Scientology, a brief analysis.

This essay explores scientology’s roots, founder, practices and those who are a part of the movement. Numerous sources have be drawn upon such as, writing both from an insider and outsider perspective, as well as accounts from those who have broken away from Scientology.

A note to be made however is that while conducting my research for this essay it seemed necessary to try to acquire some information from the scientologist’ perspective. The first port of call for this was on the official scientology website, where I became bombarded with advertisements for books and leaflets which I could have applied to have had sent to me in order to gain more of an ‘insiders’ perspective of scientology. As valuable as this information seemed, I could not help but feel vigilant toward this organisation. This is likely to be due to the negative publicity that the movement has had publicised within the press. And this has had an ‘a priori’ impact upon my understanding of the movement, for this I would partially apologise, however I have presented my doubts within this essay. So this essay will aim to look objectively at scientology and assess if the negativity which surrounds scientology is justified.

The final point of exploration will also be to assess whether or not Scientology is a new religious movement or the ‘sinister cult’ which some have chosen to label it.

Introduction

’The author of the Scientology scripture’ (SO, 2009)

This is an extract from his official online biography, a biography that seeks to glorify the life and works of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Scientology movement, and secure his place in history as a 20^th century messiah (a term which is used (partially) to describe Hubbard in B. Corydon’s book ‘Messiah or Madman?’).

This glorified image of Hubbard and his manufactured faith which spawned from his works has not been received well by all. Some have gone as far as to refer to scientology as ‘a sinister cult’, something an organisation that is to be viewed with a great deal of suspicion.

At first sight Scientology may appear to be nothing more than a harmless belief system, one which was created by an eccentric man with an incredible imagination. The 20^th and 21^st centuries have allowed these perspectives of religion to be acceptable, as people possess a great deal of religious freedoms. One such example of this form of faith is the religion that was adapted from the Star Wars films called Jedi. However the success of this faith demonstrates that you can clearly gain validity through adherents as opposed to any theological backing. So faiths that have a science fiction origin are nothing unheard of. However Scientology was thrusted into the spotlight and aroused people’s suspicions by its founder L. Ron Hubbard who had a habit of making statements, which to many appeared extreme.

Also if we are to grant scientology the title of ‘world religion’ is this at all justified? Or is it in fact, as some have suggested a mere concoction of what time has shown to be some of the more desirable aspects of world faiths.

‘Scientology, a whole religion that is unquestionably the deliberately designed brainchild of a single author L. Ron Hubbard, though of course he borrowed elements that had proved themselves in existing religions.’ (Dennett, 2007, p76-77)

And finally does this show that Hubbard was not looking for truth rather the money which can be earned off the back of founding a religious institution, as this popular quote by L. Ron Hubbard himself may appear to suggest? ‘Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion.’

Definition of a cult

In order to compile what could be considered a reasonable definition of a cult numerous sources must be drawn upon. The debate which surrounds the definition is almost as alive as the definition of the movement itself.

The term ‘cult’ is one which certainly would create a red mist if you were to describe scientology in such a way to a scientologist, as was demonstrated on the BBC programme Scientology and me, when a scientologist reacted in a hostile manner toward the interviewer when he expressed the concerns of some that Scientology may be considered a ‘sinister cult’. The negative connotations attached to the term are very clear. To refer to scientology as a cult is to suggest that the organisation has a negative and sinister foundation, something which the organisation has denied.

Those who subscribe to Scientology and it’s beliefs may feel hostile toward the term ‘cult’, however the term is one which appears to haunt the organisation as it can be found within many Scientology based books, such as Omar Garrisons book The hidden story of Scientology, Where he states;

‘Newspapers carry lengthy accounts purporting to show that a considerable number of people are being duped and their mental health undermined by a new ‘cult’ called Scientology.’ (Garrison, 1974, p16)

The religious status of Scientology has prompted a great deal of debate across the world. The status of Scientology thus differentiates between countries. Germany has made a point of keeping Scientology under a microscope as they view Scientology as having ‘anti-constitutional objectives.’

‘Since 1997 [Scientology has been] under observation from the federal office of the Verfassungsschutz. And Scientology members cannot (easily) hold public office.’ (Arweck, 2006, p5)

In contrast to the view held by the Verfassungsschutz, is that Scientology possesses a great deal more freedoms in America where the American First Amendment guarantees their right to believe however they wish to. These differing opinions make Scientology especially hard to label, as no definitive understanding of the organisation has yet been established.

‘In Germany for example, some authorities have declared Scientology a commercial enterprise and deprived it of its charitable status.’ (Woodhead, 2002, p281)

Scientology has however also managed to gain a great deal of credibility through celebrity endorsement. Such figures as Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Juliette Lewis have allowed Scientology to be frequently in the public sphere, for better or worse. It is for certain however that celebrity endorsement has elevated the status of Scientology and partially removed the veil which usually hides these organisations, causing people to view them with a suspicious eye.

