Scientology is a body of teachings and related techniques developed by American science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. It began in 1952 as a self-help philosophy, an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics, and later described itself as a new religion. It claims to offer "an exact methodology" to help humans achieve awareness of their spiritual existence across many lifetimes and, simultaneously, to become more effective in the physical world. The name "Scientology" is also used to refer to the often controversial Church of Scientology, the largest organization promoting the practice of Scientology, which is itself part of a network of affiliated corporations that claim ownership and sole authority to disseminate Dianetics and Scientology.
A stated goal of Scientology is to "rehabilitate" the thetan (roughly equivalent to the soul) to regain its native state of "total freedom." Church spokesmen and practitioners claim that Hubbard's teachings (called "Technology" or "Tech" in Scientology terminology) have saved them from a plethora of problems and enabled them to better realize their highest potential in business and their personal lives.[1][2] However, outside observers—including journalists, lawmakers, and national governing bodies of several countries—have alleged that the Church is an unscrupulous commercial enterprise that harasses its critics and brutally exploits its members.[3][4]
Although believers are usually free to practice the religion, the organized church has often encountered opposition. While a number of governments now view the Church as a religious organization entitled to the protections and tax relief that such status brings, others view it as a pseudoreligion, a cult, or a transnational corporation.[5][6][7][8]
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Beliefs and practices
o 1.1 Auditing
o 1.2 ARC triangle
o 1.3 Tone scale
o 1.4 Past lives
o 1.5 The upper levels of Scientology
+ 1.5.1 Xenu and Body Thetans
o 1.6 Silent birth and infant care
* 2 Church ceremonies
o 2.1 Funeral service
* 3 Origins
o 3.1 Meaning of the word 'Scientology'
* 4 Membership
o 4.1 The Church of Scientology
o 4.2 Independent Scientology groups
o 4.3 Scientology and celebrities
* 5 Controversy and criticism
o 5.1 Scientology and other religions
o 5.2 Scientology as a state-recognised religion
o 5.3 Scientology as a cult
o 5.4 Scientology as a commercial venture
o 5.5 Scientology and psychiatry
o 5.6 Scientology versus the Internet
o 5.7 Scientific criticism of Scientology's beliefs
* 6 See also
* 7 General references
* 8 Notes
* 9 External links
Beliefs and practices
Main article: Scientology beliefs and practices
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, circa 1970
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, circa 1970
The Church says that Scientology is concerned with "the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life."[9] By contrast, Dianetics is more narrowly focused on getting rid of the reactive mind, the "bank" of traumatic memories known as engrams which are said to inhibit one's success and happiness.[10] Scientology also covers topics such as ethics and morality (The Way to Happiness), drug and chemical residues as they relate to spiritual wellbeing (the Purification Rundown), communication, marriage, raising children, work-related problems, education (Study Technology), and the very nature of life (The Dynamics).
Scientology practices are structured in sequential series or levels, reflecting Hubbard's belief that rehabilitation takes place on a step-by-step "gradient"; for example, that the negative effects of drugs must be addressed before other issues can be "handled". Scientologists follow a sequence of courses that culminate in the esoteric advanced strata of Scientology's teachings. This is described as a passage along "the Bridge to Total Freedom", or simply "the Bridge," in which each step of the Bridge promises a little more personal freedom in some particular area of life.
Some central tenets of Scientology:
* A person is an immortal spiritual being (termed a thetan) who possesses a mind and a body.
* The thetan has lived through many past lives and will continue to live beyond the death of the body.
* Through the Scientology process of "auditing", one can free oneself of "engrams" and "implants" to reach the state of "Clear", and after that, the state of "Operating Thetan". Each state is said to represent recovering the native spiritual abilities of the individual, and to confer dramatic mental and physical benefits.
* A person is basically good, but becomes "aberrated" by moments of pain and unconsciousness in his or her life.
* What is true for you is what you have observed yourself. No beliefs should be forced as "true" on anyone. Thus, the tenets of Scientology are expected to be tested and seen to either be true or not by Scientology practitioners.
* Psychiatry and psychology are evil and abusive practices.[11]
Scientology claims to offer "exact" methods of spiritual counseling to help people achieve awareness of their spiritual existence, while enhancing their effectiveness in the physical world. The exact nature of all of existence is said to be stated in Hubbard's Scientology and Dianetics Axioms.
According to the Church, the ultimate goal is to get the soul (thetan) back to its native state of total freedom, thus gaining control over matter, energy, space, time, thoughts, form, and life. This freed state is called Operating Thetan, or OT for short.
Auditing
A Scientology recruiter introduces an E-meter to a potential convert. Such introductory audits are typically presented as "free stress tests".
A Scientology recruiter introduces an E-meter to a potential convert. Such introductory audits are typically presented as "free stress tests".
Main article: Auditing (Scientology)
The central practice of Scientology is "auditing" (from the Latin word audire, "to listen"), which is a one-on-one communication with a trained Scientology counselor or "auditor". The auditor follows an exact procedure toward rehabilitating the human spirit. Most auditing uses an E-meter, a device that measures very small changes in electrical resistance through the human body when a person is holding onto tin cans and a small current is passed through them.[12]
The auditing process is intended to help the practitioner (referred to as a preclear or PC) to unburden himself or herself of specific traumatic incidents, prior ethical transgressions and bad decisions, which are said to collectively restrict the preclear from achieving his or her goals and lead to the development of a "reactive mind". The auditor asks the preclear to respond to a list of questions which are designed for specific purposes and given to the preclear in a strictly regulated way. Auditing requires that the preclear be a willing and interested participant who understands the questions, and the process goes more smoothly when he or she understands what is going on[citation needed]. Per Church policy[citation needed], auditors are trained not to "evaluate for" their preclears; i.e., they are forbidden from suggesting, interpreting, degrading or invalidating the preclear's answers. The E-meter is used to help locate an area of concern.
Scientologists have claimed benefits from auditing including improved IQ, improved ability to communicate, enhanced memory, alleviated dyslexia and attention deficit problems, and improved relaxation.[citation needed]
During the auditing process, the auditor may collect personal information from the person being audited in a manner similar to a psychotherapy session or confessional. The Church maintains that its auditing records are kept confidential, although at least one organizational directive (GO 121669) specifically authorized the use of these auditing records for purposes of "internal security".[13] Auditing records are referred to within Scientology as "PC (preclear) folders" and are said to be stored securely when not being added to during auditing sessions.[14]
ARC triangle
Main article: ARC (Scientology)
Another basic tenet of Scientology is the three related (and intrinsically spiritual) components that make up successful "livingness": affinity (emotional responses), reality (an agreement on what is real) and communication (the exchange of ideas). Hubbard called this the "ARC Triangle". Scientologists utilize A.R.C. as a central organizing principle in their own lives, primarily based upon the belief that improving one aspect of the triangle increases the level of the other two.
Tone scale
Main article: Tone scale
The tone scale is a characterization of human mood and behavior by various positions on a scale. The scale ranges from -40 ("Total Failure") to +40 ("Serenity of Being"). Positions on the tone scale are usually designated by an emotion, but Hubbard also described many other things that can be indicated by the tone scale levels, such as aspects of a human's health, mating behavior, survival potential, or ability to deal with truth. The tone scale is frequently used by Scientologists to evaluate humans. According to Scientology, the lower the individual is on the tone scale, the more complex and convoluted one's problems tend to be, and the more care and judgment should be exercised regarding communication and interaction with that individual.
