conversion of Scientology from a secular self-help group to a full-blown religion literally happened overnight. It all came together in response to various problems Hubbard was having with his "technology". There were numerous IRS tax audits over Scientology's interesting accounting system. Scientology adherents were reluctant to part with large amounts of after-tax income. Hubbard's ill-conceived medical claims for Scientology, a "scientific technology", was drawing ever-increasing FDA scrutiny. Scientology was suffering from a poor image as a cult. Religion has a positive public relations value and is protected by the US Constitutions First Amendment. Thus it is much more egregious to persecute a religion than it is to speak out against a quack therapy - the former may be a Hate Crime, while the latter is good citizenship. In response to all of these motivations, Hubbard issued HCOPL Oct 29 1962 in furtherance of obtaining tax exemption in England and the US:

 

    "For information of the London and Commonwealth offices, they will soon be transferred to Church status when the Founding Church of Washington DC is given full tax exemption, and HASI Ltd. and HCO Ltd. shares will be converted to equally valuable Church certificates.

    "Scientology 1970 is being planned on a religious organization basis throughout the world.

    "This will not upset in any way the usual activities of any organization. It is entirely a matter for accountants and solicitors."

    HCO PL October 29, 1962, RELIGION

Thus, Scientology became a religion because Hubbard said it was. True to form, Hubbard's proof was by repeated vehement assertion. He ordered the establishment of various religious trappings such as calling his staff ministers , using clerical collars, calling auditing spiritual counselling, and the steep prices were called fixed donations . Hubbard even wrote a few "religious services", such as Marriage and Confession.

Religious Scholars' Opinions

[Note: This section is rather unbalanced, as only negative opinions are currently presented. In fact, Scientology is quick to point out a number of positive opinions on their website. However, these positive views tend to assume an overly-broad definition of "religion"; a definition that could include the sport of soccer as a religious activity! As time permits, I will be working on including some positive viewpoints for completeness. -perry]

As early as 1969, religious scholars were questioning whether Scientology was a religion or an alternative psychotherapy. Joseph Martin Hopkins, associate professor, Department of Bible and Philosophy, Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, questions whether Scientology is a Religion or a Racket in this 2-part article in Christianity Today.

This essay by Stephen Kent from Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1996, explores the superficial acquaintance of Scientology with Eastern religions, and points to social and political pressures behind Hubbard's portrayal of Scientology's Eastern roots.

"Although some social scientists insist that Scientology is a religion, the more appropriate position to take is that the organization is a multi-faceted transnational that has religion as only one of its many components. Scientology - Is This a Religion?, Kent, 1997.

 

  • The Skeptic's Refuge reviews The Rediscovery of the Human Soul

    Opinions of Former Scientology Staff Members

    Many European Governments Deny Scientology's Religious Status

    Webster's definition of religion refers to a relationship between God and humanity. Because Scientology, as a self-improvement therapy, lacks any mention of God, then from a definitional view , Scientology is not a religion. For this reason, many governments do not recognize Scientology's religious status.
    • The German Government distributes a pamphlet which explains their position on Scientology. This pamphlet also states that the governments of "Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg [sic], and Spain, as well as Israel and Mexico" do not recognize the religious status of Scientology.
    • The Austrian government excludes Scientology from its list of recognized (and tax-exempt) religions. Scientology was recognized in Vienna, but not at the national level contrary to what Scientology claims.
    • The Greek government raided and shut down KEPHE, the Athens Scientology mission. In the appeal, the Greek court ruled that Scientology had registered as a business, then improperly claimed religious status. The court also cited Scientology's violation of citizens' Constitutional right to associate (due to coercive techniques), as well as dangerous medical practices.
    • The Swiss government refuses to hear a case by a Scientologist claiming religious discrimination.
    • Belgium classifies Scientology as a cult .
    • France does not recognize Scientology as a religion .
    • Lord Denning MR, Court of Appeal, England, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th July 1970: "When I look through the ceremonies and the affidavits, I am left with the feeling that there is nothing in it of reverence for God or a deity, but simply instruction in a philosophy. There may be belief in a spirit of man, but there is no belief in a spirit of God. This is borne out by the opening words of the book of ceremonies. It states: 'In a Scientology Church Service we do not use prayers, attitudes of piety, or threats of damnation. We use the facts, the truths, the understandings that have been discovered in the science of Scientology.'
     

