Patheos Religion Library Scientology
By Tad Reeves
How long have you been in Scientology and what got you started?
I first started taking Scientology courses when I was about 9, and by age 10-11 or so, I did really consider myself a Scientologist – so that’d put it at ~30 years or so that I’ve been involved.
My mother and father became Scientologists a few years before I was born. The bits of Scientology terminology and philosophy thrown around in daily life had my interest, and on my own volition at around age 9 I began taking courses at my closest Church – which was, unfortunately for me, a good 2-hour drive from my house in Maine. At the time, I had seen my parents taking courses at the church, and in many cases, gaining something valuable from it. I naturally asked if I could take a course too, and enrolled onto a course communication course. At the end of that communication course, I honestly felt I had learned something – I had figured out how to communicate better, I figured out that I could get my point across clearly, I understood why people didn’t like being interrupted, and that it was enjoyable for both parties when you’d acknowledge when you understood what they said. I continued my studies after that, picking up things – sometimes tidbits, sometimes much more significant than tidbits, which made it easier to live in the world, and helped explain the things I saw around me. I also gained a firm footing in morality – that there is a moral code that is good to live by, because it makes all human interactions smoother.
If you want to get answers to this same question from a number of other Scientologists, I got around 25 friends to answer the question of how they got involved in Scientology here, which should give you some other perspectives.
Why are all the churches in Scientology hierarchy legally separate?
It’s a question that has a complex set of answers. I’ll do my best though.
Each Church of Scientology is its own separate organization with its own board of directors and management, as each church is, itself, responsible for proper delivery of Dianetics & Scientology services to its parishioners. There is a management structure for Scientology churches discussed here on the church website, if you want more details.
The current corporate structure of the church was implemented in 1982 when L. Ron Hubbard donated the trademarks and service marks of Scientology to Religious Technology Center, as part of a massive re-organization of the church. Religious Technology Center (or RTC) was then entrusted with the purity and ethical use of Scientology, and was made a separate entity from the mother church itself (Church of Scientology International) as well as the various churches, missions and groups which would then use Scientology, Dianetics, or other related works of LRH. RTC then specifically grants permission to each individual Church of Scientology to use Scientology materials and services. The whole purpose here is to ensure that the technologies of Dianetics & Scientology are used properly and as originally intended, and are not altered, perverted or otherwise misused.
There is a ton more to the story than that, but hopefully this answers your question.
How do your beliefs affect your daily life and relationships?
I’d say the easiest way to quantify this, for me, is that my daily life and interpersonal interactions are (by and large) fairly smooth and stress free, and a lot of that I attribute to work I’ve done in Scientology. Communicating with my family, my wife, extended family members & in-laws, friends, etc is all fairly drama-free, with a distinct lack of grudges, long-running upsets, feuds, etc. As I’ve got three kids, this lack of stress is important to me as I’ve often found a direct correlation between home stress and illness, as if kids are around a chaotic household they tend to get sick more often. Luckily, all three of my kids have nearly always been in great health, they’re outdoors a lot and active, and are bright & generally doing well.
But a lot of that I’ve seen incrementally improve both in myself and my wife after services we’ve done at our church. I’ve detailed some of those online here when talking about one service called the Survival Rundown, and another here when talking about a communication course we did together.
To read the full article, click HERE.
A group of Phoenix charter schools is facing criticism for using a teaching tool based on the work of L. Ron Hubbard, best known for founding the Church of Scientology.
Teacher Katie Donahoe says that shortly after she was hired in 2010, she went to a memorable training session on the teaching method, called Applied Scholastics. The session was held at the Applied Scholastics headquarters near St. Louis.
"They didn't start off talking about instruction. They started off talking about L. Ron Hubbard," says Donohoe, who was there at the urging of her new superintendent. Later that fall she would start teaching English at Robert L. Duffy High School in Phoenix. But first, she was asked to get familiar with Hubbard's methods.
To read the full article from npr, click HERE
THE CHURCH
The Church of Scientology has quickly become a prominent and impactful religion around the world. Scientology addresses the mind, body, and soul of the individual and attempts to help them fix areas of their life through science and spiritual practices. One of the Churches main goals is to help each individual become the best you, you can be. This process of finding oneself is done by various methods in the church. The main goal of the individuals in the church is to attain the highest level of survival for the longest time possible. The church as a whole is very involved in the community and has outreach programs all over the world. Scientology is devoted to global social betterment and humanitarian programs.
THE CREED
The creed of the church consists of certain inalienable rights that the church endorses and demands are upheld.
http://www.scientology.org/what-is-scientology/the-scientology-creeds-and-codes/the-creed-of-the-church.html?video=scn6a_creed
8 DYNAMICS OF SURVIVAL
There are 8 dynamics to survival. These dynamics are achieved by reaching from circle to circle in achieving true wisdom. The eventual outcome achieved once at the 7th circle is the happiness and best you have ever been. The process of going from circle to circle requires technology and methods offered by the church itself. The 8 dynamics are:
1. Self 2. Creativity 3. Group Survival 4. Species
5. Life forms 6. Physical universe 7. Spiritual 8. Infinity
BEING A SCIENTOLOGIST
The Church of Scientology like many other churches has services, chapel and rituals. These rituals are not like normal religions because what is practiced individually and as a group is a much more scientific expression than spiritual. From an outsiders perspective there may be little religious involvement, but to those who practice it, these rituals are vital to their growth. What is specific about the Church, besides the fact that one can believe in any faith that they choose, is their process of auditing. Auditing is one on one counseling with a member of the church. During these sessions, individuals attempt through discussion to get rid of unwanted traits and to grow as an individual. The next step to this process of auditing is take a course provided by the church. These courses focus on many areas of life, from parenting to addiction, the spectrum is diverse and powerful. These courses can be self taught with literature purchased and application by the individual outside of the classroom. The main goal of all these processes are for an individual to help themselves to reaching their full potential.
Source: https://scientology-astudentsperspective.weebly.com/what-is-scientology.html