Past lives
In Dianetics, Hubbard proposed that the cause of "aberrations" in a human mind was an accumulation of pain and unconscious memories of traumatic incidents, some of which predated the life of the human. He extended this view further in Scientology, declaring that thetans have existed for tens of trillions of years (several orders of magnitude greater than what mainstream science generally estimates the age of the universe to be). During that time, Hubbard explains, they have been exposed to a vast number of traumatic incidents, and have made a great many decisions that influence their present state. According to an early lecture of Hubbard's, it is, as a practical matter, both impossible and undesirable to recall each and every such event from such vast stretches of time.[citation needed] As a result, Hubbard's three decade development of Scientology focused on streamlining the process to address only key factors. Hubbard stated that Scientology materials as described in books, tapes, and research notes include a record of everything that was found in the course of his research. Not all things found are stated to have been experienced by all animals on Earth.[citation needed]
According to Hubbard, some of the past traumas may have been deliberately inflicted in the form of "implants" used by extraterrestrial dictatorships such as Helatrobus to brainwash and control humans. Scientology doctrine includes a wide variety of beliefs in complex extraterrestrial civilizations and alien interventions in Earthly events, collectively described by Hubbard as "space opera". There is a huge Church of Spiritual Technology symbol carved into the ground at Scientology's Trementina Base that is visible from passing aircraft or from satellite photography.[15] Washington Post reporter Richard Leiby wrote, "Former Scientologists familiar with Hubbard’s teachings on reincarnation say the symbol marks a 'return point' so loyal staff members know where they can find the founder’s works when they travel here in the future from other places in the universe."[16]
The upper levels of Scientology
See also: Operating Thetan
See also: Space opera in Scientology doctrine
Scientologists who are deemed to have achieved the State of Clear may continue onto what is termed the Upper or OT (Operating Thetan) Levels. These courses are available by Church invitation only and prospective candidates are vetted by the Church based on their contributions to the furtherance of Scientology and their behavior in accordance with Scientology principles. The contents of these advanced courses are held in strict confidence within the Church and individuals who have read these materials may neither discuss nor disclose what they contain without jeopardizing their standing in the Church. Presently, there are eight such levels, OT I through VIII, although Church management has promised to release a ninth OT level once certain expansion goals are met. [3] The highest level released to date, OT VIII, is only disclosed at sea, on the Scientology cruise ship Freewinds.
Despite their confidentiality within the Church, excerpts and descriptions of these materials have been widely published in the mainstream press; this was made possible when the confidential teachings were submitted as evidence in court cases involving Scientology, thus becoming a matter of public record. In the confidential OT levels, Hubbard describes a variety of traumas commonly experienced in past lives, experiences that extend many millions of years into the past. He also explains how to reverse the effects of such traumas.
Xenu and Body Thetans
Main article: Xenu
Main article: Galactic Confederacy
Main article: Body Thetan
Among these advanced teachings, one episode revealed to those who reach OT level III has been much remarked upon: the story of Xenu and his Galactic Confederacy. Xenu (sometimes Xemu) is introduced as an alien ruler of the "Galactic Confederacy" who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of people to Earth in spacecraft resembling Douglas DC-8 airliners, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then clustered together and stuck to the bodies of the living. The alien souls continue to do this today, causing a variety of physical ill-effects in modern-day humans. Hubbard called these clustered spirits "Body Thetans," and the advanced levels place considerable emphasis on isolating them and neutralizing their ill effects.[17]
Scientologists have argued that the published accounts of the Xenu story and other colourful teachings are distortions of their practice, presented out of context for the purpose of ridiculing their religion. Journalists and critics of Scientology counter that the Xenu episode is part of a much wider Scientology belief that past lives on other planets are a source of negative influences on the mind and spirit in the present. Some of this has been public knowledge for decades. For instance, Hubbard's 1958 book Have You Lived Before This Life documents past lives described by individual Scientologists during auditing sessions, including some that are reported to antedate what modern astronomy estimates as the age of the universe. Internal Scientology publications are often illustrated with pictures of spaceships and oblique references to catastrophic events that happened "75 million years ago" (i.e., the Xenu incident).[citation needed]
While reliable information about Scientology membership is notoriously elusive, there is little reason to doubt that most practicing Scientologists have not attained a sufficiently high level on "The Bridge" to have learned the details about Xenu and Body Thetans. Therefore, while knowledge of Xenu and Body Thetans is said to be crucial to the highest level church teachings, it cannot be regarded as a core belief of rank-and-file Scientologists.
Silent birth and infant care
Main article: Silent birth
Hubbard stated that the delivery room should be as silent as possible during birth.[18] This stems from his belief that birth is a trauma that may induce engrams into the baby. Hubbard asserted that words in particular should be avoided because any words used during birth might be reassociated by an adult later on in life with their earlier traumatic birth experience. Hubbard also wrote that the mother should use "as little anesthetic as possible". According to Hubbard, babies should not be bathed after birth.
Hubbard also wrote that breastfeeding should be avoided. Hubbard compared replacement formulas circa the mid-1950s, which he described as "mixed milk powder, glucose and water, total carbohydrate", with what he considered the "skim breast milk from ... overworked mother[s]" that "smoke and sometimes drink"; as an alternative to commercial products, Hubbard offered what he called the "Barley Formula", made from barley water, homogenized milk, and corn syrup or honey. Hubbard claims that "I picked it up in Roman days."[19] He crafted the barley formula to, in his words, provide "a heavy percentage of protein".[20] The formula is still popular with many Scientologists, although most commercial corn syrups are now the high fructose variety and contain other ingredients as well, and modern medicine has since learned that honey should never be given to infants. [4]
Church ceremonies
Scientology, as practiced by members of the Church of Scientology, includes the social ceremonies for marriage, birth, and death, that are a part of most religions. The ceremonies are performed in front of the congregation by an ordained Scientology minister.[21] Most, if not all, of the actual ceremonies used were written by L. Ron Hubbard and are collected in the book, Ceremonies of the Church of Scientology.[22][23]
Funeral service
At a Scientology funeral service the minister speaks directly to the thetan (the individual as a spirit) and urges the deceased person to "end cycle" on their now-past life and begin a new one. The now-deceased individual is assumed to have been drawn to the assembly and is acknowledged for his contributions, released from any debts, and urged to move on.
“
We thank you for coming to us. We do not contest your right to go away. Your debts are paid. This chapter of thy life is shut. Go now, dear [deceased], and live once more in happier time and place.[24]
”
Origins
See also: Timeline of Scientology
Scientology's doctrines were established by Hubbard over a period of about 34 years, beginning in 1952 and continuing until his death in January 1986. Most of the basic principles were set out during the 1950s and 1960s. Now described as an "applied religious philosophy," Scientology was at first secular; Hubbard began to characterize Scientology's beliefs and practices as a religion in 1953, and by 1960 he had redefined it as a "religion by its basic tenets".[25]
Hubbard appears to have drawn liberally from a wide variety of pre-existing ideas, though he provided little specific citation of, or commentary on, his sources. The Church of Scientology presents Hubbard's work as completely original, reflected in the fact that Scientologists refer to Hubbard himself as "Source."
Scientology recapitulates and builds on ideas Hubbard introduced in Dianetics, an earlier system of self-improvement techniques laid out in his 1950 book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. Immediately prior to his first Dianetics publications, Hubbard was involved with occultist Jack Parsons in performing rites developed by Aleister Crowley.[26] Some researchers have noted similarities in Hubbard's writings to the doctrines of Crowley. In a 1952 lecture, Hubbard praised Crowley's works and referred to him as "my very good friend", [5], [6] though the Church of Scientology currently denies any such connection. An influence that Hubbard did acknowledge is the system of General Semantics developed by Alfred Korzybski in the 1930s, which was influential in the science-fiction subculture of the 1940s. [7] Scientology also reflects the influence of the Hindu concept of karma, as well as the psychological theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and William Sargant. Sociologist David G. Bromley of Virginia Commonwealth University characterizes Scientology as "a 'quasi-religious therapy' that resembles Freudian 'depth psychology' while also drawing upon Buddhism, Hinduism, and the ancient, heretical offshoot of Christianity known as gnosticism."