    Scientology Doctrine

    Advanced Technology

    In 1995, the mysterious and secret Advanced Technology began appearing on a.r.s. The Advanced Technology includes the Operating Thetan (a.k.a. "OT") and New Era Dianetics for Operating Thetans (a.k.a. "NOTs"). Michael Robinson provides an excellent summary of the OT levels .

    OT I and II increases the thetan's awareness by sharpening their powers of observation (OT I: "spot a person") and unburdening them of implants (OTII: Goals Problems Mass). This e-mail exchange with Dennis Erlich discusses some of the theory behind GPMs and OT levels. [Note: Dennis, an OT VII, held the post of Chief Cram Officer, Flag Land Base. A "Cram Officer" oversees remedial training of OT-level auditors. Flag Land Base is Scientology's premier training facility. This post could be characterized as the highest technical position attainable in Scientology.]

    When the Advanced Technology was published on the Web, Scientology sued for copyright violations. This undemocratic suppression of information caused a "protest" in the Netherlands which even included one member of parliament. Karin Spaink's copy of the Fishman Affidavit is the first to survive a legal challenge by Scientology.

    OT III contains the "creation story" of Scientology. There are two major events in Scientology, aptly named Incident I and Incident II. Incident I deals with the creation of this universe by bored thetans who suddenly agree upon one of many realities:

    • LOUD SNAP
    • WAVES OF LIGHT
    • CHARIOT COMES OUT, TURNS RIGHT AND LEFT
    • CHERUB COMES OUT
    • BLOWS HORN, COMES CLOSE
    • SHATTERING SERIES OF SNAPS
    • CHERUB FADES BACK (RETREATS)
    • BLACKNESS DUMPED ON THETAN
    Note that there is no God or other divine intervention. Thetans (spirits that inhabit you and me) simply agreed upon reality and it came into being. The shock of creation caused spiritual trauma to some thetans, even rendering them unconcious to the present day. To make it painfully obvious, Hubbard is saying that all of us are God - we've just forgotten how to be omnipotent.

    Incident II details Earth's further degradation and entanglement with implants. It details how an evil galactic space tyrant named Xenu solved an overpopulation problem 75 million years ago by:

    • transporting undesirable people to Earth
    • placing them in various volcanoes that didn't exist 75 MYA [ Alternate]
    • blowing them up with H-bombs
    • catching the thetans (spirits) with electronic ribbons
    • showing them bad movies (a.k.a. the R6 implants) to confuse them.

    Since there were no higher level beings on Earth 75 million years ago, these disembodied spirits began inhabiting lower life forms, climbing the evolutionary chain to the bodies of primitive apes, passed from generation to generation to present-day man. Over time, these spirits degraded. They forgot their former abilities, went to sleep, took drugs (don't ask how), or grouped themselves together into clusters that thought they were one spirit, based on their common memories. Because there were more spirits than bodies, some of them became content to control a single body part, such as an elbow or knee. Hubbard, in the NOTs, intimates that psychosomatic illness is caused by these spirits attacking the only body part over which they have control, causing localized pain.

    The OT levels are primarily aimed at reattaining our pre-Incident-I God-like state. Much of the emphasis is on ridding ourselves of these thetans (or Body Thetans, or simply abbreviated "BTs"). These spiritual parasites infest our bodies, cause us pain, confuse us with counter-intent, and generally prevent us from being God. The OT levels are about the exorcism of BTs and clusters.

    The method of exorcism is to contact the BT, ask its name, relate Incident I, and then Incident II. At some point during the process, the BT is supposed to realize "I'm me!", that is, that he is independent of the thetan controlling the body of the Scientologist, departing to presumably pick up another body at the local maternity ward. This process continues until there are no more BTs to contact. In higher OT levels, the Scientologist finds out that some of the BTs are unconcious, on drugs, or asleep. There are procedures for exorcising these BTs as well, involving increasing the awareness of the Scientologist in his search for BTs.

    According to HCOB 23.9.78 I, "The EP [End Phenomena, completion] of the Rundown is when: the Pre-OT has a transparent body and a clear area around it to some distance (barring perception of other people's difficulties) and when he realizes he is alive and very much himself."

