Scientology Introducing a New Religious Movement, One

Scientology

Introducing a New Religious Movement, one must be as objective as possible. I, for instance, could choose to tell you that L. Ron Hubbard founded the Church of Scientology in 1954 and marketed it as an organization for social reform that essentially became the global force it is today, with (young, professional, stylish, racially-diverse) adherents providing positive sound bites on Scientology.org that promote (in naturalistic, community-oriented settings) the religion as a confidence booster, a tool for improving grades, and a way to help the community. I could also introduce it by noting Hubbard's now notorious admission (cited in numerous letters and interviews in Russell Miller's Bare-Faced Messiah as well as in science-fiction writer Lloyd Arthur Eshbach's autobiography Over My Shoulder and reported by investigative journalist Eugene Methvin in 1980) that "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion" (Lindsay; Methvin). To view Scientology as objectively as possible, this paper will compare, contrast, and analyze an insider's view with an outsider's view of the religion.

An Insider's View of Scientology

According to the International Church of Scientology official website, Scientology "is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one's true spiritual nature and one's relationship to self, family, groups, Mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being" ("What is Scientology?"). It attracts by attacking the socio-political talking points of the day generally derided by conservative-minded individuals: a Scientologist "believes that Man is far more than a product of his environment, or his genes" ("What is Scientology?").

While there appear to be certain tenets of Scientology (for example: "Man is an immortal spiritual being," "His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime," "His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized"), the religion also appeals to the Protestant, non-sectarian ethos by proclaiming that it "is not a dogmatic religion in which one is asked to accept anything on faith alone. On the contrary, one discovers for oneself that the principles of Scientology are true by applying its principles and observing or experiencing the results" ("What is Scientology?"). Finally, Scientology appeals to the Romantic/Enlightenment doctrine of the French Revolution -- which has essentially formed the bedrock of all modern philosophy (with its motto "Liberty, Fraternity, Equality") -- by stating that "the ultimate goal of Scientology is true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for all" ("What is Scientology?").

Scientology also claims to "bridge Eastern philosophy with Western thought" -- and, yet, it "is something one does, not something one believes in" ("What is Scientology?"). Therefore, while it proclaims to be a "religion," it does not proclaim to set forth a creed. It attempts to show itself as a way like Buddhism and a "religion" that is more along the lines of the John Birch Society or Freemasonry.

Then again, as one goes deeper into the Scientology website, one comes across the actual Scientology creed. Is this a mistake? What is a creed if not an expression of belief, coming from the Latin credo, or "I believe"?

The confusion one may experience, however, is somewhat reduced by the perception that Scientology is built on the philosophy formed in Hubbard's Dianetics. In Dianetics, Hubbard defines man as a spirit that happens to have a mind and a body. People who read Dianetics were impressed by Hubbard's arguments. Several foundations were established to assist Hubbard with further research into mind, body, and spirit. It is this spirit that Scientology addresses. And since the spiritual had long been associated with the religious, Scientologists in Los Angeles established "the first Church of Scientology in February 1954" ("What is Scientology?").

However, what exactly Scientology is the Scientology website fails to answer precisely. The creed, once it is finally reached, reads more like the Declaration of Independence than the centuries old Nicene Creed of the Catholic Church -- which sets forth specific dogma. Far from explaining its ethos, Scientology.org instead relies upon positivistic jargon and the extensive collection of research by its founder as credible proof of its rational and scientific basis: "The full story of the development and codification of Scientology can be found in scores of books, more than 15,000 pages of technical writing and more than 3,000 taped lectures" ("What is Scientology?"). Essentially, Scientology is a library unto itself -- and for those who do not have the inclination to explore that library, Scientology offers its various creeds (the creed of the Church, of True Group Member, and of the Good and Skilled Manager) and codes (there are four of them), which effectively serve as a simplification of the results of Hubbard's work.

To use one example of a Scientology code, I will look at the Auditor's Code. In this code are several terms given new definitions by Hubbard: Auditor, for example, is not used in the context of taxes, but in the sense of one who merely examines; likewise, there is mention of the "Clear" and the "preclear" -- words that are not defined within the Code itself. Nonetheless, the first article of the Code establishes the absolute authority of the preclear: "I promise not to evaluate for the preclear or tell him what he should think about his case in session." Further examination implies that a preclear is a kind of novice on the beginning road to Scientology. The object of the Auditor, so it appears, is to guide the preclear in the same way a physician would attempt to help a patient -- but as in Freudian psychoanalysis, the preclear is expected to arrive at conclusions himself, as revealed in article 25: "I promise not to advocate Dianetics or Scientology only to cure illness or only to treat the insane, knowing well they were intended for spiritual gain." Overall, the Auditor's Code resembles in some respect the seal of confession to which a priest is bound.

Perhaps one of the most famously recognized Scientologists is Tom Cruise. To elaborate upon what a Scientologist believes and the conviction with which it is believed, I will give a few examples of an interview with Tom Cruise on Scientology. According to Cruise, a Scientologist "has the ability to create new and better realities and improve conditions…Being a Scientologist, you look at someone and you know absolutely that you can help them." Cruise thus appears to relate esteem, confidence, and power with Scientology. He describes his conversion to Scientology in this manner:

So for me it really is KSW ["Keeping Scientology Working"] and it's just like, it's…it's something that, uh…I don't mince words with that, you know, with anything that LRH ["tech" -- Scientology policy] does -- but that policy to me has really gone pfft [makes a motion of cutting the air with his hand like a knife] -- boy -- and I -- I -- there was a time I went through and I said you know what…when I read it I, you know, I -- just went, phoo! -- this is it, it's exactly it. ("Tom Cruise Scientology Video")

Cruise goes on to offer an analogy of what being a Scientologist is like -- and it appears that being a Scientologist is like a being a duty-bound Samaritan in a role superior to that of ordinary citizens: "Being a Scientologist…when you drive past an accident…it's not like anyone else -- it's you drive past, you know you have to do something about it because -- you know you're the only one that can really help" ("Tom Cruise Scientology Video").

Cruise also gives an interesting view into the psychology behind Scientology and its mission, at least as he perceives it to be:

I won't hesitate to put in ethics on someone else, you know…'cause I put it ruthlessly in on myself…and I think that, uh…I respect that in, in others…and…uh, you know, I'm there to help, and we're here to help…and my opinion is -- is that, look, you're -- you're on board, or you're not on board -- okay? -- but just -- if you're on board, you're on board just like the rest of us -- period…. We are the authorities on getting people off drugs. We are the authorities on the mind. We are the authorities on improving conditions; Criminon [a group that works with convicts]…we can rehabilitate criminals…. Way to happiness -- we can bring peace…uh…and unite cultures…uh…that, once you know these tools and you know that they work, it's…it's not good enough that, uh, I'm just doing okay. ("Tom Cruise Scientology Video")

The impression Cruise gives of the Scientologist's mission is that it is to help. How it is to help is, presumably, through its various social reform programs. But to find out more about these programs, one must look elsewhere.

ScientologyReligion.org gives the goal of Scientology, which is strikingly utopian: "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" ("The Aims of Scientology"). This goal, we are told, is achieved through "Scientology technology" -- and a link is provided to another site: VolunteerMinisters.org. This site offers a series of introductory tutorials such as: "Find the Real Cause of Conflicts," or "Learn to Communicate with Ease and Confidence," or "How to Study." The video offering tips on how to communicate shows several scenes in which characters communicate pleasantly, politely, and effectively, and several scenes in which communication breakdowns occur. The video then offers a simple formula for communication: The speaker is Cause, the listener is Effect, and the space between them is Distance. The video then alludes to a number of other factors that can contribute to successful communication -- but it does not detail them. The implication is that to learn the tools that Scientology has to offer, one must become a Scientologist.

An Outsider's View of Scientology

Roland Rashleigh-Berry (ex-Scientologist) provides the following alternative vision of Scientology:

The Church of Scientology is a vicious and dangerous cult that masquerades as a religion. Its purpose is to make money. It practices a variety of mind-control techniques on people lured into its midst to gain control over their money and their lives…The results of applying their crackpot psychotherapy (called 'auditing') is to weaken the mind. The mind goes from a rational state to an irrational one as the delusional contents of the subconscious mind are brought to the surface and are assumed to be valid. (Rashleigh-Berry)

While Cruise, Scientology.org, ScientologyReligion.org, and VolunteerMinisters.org -- all representatives of Scientology -- say little about the actual mythological aspect of the religion, Rashleigh-Berry details the process through which outsiders are brought into the religion, how they are developed, and at which point they are educated about "the story of Xenu" (Rashleigh-Berry):

Applying their oversimplified and inapplicable rules in life…isolates and alienates the person from society so that they withdraw from normal society and into their 'Scientology' society…The science fiction content of Scientology is revealed to them after they have reached the state they call 'Clear,' meaning freed from the aberrations of the mind…On the 'advanced' levels (called OT levels) above the state of 'Clear' they encounter the story of Xenu. Xenu was supposed to have gathered up all the overpopulation in this sector of the galaxy, brought them to Earth and then exterminated them using hydrogen bombs. The souls of these murdered people are then supposed to infest the body of everyone. They are called 'body thetans.'

Rashleigh-Berry then relates how Scientology's Ethics come into play by describing it as a ploy to appeal to "a person's natural tendency to do good." However, rather than a course in Humanities, "Ethics is redefined by Scientology in such a way that to be ethical is to be a better Scientologist and obey the 'church.' Young people…are very keen to contribute to the world and to be ethical…Many of them join an elite group called the 'Sea Org' where they become brainwashed slaves" (Rashleigh-Berry). Jesse Prince (former Sea Org member) relates that "the Sea Organization is the actual nexus that controls the scientology empire. Sea Organization personnel are authorized to take over and control scientology organizations and to demote personnel, move bank accounts and run the corporation as if the SO personnel were employees or representatives of that corporation but they are not."

Eugene Methvin further discusses the claims of Hubbard, Scientology and the mythology behind it:

Today's earthlings are material manifestations of eternal spirits who are reincarnated time and again over the eons. But, Hubbard claims, our earthly troubles often result from ghostly mental images which he calls "engrams" -- painful experiences either in this life or in former incarnations.

Hubbard's original book created a sensation; he claimed to have "cleared" 270 cases of engrams, thus greatly increasing the subjects' I.Q.s and curing them of assorted ills from arthritis to heart troubles. Later Hubbard said that Scientology eradicated cancer and was the only specific cure for atomic-bomb burns.

To detect engrams, Hubbard adopted a battery-powered galvanometer with a needle dial wired to two empty tin cans. Charging $150 an hour, a Scientology "minister" audits a subject by having him grip the tin cans and answer detailed questions about his present or past lives. The needle's gyrations supposedly detect the engrams. By causing the subject to "confront" the engrams, the 'minister' claims to "clear his memory bin," thus raising both body and mind to a superhuman state of "total freedom."

Methvin then goes on to recount the method by which Scientologists "audit" their new converts. The method is strikingly similar to the same method by which Adam Weishaupt toward the end of the 18th century attempted to gain access to the sins of the members of his secret society, the Illuminati. Weishaupt, brought up in the Jesuit universities, used the idea of "confession" as a form of control over his subordinates (Jones 9). Here, Methvin suggests, the theme is repeated:

The Scientology auditor carefully records any intimate revelations, including sexual or criminal activities or marital or family troubles. According to the church's own documents and defector's affidavits, such records are filed for blackmail purposes against any member (or member's family) who becomes a 'potential trouble source' by threatening to defect…or generate hostile publicity.