Meaning of the word 'Scientology'
Although today associated almost exclusively with Hubbard's work, "Scientology" was originally coined by philologist Alan Upward[27] in 1907 as a synonym for "pseudoscience".[28] In 1934, the Argentine-German writer Anastasius Nordenholz published a book using the word positively: Scientologie, Wissenschaft von der Beschaffenheit und der Tauglichkeit des Wissens ("Scientology, Science of the Constitution and Usefulness of Knowledge").[29] Nordenholz's book is a study of consciousness, and its usage of the word is not greatly different from Hubbard's definition, "knowing how to know".[30] However, it is not clear to what extent Hubbard was aware of these earlier uses. The word itself is a pairing of the Latin word scientia ("knowledge", "skill"), which comes from the verb scire ("to know"), and the Greek Î»Î¿Î³Î¿Ï lógos ("reason" or "inward thought" or "logic" or "an account of").
"Scientology would be a study of knowledge," Hubbard stated in 1952.[31] In the 1965 edition of Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought, he added, "Scientology is that branch of psychology which treats or (embraces) human ability. It is an extension of Dianetics which is in itself an extension of old-time faculty-psychology of 400 years ago." In 1960 L. Ron Hubbard redefined Scientology as: "a religion by its basic tenets, practice, historical background and by the definition of the word “religion” itself."[32] In 1969 he wrote that "It is fundamentally an applied religious philosophy.".[33]
In a lecture given on July 19, 1962 entitled "The E-meter", Hubbard said:
“
So Suzie and I went down to the library, and we started hauling books out and looking for words. And we finally found 'scio' and we find 'ology'. And there was the founding of that word. Now, that word had been used to some degree before. There had been some thought of this. Actually the earliest studies on these didn't have any name to them until a little bit along the line and then I called it anything you could think of. But we found that this word Scientology, you see—and it could have been any other word that had also been used—was the best-fitted word for exactly what we wanted.
”
The current Church of Scientology writes, "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.'"[34]
Membership
The Church of Scientology
Main article: Church of Scientology
The official symbol of the Church of Scientology.
The official symbol of the Church of Scientology.
The Church of Scientology has claimed to have as many as 10 million members as of 2006,[35] though actual membership figures it has released indicate a far smaller total. Third party estimates of Scientology's worldwide membership range from less than 100,000[36] to approximately 500,000.[37] According to a 2001 survey published by the City University of New York, 55,000 people in the United States would, if asked to identify their religion, have said Scientology.[38]
The first Church of Scientology was incorporated in Camden, New Jersey as a non-profit organization in 1953. The Church forms the centre of a complex worldwide network of corporations dedicated to the promotion of L. Ron Hubbard's philosophies in all areas of life. This includes:
* Drug treatment centres (Narconon);
* Criminal rehabilitation programs (Criminon);
* Activities to reform the field of mental health (Citizens Commission on Human Rights);
* Projects to implement Hubbard's educational methods in schools (Applied Scholastics);
* A "moral values" campaign (The Way to Happiness);
* A political action committee, (Citizens for Social Reform) to promote social programs with legislators at the US federal and state levels;
* World Institute of Scientology Enterprises, or WISE, which licenses Hubbard's management techniques for use in businesses;
* A consulting firm based on Hubbard's management techniques (Sterling Management Systems);
* A campaign directed to world leaders, as well as the general public, to implement the 1948 United Nations document "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights" (with particular emphasis on the religious freedom elements).
Within the church, members are arranged in a hierarchically pyramid ranked structure,[39] with higher level members holding authority over lower ranked subordinates, especially as evidenced by the Sea Org.
Independent Scientology groups
Main article: Free Zone (Scientology)
Although "Scientology" is most often used as shorthand for the Church of Scientology, a number of groups practice Scientology and Dianetics outside of the official Church. Such groups are invariably breakaways from the original Church, and usually argue that it has corrupted L. Ron Hubbard's principles or otherwise become overly domineering. The Church takes an extremely hard line on breakaway groups, labeling them "apostates" (or "squirrels" in Scientology jargon) and often subjecting them to considerable legal and social pressure. Breakaway groups avoid the name "Scientology" so as to keep from being sued, instead referring to themselves collectively as the Free Zone.
Scientology and celebrities
See also: List of Scientologists
See also: Scientology and celebrities
A Scientology Centre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
A Scientology Centre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
The Church of Scientology has consistently sought to recruit artists and entertainers, particularly Hollywood celebrities. The Church runs special recruitment facilities for public figures designated Celebrity Centres (CCs). There are eight of these centres across the world, though Hollywood is the largest and most important. Scientologists give this description:[citation needed]
“
L. Ron Hubbard recognized the importance of the artist to society. Thus he created Celebrity Centre International — a Church of Scientology that specializes in delivering Dianetics and Scientology services to celebrities, professionals, leaders and promising new-comers in the fields of the arts, sports, management and government.
”
The sites are not celebrity-exclusive and offer courses to non-celebrities at all levels; most visitors are non-celebrities.
Publicity has been generated by Scientologists in the entertainment industry. The most well-known of these figures include John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Beck, Isaac Hayes, Tom Cruise, and Cruise's converted wife Katie Holmes.
Critics say the attention and care given to celebrity practitioners is vastly different from that of noncelebrity practitioners. Andre Tabayoyon, a former Scientologist and Sea Org staffer, testified in a 1994 affidavit that money from not-for-profit Scientology organizations and labor from those organizations (including the Rehabilitation Project Force) had gone to provide special facilities for Scientology celebrities, which were not available to other Scientologists:
“
A Sea Org staffer ... was taken along to do personal cooking for Tom Cruise and Miscavige at the expense of Scientology not for profit religious organizations. This left only 3 cooks at [Gold Base] to cook for 800 people three times a day ... apartment cottages were built for the use of John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Edgar Winter, Priscilla Presley and other Scientology celebrities who are carefully prevented from finding out the real truth about the Scientology organization ... Miscavige decided to redo the meadow in beautiful flowers; Tens of thousands of dollars were spent on the project so that Cruise and [Nicole] Kidman could romp there. However, Miscavige inspected the project and didn't like it. So the whole meadow was plowed up, destroyed, replowed and sown with plain grass."[40]
”
Tabayoyon's account of the planting of the meadow was supported by another former Scientologist, Maureen Bolstad, who said that a couple of dozen Scientologists including herself were put to work on a rainy night through dawn on the project. "We were told that we needed to plant a field and that it was to help Tom impress Nicole ... but for some mysterious reason it wasn't considered acceptable by Mr. Miscavige. So the project was rejected and they redid it."[41]
Diana Canova, who experienced Scientology both before and during her period of TV stardom, expressed it in a September 1993 interview: "When I started, I wasn't in television yet. I was a nobody - I'd done some TV, but I was not one of the elite, not by a long shot - until I did Soap. Then it became…I mean, you really are treated like royalty."[42]
Controversy and criticism
Main article: Scientology controversy
Official German warning leaflets from the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior on "Protecting Our Democracy", covering Islamic extremism, Scientology and organized crime
Official German warning leaflets from the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior on "Protecting Our Democracy", covering Islamic extremism, Scientology[43] and organized crime
Of the many new religious movements to appear during the 20th century, Scientology has, from its inception, been one of the most controversial. The Church has come into conflict with the governments and police forces of several countries (including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany) numerous times over the years, though supporters note that many major world religions have found themselves in conflict with civil government in their early years.
