Bible Class Curricula - Denominational Doctrines (Part 2) - Lesson #5 - The Church of Scientology

  1. History of Scientology
  1. When did this movement start? The Church of Scientology was founded in December 1953. 1
  1. Where did it start? New Jersey
  1. Where is the official headquarters? Today, the worldwide headquarters of the Church of Scientology is located in Clearwater, Florida. 2
  1. Who founded this movement? The movement began with L. Ron Hubbard, an American pulp-fiction and science-fiction writer and founder of Scientology and Dianetics. 3
  1. What is Scientology? The official statement from the Church of Scientology is,

Scientology is the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life. The Scientology religion comprises a body of knowledge extending from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these: Man is an immortal, spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized—and those capabilities can be realized. He is able to not only solve his own problems, accomplish his goals and gain lasting happiness but also achieve new, higher states of awareness and ability. In Scientology, no one is asked to accept anything as belief or on faith. That which is true for you is what you have observed to be true. An individual discovers for himself that Scientology works by personally applying its principles and observing or experiencing results. Through Scientology, people all over the world are achieving the long-sought goal of true spiritual release and freedom. 4

  1. What is their authority?
  2. There are two books written by L. Ron Hubbard that have become the “Bibles” of Scientology. The first is Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. This book is treated as if it were a holy scripture by Scientologists. They treat it as if it is the cornerstone of their church, their religion, and what they consider to be their science. The second book (also by Hubbard) is The Scientology Handbook. [Please understand that this religion is not based on the Bible.]
  3. Shocking Statements and Lies of L. Ron Hubbard
  4. “MAKE MONEY. MAKE MORE MONEY. MAKE OTHER PEOPLE PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MORE MONEY.” 5“If attacked on some vulnerable point by anyone or anything or any organization, always find or manufacture enough threat against them to cause them to sue for peace.” 6
  5. “In all the broad Universe there is no other hope for Man than ourselves.” 7
  6. “I’m drinking lots of rum and popping pinks and greys.” 8 “THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN CONTROL PEOPLE IS TO LIE TO THEM. You can write that down in your book in great big letters. The only way you can control anybody is to lie to them.” 9
  7. “I’d like to start a religion. That’s where the money is.” 10
  8. “Scientology is the only specific (cure) for radiation (atomic bomb) burns.” 11

 

  1. Scientology and Christianity Are Incompatible!
  2. Concerning God, Scientologists take a panentheistic approach. That is, they believe that all finite entities are “within” (but not identical to) God. Scientology leaves God to be very am biguous and open to discovery by each participant. God is not really relevant to their religion. 12
  3. The Bible makes it abundantly clear as to Who God is and what He is like (Genesis 1-2; John 1:1-4; Hebrews 6:18; Malachi 3:6).
  4. Scientology presents the nature of man in a very awkward way. Scientologists say, “Apparently, trillions of years ago thetans became bored, so they emanated mental universes to play in and amuse themselves. Soon, however, they became more and more entranced in their own creation until they were so conditioned by the manifestations of their own thought processes that they lost all awareness of their true identity and spiritual nature.” 13
  1. The Bible teaches us that man was created in the image of God, and that he was cast from the Garden of Eden because of his sin (Genesis 1:26; 3:1ff.). We also learn that each of us has to deal with the sin problem, not because we inherit sin, but because of the individual choice each of us makes to sin (Romans 5:12; 3:23; Ezekiel 18:4, 20ff.).
  2. What you are about to read below may well be one of the oddest accounts of Creation ever told. If it were not so serious, it would be laughable. The Scientology account of Creation suggests:

Seventy-five million years ago, Xenu was the ruler of a Galactic Confederacy which consisted of 26 stars and 76 planets including Earth, which was then known as Teegeeack. The planets were overpopulated, each having on average 178 billion people. The Galactic Confederacy’s civilization was comparable to our own, with people “walking around in clothes which looked very remarkably like the clothes they wear this very minute” and using cars, trains and boats looking exactly the same as those “circa 1950, 1960” on Earth. Xenu was about to be deposed from power, so he devised a plot to eliminate the excess population from his dominions. With the assistance of “renegades,” he defeated the populace and the “Loyal Officers,” a force for good that was opposed to Xenu. Then, with the assistance of psychiatrists, he summoned billions of people to paralyze them with injections of alcohol and glycol, under the pretense that they were being called for “income tax inspections.” The kidnapped populace was loaded into space planes for transport to the site of extermination, the planet of Teegeeack (Earth). The space planes were exact copies of Douglas DC-8s, “except the DC-8 had fans, propellers on it and the space plane didn’t.” DC-8s have jet engines, not propellers, although Hubbard may have meant the turbine fans. When the space planes had reached Teegeeack/Earth, the paralyzed people were unloaded and stacked around the bases of volcanoes across the planet. Hydrogen bombs were lowered into the volcanoes, and all were detonated simultaneously. Only a few people’s physical bodies survived. 14

  1. The biblical account of Creation is laid out very plainly in Genesis 1-2.
  1. Salvation for a Scientologist is not at all like the salvation we think of today. Scientologists believe as follows:

This pitiful thetan slavery to MEST (matter, energy, space, time) and his own conditioned ignorance continued for millennia until L. Ron Hubbard discovered the secret nature of humankind and pioneered a solution to the thetan’s misery by developing a universal plan of salvation. Through Scientology auditing, engrams may be neutralized and the thetan made increasingly self-aware or “enlightened.” By various techniques, a practical methodology was developed to enable the initiate to recognize his (or her) spiritual existence, to separate from the MEST body, and to begin to exert mental control over the MEST universe. In other words, the initiate may eventually achieve a state of “clear” and then, by progressing through numerous levels of “Operating Thetan” (“OT”), increasingly achieve self-realization. (An “Operating Thetan” is one who is more and more aware of and “operating” according to his true thetan abilities.) 15

  1. For the Christian, the salvation we experience is salvation from the bondage and death that sin brings into our lives (Genesis 3:1-15; Romans 6:23; Matthew 25:46; Romans 6: 16ff.; Hebrews 9: 27).

 

Study Questions for the Church of Scientology

  1. Discuss the origin of this movement. Compare your answers with the New Testament pattern for the church.In your own words, what is ScientologyIs Scientology a Bible-based religion?
  2.  
  3. After reading some of the lies and shocking statements of L. Ron Hubbard, do you believe his motives in starting a new religion were pure? Is this the kind of religion you would expect from a pulp fiction writer?
  4. Is God relevant to Scientology? What do they believe God is?
  5. Explain the origin of man according to Scientology?
  6. The Scientology account of creation, is to the say the least, very odd. Does this sound like something about religion or something out of a Sci-Fi television show?
  7. For Scientologists, Salvation is an escape form MEST. What is MEST?
  8. Why do you think Scientology is becoming more popular in today’s world?Why are movie stars and Hollywood celebrities attracted to this type of religion?
  9. Why are movie stars and Hollywood celebrities attracted to this type of religion?
  10. Does this type of religion condemn immoral practices?
  11. How would you convert someone out of Scientology?

References

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Scientology#_note-Blue_Sky.

2 Ibid.

3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Ron_Hubbard.

4 http://www.scientology.org/.

5 L. Ron Hubbard, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 9 March 1972, MS OEC 384.

6 L. Ron Hubbard, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 15 August 1960, Department of Government Affairs.

7 L. Ron Hubbard, “Ron’s Journal,” 1967.

8 L. Ron Hubbard, in a 1967 letter to his wife (written during the period when he was creating Scientology’s secret “upper levels”). Bent Corydon and L. Ron Hubbard Jr. (a.k.a. Ronald DeWolf), 1989, L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?, Random House, New York.

9 L. Ron Hubbard, “Off the Time Track,” lecture of June 1952, excerpted in Journal of Scientology, issue 18-G, reprinted in Technical Volumes of Dianetics and Scientology, vol. 1, p. 418.

10 L. Ron Hubbard to Lloyd Eshbach, in 1949; quoted by Eshbach in Over My Shoulder: Reflections on a Science Fiction Era, 1983, Donald M. Grant Publisher.

11 L. Ron Hubbard, All About Radiation, p. 109.

12 John Weldon, 1993, “From Science Fiction to Space-Age Religion,” Christian Research Institute Journal, Elliot Miller, editor, summer.

13 L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology: A History of Man, 1961, Sussex, England, L. Ron Hubbard Communications Office, 12-76.

14 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenu. The story of Xenu is covered in OT III, part of Scientology’s secret “Advanced Technology” doctrines taught only to advanced members. It is described in more detail in the accompanying confidential “Assists” lecture of 3 October 1968, and is dramatized in Revolt in the Stars (an unpublished screenplay written by L Ron Hubbard during the late 1970s).

15 http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/cri/cri-jrnl/web/crj0155a.html, John Weldon, “From Science Fiction to Space-Age Religion,” 1993, Christian Research Institute Journal, Elliot Miller, editor, summer.

 
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Curricula, Bible Study, DenominationJoey Ferrell