16.4 Why has Scientology sometimes been considered
controversial?
16.5 Why has Scientology been to court a lot of times?
16.6 Are there any laws against the practice of Scientology?
Has it been banned?
16.7 How does Scientology view deprogrammers and groups that
attempt to force people to denounce their chosen religion?
16.8 Why is Scientology opposed to psychiatry?
16.9 Why do some people oppose Scientology?
16.10 Is Scientology trying to rule the world?
16.11 Can Scientology do anything to improve the world
situation?
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1. ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS
1.1 What does the word 'Scientology' mean?
The word 'Scientology' means "the study of knowledge" or
"knowing about knowing" from the Latin word 'scio' which
means "know" or "distinguish," and from the Greek word
'logos' which means "study of," "reason itself" or
"inward thought." So it means the study of wisdom or
knowledge, or "knowing how to know." 'Scientology' is
further defined as the study and handling of the spirit
in relationship to itself, universes and other life. The
word was coined by L. Ron Hubbard.
1.2 What is Scientology about?
Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology provides *exact*
principles and practical technology for improving self-
confidence, intelligence and ability. Scientology does
not require faith or belief -- one can apply the
principles and see for oneself if they work and are true.
Scientology addresses the spirit -- not simply the body
or mind -- and is therefore completely apart from
materialistic philosophies which hold that man is a
product of his environment, or his genes.
Scientology is a religion by its basic tenets, practice,
historical background and by the definition of the word
'religion' itself. It is recognized as such by courts in
country after country around the world, including the
highest courts in the United States, Australia, Germany,
Sweden, Italy and many others.
All denominations are welcome in Scientology.
Scientology is a *route*, a way, rather than a
dissertation or an assertive body of knowledge.
Through its drills and studies one may find the truth for
oneself. It is the only thing that can show you who *you*
really are.
The technology is therefore not expounded as something to
believe but something to *do*.
1.3 How did Scientology start?
L. Ron Hubbard began his studies of the mind in 1923. In
1947 he wrote a manuscript detailing some of his
discoveries. It was not published at that time, but
circulated among friends, who copied it and passed it on
to others. (This manuscript was 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 an increasing flow 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.
His first published article on the subject, "Terra Incog-
nita: The Mind," appeared in the Winter/Spring 1950 issue
of "The Explorers Club Journal", followed by the book
_Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health_, which
was published May 1950. It became a nationwide best-seller
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 best-seller ever since,
again becoming number one on the "New York Times" best-
seller list, almost four decades after its initial publi-
cation. It continues to appear on best-seller lists around
the world.
During the course of thousands of hours of Dianetics
counseling on thousands of individuals all over the
country, incontrovertible evidence was amassed about the
fundamentally spiritual nature of man. L. Ron Hubbard
himself had discovered early in his research that man was
a spiritual being, inhabiting a body and using a mind.
These discoveries led him to realize that he had entered
the realm of religion.
In 1954, the first Church of Scientology was formed in
Los Angeles by a group of Scientologists. Within a few
years churches had been 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 of
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.
1.4 How come it's all based on one man's work?
In the early 195Os, L. Ron Hubbard 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, Rene' 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, mathe-
matics and the humanities at
George Washington University
and at Princeton."
1.5 Why is Scientology called a religion?
'Religion' is defined as "Any specific system of belief
and worship, often involving a code of ethics and a
philosophy...." (_Webster's New World Dictionary, Third
College Edition_).
Religious philosophy implies study of spiritual manifes-
tations, research on the nature of the spirit and study
of the relationship of the spirit to the body; exercises
devoted to the rehabilitation of abilities in a spirit.
Scientology is a religion in the most traditional sense.
It deals with man as a spirit and is distinguishable from
material and nonreligious philosophies which hold man to
be a product of material circumstances. Scientology does
not demand blind faith, but endeavors to help the
individual discover past experiences and shed the trauma
and guilt (sin) which encumber him.
The Church of Scientology also conducts basic services
such as sermons at church meetings, christenings,
weddings and funerals.
1.6 Why is Scientology a church?
The word 'church' comes from the Greek word 'kurios'
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 Moslem 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.
Scientology helps man become more aware of God, more
aware of his own spiritual nature and that of those
around him. Scientology scriptures recognize 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 typical
characteristic of religions. Thus, Scientology is a
religion and the use of the word 'church' when referring
to Scientology is correct.
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 needs of Scientologists. The first church of
Scientology was incorporated in 1954. Since that time,
dozens of court rulings in many different countries have
upheld the fact that Scientology is a religion.
2. WHAT SCIENTOLOGY DOES FOR THE INDIVIDUAL
2.1 How does Scientology work?
Scientology philosophy provides answers to many questions
about life and death; it encompasses an exact, precisely
mapped-out path. Through application of Scientology
technology 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.
2.2 What does Scientology accomplish?
Since Scientology is an 'applied religious philosophy',
the stress is on application and workability. It
addresses the individual and brings about self-improve-