Main article: Scientology and the legal system
The many legal battles fought by the Church of Scientology since its inception have given it a reputation as an extremely litigious organization, characterized by forcing litigants to enter into a lengthy and costly legal process. [8]
The ongoing controversies involving the Church and its critics include:
* Repeated claims of brainwashing and mind control.
* Scientology's disconnection policy, in which members are encouraged to cut off all contact with friends or family members critical of the Church.[44]
* The unexplained death of Scientologists, including Lisa McPherson. [45]
* The use of high-pressure sales tactics to obtain money from members.
* Multiple criminal activities by Scientologists, both those committed for personal benefit (Reed Slatkin, Gabriel Williams, and others) and those committed on behalf of the Church and directed by Church officials (Operation Snow White, Operation Freakout, Fair Game, and others).
* Numerous differing, and sometimes conflicting, accounts of L. Ron Hubbard's life, in particular accounts of Hubbard discussing his intent to start a religion for profit, and of his service in the military.
* Scientology's harassment and litigious actions against its critics and enemies.
* Some critics charge Scientology with being a cult of personality, with much emphasis placed on the alleged accomplishments of its founder.
* Lobbying search engines such as Google and Yahoo to omit any webpages that are critical of Scientology from their search engines (and in Google's case, AdSense), or at least the first few search pages (now however, a search for Scientology on Google and Yahoo brings up the Wikipedia page, with both critical and official Scientology websites).
Scientology and other religions
Scientology teaches that it is fully compatible with all existing major world religions and that it does not conflict with other religions or other religious practices;[46] the Church has however been questioned by other religious groups.
The Church of England complained in March 2003 to the Advertising Standards Authority about the Church's advertising poster promoting Narconon--the drug rehabilitation program based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard. The poster claimed "250,000 people salvaged from drugs." The Church of England Diocese of Birmingham challenged the claim. Upholding the complaint, the ASA considered that, "without clarification, readers were likely to interpret the claim '250,000 people salvaged from drugs' to mean that 250,000 people had stopped being dependent on street or prescription drugs because of Scientology. The Authority "accepted that more than 250,000 people had undertaken the Church's Drug Purification and Drug Rundown programmes, which were designed to free people from the effects of taking drugs," but "the Authority understood that, within Scientology, the concept of 'drug use' referred to a variety of behaviours that ranged from heavy use of street drugs to occasional ingestion of alcohol or prescription medicines and exposure to chemical toxins."[47]
In May 2001, the Russian Orthodox Church criticized Scientologists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Unificationists and Mormons as being dangerous "totalitarian sects".[48]
The Lutheran Church in Germany has at times criticized Scientology's activities and doctrines, along with those of several other religions. According to the U.S. State Department's 2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, "The Lutheran Church also characterizes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Church of Christ, Christian Scientists, the New Apostolic Church, and the Johannish Church as 'sects,' but in less negative terms than it does Scientology."[49]
The Roman Catholic Church has not made official doctrinal pronouncements specifically related to Scientology. Certain beliefs that are widely associated with Scientology, such as reincarnation, are specifically rejected by the Catholic Church as being incompatible with Catholic belief and practice. Scientology is also, according to a number of religious scholars, a form of gnosticism, which would make it hard to reconcile with Roman Catholicism and other denominations that regard gnosticism as a heresy.[50]
Scientology's claim of religious compatibility to entry-level Scientologists is soon modified by the additional teaching that the various levels of spiritual prowess which can be reached through Scientology are more advanced than those attainable in other religions. Critics maintain that, within Scientology, "spiritual abilities" tends to be synonymous with "mystical powers" rather than with "inner peace". Hubbard himself cautioned against the unwise or improper use of powers in his book History of Man.
In its application for tax-exempt status in the United States, the Church of Scientology International states:
“
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.[51]
”
Based on an interpretation of Buddhist writings which described, among other things, a man from the west with hair like flames around his head who was said to be due to return some 2,500 years after the first Buddha, the red-haired Hubbard sometimes identified himself with Maitreya, the Buddha of the future.[52]
The revealed beliefs in Scientology at higher levels become increasingly contradictory with other religions. The concept of past lives in Scientology is at odds with Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Beliefs concerning the origins and age of the Earth, the root of evil, and the nature of man make it impossible to uphold the beliefs of most other religions while also being a Scientologist.[citation needed] Hubbard claimed that Islam was the result of an extraterrestrial memory implant, called the Emanator, of which the Kaaba is supposedly an artifact. Mainstream religions, in his view, had failed to realize their objectives: "It is all very well to idealize 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."[53]
Critics claim that a select group of advanced practitioners eventually discovered that Hubbard had left little doubt in his writings and lectures about the dim view he took toward existing major religions. In some of the teachings Hubbard had intended only for this select group, he claimed that Jesus had never existed, but was implanted in humanity's collective memory by Xenu 75 million years ago, and that Christianity was an "entheta [evil] operation" mounted by beings called Targs (Hubbard, "Electropsychometric Scouting: Battle of the Universes", April 1952). Some critics have claimed that one of the highest levels, OT VIII, tells initiates that Jesus was a pederast (it is decidedly unclear whether the version of OT VIII in the Fishman Affidavit, where this claim originates, is genuine). Thus, critics claim, Hubbard makes clear his belief that advanced Scientologists are to identify Jesus and Christianity more as a force of evil than as a force for good.
Scientology as a state-recognised religion
The Church pursues an extensive public relations campaign supporting Scientology as a bona fide religion.[54] The organization cites numerous scholarly sources supporting its position, many of which can be found on a website the Church has established for this purpose.[55] Different countries have taken markedly different approaches to Scientology. Scientology is considered a legitimate religion in Thailand[citation needed], Taiwan[citation needed], Spain[citation needed], and Australia, and thus enjoys and regularly cites the constitutional protections afforded in these nations to religious practice.[56] Some countries, mostly in Europe, have regarded Scientology as a potentially dangerous cult, or at least have not considered local branches of the Church of Scientology to meet the legal criteria for being considered religion-supporting organizations.
Main article: R. v. Church of Scientology of Toronto
In Canada, the Church of Scientology is considered a religious non-profit organization; its application for charity status was rejected in 1999.[citation needed] In 1992, Scientology became the only religious organization convicted in criminal court on two counts of breach of the public trust (for an organized conspiracy to infiltrate government offices) following a trial by jury.[57]
The United Kingdom government does not recognize Scientology as a bona fide religion, and the Church's application for charity status in the United Kingdom was rejected in 1999.[58]
In the United States, Scientologists claim that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax exemption granted to the Scientology related businesses under IRS Tax Code section 501(c)(3) after extended litigation gives their religion a U.S. government stamp of authenticity.[59] The US Government makes no claim to Scientology's legitimacy through tax-exempt status as this is also granted to non-religious entities, such as the Red Cross.[60] The First Amendment to the United States Constitution forbids the government from officially recognising religious groups as this would be "an establishment of religion."[citation needed]
Scientology's tax-exempt status was lost in a 1967 IRS audit. As part of the effort to regain tax exemption during the late 1970s, Scientologists infiltrated the IRS and stole confidential documents in what was termed Operation Snow White. Eleven high-ranking Scientologists, including Hubbard's wife Mary Sue Hubbard, served time in federal prison for acts surrounding this operation.
