What is Scientology?
The word Scientology, conceived by L. Ron Hubbard, comes from the Latin scio which means “know” or “distinguish,” and from the Greek word logos which means “reason itself” or “inward thought.” Thus it means the study of wisdom or knowledge. It means knowing how to know. Scientology is defined as the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life.
What are the Aims of Scientology?
“A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights.”
What is it all about?
Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to an understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and of one’s relationship with self, family, groups, humanity, all life forms, everything material, everything spiritual and the Supreme Being.
Scientology addresses the spirit — not simply the body or mind — and believes that man is far more than a product of his environment or his genes.
Scientology is a body of knowledge, which is based on certain fundamental truths.
Prime among these are:
- Man is an immortal spiritual being.
- His experience extends well beyond one lifetime.
- His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.
In what way is Scientology a religion?
Scientology is a religion in the most traditional sense of the term. Scientology helps man become more aware of God, more aware of his own spiritual nature and that of those around him. Scientology holds in common with many religions the dream of peace on Earth and salvation for humanity. What is new about Scientology is that it offers a precise path for bringing about spiritual improvement in one’s life in the here and now and a way to accomplish it with certainty.
Does one have to change one’s religion to be a Scientologist?
No. Scientology doesn’t require that anyone convert. Indeed Scientology can compliment one’s existing religion. Scientologists include Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and those with no other religion. Having two religions in quite common in the Far East.
How is Scientology a church?
A church is simply a congregation of people who participate in common religious activities. There were churches ten thousand years before there were Christians, and Christianity itself was a revolt against the established church. Since Scientology is a religion, the use of the word church when referring to Scientology is correct.
What is the Scientology cross?
It is an eight-pointed cross representing eight parts of life through which each individual is striving to survive. As a matter of interest, the cross as a symbol predates Christianity.
What is Scientology’s concept of God?
Scientology teaches that the Supreme Being exists and that it has the attribute of infinity. It is basic Scientology teaching that each individual must come to their own understanding of what the Supreme Being is. Thus there are many different concepts of God held by individual Scientologists.
How does Scientology regard other religions?
Scientology greatly respects all other religions in their quest for the spiritual salvation of humankind. Scientology encourages trust, dialogue, understanding and tolerance between all religions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How did Dianetics start?
Dianetics technology was developed by renowned American author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard.
L. Ron Hubbard began his study of the mind in 1923. Through his extensive travels, study of the many cultures around the world and scientific research, he developed and tested man’s fully workable technology of the mind.
In 1950, Mr Hubbard wrote Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, a comprehensive work detailing his discoveries and techiques and the first and only definitive manual of the mind.
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health became a nationwide bestseller almost overnight. By late summer, 1950, people across America were not only reading the book, but were also organising groups for the purpose of applying Dianetics techniques. The book has remained a bestseller ever since, becoming number one on The New York Times bestseller list almost four decades after its initial publication. It continues to appear on bestseller lists around the world.
What is the significance of the Dianetics Symbol?
The Dianetics cymbol uses the Greek letter Delta as its basic form. The stripes are green for growth and yellow for life. The four green stripes represent the four subdivisions of life which are delineated in Dianetics
.
The mind is basically a communication and control system between the person and their environment. It is composed of mental image pictures, which are recordings of past experiences. The individual uses their mind to pose and solve problems related to survival and to direct their efforts according to these solutions.
The reactive mind is the portion of a person’s mind which works on a totally stimulus-response basis, which is not under their volitional (willing) control, and which exerts force and the power of command over their awareness, purposes, thoughts, body and actions.
Can Dianetics Technology help me overcome feelings of grief and loss?
Yes. The source of any negative emotion, attitude or feeling is fully revealed in Dianetics. The causes of a person’s feelings of grief or loss are buried in the person’s reactive mind, able to influence and control the person.
Dianetics technology guides a person through his or her reactive mindto locate – and permanently eradicate – the actual source of the upset. With the cause of the upset handled, the person is once more able to live a happy, healthy life.
A Clear is a person who no longer has his own reactive mind, and therefore suffers none of the ill effects his own reactive mind can cause.
Can I receive Dianetics Auditing from a Professional Dianetics Auditor?
Yes absolutely. Simply drop in to the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation at 64 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1 or call us on 01 8720007 and we will arrange for a Free Introductory Dianetics session with one of our fully-trained, experienced professional Dianetics Auditors.
What will Dianetics do for me?
Dianetics technology will take you on the greatest adventure of your life, a voyage into your mind and the discovery of your true potentials.
Dianetics will help you understand your mind, what it is composed of and how it works. You’ll discover how the reactive mind influences your life.
By applying Dianetics technology you can get rid of your reactive mind.
Different people experience different benefits from Dianetics technology. Some of the benefits Dianetics users report unclude:
- More self-confidence
- Better job satisfaction
- Increased energy level
- Improved perceptions
- Increased happiness
- Less accidents
- Reduction in stress and anxiety
- Higher Intelligence
- Faster reaction time
- Better relationships with others
I’ve heard that Scientologists are doing good things for society. What are some examples?
- Applied Scholastics (www.appliedscholastics.org)
Improving literacy skills for millions. - Criminon Criminal Reform (www.criminon.org)
Criminal reform programme used in over 1,000 prisons worldwide. - Drug Education (www.drugfreeworld.org)
Providing the truth about the dangers of drugs. - Narconon Drug Rehab (www.narconon.org)
The world’s leading drug rehab programme. - The Way to Happiness (www.twth.org)
A non-religious moral code with over 60 million copies now distributed. - Youth for Human Rights International (www.youthforhumanrights.org)
Promoting the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights.
Why do some people oppose Scientology?
There are certain characteristics and mental attitudes that cause a percentage of the population to oppose any betterment activity or group. This small percentage of society (2.5%) cannot tolerate that Scientology is successful at improving conditions around the world. Every positive development in society has been opposed at some time.
Like all new ideas, Scientology has come under attack by the uninformed and those who feel their vested interests are threatened. For those vested interests, Scientology’s technology of making the able more able and teaching people to think for themselves poses a serious threat.
Why is Scientology opposed to psychiatry?
Scientologists disagree with the enforced and harmful psychiatric practices of brain operations, electric shock treatment, forced and heavy drugging and other damaging abuse.
Scientologists do not believe that psychiatrists should tell their patients what they think is wrong with them. Scientologists believe that persons should find out for themselves the source of their troubles, since this gives the person the ability to improve conditions in their own life and environment. Such responsibility is empowering.
Scientology is a religion and recognizes that man is a spiritual being. Psychiatrists view man as an animal.
What is a ‘Silent Birth’?
Silent birth simply means a birth experience that is as quiet and calm as possible—the best thing for the well-being of the mother and baby. It is a widely-accepted fact that bringing a baby into the world in a calm and gentle environment is vital to the happiness and health of the child. More information can be found at www.silentbirth.org.
Where can I read more detailed information about Dianetics and Scientology?
For more detailed information about Dianetics and Scientology, please click here.