PHRE 304

Spring 2015Authored by: Jabez Zinabu

Scientology: Cult or Religion?

Why Scientology meets the criteria of a religion

1

Scie

ntol

ogy:

Cul

t or R

elig

ion?

| Sp

ring

2015

SCIENTOLOGY: CULT OR RELIGION?Why Scientology meets the criteria of a religion

Despite many criticisms, the applications and ideas of Scientology have all the

characteristics of a legitimate and influential religious practice. From my understanding of

what constitutes a religion, there must be three characteristics present:

1. System of belief relating to the meaning of life (God, heaven, Nirvana)

2. Ceremonies or practices (church service, meditation, study, etc.)

3. Law or rules of correct behavior (Buddhist precepts, commandments, etc.)

In understanding how Scientology fits the preceding characteristics, a brief overview of the

religion’s origins and beliefs should be taken into account, beginning with its history. The

Church of Scientology was founded in 1954, based on the teachings of American author L. Ron

Hubbard. Hubbard was born on March 13, 1911, in Tilden, Nebraska. At the age of two, he

moved with his family to Montana. As a young boy, Hubbard established a friendship with a

tribe of Blackfoot Indians living near his Helena, Montana home. This opportunity allowed him

to learn about the culture, customs and legends of the tribe. In 1923, Hubbard moved with his

family to Seattle, Washington, where he joined the Boy Scouts, and later became the youngest

Eagle Scout ever at age 13.i

The same year, he established a new friendship with Naval Commander Joseph C.

Thompson. Commander Thompson had been sent by the US Navy Marine Corps to study under

Sigmund Freud, and he taught Hubbard about Freudian theory. In 1927, Hubbard left on the first

of his many journeys to Asia. He visited many countries including China, Japan, and the

Philippines.ii In his travels he spent time with Beijing magicians, Buddhist monks, and nomadic

2

Scie

ntol

ogy:

Cul

t or R

elig

ion?

| Sp

ring

2015

bandits from Mongolia. In 1929, Hubbard returned to the United States and resumed his formal

education. After graduating from the Woodword School for Boys in Washington, D.C., he

enrolled in the mathematics and engineering program at George Washington University. In the

course of his study, he developed an interest in subatomic particles and how the mind worked.

Hubbard left college before graduating to pursue his own research. His research was

financed by becoming one of the most famous authors of the 1930s. He wrote well over 200

novels and short stories in the genres of science fiction, western, mystery and adventure. He

currently holds the Guinness world records for the most published works by one author, and

most audiobooks published by one author.iii Hubbard also served as a Navy Lieutenant in World

War II, and in 1945 was hospitalized in Oakland, California. While recovering, he took the

opportunity to experiment with the idea that mental blocks can prevent medical treatments from

being effective. After the war, Hubbard continued to test his hypotheses on people around the

U.S. The procedure he developed from his medical research came to be called "Dianetics," which

would eventually become central to Scientology's beliefs. iv

In May 1950, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health was published, and went

on to sell over 17 million copies. He wrote six books in 1951 on Dianetics technology, and began

lecturing all over the country. This new kind of research of the human spirit, was the focus of the

next thirty years of Hubbard's study and writing. The church of Scientology was actually not

created by Hubbard himself, but from a group of Scientologist who developed the church from

his work and teachings. The church has faced much criticism of its legitimacy over its history

despite its recognition as a tax-exempt religion by the U.S. government. In regards to the

religious characteristics listed above, Scientology clearly meets all three. It has a well-defined

belief system developed from the writings of L. Ron Hubbard on Dianetics, auditing and

3

Scie

ntol

ogy:

Cul

t or R

elig

ion?

| Sp

ring

2015

training. Dianetics is the set of ideas regarding the relationship between the mind and body,

created by Hubbard. The term comes from the Greek stems dia (“through”) and nous, (“mind”).