    Ariane Jackson, OT8 completion, posted this summary of OT8 to a.r.s. Ariane, whose native tongue is French, answered some followup questions posed by Roger Gonnet, who has graciously translated to English. Other ex-OT8s (those who leave the "Church" are stripped of their "spiritual" credentials) have confirmed Ariane's account. Also note that Ariane mentions that the OT5 in Fishman is no longer valid. This indicates that the "Church" of Scientology occasionally reworks the upper levels, making research more difficult. One must be careful to state the timeframe of the material being discussed.

    The Advanced Technology also includes the "L"s (lists) - L10, L11, and L12. These are lists of questions upon which a person is audited. The L10 Rundown is reported to have an "8th [God] Dynamic Sec[urity] Check" for those who profess a religion rather than Scientology.

    The "Church" of Scientology is absolutely rabid about protecting the secrecy of the NOTs, through scorched-earth litigation based on copyright and trade secret law. People, both general public and lower-level Scientologists, are prevented from seeing this material because the "Church" demands hundreds of thousands of dollars to reveal this "spiritual technology". Latest estimates are $365,000 (not a typo!) to advance through OT VIII, the highest level. At these rates, only the idle rich can afford spiritual salvation, Scientology-style.

     

    Scientology Practice

    Hubbard, a penny-a-word writer, created millions upon millions of words directing the affairs of Scientology and Scientologists. Hubbard's communications come in the form of Hubbard Communications Office Bulletins (HCOBs), Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letters (HCO PLs), articles for Scientology magazines, "research" journals, speeches, and internal letters to "Church" directors. There is so much material that Hubbard had to write a doctrine on "Senior Source", directing which material could supercede others in case of conflict.

    Hubbard's missives direct the life of Scientologists much like the Bible directs the life of Christians. Hubbard's writings speak volumes for the ethical values of both Hubbard, and by extension Scientology. These ethical values are reflected in the many lawsuits and criminal investigations into Scientology.

    Scientology claims that auditing is similar to Catholic confession. While both practices involve telling ones deepest secrets to someone else, what Scientology does with the information is particularly egregious. Ex-Scientologists (Dennis Erlich in particular) have had their "confessional material" (preclear folders) culled for damaging information to be used for blackmail purposes in case of defection. Mary Sue Hubbard (Worldwide Guardian) is believed to have started this practice in the 1970s. In Erlich's case, a Scientology poster (perhaps an OSA agent) admitted to this practice. In stark contrast, the Roman Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law, canons 983, 984, and 1388, absolutely prohibits any sort of betrayal of information revealed in the confessional, or any use of that information to the detriment of the the person confessing. Direct violation of the confessional seal has a penalty of automatic and immediate excommunication, which cannot be lifted by anything short of a papal pardon.

    Since Scientology is a business-cum-religion, one of the biggest areas of criticism is their emphasis on obtaining money. A letter from a Scientology "Reverend" , as reported in The Scandal of Scientology by Paulette Cooper, touches on another area of criticism - Scientology's penchant for harrassing, legally or otherwise, anyone whom they perceive as an "enemy". These two fundamental doctrines have served to alienate Scientology from both individuals and governments over the years.

    The unethical and criminal behavior of the "Church" of Scientology, driven by Hubbard's policies, bulletins, and lectures, continues to be uncovered on a.r.s. and documented on countless web sites. Marina Chong's A.R.S. Web Page Summary classifies and indexes the thousands of pages in the critical web. The most recent example of criminal behavior can be seen on The Lisa McPherson Memorial Page, which details the tragic death of a young woman at Flag as a result of Hubbard's "100% Standard Tech".

     

    Scientology and Religion in General

    Hubbard believed that religion was based on the implants from R6 (see Advanced Technology ). According to Hubbard, people throughout history have found pieces of R6 and used them to control or enslave other people. Thus, as a matter of Scientology doctrine, all religions are based on abberations caused by the reactive mind. The purpose of Scientology is to free us from the reactive mind and thus by extension, all religions. In this way, Scientology is diametrically opposed to religion [1]. While incompatibility with other religions is common among belief systems, the crucial difference is that Scientology lies [2][7] to its new recruits, saying they are compatible with all religions.