Methvin also tells of stories of Scientologist converts: Julie Christofferson, for example, was invited by a Scientologist shill "to take a 'communications course'" -- which was the first step in Scientology initiation. Julie's experience confirms Rashleigh-Berry's depiction of auditing, which, according to Methvin, "continued to erase the boundary between reality and fantasy. In this phase, Julie exhausted all $3,000 of her college savings…Julie felt superior, one of the chosen elite of this universe…After nine months, her parents removed her from the cult and snapped her out of her zombie-like trance."

An MSNBC segment on Scientology implied that Scientologists actively recruit young celebrities like Tom Cruise, who converted in 1985 as his first big blockbuster Top Gun was making him a star. Mike Rinder, "one of the highest ranking members of the Church of Scientology" denied that Scientologists actively recruited such celebrities ("Some crazy scientology stuff"). But an ex-auditor in the same segment confirmed Methvin's depiction of auditing -- as a means of controlling members.

Analysis

Points of Agreement

As Scientology.org notes, the religion attempts to appeal to the better nature of young people who are seeking to achieve. This depiction agrees with the Rashleigh-Berry's argument that Scientology is a ploy to appeal to "a person's natural tendency to do good."

The Auditor's Code also found on Scientology.org reveals a function of the religion that resembles the priestly seal of confession -- and corroborates what Methvin and MSNBC report about "Clear" states and the uses and objectives of Scientology's auditing.

The video segment offering lessons on how to communicate found on VolunteerMinisters.org also corroborates the incident recorded by Methvin by which Julie Christofferson was drawn into Scientology -- through a course offering tips on how to communicate.

Also, the conviction and intensity of Tom Cruise's devotion to Scientology resembles the passion with which Jill Christofferson devoted herself to the religion. The sometimes robotic, seemingly "programmed" way in which Cruise "plugs" Scientology resembles the fruits of the auditing technique described by Rashleigh-Berry and Methvin. And the irrational, somewhat incoherent stammering explanation of Cruise's creed reinforces Rashleigh-Berry's assertion that Scientology is "oversimplified" and "inapplicable" to real life.

Points of Contention

Rashleigh-Berry, Methvin, and MSNBC all attempt to put Scientology in a bad light by showing it as an organization established to make money off followers: for example, the social programs that Cruise praises are viewed by ex-Scientologists fronts for getting government grants and federal funding.

However, the goals of Scientology as officially dictated by the International Church of Scientology websites differ explicitly from the goals as viewed by Rashleigh-Berry, Jesse Prince, and Methvin: Scientologists see themselves as conservative-minded individuals who profess no "irrational" faith in a creed, but follow the dictates of natural reason and the help of modern science in creating and fortifying a better world.

Critics, on the other hand, view Scientology as a false religion designed by a science-fiction author whose sole ambition was to get rich -- and to do so he required a means of controlling his followers that resembles the methods of the founder of the secret society of the Illuminati, Adam Weishaupt.

Evaluation

While Cruise's efforts to show Scientology as a powerful tool for reshaping the world into a better place, his delivery makes him appear as naive, idealistic, arrogant, and unintelligent. The official Scientology websites also fail to satisfy one's desire for a rational explanation of the religion and its beliefs. Instead, one is told only that Scientology can "help" -- a term Cruise uses consistently. On the other hand, critics of Scientology offer convincing testimony that relates the ulterior motive of the organization and reveals the ways in which it carries out that motive -- by appealing to young people, alienating them from the rest of society, controlling them through their confessions in much the same manner Alfred Kinsey would control his subjects through theirs (Jones 379), by employing them for little in the service of Scientology and by extorting what funds it can from them. MSNBC's report that Scientology poaches young celebrities also appears to carry some weight, despite Rinder's denial: MSNBC showed footage of a Scientology resort specifically catering to and only to celebrities.