History & Data
Founded by L Ron Hubbard scientology was originally created as a form of therapy called Dianetics. Hubbard created a foundation after the method and the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. He would later recharacterize the therapy as a religion into what we now know as the Church of Scientology.
The number of scientologists across the world are likely around a couple hundred thousands though the religion claims around 4.4 million members.
Religious Texts
Scientology wouldn’t outright call any of their texts scripture and much of their text is only given as you grow in your knowledge so as non-scientologist it isn’t possible to know all the texts that may fit under this heading. Further since everyone has different things they are learning or need to learn not everyone may be recommended the same texts even if both are at the same level.
Dianetics- as the foundational book to the faith, dianetics is where Hubbard wrote down the first understanding of the program and is possibly the one text all Scientologists would be recommended.
Theology
- Nature of God: Expressed as the eighth dynamic or the urge toward existence as infinity.
- Nature of Man:Man is a spiritual being, a thetan. This means that man is nonmaterial and immortal and possesses unlimited powers and potentials. Thetans which were once trapped in the material world and lost knowledge of their being and so Scientology helps to bring to remembrance what the Thetan already knows of the identity of man awaking their spiritual and divine awareness and be able to even go over the boarder of life and death. Humans have a mind, they have a body, but they are Thetan.
Man is basically good
- Fall- the traumatic experiences of both this life and the previous rebirths are an impediment to rational behavior and spiritual development. They call this being Aberrated
- Heaven- the idea of heaven does not exist within scientology but as the goal of scientology ridding yourself of the false ideas from past lives and coming to know your true
- Sin- Sin is composed of lies and hidden actions and can be rightfully be defined as untruth.
- Salvation- Scientology auditing frees the thetan from the “reactive mind”, and the loss of rational behavior and spiritual development that has occurred from this and previous rebirths. Full salvation results in a god-like state of full Operating Thetan (OT), freeing them from all limitation of this life. Auditing also helps one find their actual original identity.
Along with individual salvation Scientology also works for global salvation cleaning the planet of irrationality, criminality and wars.
- Creation the Theta (life-force) has created matter, energy, space, and time. [1]
- Hell-
- Unique
- 8 Dynamics or relations: [2]
- Self- effort to survive as an individual and to be an individual. It is the effort to survive in the highest level for the longest amount of time. It includes immediate possessions and does not include other people
- Creativity- making things for the future and any creativity (creation). This includes the family unit, raising children, family activity, including sex as a mechanism for future survival
- Group Survival- The urge to survive through a group or as a group. This can be a community, friends, work, a state, a nation, race, or any group no matter the size seeking to survive as a group.
- Species- The urge toward survival through all Mankind and as all Mankind.
- Life Forms- the urge to survive as life forms and with the help of life forms such as animals, birds, insects, fish, and vegetation, anything motivated by life.
- Physical Universe- Matter, Energy, Space Time, the four components of the universe and it’s urge to survive.
- Spiritual- the urge to survive as spiritual beings and the urge for life itself to survive. Anything spiritual, identified or not fits under this heading.
- Infinity- Also known as God or the supreme being but correctly understood as the infinity. Infinity embraces the allness of all.
- Reactive mind and Analytic Mind
- Reactive mind- stores the bad experience of the past or current lives. It is our acting in our reactive mind and not our analytic mind that is responsible for the bad things in our lives from health, to failure, to relational or any other problems. Our reactive mind has blocked us from realizing we are thetans (spirits) and can achieve anything even healing ourselves.
- Analytic mind- Your logical and thinking mind. This is how you should be thinking but it is clouded by your reactive mind.
- The Bridge
- The bridge is a program by which we move toward becoming clear of our reactive mind. In it classes and programs are recommended to help one clear yourself of your reactive mind and your ‘ruin’ which are the things that are holding you back in life.
[1] https://www.scientology.org/faq/scientology-beliefs/what-are-scientology-religious-beliefs-about-creation-of-the-universe.html
[2] https://www.scientology.org/what-is-scientology/basic-principles-of-scientology/eight-dynamics.html
BEARDED DISCIPLE 