Scientology: The Rise of a New Cult?
All You Need To Know About This New “Religion”
You might have seen it in the movies or TV shows: someone starts acting really strange, and it turns out their behavior stems from some past trauma. Maybe you’ve even met some of those people who strongly believe and talk about how past traumas affect one’s current actions. But, do you know, there is a whole religion built around this ideology? Yes, there is, and it is called Scientology.
Controversial though it may be, Scientology is seen as a modern religion by some and is one of the fastest-growing faiths in the world. In this article, we will delve into the mysteries surrounding this emerging “religion” — its origins, fundamental beliefs, practices, controversies, and the potential for its future rise in popularity.
The Origins of Scientology
The story begins in 1950, when an American science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard wrote a book called “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.” He also started a bunch of organizations to promote his philosophy of Dianetics. Later, in 1952, Hubbard lost the rights to Dianetics due to bankruptcy, so he came up with a new religion called “Scientology,” with Dianetics as its foundation. From there, he built the Church of Scientology, which gradually became a worldwide organization that spreads the ideas of Scientology.
The Core Belief System
As per their official website, Scientology comprises a body of knowledge that extends from certain fundamental beliefs, primarily:
Man is an immortal spiritual being; (A life force called “Thetan,” equivalent to a soul or spirit.)
One is a thetan who has a mind and who occupies a body; (There are 3 parts of a man: thetan, mind, and body.)
His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime; (They believe that all beings have a reactive mind that responds to traumatic experiences of current and past lives called “engrams.”)
His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized. (Some scientologists claim that they can change the material world with their minds.)
The Religious Practices
Members of this religion submit to a ritual called “Auditing” to find the sources of the traumas that cloud the analytic mind so as to resolve them and progress towards higher spiritual states. The process involves a device called an E-meter, which allegedly measures the body’s electric flow as an auditor asks a series of questions to find areas of “spiritual distress” from their current and past lives.
Via the processes of “Auditing” and “Training”, along with paying hefty donations to the Church of Scientology, a person can reach higher levels of spiritual awareness to become an Operating Thetan (OT). The Church claims that an OT is not limited by the physical universe, and those who attain the highest OT level have God-like powers and can even “go exterior” from their bodies.
The Mythological Element of Sci-Fi
Scientology refers to the physical universe as the MEST universe, which stands for “Matter, Energy, Space, and Time.” They say it’s separate from the spiritual universe, called Theta, which comprises life, spirituality, and thought. They believe that a person’s thetan (or soul) has existed for trillions of years, having lived countless lifetimes. Originally, thetans were just energy, separate from the physical universe.
Each thetan had its own “Home Universe,” and when these universes collided, the physical MEST universe came into existence. Hubbard taught that thetans created the material universe for their own pleasure, and it only appears real because thetans agree it exists. Over time, thetans started experimenting with human bodies and eventually lost their memory of where they came from, getting trapped in physical bodies.
The Church of Scientology also has this whole story about an ancient intergalactic civilization where billions of aliens were brought to Earth, killed, and turned into what they call “Body Thetans.” According to them, these Body Thetans cling to humans and cause trauma. But this “Cosmic History” is supposed to be a secret (though it somehow leaked on the internet) and is only revealed to advanced Scientologists who are fully indoctrinated and have donated tons of cash to the Church to complete “The Bridge to Total Freedom.”
A Modern Religion Or A Gilded Knock-Off
Despite its claims to be a science-based religion, the scientific community has largely rejected Scientology’s teachings and methodologies, which seem to be a rip-off of the Psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud (some principles of which have also been rejected by the scientific community) intermingled with some religious schools of thought and science fiction theories.
The whole concept of an analytic and reactive mind comes from Freud’s theory of the conscious and unconscious mind and his claims that unconscious desires, traumas, and memories affect human behavior. The “auditing” is also somewhat inspired by his “Talk therapy” to bring out the repressed emotions in the unconscious mind to treat mental health problems. But still, the existence of engrams (traumas from past lives) and the use of “auditing” to address them lack empirical evidence and are not recognized by mainstream scientific disciplines.
The spiritual belief system, like the concepts of thetan, reincarnation, liberation, the ultimate reality, etc., also has no scientific backing whatsoever and seems to be taken from Hinduism. While the organizational aspects, such as the church structure, cross symbol, courses, and missionaries, seem to be inspired by Christianity. The organization has faced scrutiny and criticism for presenting its religious teachings as scientifically validated without meeting scientific standards of evidence.
