"No one was to explain Scientology. They were, instead, just to tell people to get a book and read it. Then Hubbard himself would explain it to him." - Jeff Hawkins, Ch. 3
The tenants of Scientology deal with the entirety of a man. Scientology's website provides several videos that explain the basic principles of the religion, which I will be summarizing and somewhat explaining here. One such video explains the Eight Dynamics of Scientology, the levels at which man is trying to achieve the highest level of survival as possible, called OT Levels. Put more clearly, man strives to have little to no outside threats to his life due to being omnisciently aware, and to attain a virtually stress-free existence.
Level 1: Self, surviving as an individual being.
Level 2: Creativity, which deals with the family unit, child-rearing, and anything related to making things for the future.
Level 3: Group, enduring as a group, in a group of individuals.
Level 4: Species, surving "through all mankind and as all mankind."
Level 5: Life Forms, the effort to survive of all forms, with the help of all forms, and as all forms.
Level 6: Physical universe, and the four components of its make-up: matter, energy, space, and time, each working together. These are collectively referred to as MEST, or mest.
Level 7: Spiritual. The urge for life itself to survive. It is only with the arrival at this level that one can finally be aware of
Level 8: Supreme Being or Creator and the existence of infinity, the "allness of all."
Scientology holds that man is not a body, but that the body is a tool to use, just as the mind is. Man, in their mind, is a being of consciousness, "that part of you that is aware of being aware." This is called a thetan, derived from the Greek letter theta, the symbol of which has historically been used to represent 'thought' or 'spirit'. The thetan is a separate entity from the body and mind, a man's life force or spirit. When disturbed, it or the source of disturbance is called "entheta," short for "enturbulated theta." This term is now used in reference to anything critical of Scientology.
Through the practice of auditing, the Reactive Mind can be eradicated from the thetan. Once this is achieved, the person reaches a state of "Clear." The journey towards "Clear" is called the "Bridge to Total Freedom." Once parishioners have achieved "Clear," they can thus live a happy fulfilling life without any psychoses, neuroses, compulsions, repressions, or psychosomatic (mind directly affecting the body) ills hindering them from formulating any computation or making the best possible decision in any given situation. Members who undergo this process are called Operating Thetans, or OTs.
Auditing is a fundamental practice of Scientology. The religion believes that a person can improve his (or her) condition only if he is allowed to discover trusths about himself. Auditing takes place at a Church of Scientology "org", short for organization, indicating the branches the Church has in different cities around the United States, and the world. It is the process of asking specifically-worded questions designed to diagnose areas of distress.
The auditor does not offer solutions or advice, but is trained to listen and help locate experiences in the subject's past that need to be addressed. Events not easily recalled by the subject are located by the auditor with the help of a device called an E-meter, short for Enturbulation meter. Situations that have negative feelings associated with them show up on the meter, and so the subject's efforts can be directed towards that area. Through auditing, one is able to look at past experiences that subconsciously hold them back against their will. This practice, preaches Scientology, offers practitioners the means to explore their pasts to find their own answers. The goal is to bring the individual from a condition of spiritual blindness to spiritual enlightenment and freedom. Auditing is a precise practice, regulated to every last detail by L. Ron Hubbard's many books and manuscripts.
Various beliefs of Scientology are claimed to be studied and proved scientifically by Hubbard in his research prior to writing Dianetics. Hubbard taught that man is basically good, and that it is the Reactive Mind that causes crime and irrational thinking and actions. He also taught that any and all problems that occur in an individual's life are merely distorted perceptions. By advancing through the OT levels to "Clear", Scientologists can use their minds to change a negative situation into their perceived positive reality. Essentially, Scientologists aspire to be eternal optimists, who think they can change reality with their minds.
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This is by no means a complete list of beliefs held by the religion, but hopefully it explains the basics enough. I will post more, but I encourage you to do your own research. Wikipedia is a good source, despite the stigma surrounding it, it has sourced information that I have found to be helpful for those who know next to nothing. It is actually where I began my research when I was first introduced to the existence of Scientology.