In the early 1990s church leaders David Miscavige and Mark Rathbun visited with the IRS in Washington, DC to negotiate a settlement in an effort to gain tax-exempt status. On August 24, 1992, Scientology's Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) traded to the federal government a vault built at Trementina Base. Though CST had paid over $250,000 for the property in 1986 and had invested millions in development of the property according to the Federal Register record,[citation needed] CST traded it to the government, vault included, for a similar parcel of land in the same New Mexico county valued at only $28,000.
On October 1, 1993 the IRS formally announced that the Church of Scientology and its corporate entities had been granted tax exemption again. The settlement document was sealed by the IRS, but it was leaked to the New York Times and they subsequently published it. The New York Times also asserted in a March 9, 1997 article that, in its efforts to obtain tax-exempt status, Scientologists paid private investigators to obtain compromising material on the IRS commissioner.[61]
As Scientology courses are tax-deductible, some people have wondered why religious courses for other religions are not allowed the same deduction. In the case of MICHAEL SKLAR; MARLA SKLAR v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL No. 00-70753, the Sklars argued they should be allowed a tax-deduction for their payments for courses their son took at a Jewish school. On January 29, 2002 the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the IRS's opposition. Judge Silverman concurred, saying:
“
An IRS closing agreement cannot overrule Congress and the Supreme Court. If the IRS does, in fact, give preferential treatment to members of the Church of Scientology—allowing them a special right to claim deductions that are contrary to law and rightly disallowed to everybody else—then the proper course of action is a lawsuit to put a stop to that policy."[62]
”
In 1982, there was a similar ruling by the High Court of Australia, in Church of the New Faith v. Commissioner Of Pay-roll Tax. The court ruled that the government of Victoria could not deny the Church the right to operate in Victoria under the legal status of "religion", even though the state found that the Church practiced charlatanism. All three judges in the case found that the Church of the New Faith (Church of Scientology) was a religion. One judge said:
“
It follows that, whatever be the intentions of Mr. Hubbard and whatever be the motivation of the [Church of Scientology], the state of the evidence in this case requires a finding that the general group of adherents have a religion. The question whether their beliefs, practices and observances are a religion must, in the state of that evidence, be answered affirmatively. That answer, according to the conventional basis adopted by the parties in fighting the case, must lead to a judgment for the [Church of Scientology].
”
A second judge said,
“
Conclusion. The applicant has easily discharged the onus of showing that it is religious. The conclusion that it is a religious institution entitled to the tax exemption is irresistible." The third of the three judges concluded, "The conclusion to which we have ultimately come is that Scientology is, for relevant purposes, a religion. With due respect to Crockett J. and the members of the Full Supreme Court who reached a contrary conclusion, it seems to us that there are elements and characteristics of Scientology in Australia, as disclosed by the evidence, which cannot be denied.[63]
”
In Germany Scientology is not considered a religion by the government, but a commercial business, and Scientology's attempts to be recognized as a religion by courts have failed.[64] Germany's "government and societal discrimination against minority religious groups" shows up as a Human Rights problem in the US State Department's 2006 Report on Human Rights Practice:
The government does not recognize several belief systems, such as Scientology, as religions; however, it does not prevent them from engaging in public and private religious activities. Federal and state authorities classified Scientology as a potential threat to democratic order, a status that led to employment and commercial discrimination against Scientologists in both the public and private sectors.[65]
Germany's handling of Scientology has also been called into question before open hearings of the United Nations' Human Rights Committee.[66]
While reporting that Germany's "government policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion", the US State Department's Religious Freedom Report 2005 noted a number of important issues regarding the treatment of some religious minorities including Scientologists. One noted restriction on the religious freedom of Scientologists involves government labor offices:
“
Since 1996, government employment offices throughout the country have implemented an Economics and Labor Ministry administrative order directing them to enter an "S" notation next to the names of firms suspected of employing Scientologists. Employment counselors are supposed to warn their clients that they might encounter Scientologists in these workplaces. Some private job centers have also adopted this practice. Scientologists have claimed that the "S" notations violate their right to privacy and interfere with their livelihood.[67]
”
The Church has been subjected to considerable pressure from the state in Russia.[citation needed]
In Ireland, Scientology maintains a mission in Dublin.[68] The Church of Scientology Mission of Dublin Ltd. is not listed with Ireland's Office of the Revenue Commissioners as an authorised charity for donation tax relief.[69]
In Belgium, the minister of justice refused Scientology as a candidate for the status of recognized religion.[70]
Scientology as a cult
In some instances, former members have claimed the Church used information obtained in auditing sessions against them.[71][72][73] While such a claim would be actionable as extortion, blackmail or harassment within most legal jurisdictions, no such claim has to date been legally confirmed against Scientology based solely upon use or revelation of auditing records.
The Anderson Report, an official inquiry conducted for the state of Victoria, Australia, found that the auditing process involved a form of "authoritative" or "command" hypnosis, in which the hypnotist assumes "positive authoritative control" over the patient. "It is the firm conclusion of this Board that most scientology and dianetic techniques are those of authoritative hypnosis and as such are dangerous. ... the scientific evidence which the Board heard from several expert witnesses of the highest repute ... which was virtually unchallenged - leads to the inescapable conclusion that it is only in name that there is any difference between authoritative hypnosis and most of the techniques of scientology. Many scientology techniques are in fact hypnotic techniques, and Hubbard has not changed their nature by changing their names."[74] Hubbard was an accomplished hypnotist, and close acquaintances such as Forrest Ackerman (Hubbard's literary agent) and A. E. van Vogt (an important early supporter of Dianetics) witnessed repeated demonstrations of his hypnotic skills.[75] (See Scientology and hypnosis). Licensed psychotherapists have alleged that the Church's auditing sessions amount to mental health treatment without a license [citation needed], but the Church disputes these allegations, and claims to have established in courts of law that its practice leads to spiritual relief. So, according to the Church, the psychotherapist treats mental health and the Church treats the spiritual being.