    Throughout his life, Hubbard was critical of organized religion in general and Christianity in particular. Hubbard appears to have gone out of his way in the upper-level lectures [3] to gratuitously denigrate God, Christianity, and the Roman Catholic Church. At the highest levels of Scientology, the adherent is expected to renounce their previous faith [4][5][8]. One former OT-8 has sworn an affidavit [6] regarding how Scientology attempted to forcibly deprogram his belief in Christianity.

    Scientology is quick to claim religious persecution whenever someone criticises their scripture or religion. (As Hubbard surmised, exposing fraudulent business practices is good citizenship, while "persecuting" a people for their religion is a hate crime.) Scientology makes exaggerated accusations of others to divert attention away from their own shortcomings. In fact, Hubbard's own words taken in total show that Scientology's Founder and by extension Scientology itself has no respect for any belief system except its own.

    References

    1. Scientology 510(c)(3) Statement , United States Internal Revenue Service. " ... as a practical matter Scientologists are expected to and do become fully devoted to Scientology to the exclusion of other faiths."
    2. See About the Author. While a statement that Scientology lies is extraordinary in a scholarly work, personal experience and confirmation from several other sources are available.
    3. Hubbard's Views on Religion, Joe Harrington, 1997. An ex-Scientologist's scholarly essay with references from Hubbard's earlier writings and taped lectures, including the Philadelphia Doctorate Course. Contains references to general religion, Islam, and Christianity.
    4. 'What was (religion) [e.g. Christianity] a solution to?', Remedy BG, how Scientology audits out (deprograms) religious belief.
    5. 8th [God] Dynamic Sec[urity] Check, from the L10 Rundown, 1962.
    6. Pattinson Affidavit, 20 Sep 1997. point 4.
    7. Scientology vs Other Faiths, Roland Rashliegh-Berry. A study of "What is Scientology?", the Scientology "Catechism". With Real Audio.
    8. Escape from the Nightmare, "California Dreaming", Andres T. Tapia. Details Kieth and Shawn Scott's entry and exit from Scientology.
     

    Hubbard Maligns Religion

    Note: to comply with the provisions of Fair Use, some of this commentary errs on the side of tedium. Besides being opposed to religious freedom, Scientology is apparently opposed to scholarly freedom as well.

     

    Hubbard on the Basis of Religion

    These sequential passages are from History of Man by L. Ron Hubbard, as reported in Advance #138. Note that a "thorough checkout" on HOM is required to attain OT VIII, the highest level in Scientology.

      "THE HALVER: ...One of the processes thetans used on MEST bodies was a half-light, half-black gun which shot out a wave. Half of this wave, usually the black, hit the right side of the victim's body, the other half, in the same explosion, usually the light side, hit the left side of the victim. This had the effects of causing him to be two people.

      Commentary:

    • Hubbard had a fertile imagination and wrote science fiction prior to writing Dianetics. It is difficult to decide whether passages like these are a religious instruction or a science-fiction digression.

       

    • In this passage, Hubbard describes a typical battle between thetans [spirits] and normal "MEST bodies". Hubbard's MEST bodies are simply the evolutionary hominid progression, prior to being inhabited by thetans. Hubbard describes both a "theta" and "mest" source for incidents which lie at the base of engram chains. According to Hubbard, mest incidents such as The Halver were stored in the Genetic Entity at the cellular level. When thetans began inhabiting MEST bodies, they picked up the Genetic Entity engrams. Hubbard fails to explain why a thetan would choose to inhabit a MEST body that the thetan had previously fouled with The Halver.

       

    • The Halver ray-gun is typical of Hubbard's science fiction - fantastic weapons with equally-fantastic effects. In this case, the ray-gun causes the victim to think they were two people.

       

    • These two people (black and white, good and evil) are common to many Middle-Eastern religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.


      "The halver was rigged up with religious symbols and it truly lays in religion. There is a devil on one side, a symbol carried in the light, angels on the other side. Sometimes it was very fancy and was complicated with dolls in the shape of nudes, angels, devils, strung on wires to slide and dance."

      Commentary:

    • Here Hubbard claims that religion is "laid in", or is implanted and are false memories. This theme is also used in the Xenu (Incident 2) account, and R6 contains religious symbols which, according to Hubbard, are the basis of Christianity. The intent of Scientology auditing is to neutralize these implants. Thus, Scientology audits out the idea of religion. In this respect, Scientology is not a religion; it is an anti-religion.