From personal accounts which can be found scattered across the internet it is clear that Scientology has a sinister and threatening side, a side which even its adherents know of and feel threatened by. One such account is that of Kathryn a lady who wished to leave Scientology however feared for the safety of herself and those close to her.

‘Around New Years 1996, I realized that I had to tell my husband how I felt, even though it was a High Crime to tell another Scientologist about one's disaffection with Scientology. I also told him that I might not want to be a Scientologist any longer. He was visibly upset and very clear with me that that would be a problem for him. I knew that if I continued in my current direction, my marriage and children could be at risk. So I stopped talking about my feelings.’ (xenu, 2009)

One practice which is certainly sinister and damaging and has become strongly associated with Scientology is known as ‘fair game’, a system which sets out to discredit and attack those who speak against Scientology.

Cross-us, and it becomes Fair game

Fair game is a practice by which people who speak or act against the ‘Church of Scientology’ will be subjected to being followed and/or tracked, also that may have the church research into their lives and make public any embarrassing past the person may have as a way of discrediting the person. This of course is an extreme act and is one that the church insists is not practised (anymore).

‘The term does not appear in the scriptures of Scientology and has not existed since 1968. In fact, its only use since then is not by the Church at all, but by a handful of anti-Scientology apostates and their attorneys who have exploited it in efforts to generate anti-Scientology prejudice in the media or courtroom.’ (www.fairgamed.org, 2009)

This all sounds quite reasonable, almost as if the organisation has developed for the better since its creation. However these statements are very much contrary to what researchers have found. The BBC created a programme titled Scientology and me, which aimed to look at the organisation and assess its practices and members. What they found was far from what Scientologists say. Those who spoke against the organisation had all their personal information placed onto posters and displayed across their hometowns in a bid to embarrass and discredit the individual. Along with this those who spoke against were also under surveillance by the church and followed wherever they went.

‘Mrs. Emanuel has been engaged in a hate campaign against the Church of Scientology since about 1997 in a number of derogatory Internet postings against the Church and she maintains a web page through which she expresses her hatred and prejudice towards the Scientology religion and parishioners of Scientology. Due to the above we believe there exists a strong possibility that Mrs. Emanuel may be engaged in illegal conduct while using her position within the United States Post Office and believe an investigation is called for.’ (Fairgamed.org, 2009)

Above is a sample of an e-mail sent to the work of a person who had spoken out against Scientology. The email shows how the organization set out to make the life of this person difficult, going as far as to try to destroy her career.

These are far from the actions of a respectable and established religion. These appear to be the actions of a paranoid organisation; so insecure it sets out to destroy those who wish to voice their opinions.

What is Scientology?

Although this essay shall examine Scientology and its adherents in a great deal more detail, the terse definitions which L. Ron Hubbard himself gave are ones which give an insight into his vision and also shall act as a point for comparison between the vision of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology in the 21^st century.

‘Scientology is an applied Religious Philosophy. The term Scientology is taken from the Latin scio (known in the fullest sense of the word) and the Greek word logos (study of). In itself the word means ‘knowing how to know.’ (Hubbard, 1999, p7)

From this first definition you cannot help but notice the Hubbard describes Scientology as a ‘religious philosophy’ so he certainly believed the organisation to be something of profound significance, or at least something that he hoped would in time be viewed in such a way. This definition is however cleverly sculptured when we look at the language and the context of times in which this was written.

Post world war Britain was a place where faiths were being questioned. The atrocities of the war had led people to question their faiths and look to other places for answers. This was coupled with the rise of science in the 20^th century. Scientific ideas and technology where growing at speeds never before experienced (this is a bitter sweet success as it is greatly due to the wars themselves, as technology flourishes in times of war, as countries race for power and control). So the use of the Latin term scio with its suggestive attachments to science and the rapid explosion of knowledge is a clever way of elevating the credibility of the movement and arousing interest (as misleading as this may be).

‘One religion that was intelligently designed, almost in its entirety, is Scientology.’ (Dawkins, 2006, p234)

The long-term survival of Scientology owes a great deal to the writing skills of Hubbard as his ‘credibility through language’ serves as a catalyst to anybody who wishes to become familiar with Scientology. However even the power of Hubbard’s originality in ideas and writing has come into question.

‘[They] probably never knew that the phrase [phrase being ‘If you want to make a million… The quickest way is start you own religion] appears twice in Shakespeare and twice in Keats, but they knew all about Star Trek and were obsessed with it. The language of their website is a preposterous caricature of misunderstood science, laced with bad romantic poetry.’ (Dawkins, 2006, p28)

Hubbard’s second definition appears to say as much about the man himself as it does the organisation.

‘Scientology is further defined as the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life.’ (Hubbard, 1999, p7)

An Introduction to L. Ron Hubbard

The founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard’s life is one which is shrouded in mystery. He is believed to have been born in 1911 at Tilden, Nebraska. As a child Hubbard was able to spend vacations with his father who was an officer with the US navy. He lived in Washington DC with his grandfather, and attended George Washington University.

From this point on the life of L. Ron Hubbard becomes one which is not verified and is difficult to trace. It is believed he lived a very mobile life.