In France, the Church of Scientology was categorized as a sect (or cult) in the 2468 report of the Assemblée Nationale (the legislative body), in 1995. A more recent government report (1999) categorized the church as an "absolute sect" and recommended that all its activities be prohibited.[citation needed]
The federal government of Germany as well as its states, have to a greater or lesser degree and for varying periods placed Scientology and Scientologists under surveillance by the Verfassungsschutz intelligence agencies since the early 1970s, based on alleged anti-democratic tendencies.[76] No criminal or civil charges have been brought as a result of this surveillance. Two German states and the ruling political party, the CDU (Christian Democratic Union), have passed rules or regulations limiting the participation of Scientologists in politics, business and public life.[citation needed] In several court cases, Scientology lost filed complaints against continued surveillance because the courts held the opinion that Scientology does pursue anticonstitutional activities.[77][78] In Berlin, the court prohibited the use of paid undercover agents.[79] In Saarland, surveillance was stopped by the court as inappropriate because there is no local branch of Scientology and few members. [80]
Allegations of Scientology's cult status may be attributed to its unconventional creation by a single authoritative and charismatic leader.[81] The Church indoctrinates its members, providing very little initial knowledge of the inner secrets of the organization. In order to reach this knowledge parishioners are required to advance forward in rank through study and payments to the Church, the incentive of which is the stepped acquisition of promised powerful secrets and gaining of supernatural abilities.[citation needed]
Scientology as a commercial venture
Main article: Scientology as a business
The Church of Scientology and its many related organizations have amassed considerable real estate holdings worldwide, likely in the hundreds of millions of dollars, as well as a large amount of other funds from the practice of auditing.[82] Hubbard was accused in his lifetime of adopting a religious façade for Scientology to allow the organization to maintain tax-exempt status and to avoid prosecution for false medical claims.[83] There have been numerous accounts from Hubbard's fellow science-fiction authors and researchers, notably Harlan Ellison, Neison Himmel, Sam Merwin, Sam Moskowitz, Theodore Sturgeon, Lloyd Arthur Eshbach, and Lyle Stuart,[75] of Hubbard stating on various occasions that the way to get rich was to start a religion.[84] This is referenced, among other places, in a May 1980 Reader's Digest article, which quotes Hubbard, "If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion."[85] The Church claims that "One individual once claimed L. Ron Hubbard made such a comment during a lecture in 1948. The only two people who could be found who attended that very lecture in 1948 denied that Mr. Hubbard ever made this statement" and that therefore it is an "unfounded rumor." The Church's claim does not address any of the other individuals who have stated that they personally heard Hubbard make such a statement, some claiming that he said it on multiple occasions. The Church also suggests that the origin of the "rumor" was a quote by George Orwell which had been "misattributed" to Hubbard. However, Robert Vaughn Young, who left the Church in 1989 after twenty years, said that he had discovered the Orwell quote, and suggested that reports of Hubbard making such a statement could be explained as a misattribution of Orwell, despite having encountered three of Hubbard's associates from his science fiction days who remembered Hubbard making statements of that sort in person.[3]
Scientology pays members commissions on new recruits they bring in, encouraging Scientology members to "sell" Scientology to others.[82] In addition, Scientology franchises, or missions, pay the church roughly 10% of their gross income.[86] Charges for auditing and other Church-related courses run to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.[87][88] Scientology maintains strict control over the use of its symbols, icons, and names. It claims copyright and trademark over its "Scientology cross," and its lawyers have threatened lawsuits against individuals and organizations who have published the image in books and on Web sites. Because of this, it is very difficult for individual groups to attempt to publicly practice Scientology on their own, without any affiliation or connection to the Church of Scientology. Scientology has sued a number of individuals who attempted to set up their own "auditing" practices, using copyright and trademark law to shut these groups down.
In conjunction with the Church of Scientology's request to be officially recognized as a religion in Germany, the German state Baden-Württemberg conducted a thorough investigation regarding the group's activities within Germany.[89] The results of this investigation indicated that, at the time of publication, Scientology's main sources of revenue ("Haupteinnahmequellen der SO") were from course offerings and sales of their various publications. Course offerings--e.g. "The Ups and Downs of Life," "Hubbard's Key to Life," "Intensive Auditing," etc.--ranged from (German Marks) DM 182.50 to about DM 30,000--the equivalent today of approximately $119 to $19,560 US dollars. Revenue from monthly, bi-monthly, and other membership offerings could not be estimated in the report, but was nevertheless placed in the millions.
In June of 2006, it was announced that Scientology would be sponsoring a NASCAR race car. The Number 27 Ford Taurus driven by Kenton Gray displays a large Dianetics logo.[90]
Scientology and psychiatry
Main article: Scientology and psychiatry
Scientologists regularly hold anti-psychiatry demonstrations they call "Psychbusts"
Scientologists regularly hold anti-psychiatry demonstrations they call "Psychbusts"
The Church of Scientology is one of a number of groups involved in the anti-psychiatry movement, and one of the few organizations that publicly oppose the study and application of psychology in addition to psychiatry.
This theme appears in some of Hubbard's literary works. In Hubbard's Mission Earth series, various characters praise and criticize these methods, and the antagonists in his novel Battlefield Earth are called Psychlos, a similar allusion.
From the Church of Scientology FAQ on Psychiatry:
“
What the Church opposes are brutal, inhumane psychiatric treatments. It does so for three principal reasons: 1) procedures such as electro-shock, drugs and lobotomy injure, maim and destroy people in the guise of help; 2) psychiatry is not a science and has no proven methods to justify the billions of dollars of government funds that are poured into it; and 3) psychiatric theories that man is a mere animal have been used to rationalize, for example, the wholesale slaughter of human beings in World Wars I and II.[91]
”
Hubbard was bitterly critical of psychiatry's citation of physical causes for mental disorders, such as chemical imbalances in the brain. Hubbard's statements deny that psychiatry, through the scientific method, has shown some psychiatric disorders are related to anatomical and chemical cerebral anomalies. He regarded psychiatrists as denying human spirituality and peddling fake cures. He was also convinced psychiatrists were themselves deeply unethical individuals, committing "extortion, mayhem and murder. Our files are full of evidence on them."[92] Many of the areas in which his criticism is directed have since been discredited in mainstream psychiatry - electro-shock therapy, for example, is now only used under anesthesia and muscle relaxants, and lobotomy is a defunct procedure.
The Church claims that psychiatry was responsible for World War I,[93] the rise of Hitler and Stalin,[94] the decline in education standards in the United States,[95] the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo,[96] and the September 11 attacks.[97] The Church has not publicly presented any evidence supporting this view of psychiatry.
Scientology's opposition to psychiatry has also undoubtedly been influenced by the opposition of numerous psychiatrists to the Church. After the publication of Dianetics, the American Psychological Association advised its members against using Hubbard's psychotherapy techniques with their patients until their effectiveness could be proven. Because of this critique, Hubbard came to believe psychiatrists were behind a worldwide conspiracy to attack Scientology and create a "world government" run by psychiatrists on behalf of Soviet Russia:
“
Our enemies are less than twelve men. They are members of the Bank of England and other higher financial circles. They own and control newspaper chains and they, oddly enough, run all the mental health groups in the world that had sprung up ... Their apparent programme was to use mental health, which is to say psychiatric electric shock and pre-frontal lobotomy, to remove from their path any political dissenters ... These fellows have gotten nearly every government in the world to owe them considerable quantities of money through various chicaneries and they control, of course, income tax, government finance — [Harold] Wilson, for instance, the current Premier of England, is totally involved with these fellows and talks about nothing else actually.[98]
”
In 1966, Hubbard declared war on psychiatry, telling Scientologists "We want at least one bad mark on every psychiatrist in England, a murder, an assault, or a rape or more than one."[99] He committed the Church to eradicating psychiatry in 1969, announcing "Our war has been forced to become 'To take over absolutely the field of mental healing on this planet in all forms.'"[100] The Church founded the Citizens Commission on Human Rights that same year as its primary vehicle for attacking psychiatry.
Around the same time, Hubbard claimed that psychiatrists were an ancient evil that had been a problem for billions of years. He cast them in the role of assisting Xenu's genocide of 75 million years ago. In a 1982 bulletin entitled "Pain and Sex", Hubbard declares that "pain and sex were the INVENTED TOOLS of degradation", having been devised eons ago by psychiatrists "who have been on the [time] track a long time and are the sole cause of decline in this universe."[101]
Celebrity Scientologists, notably Tom Cruise, have been extremely vocal in attacking the use of psychiatric medication.[102] Their position has attracted considerable criticism from psychiatrists, physicians, and mental health patients and advocates who cite numerous scientific studies showing benefit from psychiatry.
Christopher Gillberg, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, alleged that the destruction of patient files in May 2005 by two of his colleagues and a university administrator had been prompted by the Church's criticism of his research [103]. Gillberg claimed that Eva Kärfve, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Lund who in 2003 had obtained a court order to access his patient records relating to ADHD, was a Scientologist or was acting for the Church. The University opposed this access on the grounds of patient confidentiality. However, in July 2005 the lower criminal court in Gothenberg fined Gillberg for "misuse of office" and upheld Kärfve's right to see the remaining data. [104]
Scientology versus the Internet
Main article: Scientology versus the Internet
Scientology leaders have undertaken extensive operations on the Internet to deal with growing allegations of fraud[citation needed] and exposure of unscrupulousness within Scientology. The organization states that it is taking actions to prevent distribution of copyrighted Scientology documents and publications online by people whom it has called "copyright terrorists".[105] Critics claim the organisation's true motive is an attempt to suppress free speech and criticism.