       

    • Note that Hubbard states the devil is "a symbol carried in the light". See also Hubbbard and the Occult. In other passages, Hubbard sides with the devil as well.

       

    • The imbellishment of dolls is superfluous; this ray-gun that Hubbard describes is very complicated indeed!


      "It did terrible things to the victim: it gave him a conflict, one side with the other, one being good: the other being bad. It gave him sexual compulsion all mixed up with religious compulsion so that an overdose of indulgence would send him to church sometimes into a life of crime. It was a control factor used to keep the community fighting itself."

      Commentary:

    • This "terrible thing" that Hubbard describes is sometimes called a "conscience"; it's the inner voice that tells us right from wrong.

       

    • One criticism of Scientology is that it progressively conditions anti-social behavior. History of Man is one of the major texts of Scientology, and here it is telling Scientologists that this conflict, this conscience is a terrible thing and is used to put a person and community against itself. Rather than being seen as a force of temperance and balance, Scientology believes the conscience is a limiter, and must be removed through auditing.

       

    • Hubbard doesn't really explain how The Halver, being just a black light and white light, could result in sexual and religious compulsions in "MEST bodies" that lacked human intelligence. Religion is a fairly recent anthropological development.


      "The halver lies as a basic under sexual malpractice, under religious fervour. It shows up in almost every preclear as being in chronic restimulation. It is the one the auditor runs as an overt act when the preclear has a sexual or religious motivator."
       

      Commentary:

    • Hubbard associates sexual malpractice with religious fervor. True to his times, Hubbard had a fixation for sexual deviance.

       

    • Hubbard instructs the auditor to look for The Halver if the preclear (adept) is motivated by sex or religion.


      "Remember that the restimulation of a motivator when one does an overt act is not natural but a consequence of having a body and implants about bodies. You will find some of this "you do wrong, you'll get it right back" in the halver and similar incidents."

      Commentary:

    • Hubbard here professes the opposite of the Golden Rule - that "treat others as you would have them treat you" is really just the result of an implant. Again, some auditing will unburden the preclear (adept) of their conscience.

       

    Hubbard on Faith

      "There is no more over-rated quality in existence than faith.

      "The subject who, under the hands of a hypnotist operator, conceives an enormous agreement with the hypnotist, is experiencing faith as it is commonly understood. In this state the subject can perceive anything which the hypnotist may direct.", Scientology 8-8008 , L. Ron Hubbard, Faith-Distrust

      Commentary:

    • Hubbard views faith as being at the effect of someone. The concept is foreign to Crowley's "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.", which Hubbard followed throughout his life.

       

    • Hubbard associates faith with mind control, in this case like that of a hypnotist. This is consistent with Hubbard's view that religion is based on abberations caused by the R6 implants.

       

    Hubbard on Religion's Effectiveness

      "Christianity and a million other -anities have struggled with this problem [the identity between theta (spirit) and mest (the material world)] and the result is a pot-pouri of answers, none of which reconcile the problem." History of Man, p.39)

       

      Commentary:

    • Hubbard is saying that Christianity and other religions do not adequately reconcile the relationship between spirit and the world. Christianity scriptures are replete with references to "the flesh". From what I know of Buddhism, Hubbard is incorrect on that account as well.

       

    • Araine Jackson's account of OT VIII lists one of the steps as "reading History of Man and getting very thoroughly checked out on it". In this case, "thoroughly checked out" means understand and believe it to the satisfaction of the Case Supervisor. To achieve OT VIII, one must believe that organized religion cannot explain the relationship between spirit and the material world, effectively renouncing them.

       

    Hubbard on Religious Zeal

      "Based on over a thousand hours of research auditing, analyzing the facsimiles of the reactive mind, and with the help of a Mark V Electrometer. It is scientific research and is not in any way based upon the mere opinion of the researcher...The contents of this HCO bulletin discover the apparent underlying impulses of religious zealotism and the source of the religious mania which terrorized Earth over the ages and has given religion the appearance of insanity." HCOB 11 May, 1963.

