FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SCIENTOLOGY

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SCIENTOLOGY

What does the word Scientology mean?

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, however, is defined as the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life.

What is Scientology about?

Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and of one’s relationship with self, family, groups, mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being, or infinity.

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 comprises a body of knowledge which extends from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these are:

Man is an immortal spiritual being.

His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime.

His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.

Scientology further holds man to be basically good, and that his spiritual salvation depends upon himself and his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.

Scientology is not a dogmatic religion in which one is asked to believe anything on faith. An individual discovers for himself that Scientology works by applying its principles and observing or experiencing the results.

The ultimate goal of Scientology is true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for the individual.

How did Scientology start?

L. Ron Hubbard began his studies of the mind and spirit in 1923, resulting in a manuscript entitled “Excalibur” in 1938. It was in this unpublished work that the word “Scientology” first appeared to describe what Mr. Hubbard termed “the study of knowing how to know.” He decided against publishing the book, saying, “Excalibur did not contain any therapy of any kind but was simply a discussion of the composition of life.” And he added, “I decided to go further.”

The “going further” resulted in Dianetics, a subject which was, in fact, introduced into the much broader field of Scientology to provide some kind of “therapy” that could be easily utilized by the man in the street. Thus, in 1947, he wrote a manuscript detailing some of these discoveries.

It was not published at that time, but circulated among friends, who copied it and passed it on to others. (This manuscript was ultimately formally published in 1951 as Dianetics: The Original Thesis and later republished as The Dynamics of Life.)

As copies of the manuscript circulated, Mr. Hubbard began to receive a flood of letters requesting further information and more applications of his new subject. He soon found himself spending all his time answering letters and decided to write a comprehensive text on the subject.

He first published an article on the subject. “Terra Incognita: The Mind,” appeared in the Winter-Spring 1950 issue of the Explorers Club Journal. This was followed by the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, published in May 1950. It became a nationwide bestseller almost overnight. By late summer, people across the country were not only reading the book, but were also organizing their own 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 more than five decades after its initial publication. It continues to appear on bestseller lists around the world.

In the course of thousands of hours of Dianetics counseling on tens of thousands of individuals all over the country, it soon became apparent that many people audited on these procedures were coming into contact with incidents that seemed to occur in previous lives. Although certain officials in the Dianetics organizations attempted to suppress research into this phenomenon, L. Ron Hubbard refused to allow this. In his subsequent investigation, during which he asked himself the question of “Who was looking at these mental image pictures?” (a question raised in 1950 in Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health as a vital matter to resolve), Mr. Hubbard believed that it had to be something other than the mind itself. He came to the conclusion that it was man’s spiritual self that was doing so. Eventually, Mr. Hubbard confirmed that he was dealing with an individual who was a spirit inhabiting a body and using a mind, and that man had a fundamentally spiritual nature.

It was this discovery, in the fall of 1951, that completed the circle for Mr. Hubbard and brought him back to the broader subject of Scientology and what Dianetics had been addressing all along — the spirit. It was then that he publicly announced Scientology. As he put it, “I found out what was looking at the pictures. And described it. And found out that you could do things with it from a very practical standpoint that nobody had ever done before and found myself suddenly in the field of religion . . .”

In 1954 the first Church of Scientology was formed in Los Angeles by a group of Scientologists, and within a few years churches were formed across the country and around the world.

In the years that followed, L. Ron Hubbard completed his research into the spiritual nature of man. Today, all his writings on the subject are available to anyone who wishes to study Scientology. Although Mr. Hubbard departed his body in 1986, he is still with us in spirit and the legacy of his work continues to help people around the world realize their true spiritual nature.

Is it all based on one man’s work?

Although Dianetics and Scientology were discovered by L. Ron Hubbard, he wrote: “Acknowledgment is made to fifty thousand years of thinking men without whose speculations and observations the creation and construction of Dianetics would not have been possible. Credit in particular is due to:

“Anaxagoras, Thomas Paine, Aristotle, Thomas Jefferson, Socrates, René Descartes, Plato, James Clerk Maxwell, Euclid, Charcot, Lucretius, Herbert Spencer, Roger Bacon, William James, Francis Bacon, Sigmund Freud, Isaac Newton, van Leeuwenhoek, Cmdr. Joseph Thompson (MC) USN, William A. White, Voltaire, Will Durant, Count Alfred Korzybski, and my instructors in atomic and molecular phenomena, mathematics and the humanities at George Washington University and at Princeton.”

Why is Scientology called a religion?

