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L ron hubbard teachings
Essays on the church of scientology
Essays on the church of scientology
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Scientology
Some hale and some hate L. Ron Hubbard. Before my months of research into the religion of Scientology I had never learned of a man so loved and so dispised by many. The science-fiction writer turned leader/ antithesis depending on where you stand made his way into the world in 1950 when a book called dianetics hit America's west coast like a storm. Some claim it was his plan saying he was only out for money. I can not conclude other than that L. Ron Hubbard was a genius in the craft of foolery and money making.
Many books have been written that discredit the religion of Scientology including Paulette Cooper's book titled The Scandal of Scientology which outlines all of what she believes to be faults in the Scientology religion. Being a biased source I turned from that book to an article printed four years after the death of the founder of Scientology Lafayette Ronald Hubbard. Titled "The Scientology Story "it was a series in The Los Angeles Times that was written to walk through Scientology from the beginning and simply explain the facts. In this unbiased account of Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard, there are many discrediting facts and ideas about the religion that were found. It is these very facts that I will be listing that many of Scientology's greatest critics use to defend themselves (in the case of those in the medical professions ), or to explain why the religions ideas are simply not valid or untrue.
A very widely used quote of L. Ron Hubbard is the following which was said in 1938 in a letter to his first wife ten years prior to the development of his religion. He said "I have high hopes of smashing my name into history so violently it will take a legendary form. . . that goal is the real goal as far as I am concerned (Los Angeles Times About This Series pg 1)." This quote is argued to explain that L. Ron Hubbard simply created this religion as a way to gain a name for himself. It is also used to try and argue that L.
Robinson, B.A. "About the Church of Scientology A Religion Founded by L. Ron Hubbard." http://www.religioustolerance.org/scientol.htm
... In addition to the many subjects of the drug trials, thousands of people were exposed to LSD when they read Leary’s published works and attended his public lectures, participated in Kesey’s Acid Tests and listened to his endorsements, attended Robert Hunters concerts, and witnessed the extensive work done by many others – all influenced by MKUltra in some fashion. Ultimately, the alterations in its use gave the emergence of LSD a sense of irony that truly reflected that era – instead of becoming the government’s secret chemical weapon, LSD became a sacrament that shaped a generation, epitomizing the counterculture’s belief of “make love, not war.”
In conclusion, being a part of that cult has taught me a great deal. Now, I am able to understand people better and also much more aware of lies that society perpetrates. I believe that most any group will knowingly or unwittingly use cult techniques. Fr. Stanich has given me a great deal to think about. He was a classic narcissist and one of the vainest people I have ever known. But, I am now able to understand much more about persuasive rhetoric and the phony lies that are told to control people.
“They say it all began on January 20, 2099, when President Miscavige of the Hubbard Party came into office. That was also the day the government outlawed psychiatry and psychology, along with the Internal Revenue Service. With that in mind, the first sentence Miscavige uttered during his inaugural address was, ‘Operation Sleeping Beauty is a success.’ Then came the monstrous applause from the audience.”
Walsh, Y., Russell, R. J. H., & Wells, P. A. (1995). THE PERSONALITY OF EX-CULT MEMBERS. Pergamon, 19(3), 339–344.
Cults Each year, hundreds of North Americans join one of the increasing, estimated 3000 unorthodox religions that exist across North America. The increasing number of cults, to date in North America, is due to the fact that cults are a social movement that attempts to help people cope with their perceived problems with social interaction. Cult recruiters target those who perceive themselves as different from the rest of society, and give these individuals the sense of belonging that they crave. Cult literature lures potential cult members by appealing to their desperate need to socially fit in. Cults provide a controlled family environment that appeals to potential cult members because it is a removal from the exterior society.
The history of Scientology shows its persistence to keep their members with the promise of spiritual enlightenment. Scientology was founded in the mid-twentieth century by renowned science-fiction author L Ron Hubbard. (Sweeney) The basic foundation of the church stems from the ideas of his best-selling book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. (Anderson) Dianetics was published on May 9, 1950, and the date would become recognized among Scientologists as a religious holiday. Hubbard claimed that the discovery of the science of dianetics is “a milestone for Man comparable to his discovery of fire and superior to his inventions of the wheel and the arch” (Reitman 58). The book’s ideas encourage humanity to rid the individual of any of their mental weaknesses (18). It went on to make its way up the bestseller list by the summer o...