Dianetics divides the mind into the conscious analytical mind, subconscious reactive mind, and

somatic mind. The goal, according to scientologist, of Dianetics is to remove the subconscious

reactive mind, which holds “engrams”-past memories of pain and suffering, through the practice

of Auditing.v

The practices associated with Scientology, similar to confession or bible studies, are

called Auditing. Auditing in Scientology is the process in which a practitioner is cleared of

negative influences, or engrams, in order to reach a higher spiritual state called “clear”, at which

point the practitioner is completely free of the engrams. In Scientology, an engram is a mental

image of a traumatic event, which is recorded in the mind and can trigger negative effects when

details of this engram come to awareness.vi For example, getting food poisoning from sushi, can

have the effect so that the next time you see, smell, or taste sushi, you remember the food

poisoning incident and re-experience the negative effects of the sushi. Engrams are believed to

be formed throughout our lives (past as well as present) and remain with us even if we have no

conscious memory them.

Scientology’s law of good morals is based on the eight dynamics. The eight Dynamics in

Scientology refer to the eight levels of survival impulse in the following order: 1. self, 2. sex, 3.

group, 4. mankind, 5. all living things, 6. universe, 7. spirit, and 8. Infinity or God.vii They use

the dynamics as a way to judge how to go about in making decisions to benefit the greatest good,

a sort of moral standard. As one decides what actions to take, the higher up the order their action

benefits, the better their decision. For example choosing to feed a starving African village (3) is a

greater good than choosing to feed yourself (1). Despite meeting the criteria that I believe

4

Scie

ntol

ogy:

Cul

t or R

elig

ion?

| Sp

ring

2015

constitute a religion, Scientology still gets much criticism, ranging from their taboo beliefs to the

costs associated with a membership. The cost of Auditing has many skeptics categorizing

Scientology as a business rather than a church. Auditing sessions do have a cost, and as one

progresses in their practice, sessions can get very expensive, in the thousands to hundreds of

thousands for the highest OT levels.

The argument can be made that in auditing sessions, one is getting enhanced self-

development training that can transfer to other areas of life like career progression, relationship

building, public speaking, etc. Such sessions helps one to realize the “engrams” or negative

influences holding them back from becoming better versions of themselves. Despite the

criticisms of those outside the church, members continue to spend the money on the sessions,

leading one to assume they believe it’s worth their money. From my perspective, the training

they get from auditing and classes is similar to the self-help industry, a $10 billion a year

industry, that provides similar self-improvement services. Another factor that needs to be taken

into account is the fact that Scientology is a new religion, dating back only to the middle 20th

century. Any new religious belief is going to be met with some skepticism, especially one so

recent.

Also, the impact of the media and new technology makes it easier to reach a wider

audience, which can be problematic in the Christian dominated society that Scientology grew out

of. Similar to Scientology, early Christianity, Buddhism, and Mormonism were met with

scrutiny. For example, Celsus, a Neo-Platonian philosopher, was known for his critique of

Christianity, his first of which being on God’s descent onto man.viii He argued the impossibility

of God, who by Christian belief is unchanging and perfect, transforming from such a state into

the imperfect state of man. He also criticized the belief in the resurrection, claiming by his

5

Scie

ntol

ogy:

Cul

t or R

elig

ion?

| Sp

ring

2015

understanding, such an event “reverses the natural process of disintegration and the order of the

world”. Many other criticisms including the interpretations of the scripture, Jesus being born of a

virgin, etc. have occurred.

Throughout history, Christian groups have persecuted individuals based on sex, sexual

orientation, race, and religion, but they have also endured persecution. In their first three

centuries, Christians were widely persecuted because of their beliefs at the hands of the Roman

Empire. Similarly, Mormons faced much criticism and even persecution (In Missouri) in its early

history as well. In the same way Christianity was seen as a danger in ancient Rome and Judaism,

and the persecution and fear of Mormonism in its early history, Scientology is being seen as a

threat to modern religious societies. Despite the similarities in population to pagans and wiccans,

Scientologist are seen as a greater threat to the public, thus get more negative attention.

Along with new religious movement similarities, there are other similarities to

Scientology and the “major religions” of the world. Like Christian creeds, creeds in scientology

aim to give meaning to the realities of life, soul, spiritual healing, freedom, and spiritual equality.