Scientology certainly meets all three criteria generally used by religious scholars around the world to determine religiosity: (1) a belief in some Ultimate Reality, such as the Supreme or eternal truth that transcends the here and now of the secular world; (2) religious practices directed toward understanding, attaining or communing with this Ultimate Reality; and (3) a community of believers who join together in pursuing this Ultimate Reality.

Scientology’s beliefs in an Ultimate Reality that transcends the material world include its concepts of the thetan, the spiritual world (the seventh dynamic) and the Supreme Being (the eighth dynamic). The second element can be found in Scientology’s life-rite ceremonies such as naming, marriage and funeral services, but predominantly in the religious services of auditing and training, through which Scientologists increase their spiritual awareness of themselves and attain an understanding of the spiritual world and, ultimately, their relationship with the Supreme Being. As to the third element, a very vital community of believers can be found at any Church of Scientology at almost any time of the day.

Scientology is thus 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 scripture recognizes that there is an entire dynamic (urge or motivation in life) devoted to the Supreme Being (the eighth dynamic), and another dynamic that deals solely with one’s urge toward existence as a spirit (the seventh dynamic). Acknowledgment of these aspects of life is a traditional characteristic of religions.

Scientology holds in common with all great religions the dream of peace on Earth and salvation for man. What is new about Scientology is that it offers a precise path for bringing about spiritual improvement in the here and now and a way to accomplish it with absolute certainty.


Why is Scientology a church?

The word church comes from the Greek word kyrios meaning “lord” and the Indo-European base kewe, “to be strong.” Current meanings of the word include “a congregation,” “ecclesiastical power as distinguished from the secular” and “the clerical profession; clergy.”

The word church is not only used by Christian organizations. There were churches ten thousand years before there were Christians, and Christianity itself was a revolt against the established church. In modern usage, people speak of the Buddhist or Muslim church, referring in general to the whole body of believers in a particular religious teaching.

A church is simply a congregation of people who participate in common religious activities. Church is also used to refer to the building where members of a religious group gather to practice their religion and attain greater spiritual awareness and well-being.

In the 1950s, Scientologists recognized that L. Ron Hubbard’s technology and its results dealt directly with the freeing of the human spirit, and that greater spiritual awareness was routinely being achieved. There was no question in their minds that what they were dealing with was a religious practice; thus, in the early 1950s, they voted that a church be formed to better serve the spiritual needs of themselves and others who shared their belief. The first Church of Scientology was then incorporated in 1954.

Thus, Scientology is a religion and the use of the word church when referring to Scientology is correct.

Does Scientology have a scripture?

Yes. The writings and recorded spoken words of L. Ron Hubbard on the subject of Scientology collectively constitute the scripture of the religion. He set forth the Scientology theology and technologies in more than 500,000 pages of writings, including dozens of books and over 2,000 tape-recorded public lectures.

What is the Scientology cross?

It is an eight-pointed cross representing the eight parts or dynamics of life through which each individual is striving to survive. These parts are: the urge toward existence as self, as an individual; the urge to survive through creativity, including the family unit and the rearing of children; the urge to survive through a group of individuals or as a group; the urge toward survival through all mankind and as all mankind; the urge to survive as life forms and with the help of life forms such as animals, birds, insects, fish and vegetation; the urge to survive of the physical universe, by the physical universe itself and with the help of the physical universe and each one of its component parts; the urge to survive as spiritual beings or the urge for life itself to survive; the urge toward existence as infinity. To be able to live happily with respect to each of these spheres of existence is symbolized by the Scientology cross.

As a matter of interest, the cross as a symbol predates Christianity.

What does the Scientology symbol, the S and double triangle, represent?

The “S” stands for Scientology.

The lower triangle is called the ARC triangle (pronounced by the letters A, R, C); A for affinity, R for reality and C for communication. These three interdependent factors combined add up to understanding and are expressed as a triangle. ARC is a fundamental principle of the Scientology religion.

The first corner of the triangle is affinity, which is the degree of liking or affection for someone or something. Reality is the second corner and is, fundamentally, agreement. The third corner is communication, defined as the interchange of ideas between two people.

All three of these are interrelated. Without a degree of liking and some basis of agreement, there is no communication. Without communication and some basis for affinity, or emotional response, there can be no reality. Without some basis for agreement and communication, there can be no affinity. And when one corner of this triangle is improved, the other two corners are likewise improved.

The upper triangle is the KRC triangle. The points are K for knowledge, R for responsibility and C for control. Like the points of the ARC triangle, these three elements are interrelated. When one corner of the KRC triangle is raised, the other two also rise.