The Dark Side of Scientology
Throughout its history, Scientology has been tangled up in various controversies that have seriously damaged its reputation. Journalists, courts, and governmental bodies in several countries have raised alarming allegations about the Church of Scientology, labeling it an unscrupulous commercial enterprise that resorts to harassment and exploitation.
Former members have come forward with disturbing stories of financial exploitation, forced labor, isolation, and abuse within the organization. It is no secret that the Church of Scientology demands exorbitant fees from individuals for their courses in the name of spiritual progress, raising suspicions that it operates more like a deceptive scam business than a legitimate religious institution. Some insiders who worked closely with Scientology’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard, even claim that he started this religion solely for the purpose of getting rich.
Bill Franks, a former Executive Director of the Church of Scientology, while talking about this, told the author of the book “L. Ron Hubbard, Messiah or Madman?”:
“The problem was how were we going to get the money for Hubbard? He was not supposed to take in the money personally. So separate corporations were set up. This is RRF, Religious Research Foundation. We used to call it Ralph. That was a code name. Money would be put into Ralph, that would be accounts [in] Liechtenstein. [It went] through these various people and various organizations, and from Ralph, then it went right to Hubbard.”
In addition to all the above disguised flow lines of money to Hubbard, Franks received an order to pay money to him directly. According to Franks, the idea was formulated to bill the Church. The first was a billing of 85 million dollars for the use of the Mark VI Emeter, which Hubbard claimed to have developed. In other words, he was going to be presenting bills to the Church, and the Church was going to pay him.
“We had the hundred fifty million in Sea Org reserves. The problem was how were we going to get the money out to Hubbard. In a good week, [the income of the Church of Scientology was] two million dollars a week… Scientology was able to generate such huge sums of money because of single-mindedness towards the goal of getting money to Hubbard. It was total single-mindedness. It was big-league sales, totally indoctrinated by the organization to get every last dime.”
Excerpt from the book “L. Ron Hubbard, Messiah or Madman?” by Bent Corydon
The controversies surrounding the Church of Scientology extend beyond financial impropriety. Some notable issues include criminal behavior committed by members, such as infiltrating the US government, as well as organized harassment of perceived enemies of the Church. Additionally, the organization’s disconnection policy, which compels members to sever ties with friends and family members deemed antagonistic to Scientology, has drawn widespread criticism. Moreover, there have been instances where Scientology has attempted to coerce search engines into censoring critical information about the organization, raising concerns about freedom of information.
In France, conspiracy theories have gained traction, suggesting that the Church of Scientology wields control over the US government or acts as a front for American imperialism, potentially orchestrated by intelligence agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The allegations and controversies surrounding Scientology paint a troubling picture, revealing a dark underbelly of alleged exploitation, manipulation, and control. These revelations challenge the perception of Scientology as a bona fide religion, raising significant doubts about its practices and intentions.
Will it Rise in Popularity?
Despite all the controversies, Scientology still manages to attract followers and expand its global influence. The world is looking at a growing number of “woke” people who are skeptical about their current faith and are inclined towards science. The ability of this new “religion” to adapt to modern trends and incorporate elements of psychology, self-help, science, and social justice rhetoric has made it appealing to a diverse range of people seeking spiritual enlightenment or personal growth.
But here’s my take: Although this cult will continue to grow, I believe it will continue to stay under the radar and won’t see a massive rise in the future, and I’ll tell you why. First, this religion mainly targets financially well-off individuals who can afford to pay hefty sums to the Church. It doesn’t appeal to the masses to such an extent. Second, most people and government organizations can easily see through the absurdity and scam-like nature of this cult, so they don’t support it. In fact, a 2022 YouGov poll on Americans’ attitudes toward religious groups ranked Scientology as the least-favored group, with around 50% of respondents having a negative view of it, alongside Satanism.
Final Thoughts
Scientology, rooted in the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, has grown into a global movement that lures followers with promises of spiritual enlightenment and personal improvement. Despite the controversies and accusations of being a cult, Scientology has managed to gain recognition as a religion in some countries, like the USA. What the future holds for this cult and its followers remains to be seen. If you enjoyed reading this article, feel free to give it a clap. Follow me on Medium to support my ongoing effort to write such articles. Thank you.
