Scientology: What is it?

The Super Bowl, one of the biggest events of the year, recently occurred. This year was the 56th Super Bowl, featuring the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals in a high-strung football game. One of our authors went to walk to the stadium, and saw this: groups of people, sometimes even small children, offering pamphlets for the religion of Scientology. After asking questions to people around them, they decided to look more into this religion. Now, to learn something new, Scientology: What is it?

Scientology’s Beginning:
Sci-fi author, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, started the religion in Camden, New Jersey, where the first church of Scientology was created. The church was organized by Lafayette Ronald and Mary Sue Hubbard with John Galusha in December of 1953. CNN states, “At the core of Scientology is a belief that each human has a reactive mind that responds to life’s traumas, clouding the analytic mind and keeping us from experiencing reality. Members of the religion submit to a process called auditing to find the sources of this trauma, reliving those experiences in an attempt to neutralize them and reassert the primacy of the analytic mind, working toward a spiritual state called “clear.”” Members of the church pay to upgrade the ranks inside the religion, with OT Vlll being the highest rank they can achieve. This sponsors Scientology’s advertising and tools.

Scientology in the Public Eye of the Internet:
Some consider Scientology a cult, meaning “a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.” This word has a sinister and evil connotation. In this case, most people find Scientology to be an evil, brainwashing cult. Celebrities such as Tom Cruise have been associated with Scientology and are believed to be high-ranking Scientologists. The overall opinion of internet users seems to be that Scientology is brainwashing with questionable intentions and practices.

Scientology in the Eye of Scientologists:
There are many Scientologists–potentially reaching an impressive 10 million followers–and according to the website scientology.org, “Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, Mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe, and the Supreme Being.” The set of beliefs Scientology follows involve, as the official Scientology website states, “Man is an immortal spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.” Each member joins to find out more about themselves, as Scientology portrays itself as a religion of all-knowing and willing to share knowledge with its supporters.

As we conclude this article, ask yourself, what do you think? Is Scientology okay? Or is it unsettling like the way most of the public sees it?

Sources:

Scientology Official Website:
https://www.scientology.org/

CNN; Scientology: What Exactly Is It?: https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/22/us/believer-what-is-scientology/index.html

Britannica; Scientology-International Movement: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Scientology/Organization-of-the-church

Wikipedia; Scientology:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology