Frequently Asked Questions (continued)
Is Scientology open to all?
Yes, Scientology is open to all of good will. Anyone is welcome to go into a Scientology church at any time. Scientology books and lectures are readily available to anyone. In addition, Scientology has very extensive internet sites, all accessible from the main sites at www.scientology.org and www.scientologytoday.org.
Scientology is new and different and like anything new, can be sometimes misunderstood. When Christianity started it was viewed as a “cult” because it was new. Scientology is unique in that it does not require or tell anyone to “believe” anything. Rather, Scientology teaches that every person should think for himself or herself and should take responsibility for their own actions.
What are Scientologists like?
Scientologists come from all walks of life, and range from teachers to businessmen and women, doctors, housewives, attorneys, engineers, nurses, construction workers, celebrities, marketing and administrative personnel, secretaries, athletes, civil servants and others.
How big is Scientology?
Since it began in 1954, Scientology has grown to over 9 million members in165 countries with 8,000 organisations and affiliated groups—doubling the number in the last five years. Current demand for L. Ron Hubbard’s books and lectures on Dianetics and Scientology has outstripped the last five decades combined, approaching 70 million distributed in the last two years. All the while the Church’s ever growing humanitarian programs in the fields of anti-drug, human rights, morals education and disaster relief have positively impacted hundreds of millions of lives.
How does one practice Scientology?
One participates in Scientology courses with the help pf a Supervisor in a courseroom. One can also receive one-to-one spiritual counseling delivered by a trained Dianetics or Scientology practitioner called an auditor, meaning “one who listens”. In addition one can study the books and lectures of L. Ron Hubbard at home in one’s own time.
Is Scientology like hypnotism, psychotherapy or other mental therapies?
There is no resemblance whatsoever. In fact, it was as a result of L. Ron Hubbard’s investigation of hypnotism and many other mental practices that he saw the need for practical answers to people’s problems. Mr Hubbard also wished to be able to undo dangerous psychiatric practices including mind control and brainwashing. These alleged mental therapies don’t work because they treat man as an animal “to be conditioned”. Scientology is truly workable because it recognizes that man is a spiritual being who is basically good and can find answers to life’s problems and can improve enormously. Factually, Dianetics and Scientology free people to think for themselves.
Do Scientology courses really work?
Yes, according to hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have benefited enormously from them.
Is one a spirit?
Yes. Here’s a short exercise anyone can do and decide for themselves. Have someone close their eyes and get a picture of a cat. They will get a mental image picture of a cat. Ask them: “Who exactly is looking at that picture in the mind?” The answer, of course, is the human spirit (the person themselves). In Scientology we call
the spirit a thetan, from the Greek letter theta, meaning “thought“ or “life” or “the spirit”.
What is Dianetics?
The word Dianetics comes from the Greek dia, meaning “though” and nous, meaning “soul”, and is defined as “what the soul is doing to the body.”
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.