Among the occupations in which he is reported to have been engaged during this period, are pilot, US Marine, radio entertainer, scriptwriter and explorer. Hubbard was also a prolific writer of pulp magazine adventure, phantasy, and science fiction stories and novels in the same genres. (Wallis, 1976, p21)

The fact people struggled to trace Hubbard’s early life was something that he used to his advantage. This lack of information gave him the freedom to re-write his own past and colour it how he wished, creating an incredible life, fit for a ‘20^th century messiah’.

‘As a young boy he learned much about survival in the rugged Far West–with what he called “its do-and-dare attitudes, its wry humor, cowboy pranks, and make-nothing of the worst and most dangerous.” Not only could he ride horses at the age of three and a half, but was soon able to rope and break broncos with the best of them.’ (aboutlronhubbard.org, 2009)

He took advantage of this and when asked about his past he would tell of how he was a great scientist, explorer and a war hero. These (as many of Hubbard’s lies) contained an element of truth. He served in the U.S. Navy until poor eyesight made this difficult. As a child he travelled with his father, however spent most of his time on his grandfather ranch, he was certainly well travelled however explorer is quite an exaggeration. And he certainly had an interest in Science, however was never what anyone would consider a scientist as he failed to get any qualifications in science. However creating a science-based history of himself was key to the success of his organisation as many of his products and ideas would have been discredited had it been known how poor an understanding he had of the sciences.

‘Theorizing that the world of subatomic particles might possibly provide a clue to the human thought process, he enrolled in one of the first nuclear physics courses taught in the United States. Moreover, he was concerned for the safety of the world, recognizing that if man were to handle the atom sanely for the greatest benefit, he would first have to learn to handle himself. His aim, then, was to synthesize and test all knowledge for what was observable, workable and could truly help solve man’s problems. And to that end, he set out to determine precisely how the mind functioned.’ (aboutlronhubbard.org, 2009)

It would appear that even the life of L. Ron Hubbard is a fabricated story, created purely for the purpose of furthering Scientology, demonstrating that Hubbard’s financial incentive to create a religion was not only a mere aspect but an ultimate goal.

The scripture of Scientology

In 1950 Hubbard published his self-help book entitled Dianetics, this would become the foundational text of Scientology. This book was not a highly financed piece; published by a small New York publisher what later became an incredible, worldwide success had very modest beginnings. The word Dianetics is derived from the Greek dia meaning through, and nous meaning mind so ‘through the mind’.

‘Dianetics is an adventure, wrote Hubbard’ in a brief foreword to his work. ‘It is an exploration into terra incognita, the human mind, that vast and hitherto unknown realm an inch back of our foreheads.’ (Garrison, 1974, p20)

Scientologist’ insist that dianetics can help with psychological well-being. The website which is devoted to dianetics states that,

‘Dianetics is a methodology which can help alleviate unwanted sensations and emotions, irrational fears and psychosomatic illnesses (illnesses caused or aggravated by mental stress). It is most accurately described as what the soul is doing to the body through the mind.’ (www.dianetics.org, 2009)

This sounds like a very promising practice and test have shown that religious practices can help with overall wellbeing e.g. prayer. However one of the key barriers between Scientology as an organisation and/or a cult and Scientology as a world religion is that tests which have been conducted have shown no benefits to dianetics, and so have denied Scientology religious status.

Foundational Beliefs

This is where scientology reflects the imagination of its creator. It seems to be beyond doubt that the origin story of Scientology has more in common with the works of science fiction writers rather than any major world faith.

‘Xenu, or Xemu, was, according to Scientology founder and science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, the dictator of the "Galactic Confederacy" who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of his people to Earth in DC-8-like spacecraft, stacked them around volcanoes and killed them using hydrogen bombs. Scientology holds that the essences of these many people remained, and that they form around people in modern times, causing them spiritual harm. Members of the Church of Scientology widely deny or try to hide the Xenu story.’ (Wiki, 2009)

Although this story is a reflection of Hubbards passion for sci-fi and his undisputable ability to create an amazing story. This ‘creation story’ is one which appears to bring shame even to Scientologists. This was demonstrated in the BBC documentary ‘Scientology and me’ as the interviewer asked a group of Scientologists their opinions of the Xenu story and each of them either refused to comment or just began to laugh.

Conclusion

Although it must be said Scientology has through the years taken a less extreme stance it is however still quite extreme in its practices. As negative a term as ‘cult’ is I believe Scientology has failed to move beyond this status. Practices such as ‘fair game’ are still very much alive and these practices are far from those that would be expected from a world religion.

Celebrity endorsement has certainly helped to give the organisation validity, however as was pointed out on many ‘anti-scientology’ websites it is understandable that celebrities would not wish to speak out against an organisation that could potentially destroy their careers and reputations.

This is however not necessarily something which will last. The fact that this is a new organisation and one which demands a great deal of faith is something which is bound to cause adherents to be protective, and although this is unacceptable, it is however something which once the religion has grown from its infancy and matured it may leave behind.