Like the missions of the prophets Amos, Isiah, and Jeremiah in the bible, scientologist envision a

mission of addressing the world’s problems of war, terror, and self-destruction. In scientology,

the reincarnation of past lives is similar in context to the Buddhist notion of samsara. Similarly,

the scientologist belief of going “clear” or ridding the self of engrams, is similar to the Buddhist

idea of Nirvana, or attaining enlightenment. ix

The missionary aspect of scientology is similar to that of the leading religions in the

world. Like the missionaries of Buddhists to the Americas and Europe, and the efforts of the

church of Islam, which is now the fasting growing religion in the world, Scientology has the

same goal: to spread the belief, and create a better world. While traditionally, the major western

6

Scie

ntol

ogy:

Cul

t or R

elig

ion?

| Sp

ring

2015

religions-Christianity, Islam, Judaism- have claimed to be the only true faith, by which to find

the meaning of life (although this is slowly changing) Scientology, similar to many eastern

traditions, is in the middle path between exclusivist and multi-denominational. They don’t force

one to reject previous beliefs and church memberships, but typically scientologist become fully

involved in the scientology religion, excluding other faiths.

The church has continued to grow not only in membership but in its outreach since its

beginning in the 1950’s. Although the membership statistical rates are kept private by the church,

they make claims that there are anywhere from eight to fifteen million Scientologist worldwide.

Religious Scholars call that claim an exaggeration, as J. Gordon Melton states “You're talking

about anyone who ever bought a Scientology book or took a basic course. Ninety-nine percent of

them don't ever darken the door of the church again.”x Other sources claim anywhere from ten

thousand to hundreds of thousands members. The difficulty in measuring such a statistic is in the

question of what constitutes a scientologist, must they have a certain amount of courses

complete, should they read so many books, attend so many auditing sessions? It’s a difficult

statistic to measure.

Despite the lack of statistical information regarding membership size, they continues to

build churches worldwide, having establishments in 6 continents.xi A large Influence on the

church recruitment has been the celebrity appeal. Recruiting celebrities into the church has

helped endorse scientology to the general public. L. Ron Hubbard created Project Celebrity in

1955, offering rewards for the recruitment of major celebrities to the church.xii There are several

“Celebrity Centre” churches around the world that are open to public, but are intended mostly for

"artists, politicians, leaders of industry, sports figures and anyone with the power and vision to

7

Scie

ntol

ogy:

Cul

t or R

elig

ion?

| Sp

ring

2015

create a better world." Notable celebrity scientologist include: Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kristy

Alley, Kelly Preston, Elizabeth Moss, and many more. xiii

Despite the critique, I believe the church has made large strides since its beginning days

in California, and will be considered a widely accepted religion in the next fifty to one hundred

years. Again looking back on the history of Christianity, Mormonism and others, their beliefs

were under similar scrutiny and considered controversial and “cultish”. Once they grew into

large mainstream traditions, people accepted the beliefs, which I believe will be the case for

Scientology in the near future. Many criticize the church’s beliefs, referring to the esoteric scripts

about Xenu the galactic dictator and aliens and such. The point of the secrecy of the scripts is

that one can’t comprehend those types of teachings, until they have undergone the proper

training to reach that point in their belief.

Take Christianity for example, if you went to a person who has never heard the story of

Christ or Christianity, wouldn’t telling them a god sent his son to earth, born of a virgin, to die

on a cross, and resurrect back into heaven sound a little crazy too? It takes study and

understanding and acceptance to get to where believers of Christianity are today, and it’s only

fair to allow the same study, understanding and acceptance to understand the more esoteric

beliefs in Scientology. In exploring the question of whether Scientology should be considered a

religion I refer back to the three criteria I believe constitute a religion. Considering the

characteristic of having a system of belief, composed of Dianetics and the writings of Hubbard,

they meet the first characteristic. Considering the characteristic of having practices or

ceremonies, composed of Auditing and training, they meet the second criteria. Finally, in

considering the characteristic of having a law or rules for correct behavior, composed of the eight

8

Scie

ntol

ogy:

Cul

t or R

elig

ion?

| Sp

ring

2015

dynamics, they meet all three criteria, which despite their already tax-exempt religion status,

confirms their place with the other world religions.

Bibliography

Urban, Hugh B. "The Occult Roots Of Scientology? L. Ron Hubbard, Aleister Crowley, And The

Origins Of A Controversial New Religion." Nova Religio 15.3 (2012): 91-116. ATLA Religion

Database. Web. 6 May 2015.

Manca, Terra. "L. Ron Hubbard's Alternative To The Bomb Shelter: Scientology's Emergence As A

Pseudo-Science During The 1950S." Journal Of Religion And Popular Culture 24.1 (2012): ATLA

Religion Database. Web. 6 May 2015.