      Commentary:

    • Hubbard's "research" is baseless. Hubbard could not retrieve an engram [1], so the reactive mind is an unproven assertion. Hubbard asserts that he performed "research", when in fact auditing was only performed only by True Believers whose "mere opinion" had ample opportunity to color the results. Therefore, analyzing the "facsimiles [images] of the reactive mind" for "over a thousand hours" proves nothing, other than that Hubbard needlessly repeated the same flawed experiments.

       

    • Other passages from HCOB 11 May, 1963 can be found in Hubbard Maligns Christianity.

       

    Hubbard on Poverty

      "It is all very well to idealise poverty and associate wisdom with begging bowls, or virtue with low estate. However, those who have done this (Buddhists, Christians, Communists and other fanatics) have dead ended or are dead ending.", HCOPL 21 Jan 1965

       

      Commentary:

    • Hubbard contemptously lumps Buddhists and Christians in with "Communists and other fanatics". Hubbard is a product of the 50s McCarthyism that gripped the United States. Note the HCOPL was written in 1965, the era of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

       

    • The ideals of poverty in Buddhism and Christianity are diametrically opposed to Hubbard's "MAKE MONEY. MAKE MORE MONEY. GET OTHERS TO MAKE MONEY.", HCO PL 9 Mar 72

       

    • Hubbard misses the point of Buddhist and Christian poverty ideals. In these disciplines, it is thought the pursuit of wealth diverts attention away from spiritual illumination. Buddhists and Christians use poverty as a means to seek the divine. Hubbard uses religion as a means to make a million dollars.

       

     

    Hubbard Maligns Buddhism

    Hubbard on Buddha

      "Everywhere you are
      I can be addressed
      But in your temples best
      Address me and you address
      Lord Buddha
      And you then address
      Meitreya."
        The Hymn of Asia

      Commentary:

    • Hubbard believed himself to be the reincarnation of Buddha.
    • One of Hubbard's Magick affirmations is: "All men shall be my slaves! All women shall succumb to my charms! All mankind shall grovel at my feet and not know why!", Messiah or Madman?, Corydon, p. 53

     

    Hubbard on Buddha's Spiritual Authority

      "Neither Lord Buddha nor Jesus Christ were OTs according to evidence. They were just a shade above clear". Certainty magazine, Vol 5 #10.

      Commentary:

    • OTs are Scientology's highest spiritual level, and Clears are at the next lower rung. Scientology "technology" transforms people into Clears by the tens of thousands, all of whom are spiritual equals to Jesus Christ, whom Christians hold to be God incarnate on Earth. Thus, Scientology claims to be able to create God.
    • While I must admit a lack of understanding with respect to Buddhism, the implication that Scientology produces hundreds of Buddha every year is extraordinary. If there are Buddhists who would like to explain Hubbard's statement on Buddha in the context of their religion, I'd be happy to put it here.

     

    Scientology and Islam

    Scientology publicly claims that people can practice Scientology and religion of choice at the same time. This is only an "acceptable truth" [1] for public relations purposes and getting people to join Scientology. The introductory book "What is Scientology?" states:
      "In Scientology there is no attempt to change a person's beliefs or to persuade him away from any religion to which he already belongs." [2]
    Scientology further states:
      "Scientology is all-denominational in that it opens its membership to people of all faiths." . . . Membership in Scientology does not mean that there is any necessity to leave your current church, synagogue, temple or mosque." [3]
    Scientology claims that it is compatible with other religions:
      "Scientology respects all religions. Scientology does not conflict with other religions or other religious practices" [4]
    In truth, the advanced levels of Scientology teach that all religions are the result of mental implants[5]. Prior to founding the Dianetics movement, L. Ron Hubbard studied Occult Magick[6] in an attempt to achieve power. Hubbard came to believe that thetans (everyone) could become God by ridding themselves of the mental implants that prevented them from achieving that goal.

    Prior to founding Scientology, Hubbard gave a lecture entitled "What's Wrong with This Universe: A Working Package for the Auditor" on December 9, 1952. In it, Hubbard describes some of the "between lives" implants that supposedly occur to us after we die and before we reincarnate. One of these implants, called "The Emanator", is supposedly the origin of Islam. Hubbard claims that The Emanator was the source of the "Mohammedan Lodestone". Hubbard further describes the Prophet Muhammad as a small town booster that mocked up [made up] Islam only because business wasn't good in his hometown. [7]

    Further, Muslims respect and love Jesus. See Quran, 3:45, 4:171, 19:16-33, 21:91. Islam teaches that Jesus was a true and genuine messenger of God. See Quran, 61:14. The Quran rebukes those who reject Jesus. See Quran, 2:87, 4:156-158. Muslims believe in the miracles that Jesus performed by God's leave. See Quran, 5:110.

