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. Its aim is to take from them every penny that they have and can ever borrow and to also enslave them to further its wicked ends. more

It was started in the 1950s by a science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard in fulfilment to his declared aim to start a religion to make money. more It is an offshoot to a method of psychotherapy he concocted from various sources which he named "Dianetics". Dianetics is a form of regression therapy. It was then further expanded to appear more like a religion in order in order to enjoy tax benefits. He called it "Scientology".

Scientology is a confused concoction of crackpot, dangerously applied psychotherapy, oversimplified, idiotic and inapplicable rules and ideas and science-fiction drivel that is presented to its members (at the "advanced" levels) as profound spiritual truth.

A cult. Scientology's main claim is that we are immortal thetans (souls) and that our bodies and all matter and space and time are illusions we are trapped in. Scientology's main promise and goals are to teach one to be able drop MEST illusions and become a free living thetan again.

Part of the problem is, we have forgotten our past as thetans and have been repeatedly implanted by evil space dictators and the like with false memories implants to confuse us and prevent us specifically remembering that MEST (Matter Energy Space and Time) are only illusions. Scientology claims to be able to undo such implants.

Also we suffer from engrams (bad memories) from millions of past lives on the 'whole track', the entire memory of such past lives. These engrams hinder us and must be 'audited' out so we may regain our thetan abilities.

Also we are invested with BTs, (body thetans). more Body thetans are thetans so degenerate they can no longer on their own hold a body, so they parasitize other thetans. We mistake all of their implants and engrams as our own. Scientology teaches several long, arduous and very expensive courses that essentially exorcise BTs. At end of which one supposedly regains some thetan abilities like ESP abilities, PK abilities and similar things.

The other day we were talking to a young man who had recently become a member of the Church of Scientology.  This fellow's brother had become concerned when the new scientologist decided to quit his job and devote himself to full time study at the cult's "Technical Mecca" in Clearwater, Florida.  We were asked to speak to the young man and help all concerned with the process of making a decision as to whether or not the family's trust fund should be used to finance the considerable expense associated with the training the young man was seeking in scientology.

We spent a couple of hours trying to explain to these two brothers what had become of us during our many years in scientology, and then, slowly, the young scientologist began to ask questions.  One which we found compelling was this: was there nothing within the confines of this extraordinary organization that justified the loss and suffering we had endured?  Was there not the promised freedom?  Was it not somehow true that no matter what the price one had to pay, it was far short of the power and glory of the state of OT... of the state of Total Freedom?

At first we thought this was an easy question to answer.  No... in a word.  Scientology, in fact, offers no such invaluable freedom.  But as we looked into this young man's eyes, it became clear that a further answer was needed.  What of people's dreams of freedom?  What of the power and glory that is supposed to lie behind each more confidential gateway to OT as one progresses up the "Bridge to Total Freedom?"

Scientology is a dangerous, mindbending cult that was established in the 1950's by Lafayette Ronald Hubbard and presents a grave threat to the concepts and tenets of freedom and democracy. Scientology has, as its basic purpose, the destruction of freedom and the erosion of human rights on the way to making money; it uses any means possible to achieve this end, including legal harassment, verbal and physical threats, hiding under the cover of "religion", and thought reform so complete that to talk to anyone brainwashed by the cult is to talk to little more than the mouthed platitudes of mechanical zombies.

L. Ron Hubbard alone wrote or dictated the materials constituting the "scriptures" of Scientology. He was extraordinarily prolific in this regard, producing several hundred taped lectures, and a hundred or so books, and numerous bulletins, orders, and other papers. Scientologists think of this material and Hubbard as "Source" — the fount of a fantastic understanding of life, on which they depend exclusively in all aspects of their lives. To question Hubbard is a literal heresy. One cannot do so for any extended time and remain a Scientologist in good standing.

Scientology does not formally claim to adore Hubbard, but in practice he is idolized as the savior. No org is without a large, prominent picture of him, nor an office reserved for his return. If you ask a Scientologist if Hubbard was perfect, the Scientologist will answer "no". But if you ask what was wrong with Hubbard, he or she will have no answer.