Doherty, Bernard. "Sensational Scientology! The Church Of Scientology And Australian Tabloid

Television." Nova Religio 17.3 (2014): 38-63. ATLA Religion Database. Web. 6 May 2015.

Kent, Stephen A. "Scientology's Relationship With Eastern Religious Traditions." Journal Of

Contemporary Religion 11.1 (1996): 21-36. ATLA Religion Database. Web. 6 May 2015.

Martin, Daniel E. "Brought Into The Fold: Scientology As A Case Study On Influence And

Persuasion In Religion." Skeptic 8.2 (2000): 56-59. ATLA Religion Database. Web. 6 May 2015.

Cook, Pat. "Scientology and Dianetics." The Journal of Education 153.4 (1971): 58-61.

Schmalz, Mathew N. "Scientology And Catholicism Do Mix: A Note On Teaching New Religions In

A Catholic Classroom." Teaching Theology & Religion 9.1 (2006): 29-36. Academic Search

Premier. Web. 6 May 2015.

"History of Scientology - Scientology History." History of Scientology - Scientology History. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 06 May 2015. <http://www.religionfacts.com/scientology/history>.

9

Scie

ntol

ogy:

Cul

t or R

elig

ion?

| Sp

ring

2015

Flinn, Frank K. "Scientology: The Marks of Religion." (10): n. pag. Freedom Publishing. Web. 8

May 2015. <http://hatewatch.freedommag.org/hatewach/experts/eng/flinn01.pdf>.

End Notes

i "History of Scientology - Scientology History." History of Scientology - Scientology History. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2015. <http://www.religionfacts.com/scientology/history>.

ii Flinn, Frank K. "Scientology: The Marks of Religion." (10): n. pag. Freedom Publishing. Web. 8 May 2015. <http://hatewatch.freedommag.org/hatewach/experts/eng/flinn01.pdf>.

iii "History of Scientology - Scientology History." History of Scientology - Scientology History. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2015. <http://www.religionfacts.com/scientology/history>.

iv Cook, Pat. "Scientology and Dianetics." The Journal of Education 153.4 (1971): 58-61.v Flinn, Frank K. "Scientology: The Marks of Religion." (10): n. pag. Freedom Publishing. Web.

8 May 2015. <http://hatewatch.freedommag.org/hatewach/experts/eng/flinn01.pdf>.vi Manca, Terra. "L. Ron Hubbard's Alternative To The Bomb Shelter: Scientology's

Emergence As A Pseudo-Science During The 1950S." Journal Of Religion And Popular Culture 24.1 (2012): ATLA Religion Database. Web. 6 May 2015.

vii Martin, Daniel E. "Brought Into The Fold: Scientology As A Case Study On Influence And Persuasion In Religion." Skeptic 8.2 (2000): 56-59. ATLA Religion Database. Web. 6 May 2015.

viii Schmalz, Mathew N. "Scientology And Catholicism Do Mix: A Note On Teaching New Religions In A Catholic Classroom." Teaching Theology & Religion 9.1 (2006): 29-36. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 May 2015.

ix Kent, Stephen A. "Scientology's Relationship With Eastern Religious Traditions." Journal Of Contemporary Religion 11.1 (1996): 21-36. ATLA Religion Database. Web. 6 May 2015.

x Martin, Daniel E. "Brought Into The Fold: Scientology As A Case Study On Influence And Persuasion In Religion." Skeptic 8.2 (2000): 56-59. ATLA Religion Database. Web. 6 May 2015.

xi "History of Scientology - Scientology History." History of Scientology - Scientology History. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2015. <http://www.religionfacts.com/scientology/history>.

xii Urban, Hugh B. "The Occult Roots Of Scientology? L. Ron Hubbard, Aleister Crowley, And The Origins Of A Controversial New Religion." Nova Religio 15.3 (2012): 91-116. ATLA Religion Database. Web. 6 May 2015.

xiii Urban, Hugh B. "The Occult Roots Of Scientology? L. Ron Hubbard, Aleister Crowley, And The Origins Of A Controversial New Religion." Nova Religio 15.3 (2012): 91-116. ATLA Religion Database. Web. 6 May 2015.