This symbol first appeared in 1952.

What religious holidays do Scientologists celebrate?

Scientologists celebrate several major holidays annually. These include the birthday of L. Ron Hubbard (March 13); the date marking the initial publication of Dianetics (May 9); Auditor’s Day, in honor of all auditors (second Sunday in September); and the anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Scientologists, which unites, supports and protects the Scientology religion and Scientologists throughout the world (October 7).

Additionally, Scientologists in particular geographic areas may observe their own significant dates, such as the founding of the church in their area. Members of the Church also observe traditional religious holidays such as Christmas.

Why does Scientology have ministers? How does one become a Scientology minister?

Like many other religions the Church of Scientology has ministers who minister Scientology religious services to its church parishioners. Only those who specifically enroll in and graduate from the Scientology Minister’s Course and its prerequisites and fulfill the requirements for ordination may become Scientology ministers. All Scientology auditors are required to become ordained ministers.

WHAT SCIENTOLOGY DOES FOR THE INDIVIDUAL
How does Scientology work?

The Scientology religion provides answers to many questions about life and death. It encompasses an exact, precisely mapped-out path. Through application of Scientology technology principles in an auditing session, a person is able to remove barriers and unwanted conditions and so become more himself. As a person progresses, he often reaches out to help others in the ways he has been helped.

In developing Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard found the means to develop a technology to free the human spirit and thereby allow man to really know himself. He thoroughly tested all of his procedures and recorded for future use those that proved most workable in bringing about uniformly predictable results. These comprise standard Scientology technology.

That which is real to the person himself is all one is asked to accept of Scientology. No beliefs are forced upon him. By training and processing, he finds out for himself the answers he is looking for in life.

What does Scientology accomplish?

Scientology stresses the application and workability of its principles and techniques. When properly practiced, Scientology enables one to develop in all aspects of life, both spiritual and temporal. It addresses the individual and brings about greater happiness, self-confidence and ability by increasing a person’s awareness and effectiveness in life. It differs from other religious philosophies in that it supplies the means through which a person can increase his ability to effectively resolve the problems and situations he and others face in life.

A fundamental premise of Scientology is that man is basically good and can improve conditions in his life. However, Scientology cannot promise to do anything by itself. Only the individual can bring about his own improvement by applying the teachings of Scientology to himself and those around him.

How do people get into Scientology?

Usually by word of mouth, often by reading a book or seeing promotional materials or visiting a Church of Scientology. Sometimes a person becomes interested by meeting a Scientologist and seeing that he has “something” — a positive attitude toward life, certainty, self-confidence and happiness — which they too would like to have. Fundamentally, people get into Scientology because they want to improve something in their lives or because they want to help others improve themselves and thus create a better civilization.

How does Scientology view marriage and the family?

Scientology regards the family as the building block of any society and marriage as an essential component of a stable family life.

People often find that after they begin practicing Scientology, their relationships with their spouses and other family members strengthen dramatically. That is because Scientology teaches an individual to communicate more freely with others, raises his capacity to love other people and puts him in better communication with family and friends.

Surveys have found that after participating in Scientology services, individuals are more likely to marry or stay married and to have children than before they became Scientologists.

How does the Church view relationships between a Scientologist and family members who are not Scientologists?

The Church encourages and helps its members to have excellent family relationships, whether or not their relatives are Scientologists. In fact, relationships between a Scientologist and the rest of his family routinely improve after he begins practicing Scientology because he has acquired the means to increase communication and address and resolve any problems that might have existed.

The Church goes to great lengths to reconcile family differences should a problem arise. For example, Scientology Chaplains will assist family members to come together and work to discover the real cause of their disagreements. Friends and family of Scientologists are always welcome to visit the Church, to meet other Scientologists and to have any questions they may have about Scientology answered. Regardless of whether the other family members choose to become Scientologists or not, Scientologists take deep pride in their record of resolving family problems and conflicts.

Is Scientology open to anyone?

Scientology is open to anyone who seeks spiritual betterment.

The materials that make up Scientology scripture are readily available at Churches of Scientology and public libraries throughout the world. Churches and missions are always open to the public and anyone can come in for a tour and personally see what the Church is all about.

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.

Is Scientology a secret society?

Not at all. One may go into a Scientology church at any time. Scientology scripture and other literature are readily available to anyone. There is no demand for one to withdraw from society when he begins Scientology; on the contrary, Scientologists are widely known for becoming very involved in life around them as they are eager to take responsibility for improving conditions.