In January 1995, Church lawyer Helena Kobrin attempted to shut down the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology by sending a control message instructing Usenet servers to delete the group on the grounds that:
“
(1) It was started with a forged message; (2) not discussed on alt.config; (3) it has the name "scientology" in its title which is a trademark and is misleading, as a.r.s. is mainly used for flamers to attack the Scientology religion; (4) it has been and continues to be heavily abused with copyright and trade secret violations and serves no purpose other than condoning these illegal practices.[106]
”
In practice, this rmgroup message had little effect, since most Usenet servers are configured to disregard such messages when applied to groups that receive substantial traffic, and newgroup messages were quickly issued to recreate the group on those servers that did not do so. However, the issuance of the message led to a great deal of public criticism by free-speech advocates.
The Church also began filing lawsuits against those who posted copyrighted texts on the newsgroup and the World Wide Web, and pressed for tighter restrictions on copyrights in general. The Church supported the controversial Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. The even more controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act was also strongly promoted by the Church and some of its provisions (notably the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act) were heavily influenced by Church litigation against US Internet service providers over copyrighted Scientology materials that had been posted or uploaded through their servers.
Beginning in the middle of 1996 and for several years after, the newsgroup was attacked by anonymous parties using a tactic dubbed "sporgery" by some, in the form of hundreds of thousands of forged spam messages posted on the group. Although the Church neither confirmed nor denied its involvement with the spam, some investigators claimed that some spam had been traced to Church members. Former Scientologist Tory Christman, after she left the Church, confessed to having been part of the sporgery project, taking money supplied by the Office of Special Affairs to open up Internet accounts at various ISPs under false names, accounts from which she later saw forged and garbled communications going out.[107]
Scientific criticism of Scientology's beliefs
Many of Hubbard's practices have been criticised by the scientific community as being junk science. The background story of Xenu is widely ridiculed as it is scientifically implausible, and some technologies employed by Scientologists, including the e-meter, have no verified effect. Further, Hubbard's medical and dietary advice, still commonly accepted by Church members, is both built upon no firm scientific background and is decades-old, meaning that it may have been obsoleted by contemporary scientific studies regardless of its origins.
Xenu, as depicted by the BBC's Panorama
Xenu, as depicted by the BBC's Panorama
Journalists and critics of Scientology note that Xenu is part of a much wider Scientology belief in past lives on other planets, some of which has been public knowledge for decades. For instance, Hubbard's 1958 book Have You Lived Before This Life documents past lives described by individual Scientologists during auditing sessions. These included memories of being "deceived into a love affair with a robot decked out as a beautiful red-haired girl", being run over by a Martian bishop driving a steamroller, being transformed into an intergalactic walrus that perished after falling out of a flying saucer, and being "a very happy being who strayed to the planet Nostra 23,064,000,000 years ago". In comparison, modern astrophysical observations have established the age of the universe at 13.7 billion (13,700,000,000) years, to within about 1% error.
A 1971 ruling of the United States District Court, District of Columbia (333 F. Supp. 357), specifically stated, "the E-meter has no proven usefulness in the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of any disease, nor is it medically or scientifically capable of improving any bodily function."[108] As a result of this ruling, Scientology now publishes disclaimers in its books and publications declaring that "By itself, the E-meter does nothing"[109] and that it is used specifically for spiritual purposes.
Hubbard's advice that breastfeeding should be avoided is in contravention of common medical advice, which stresses its importance for the health of both the mother and the child.[110] Hubbard's "Barley Formula" is potentially unsafe for infants; honey can cause infant botulism when given to infants under twelve months of age.[111] Apart from safety issues, the formula would lack vital nutrients, IgA antibodies, and other components of human breast milk. Hubbard had no qualifications to give pediatric advice and his claims regarding the care of babies and infants are disputed by the majority of doctors and health care professionals. Patricia Devine, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist who directs the Labor and Delivery Unit at Columbia University Medical Center, said "There's absolutely no scientific evidence that taking [noise] away at the time of delivery will have any effect on outcome for the baby or mother."[112]
See also
* Scientology bibliography
* Scientology filmography
* Scientology references in popular culture
* Symbols of Scientology
* Scientology versus the Internet
* Homosexuality and Scientology
* List of groups referred to as cults
* Operation Clambake
General references
* Scientology: Cult of Greed and power - Time Magazine article on Scientology
* Spirituality through therapy: Scientology, teaching that divinity lies within, appeals to our pop gods
* Frenschkowski, Marco (1999). "L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology: An annotated bibliographical survey of primary and selected secondary literature".
* Kent, Stephen A. (1996). "Scientology's Relationship With Eastern Religious Traditions".
Notes
1. ^ http://www.scientology.org/html/en_US/results/index.html
2. ^ http://on-line.scientology.org/
3. ^ a b Leiby, Richard. "Scientology Fiction: The Church's War Against Its Critics — and Truth", The Washington Post, 1994-12-25, p. C1. Retrieved on 2006-06-21..
4. ^ Goodin, Dan (1999-06-03). Scientology subpoenas Worldnet. CNET News.com. Retrieved on 2006-05-04.
5. ^ Scientology is a Bona Fide Religion Serving Exclusively Religious and Charitable Purposes
6. ^ Hexham, Irving (1978, rev. 1997). "The Religious Status of Scientology: Is Scientology a Religion?". University of Calgary. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
7. ^ Kent, Stephen (July 1999). "Scientology -- Is this a Religion?". Marburg Journal of Religion. Retrieved on 2006-08-26. Sociologist Kent, while acknowledging that a number of his colleagues accept Scientology as a religion, argues that "Rather than struggling over whether or not to label Scientology as a religion, I find it far more helpful to view it as a multifaceted transnational corporation, only one element of which is religious." (Italics in original.)
8. ^ Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin (September 2003). "Scientology: Religion or racket?" (PDF). Marburg Journal of Religion. Retrieved on 2006-06-14.
9. ^ Introduction to Scientology. Church of Scientology. Retrieved on 2006-05-04.
10. ^ What is Dianetics?. Church of Scientology International. Retrieved on 2006-05-03.
11. ^ "psychiatrists and psychologists ... can cure nothing and cannot change anyone for better or worse and as a result have to kill 'difficult patients' ... Anyone who disagrees with their planned totalitarian rule is pronounced 'insane.' He is seized quietly, conveyed to a prison, tortured and usually permanently injured or killed." Hubbard, L. Ron (1969). "How To Win An Argument". Retrieved May 8, 2006.
12. ^ US Patent and Trademark Office Device for Measuring and Indicating Changes in the Resistance of a Human Body Inventor: Lafayette R. Hubbard issued 6 December 1966
13. ^ Memorandum of Intended Decision in Church of Scientology of California vs. Gerald Armstrong (PDF format)
14. ^ . "Agreement Regarding Confidential Religious Files". Church of Scientology / Flag Service Organization. Retrieved on 2006-07-11.
15. ^ Google Maps Trementina Base in Google Maps (website accessed 04/19/06)
16. ^ Leiby, Richard Scientology church’s mark inscribed in N.M. desert scrub, published November 29, 2005 in the Free New Mexican (website accessed 04/15/06)
17. ^ Sappell, Joel; Robert W. Welkos (24 June 1990). "The Scientology Story". Los Angeles Times: page A36:1. Retrieved on 2006-08-09. Additional convenience link at [1].