    The Quran states:

      "Say "We believe in God, and the revelation given to us, and the revelation given to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another of them, and to Him we are submitters." [9] [10]

    In contrast, the Church of Scientology teaches in its secret Class 8 Auditor's [ministerial] class that, like Islam, Christianity is the result of an evil memory "implant" designed to control people. [8] Hubbard goes on to state that there was no Jesus, and that Christianity is based on watching the behavior of madmen. In Class 8, Lecture 10, Hubbard states that the leaders of the Christian Church used brainwashing, invented Christ, and siezed power.

    Scientology's admits that its promise that there is no "necessity to leave your current . . . mosque." is a lie. In its application for tax exempt status, the Church of Scientology told the IRS:

      "Footnote 6: Although there is no policy or Scriptural mandate expressly requiring Scientologists to renounce other religious beliefs or membership in other churches, as a practical matter Scientologists are expected to and do become fully devoted to Scientology to the exclusion of other faiths. As Scientologists, they are required to look only to Scientology Scriptures for the answers to the fundamental questions of their existence and to seek enlightenment only from Scientology." [11]
    For further information regarding Scientology, please see these World Wide Web Internet sites:

    References

    1. For Hubbard, the ends justified the means. If telling a "white lie" gets people into Scientology (the "desirable result"), then Scientologists should communicate an "acceptable truth".
      • "So PR becomes the technique of Communicating an acceptable truth -- and which will attain the desirable result."
        HCO Policy Letter of 13 August 1970, L. Ron Hubbard
      • "Handling truth is a touchy business ... Tell an acceptable truth."
        The Missing Ingredient, - L. Ron Hubbard, 13 August 1970.
    2. What is Scientology?, ©1992, pg. 544.
    3. ibid., pg. 544.
    4. ibid., pg. 544-545.
    5. http://www.ezlink.com/~perry/CoS/Theology, Hubbard Maligns Religion
    6. ibid., Scientology and Christianity, Hubbard and the Occult, RealAudio
    7. ibid., Hubbard Maligns Islam.
    8. ibid., Hubbard Maligns Christianity, RealAudio.
    9. Quran, 2:136.
    10. Reading the Muslim Mind, pgs. 14-16, 25-30, Hassan Hathout, © 1995.
    11. Response to Final Series of IRS Questions Prior to Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) As a Church, October 1, 1993.

    Credits

    Special thanks to anonymous a.r.s. poster "colticew@hotmail.com" for providing a template and much of the text for this section. 

    Hubbard Maligns Islam

    These three quotes occur in succession in Whats Wrong with this Universe: A Working Package for the Auditor, L. Ron Hubbard, 9 Dec 1952. Real Audio [114KB] .wav[560KB]

    Hubbard on the Lodestone

      "..finds this enormous stone hanging suspended in the middle of a room. This is an incident called the Emanator by the way. ...and this thing is by the way the source of the Mohammedan Lodestone that they have hanging down there,..."

      Commentary:

    • Hubbard asserts that the stone at Mecca is an artifact of an incident [implant or false memory]. This is consistent with other incidents found in Scientology, for example R6 which is the basis of Christianity.

       

    Hubbard on Mohammed

      "...that, eh, when Mohammed decided to be a good small-town booster in ah Kansas, Middle-East, or something of the sort."

      Commentary:

    • Kansas is a large, flat, semi-arid, sparsely populated state roughly in the center of North America. In this context, Kansas is disparaged as a cultural backwater, seemingly unworthy of notice. By extension, "Kansas, Middle-East" (at least in the United States) characterizes Mohammed as a local personality in an insignificant corner of the world. Hubbard showed disrespect for the founders of nearly all major world religions, so this gratuitous snub is not unexpected.

       

    • Hubbard gratuitously insults Mohammed and Islam in stating that Mohammed began his ministry as "a good small-town booster [advocate]".

       

    Hubbard on Mohammed's Motives

      "By the way, the only reason he mocked that thing up, is the trade wasn't good in his hometown. That's right. You read the life of Mohammed."