SCIENTOLOGY AND OTHER PRACTICES

Is Scientology like hypnotism, meditation, psychotherapy or other mental therapies?

There is no resemblance. 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 man’s problems. In his book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, he wrote that he had found hypnotism and psychotherapy to be dangerous and impractical. Nearly all other methods of alleged mental science are based on principles that are quite the opposite of those used in Scientology. They treat man as a “thing” to be conditioned, not as a spiritual being who can find answers to life’s problems and who can improve enormously.

In what way does Scientology differ from other religions?

Nearly all religions share a belief in helping man live a better life. In Scientology, this concept is expressed as one of the aims of the Church, which is to achieve a world without insanity, war and crime.

While Scientology has much in common with other religions in this regard, particularly in terms of its basic religious concepts and its outreach into the community with social reform programs, the most valuable asset that Scientology has to offer is a wealth of technology which brings about greater spiritual awareness.

Unlike some religions which believe that man is intrinsically evil, Scientology believes man is basically good. The Scientology religion offers practical tools one can use to better oneself and others. Some religions offer salvation in the hereafter, while Scientology offers certainty of eternal salvation now.

Scientology makes it possible for any religion to attain its goals and is therefore a religion of religions.

Is Scientology a cult?

No. It is a religion in the fullest sense of the word.

“Cult” is usually meant in a disparaging sense to imply a secret or closed group with limited membership and mysterious beliefs. Religious scholars point out that the term has become almost meaningless, since its modern use reflects a growing prejudice against all religions. For example, a government report in Belgium labeled the Hasidic Jews and even the YWCA as “cults.” The French Parliament included Baptists on their list.

Religions that grow and endure do so to the degree that they assist people in their spiritual lives. To fulfill this role, the scripture of Scientology is fully codified, broadly published and available to anyone, and its churches and missions are always open to the public.

Scientology is unique in that it does not require or tell anyone to “believe” anything. Rather, Scientology believes every individual should think for himself. In Scientology, what is true for the individual is only what he has observed personally and knows is true for him. Scientology is not authoritarian, but offers a technology one can use and then decide whether it works for him.

SCIENTOLOGY BELIEFS

Is man a spirit?

Yes. A short exercise can quickly answer this for anyone: If you have someone close their eyes and get a picture of a cat, they will get a mental image picture of a cat. But who exactly is looking at that picture in the mind? The answer, of course, is the human spirit itself. In Scientology we call the spirit a thetan, from the Greek letter theta, meaning thought or life or the spirit.

How does one know that he is a spirit?

It is a matter that each individual must examine for himself. Scientologists believe man is more than a mind and body and that it is he, himself, the spirit, who can control the mind and the body.

Do you think your body would do anything by itself if it were not guided by you, the being?

Does Scientology have a concept of God?

Most definitely. Scientology affirms the existence of a Supreme Being, although its dogma is unique and does not include the worship of one. Scientology believes that only through total spiritual enlightenment can one then truly discover and understand the Supreme Being.

Can’t God be the only one to help man?

Scientologists take the maxim quite to heart that God helps those who help themselves. They believe that each person has the answers to the mysteries of life; all he requires is awareness of these answers, and this is what Scientology helps him achieve. Man is accustomed to asking for pat answers. Scientology requires that the person think for himself and thus help himself become more understanding, able, happy and healthy.

Does Scientology believe in brotherly love?

Yes, and perhaps goes a step further. L. Ron Hubbard wrote that “To love is the road to strength. To love in spite of all is the secret of greatness. And may very well be the greatest secret in this universe.”

Why do Scientologists want to help people?

For several reasons. First, because Scientologists themselves have been helped enormously — and they want others to share the same successes. Second, Scientologists understand that life is not lived alone. An individual has more than just one dynamic (the urge to survive as self). He wants to help his family, his groups, mankind itself and living things survive better.

Does Scientology recognize good and evil?

Yes, in Scientology, a very clear distinction is made between good and evil. Those actions which enhance survival on the majority of the eight aspects or dynamics of life are good, and those which destroy or deny these aspects of life are evil. Scientologists strive to make decisions that will enhance the majority of these dynamics of life.

Good may be defined as constructive. Evil may be defined as destructive.

Does Scientology believe man is sinful?

A fundamental tenet of Scientology is that man is basically good but has become “aberrated” (capable of erring or departing from rational thought or behavior) through spending many lifetimes in the physical universe and therefore commits harmful acts or sins. These acts further reduce his awareness and potential power as a spiritual being.

