ScientologyResearchPaper_FinalDraft

PHRE 304
Spring 2015
Authored by: Jabez Zinabu
Scientology: Cult or Religion?
Why Scientology meets the criteria of a religion

1
Scientology:CultorReligion?|Spring2015
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
bandits from Mongolia. In 1929, Hubbard returned to the United States and resumed his formal

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

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

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

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

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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
create a better world." Notable celebrity scientologist include: Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kristy
Alley, Kelly Preston, Elizabeth Moss, and many more. xiii

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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
dynamics, they meet all three criteria, which despite their already tax-exempt religion status,
confirms their place with the other world religions.

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Bibliography
 Urban, Hugh B. "The Occult RootsOf Scientology?L.RonHubbard,AleisterCrowley,AndThe
OriginsOf A ControversialNewReligion."NovaReligio15.3 (2012): 91-116. ATLA Religion
Database. Web.6 May 2015.
 Manca, Terra. "L. Ron Hubbard'sAlternative ToThe BombShelter:Scientology'sEmergence AsA
Pseudo-ScienceDuringThe 1950S." Journal Of ReligionAndPopularCulture 24.1(2012): ATLA
ReligionDatabase.Web.6May 2015.
 Doherty, Bernard."SensationalScientology!The ChurchOf ScientologyAndAustralianTabloid
Television."NovaReligio17.3(2014): 38-63. ATLA ReligionDatabase.Web.6May 2015.
 Kent,StephenA."Scientology'sRelationshipWithEasternReligiousTraditions."Journal Of
ContemporaryReligion11.1(1996): 21-36. ATLA ReligionDatabase.Web.6May 2015.
 Martin, Daniel E."BroughtInto The Fold:ScientologyAsA Case StudyOnInfluence And
PersuasionInReligion."Skeptic8.2 (2000): 56-59. ATLA ReligionDatabase.Web.6May 2015.
 Cook,Pat."ScientologyandDianetics."The Journal of Education153.4 (1971): 58-61.
 Schmalz,MathewN."ScientologyAndCatholicismDoMix:A Note On TeachingNew ReligionsIn
A CatholicClassroom."TeachingTheology&Religion9.1(2006): 29-36. AcademicSearch
Premier.Web.6May 2015.
 "Historyof Scientology - ScientologyHistory."Historyof Scientology - ScientologyHistory.N.p.,
n.d.Web.06 May 2015. <http://www.religionfacts.com/scientology/history>.
 Flinn,FrankK."Scientology: The Marksof Religion."(10):n.pag.FreedomPublishing.Web.8
May 2015. <http://hatewatch.freedommag.org/hatewach/experts/eng/flinn01.pdf>.

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End Notes
 i "History of Scientology - Scientology History."History ofScientology - Scientology History. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 06 May 2015. <http://www.religionfacts.com/scientology/history>.
 i i Flinn, Frank K. "Scientology:The Marks of Religion."(10):n. pag. Freedom Publishing. Web. 8
 i i i "History of Scientology - Scientology History."History ofScientology - Scientology History.
N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2015. <http://www.religionfacts.com/scientology/history>.
 i v Cook, Pat. "Scientology and Dianetics."The Journal ofEducation 153.4 (1971):58-61.
 v Flinn, Frank K. "Scientology:The Marks of Religion."(10):n. pag. Freedom Publishing. Web. 8
 v i 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 Culture24.1 (2012):
ATLA Religion Database. Web. 6 May 2015.
 v ii 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.
 v iii 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.
 i x 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.
 x i "History of Scientology - Scientology History."History ofScientology - Scientology History.
N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2015. <http://www.religionfacts.com/scientology/history>.
 x ii 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.
 x iii 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.

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