L. Ron Hubbard's book Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health, published in 1950, spent twenty-six weeks on the New York Times best seller list, and remains to this day the largest-selling book on the mind. Hubbard's book revealed the existence of the Reactive Mind, located about an inch and a half behind a person's forehead. According to Hubbard, this was the hidden source of nightmares, fears, upsets, and insecurity, which recalled early memories that subconsciously stimulated negative or irrational behaviors in the present. The term "enturbulation" was invented by L. Ron Hubbard to describe these afflictions, and any other outside disturbances that are believed to threaten the well-being of the religion or its members. (Scientologists who question Scientology are usually considered to be enturbulated.) Through treatment, the Reactive Mind could be eradicated from the body. Hubbard's treatment "technology," or tech, lead practitioners to the discovery of past lives, and further breakthroughs in Hubbard's practice lead to exterioration, or the separation of the spirit from the body in moments of severe painful recollections or extreme physical pain. The religion Scientology was born.
The tenants of Scientology deal with the entirety of a man. Scientology's website provides several videos that explain the basic principles of the religion, which I will be summarizing and somewhat explaining here. One such video explains the Eight Dynamics of Scientology, the levels at which man is trying to achieve the highest level of survival as possible, called OT Levels. Put more clearly, man strives to have little to no outside threats to his life due to being omnisciently aware, and to attain a virtually stress-free existence.
Level 1: Self, surviving as an individual being.
Level 2: Creativity, which deals with the family unit, child-rearing, and anything related to making things for the future.
Level 3: Group, enduring as a group, in a group of individuals.
Level 4: Species, surving "through all mankind and as all mankind."
Level 5: Life Forms, the effort to survive of all forms, with the help of all forms, and as all forms.
Level 6: Physical universe, and the four components of its make-up: matter, energy, space, and time, each working together. These are collectively referred to as MEST, or mest.
Level 7: Spiritual. The urge for life itself to survive. It is only with the arrival at this level that one can finally be aware of
Level 8: Supreme Being or Creator and the existence of infinity, the "allness of all."
Scientology holds that man is not a body, but that the body is a tool to use, just as the mind is. Man, in their mind, is a being of consciousness, "that part of you that is aware of being aware." This is called a thetan, derived from the Greek letter theta, the symbol of which has historically been used to represent 'thought' or 'spirit'. The thetan is a separate entity from the body and mind, a man's life force or spirit. When disturbed, it or the source of disturbance is called "entheta," short for "enturbulated theta." This term is now used in reference to anything critical of Scientology.
Through the practice of auditing, the Reactive Mind can be eradicated from the thetan. Once this is achieved, the person reaches a state of "Clear." The journey towards "Clear" is called the "Bridge to Total Freedom." Once parishioners have achieved "Clear," they can thus live a happy fulfilling life without any psychoses, neuroses, compulsions, repressions, or psychosomatic (mind directly affecting the body) ills hindering them from formulating any computation or making the best possible decision in any given situation. Members who undergo this process are called Operating Thetans, or OTs.
Auditing is a fundamental practice of Scientology. The religion believes that a person can improve his (or her) condition only if he is allowed to discover trusths about himself. Auditing takes place at a Church of Scientology "org", short for organization, indicating the branches the Church has in different cities around the United States, and the world. It is the process of asking specifically-worded questions designed to diagnose areas of distress.
The auditor does not offer solutions or advice, but is trained to listen and help locate experiences in the subject's past that need to be addressed. Events not easily recalled by the subject are located by the auditor with the help of a device called an E-meter, short for Enturbulation meter. Situations that have negative feelings associated with them show up on the meter, and so the subject's efforts can be directed towards that area. Through auditing, one is able to look at past experiences that subconsciously hold them back against their will. This practice, preaches Scientology, offers practitioners the means to explore their pasts to find their own answers. The goal is to bring the individual from a condition of spiritual blindness to spiritual enlightenment and freedom. Auditing is a precise practice, regulated to every last detail by L. Ron Hubbard's many books and manuscripts.
Various beliefs of Scientology are claimed to be studied and proved scientifically by Hubbard in his research prior to writing Dianetics. Hubbard taught that man is basically good, and that it is the Reactive Mind that causes crime and irrational thinking and actions. He also taught that any and all problems that occur in an individual's life are merely distorted perceptions. By advancing through the OT levels to "Clear", Scientologists can use their minds to change a negative situation into their perceived positive reality. Essentially, Scientologists aspire to be eternal optimists, who think they can change reality with their minds.
-------
This is by no means a complete list of beliefs held by the religion, but hopefully it explains the basics enough. I will post more, but I encourage you to do your own research. Wikipedia is a good source, despite the stigma surrounding it, it has sourced information that I have found to be helpful for those who know next to nothing. It is actually where I began my research when I was first introduced to the existence of Scientology.