Through Scientology he can confront his actions, erase the ignorance and aberration which surrounds them, and come to know and experience truth again.

All religions seek truth. Freedom of the spirit is only to be found on the road to truth.

Sin is composed, according to Scientology, of lies and hidden actions and is therefore untruth.

Will Scientology put one in control of his mind?

Yes. As man is a spiritual being, quite separate from his mind and his body, Scientology will help him achieve a far better command over his mind, just as it helps him to control in an intelligent way all aspects of his life.

Is Scientology about the mind?

No. Scientology is about the individual himself as a spiritual being separate and distinct from the mind.

Does Scientology believe in mind over matter?

In practicing Scientology you address yourself — not your mind, not your body, but you.

Scientologists have found that the spirit is potentially superior to material things, and that the spirit, i.e., you, if cleansed of past traumas, transgressions and aberrations, can make miraculous changes in the physical universe that would not otherwise be possible.

Does Scientology believe one can exist outside of the body?

Before entering Scientology many people experience the feeling of looking down on one’s body, but they do not understand what is happening. Once they have achieved greater spiritual awareness through Scientology auditing and training they find that this experience becomes nothing out of the ordinary. Scientology believes that man is not his body, his mind or his brain. He, a spiritual force, energizes the physical body.

Scientology proved, for the first time, that man was a spiritual being, not an animal.

Does Scientology believe in reincarnation or past lives?

Reincarnation is a definite system and is not part of Scientology. It is a fact that unless one begins to handle aberrations built up in past lives, he doesn’t progress.

The common definition of reincarnation has been altered from its original meaning. The word has come to mean “to be born again in different life forms” whereas its actual definition is “to be born again into the flesh or into another body.” Scientology ascribes to this latter, original definition of reincarnation.

Today in Scientology, many people have certainty that they have lived lives prior to their current one. These are referred to as past lives, not as reincarnation.

Past lives is not a dogma in Scientology, but generally Scientologists, during their auditing, experience a past life and then know for themselves that they have lived before.

To believe one had a physical or other existence prior to the identity of the current body is not a new concept — but it is an exciting one.

In Scientology, you are given the tools to handle upsets and aberrations from past lives that adversely affect you in present time, thus freeing you to live a much happier life.

Does Scientology believe in charity and welfare?

It does. However, Scientologists also believe in the principle that some form of exchange is necessary in any relationship. If a person only receives and never gives, he will lose his own self-respect and become an unhappy person. Therefore, Scientology-sponsored charity programs often encourage those receiving the charity to make their own contribution in exchange by personally helping others who are in need. Such contributions enable one to receive help and yet maintain his self-respect.

Does Scientology hold any political views?

Scientology is nonpolitical and does not engage in any political activity whatsoever. By its creed, “All men have inalienable rights to conceive, choose, assist or support their own organizations, churches and governments.” Scientologists are free to hold their own political views, vote for the candidates of their choice, etc., and are not given direction from the Church as to what position to take on political issues or candidates. The Church believes there should be a complete separation of church and state.

Can children participate in Scientology? How?
Yes, many children do and there are no age restrictions as to who can participate in Scientology auditing or training. Some Scientology churches conduct courses and study programs specifically designed for young people. Children below the age of majority must first obtain written consent from their parents or guardian to participate in Scientology services. Like adherents of other religions, Scientologists are very proud when their children join them in the practice of their religion.

What does Scientology say about the raising of children?

L. Ron Hubbard has written a great deal about raising children. In Scientology, children are recognized as people who should be given all the respect and love granted adults.

Scientologists believe children should be encouraged to contribute to family life and not just be “seen and not heard” as the old saying goes. Children are spiritual beings, and as such they need to exchange with those around them in order to thrive and live productive, happy lives. For more information on raising children, the book Child Dianetics and the course “How to be a Successful Parent” are recommended reading.

Most children raised in good Scientology homes are above average in ability and quickly begin to understand how and why people act as they do. Life thus becomes a lot happier and safer for them.

Can one make up his own mind about Scientology?

One can and indeed one should. Scientology enables a person to think for himself. There is no purpose served in practicing or studying Scientology because someone else wants him to. But if a person has taken a good look at his life and has decided that he wants to make it better, the best thing is to start and find out for himself what Scientology can do for him. One should read one of the basic books by L. Ron Hubbard, such as Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, or Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought.

What is real in Scientology for you is what you find in it that is real for you.

© 2007. CofS Mission of Elk Grove. All Rights Reserved. Scientology is a trademark and service mark owned by Religious Technology Center and is used with its permission