      Commentary:

    • Mohammed (Salla Allah Alieh wa salaam) did not mock Islam up for the reason of trade. He comes from one of the wealthiest families in Arabia. He was offered the wealth of his family in exchange for not teaching Islam, but refused.

       

    • As documented in Islamic books, Mohammed taught "Zuhud", an Arabic word which means to denounce all the material things in life and turn towards God "Allah". Even though Mohammed was married to the wealthiest woman in Arabia, he lived the life of the poor, never slept on a cushion, had old and patched clothes, and never complained. Mohammed taught Mulsims to be humble, to respect the elders and be kind to the young.

       

    • Mecca was the pilgrimage place for many of the people at that time and the pilgrimage time then and now is a very good business time so there is and was no reason to mock anything up for business.

       

    • "mockup" refers to the Scientology concept of thetans' ability to fabricate something simply by willing it into being. Used in context, Genesis 1:1 reads, "...In the beginning, God mocked up the heavens and the earth."

       

    • Hubbard gratuitously insults Mohammed (again) by stating that Islam was created in response to business, rather than spiritual motivation. Given Scientology's tendency to over-emphasize monetary gain, Hubbard is the pot calling the kettle black.

       

    Hubbard on the Casbah [sic]

      "And he's got a black one and it sort of hung between the ceiling and the floor, I don't know, maybe they call it 'Casbah' or something ... Anyway, anyway, that thing is a mockup of the Emanator!"

      Commentary:

    • Hubbard shows contempt for Islam by using the incorrect word for the ka'abah, a cubical building in the mosque at Mecca which houses a black stone, believed to be a fragment of Abraham's altar.

       

    • Given the ethnic stereotypes portrayed in 1950s movies such as Casablanca, Hubbard's use of "the Casbah"[sic] is very nearly an ethnic slur. "The Casbah", a poor district of Cairo(?), invokes images of corruption and intrigue, and was sadly one of the few images that Americans had of Middle Eastern culture during the 1950s.

       

    Hubbard on the Roots of Islam

      "The Emanator is bright, not black. And so, your volunteer, who insists on a sightseeing trip, goes in and this thing is standing in the middle of the room, and it's going 'wong wong wong wong wong' and he says: "Isn't that pretty?". It sure is, and then he says "Mmmgrmrm ponk" Why, I'll tell you, they cart him from there, and they take him in and they do a transposition of beingness."

      Commentary:

    • Hubbard claims that in a previous life, people were hypnotized by the Emanator and had a "transposition of beingness" [an implant or false memory]. Mohammed, who had this implant from a previous life, vaguely remembered the Emanator prior to "mocking up" Islam. This is similar to Hubbard's explanation for the origins of Christianity - "through watching the dramatizations of people, picked up some little fragments of R6."

       

    • Hubbard shows further contempt for Islam by describing a religious pilgrimage to Mecca as "a sightseeing trip".

       

    Miscavige on Religions of the Last 2000 Years

      "For while you've often heard it said 'we are the only major religion to emerge in this 20th century,' the truth is more than that. In fact, we are the only new religion. Not a reinterpretation of some ancient doctrine, but the only original scriptural voice in the last 2,000 years.", International Scientology News #7, David Miscavige [ecclesiastical leader], March 13, 1998

      Commentary:

    • Apparently, Miscavige views Islam as just a "reinterpretation" of ancient doctrine and not an original scriptural voice.

       

    • Scientology claims 8 million adherents, but probably has no more than 100,000 active members. Superlatives and hyperbole are common in Scientology publications. Scientology is most certainly not a "major" religion in the sense that Islam is a major religion.

    Continue reading Part - 2  >>

    •  

    Copyright © 1997, 1998 by Perry Scott. Permission is granted to reproduce this website (http://www.ezlink.com/~perry/CoS/Theology) or portions of this website for noncommercial purposes, provided the author is acknowledged and this website URL is included. New information constantly becomes available on this website and readers deserve the most up-to-date information.

    Because Scientology has made such a legal pest of itself around the world, reproduction of any part of this package beyond the bounds of Fair Use by the Church of Scientology, its affiliates, agents, and especially its lawyers is expressly DENIED.

    share this page with a friend