The Truth About Scientology

This article is the first in a series that will focus on different aspects of Scientology. In this article I will explain some Scientology basics, using a combination of information from Scientology texts and websites, as well as my own personal experiences.

To give you some background on myself, I am 28 years old, I have attended some of the most prestigious schools in the nation (Phillips Academy and Brown University) I am a professional writer and former newspaper reporter who is now freelance writing full-time, and I have been a Scientologist for 12 years.

This article is not intended to convince you of anything, and I don't ask that you agree with Scientology, or anything I say for that matter. This information is provided to counteract the generalizations, half-truths, and outright lies about Scientology that run rampant in our society and to fill the void of truth for those that want an honest look at what Scientology is.

What is Scientology?

According to the official Scientology website at www.scientology.org,"Scientology is the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life."

Scientology is not self-help. It is not psychotherapy. It is not Christian Science. It is not science fiction. It is the study and handling of the spirit, in relationship to itself, others, and all life.

It addresses you, the spirit, or as it's called in Scientology, the thetan (pronounced thay-ten), which comes from the Greek letter theta, meaning thought or spirit.

You don't have a thetan. You have a body, and you have a mind. You are a thetan, or spiritual being.

As an example of this, try to get a picture of what you had for breakfast this morning. Close your eyes and get that picture clearly in your mind. Your mind is producing that picture, right? But who is looking at it? That's you, the thetan.

Then again if you don't believe you're a spirit, you don't have to. In Scientology, one of the basic tenets is that what's true is what's true for you.

This is defined, from Scientology.org, as "In Scientology no one is asked to accept anything as belief or on faith. That which is true for you is what you have observed to be true. An individual discovers for himself that Scientology works by personally applying its principles and observing or experiencing results."

So if it seems a little far-fetched that you're a spiritual being, well, okay.

What does 'Scientology' Mean?

From Scientology.org, "the word Scientology literally means 'the study of truth.' It comes from the Latin word scio meaning 'knowing in the fullest sense of the word' and the Greek word logos meaning 'study of.'"

This means that, quite simply, when you're studying Scientology, you're studying truth. You're studying the truths of existence. There is no praying. There is no need to "have faith." The information is there for you to use to improve your life.

You learn the data, you apply it to your life. It either produces the expected result, or it doesn't. And when you find that it does, you find yourself wanting to learn more, and more and more. Unless you don't like being happy, that is.

Basic Scientology Truths

From Scientology.org, one of the major truths of Scientology is that "Man is an immortal, spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized - and those capabilities can be realized."

Scientology is the process of realizing those capabilities. Through a series of actions, involving spiritual counseling and study in defined steps and sequences, a person is able to not only strip away the problems and difficulties that have held them down in the past, but realize abilities they probably didn't know they had.

There is no diagnosis of "disorders" in Scientology. There are no prescription drugs to fix supposed chemical imbalances that don't actually exist. There is no advice to try and cope with your life. Your mother is not the cause of all your problems.

In Scientology, there are actual solutions, that get to the real cause of problems and solve them. If you look around, you'll see that the world is sorely lacking solutions for many problems.The continued existence of problems is evidence of that fact.

Some people are in the business of inventing and selling phony solutions. These "solutions" appear to address the problem but don't actually get rid of it. Maybe these "solutions" merely cope with the problem, maybe they make it worse. You've probably seen examples of this in everyday life.

Scientology, however, introduces real solutions. And you know they're real, because when you apply them, the problem is solved.

The Aims of Scientology

The aims of Scientology are as follows:

"A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights."

Pretty self-explanatory. And pretty incredible, if you ask me. Which makes me wonder why anyone would oppose a religion that seeks a sane and happy world.

L. Ron Hubbard

Last but certainly not least is L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology's founder, who uncovered the truths of existence through decades of research, which has resulted in over 40 Scientology books and more than 2,500 tape-recorded lectures. He is called the religion's founder, because Scientology is not something he invented, or created when he was feeling imaginative one day. Scientology is based on the truths of existence we all agreed to a long time ago and forgot, which he found.

In my estimation the world owes a debt to LRH that can never be repaid. It's only a statement on the state of the world that many fight Scientology rabidly, when it is probably the only thing on this planet solely and genuinely dedicated to offering real help.

More on Scientology

Other articles in this series will look at more Scientology principles, including auditing (spiritual counseling), and will discuss various organizations that apply Scientology for the betterment of society. Check my CP page here to find other Scientology-related articles I've written. As always, I welcome comments and questions.