18. ^ Church of Scientology (2006). Scientology Newsroom. Retrieved on 2006-08-07.
19. ^ Hubbard, L. Ron Processing a New Mother, Scientology Magazine, December 1958
20. ^ Hubbard, L. Ron Processing a New Mother, Scientology Magazine, December 1958
21. ^ http://theology.scientology.org/eng/pdf/scientology-04-religious-practice.pdf
22. ^ http://theology.scientology.org/eng/pdf/scientology-15-true-religion.pdf
23. ^ http://www.scientology.org/wis/wiseng/41/41-books.htm
24. ^ http://theology.scientology.org/eng/pdf/scientology-04-religious-practice.pdf
25. ^ HCOB 18 April 67 (Hubbard Communications Office Bulletin (HCOB) of 21 June 1960 Revised) "Religious Philosophy and Religious Practice"
26. ^ Crowley's influence on Dianetics
27. ^ Allen Upward: The New Word, pp 139, 149 & 156
28. ^ Atack, Jon (1990). A Piece of Blue Sky. New York, NY: Carol Publishing Group, 128. ISBN 0-8184-0499-X.
29. ^ http://www.scientologie.de/scientologie/index.htm
30. ^ Hubbard, L. Ron Scientology Fundamentals 1956 (website accessed 04/13/06)
31. ^ Scientology: Milestone One an audio lecture in Wichita, Kansas on 3 March 1952 with transcript, 1952 Pub by Golden Era Productions, Hollywood CA
32. ^ HCOB 18 April 67 (HCOB of 21 June 1960 Revised) “Religious Philosophy and Religious Practice”
33. ^ LRH ED 4 Int, 22 February 69 “Attachment (letter to doctor)”
34. ^ Church of Scientology Introduction to Scientology (website accessed 4/12/06)
35. ^ Scientology Press Office 10 September 2006
36. ^ Millions of Members?
37. ^ Breakdown of Worldwide Religions By Adherents
38. ^ Kosmin, Barry A. et al American Religious Identification Survey.
39. ^ L. J. West, M.D. (July 1990). "Psychiatry and Scientology". The Southern California Psychiatrist. Retrieved on 2006-06-23.
40. ^ Affidavit of Andre Tabayoyon, 5 March 1994, in Church of Scientology International vs. Steven Fish and Uwe Geertz.
41. ^ Hoffman, Claire, Christensen, Kim. "Tom Cruise and Scientology", Los Angeles Times, 2005-12-18. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.<
42. ^ http://rickross.org/reference/scientology/Scien12.html
43. ^ Scientology brochure on Bavarian Ministry of the Interior website (accessed 2006-12-13)
44. ^ Scientology's official statement on ending all contact with any family/friend critical of Scientology
45. ^ Why are they dead?
46. ^ What is Scientology? 1992, p.544
47. ^ Advertising Standards Authority record of successful Church of England complaint about Narconon advertisement
48. ^ "Russian Orthodox Targets 'Totalitarian Sects'" at Zenit
49. ^ "2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Germany" at United States Department of State
50. ^ Derakhshani, Tirdad. "Spirituality through therapy", The Philadelphia Inquirer, 2005-07-03. Retrieved on 2006-07-01.
51. ^ Response to Final Series of IRS Questions Prior to Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) As a Church, October 1, 1993
52. ^ Hubbard, Hymn of Asia, 1952
53. ^ Hubbard, HCOPL of January 21, 1965
54. ^ Church of Scientology Bona Fide Scientology (website accessed 4/13/06)
55. ^ http://www.bonafidescientology.org/bonafide-scientology.htm
56. ^ Australian Constitution, s 116
57. ^ McGregor, Glen: Liberal MP stars in video promoting: Scientology Controversial religion not a cult, Lee insists, The Ottawa Citizen, October 26, 2005, p. A1.
58. ^ Decision of the Charity Commissoners for England and Wales. Charity Commission (1999-11-17). Retrieved on 2006-07-06. (PDF)
59. ^ Church of Scientology Bona Fide Scientology, Appendix 9, Official Recognition of Scientology as a Religion (website accessed 04/13/06)
60. ^ Internal Revenue Service IRS tax-exempt religious and charitable organizations (website access 04/13/06)
61. ^ Frantz, Douglas The Shadowy Story Behind Scientology's Tax-Exempt Status The New York Times, March 9, 1997 (website accessed 4/10/06)
62. ^ Judge Barry Silverman MICHAEL SKLAR; MARLA SKLAR v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL No. 00-70753 (PDF format) United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Argued and Submitted September 7, 2001, Pasadena, California, Filed January 29, 2002
63. ^ High Court of Australia CHURCH OF THE NEW FAITH v. COMMISSIONER OF PAY-ROLL TAX (VICT.) 1983 154 CLR 120
64. ^ German federal labor court, finding on 22. March 1995 file number: 5 AZB 21/94
65. ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61650.htm
66. ^ http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/389a698dd0b48ecfc1256433004cd1d1?Opendocument
67. ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51554.htm
68. ^ http://www.scientologyreligion.org/news/pg106.html
69. ^ List of Registered Charities in the Republic of Ireland - from revenue.ie
70. ^ Planchar, Roland (July 2005). "Un impôt et deux religions de plus?". La Libre Belgique. Retrieved on 2006-07-23.
71. ^ Atack, Jon (1990). “Chapter Four - The Clearwater Hearings”, A Piece of Blue Sky. Lyle Stuart, 448. ISBN 0-8184-0499-X.
72. ^ Steven Girardi (9 May 1982). "Witnesses Tell of Break-ins, Conspiracy". Clearwater Sun: p. 1A.
73. ^ Prince, Jesse (1999). Affidavit of Jesse Prince. Estate of Lisa McPherson v. Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc., case no. 97-01235. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
74. ^ Report of the Board of Enquiry into Scientology (PDF format) by Kevin Victor Anderson, Q.C. Published 1965 by the State of Victoria, Australia, p155.
75. ^ a b Miller, Russell (1987). Bare-faced Messiah, The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard, First American Edition, New York: Henry Holt & Co. ISBN 0-8050-0654-0 pages = 140-142.
76. ^ http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/publikationen/verfassungsschutzbericht Report of the German federal Verfassungsschutz intelligence agency
77. ^ Administrative court of Cologne, finding on 11. November 2004, file number: 20 K 1882/03 http://www.justiz.nrw.de
78. ^ Upper administrative court of Saarland, finding on 29. March 2001, file number: 6 K 149/00
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* Church of Scientology official home page
* What is Scientology ? A description of Scientology and its activities and answers to FAQs
* What Religious Scholars Have to Say about the Scientology Religion Expertise presented on Portable Document Format (PDF)
* Links about Scientology on dmoz Open Directory Project
* Michel Snoeck on Scientology® and L. Ron Hubbard® - An Introduction or A word about ‘KSW’
* Official Church site about L. Ron Hubbard
* International Freezone Association
* Information on Changes within the Church
* Xenu TV - "Exposing Scientology Through Streaming Video"
* The Secrets of Scientology
* Scientology Lies
* Rick Ross Scientology Information
* Scientology at The Rotten Library
* "Inside Scientology", Rolling Stone; 02/23/06 - in-depth Rolling Stone article on Scientology
* Scientology - Through the Door Survey interviews of over 100 Scientologists and former Scientologists.
* Related Groups - List of groups related to the Scientology organization.
* Operation Clambake on Scientology Xenu.net