L. Ron Hubbard died in seclusion in 1986. His body was cremated and his ashes spread in the Pacific Ocean.

That was in 1976. From then on until I left Scientology in 1989, auditing was completely and utterly about getting rid of as many of these BTs as possible. No one ever mentioned my own problems again, unless it was to security check me to find out my crimes. But as far as any kind of therapy for me, psychologically or emotionally, that was over. Now I was supposed to be above all of that. That was all for the uninitiated. I had no case; I was Clear. Emotions and problems were for people who were still encumbered with such degraded human issues. If I had any problems or difficulties of any kind, there were only two possible reasons. Either my ethics were out and I had hidden crimes, or I had BTs who had waked up and were enveloping me in their degraded emotions, and they needed to be audited out. I couldn't have any problems or difficulties myself, remember - I was Clear. I effectively ceased to exist as myself. I was nothing more than a mass of BTs.

What religious organization teaches that, 75 million years ago, a tyrannical interstellar ruler named Xenu solved a galactic overpopulation problem by transporting beings to Earth and annihilating them with H-bombs? What religious organization disciplines its own members with measures ranging from suspension of pay and disbarment from premises up to labelling them as "fair game," for which they can be "tricked, sued, lied to or destroyed"?

What religious organization follows faithfully the teachings of a pulp science fiction author who claims to have visited Heaven over forty trillion years ago?

What religious organization has had its offices raided by government officials in three American states, Canada, Gemany, Italy and France?

Welcome to the church of Scientology.

Imagine yourself going to a Catholic confession. Now imagine the same confession, but with you connected to a lie detector. Imagine now, if you will, this confession lasting for several hours. Picture the priest taking notes during the confession and putting them in a file folder. "Your confession is entirely confidential," he assures you. If this image does not disturb you yet, add paying $200 for each hour spend in the confessional. That is the central rite of the Church of Scientology, known by the harmless sounding term of "auditing".

Scientology is a religion invented by L. Ron Hubbard, formerly a mediocre science fiction writer, in the 1950s. Scientology presents itself as "an applied religious philosophy, the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, the universe and life". Its doctrines involve a peculiar mix of L. Ron Hubbard's own peculiar theories of psychotherapy, his own unique (but very superficial) understanding of Buddhism, and a good dose of bad science fiction, with just a bit of early Christian Gnosticism thrown in for good measure.

"Dianetics — The Modern Science of Mental Health" is L. Ron Hubbard's first and best known book in the field of mental health. Written in 1950, it promises "a state of mental well-being never before achieved by man" — a state called "Clear". In "Dianetics" Mr. Hubbard attributes all psychological problems, and most physical ones, to "engrams" — painful memories that need to be remembered and re-lived in order for us to achieve this new mental well-being. While this may sound much like a rehash of then current psychological theories, it certainly sounds harmless enough.

However, L. Ron Hubbard did not stop with "Dianetics". By the time of his death in 1986, he penned a large number of works expanding his philosophy.

You may wonder how it is possible that such an allegedly evil organization can attract any large number of adherents, so I think it may be helpful to give an outline of what Scientology actually teaches and does. This article does not concern itself with the horrors of Scientology although these do also exist.

I was an adherent of Scientology for more than seven years and even worked as a staff member in a private organization licensed to use Scientology techniques for four years, covering the period from 1975 to 1983. During that time I climbed up the Scientology "grade chart" ladder to the level of OT III, and also studied extensively all Scientology materials up to the level of a "Class IV", "Dianetics" and "Happiness rundown" auditor, so I am actually quite familiar with the teachings and practices of Scientology as far as the actual "spiritual" aspects of this phenomenon are concerned. I left Scientology when I finally could not close my eyes any more to the gap between claims and the harsh reality inside Scientology organizations. Nevertheless, I feel quite strongly that I have gained many benefits in personality and abilities through Scientology practices and teachings.