There were leaders such as Timothy Leary, Harvard Professor, who was helped spread the hippies drug use. He recommended the use of LSD and used his famous slogan, “tune in, ten on, and drop out”, to inspire the American youth. Later during his career, he was fired for being unreliable to showing up to his classes. Leary had a belief that LSD showed improvements for therapy, that the human mind would expand and there would be personal truth. During the hippie movement he was constantly arrested and was known as “-in the words of president Richard Nixon - “the most dangerous man in America”” (Bliss Jim, “The death of Timothy Leary, ‘The most dangerous man in America’”). Later in 1995, Leary was diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer. And then in 1996, he died lying in bed with his
Scientism is the view that knowledge of reality should only be gained or is best gained through the scientific process or research. This statement though sounds logical; it implies that something cannot be known or believed if it is not scientifically gained knowledge. Scientism is not science; it is a view about knowledge. Scientific statements are facts, but statements of facts cannot explain moral and ethical judgments that evaluate facts claims as being good or bad. It is therefore important to distinguish between scientific claims (90% of Americans think racism is wrong) and values (racism is wrong). Science forms a part of ethical or ought statements but these statements goes beyond what science offers. Not making this distinction leads to the fallacy of obtaining an ought from an is. Relativism is another viewpoint that upholds that there is no concept such as “the ultimate truth” and every belief or knowledge is relative to how it is perceived by an individual or culture. For, example things that Americans value or prioritize like independence or equality might be irrelevant in another culture. The adverse effects of concepts such as scientism and relativism has led to nonscientific claims being trivialized in the healthcare system. However new interest has been generated in spirituality in the healthcare system and Duke University has formed a center in 1998 to promote religion and spirituality in health through research (Grand Canyon University, 2015). This in my opinion is a much needed venture resolve these tensions as the Bible reminds us that in the last days even the elect may be
Cults have existed throughout history since the beginning of time. A cult is defined in Webster’s dictionary as a “system of religious worship with a devoted attachment to a person, principle, etc.” Over the past thirty years numerous religious cults have caused “ tens of thousands to abandon their families, friends, education’s, and careers to follow the teaching of a leader they will never meet”(Beck 78).
According to the New Oxford American Dictionary the definition of Scientology is “a religious system based on the seeking of self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment through graded courses of study and training.” In addition, Scientology claims to comprise the remedies used to deliver people from drugs and alcohol abuse, as well as, therapeutic solutions to help others recover from serious injuries at an astonishing progressive rate. In essence, this movement’s main agenda is to bring order to a world of chaos through spreading its teachings, improving environmental conditions on planet earth, and developing the holistic being through using different methodologies and technologies.
Beginning in the Middle Ages and through the seventeenth centuries, an infiltration of witchcraft persevered throughout Europe. The witch craze resulted in the torture and persecution of witches. More than 100,000 of witches who were tried were centered in the area of southwestern Europe. The mass hysteria of witches was denounced because of their rejection of God and their pact with the devil, which resulted in harsh punishments and accusations. One reason for the persecution of witches was they were thought to be the cause of bad harvests, epidemics, natural disasters, and personal tragedies. Witches also had a part in the religious aspect of Europe. The witches were persecuted because of the lack of a main religion, which was significant to life during the Protestant and Catholic Reformations. At this time of the witch phenomena, Europe was in a state of instability and people in Europe looked to benefit from the persecution of witches in the form of goods and money. The persecution of individuals as witches in Europe was mainly a repercussion of economic circumstances, strong religious beliefs, and prejudices of the people.
Scientology is a religion that is becoming more and more popular and known. One of the reasons for this is the amount of press it gets. One of the biggest churches for scientology is located in LA this could result in the amount of celebrities involved in this religon. There is also a great amount of controversy concerning this religion. After taking this world religions class I have come to learn that this controversy is true with all religions.
Although cults have become a very common practice in our society, not many people actually know what a cult is. A cult is a group that demonstrates an excessive dedication to an idea, person or thing. Cults will conduct manipulative and persuasive behavior to advance the goals of the leader (Langone). There are many different types of cults, but they usually fall into four categories: Religious, Commercial, Self Help and Counselling or Political. Many people mistake religions as cults, but that is not the case. Religious cults are cults that center around a belief system as many common religions do, but they are categorized as a cult because of their practices and mind control. Common religions do not practice these techniques. Commercial cults are those that are interested in gaining money. These cults use their scare tactics and mind control techniques to get members to give them money and even work for them. Self Help and Counselling cults are centered around a business that has programs designed to help people by counselling them. By taking their courses, members are told they will become better people. This of course is not the case and these cults are inte...
“Agnosticism is the philosophical position that it is impossible to know about the nature or existence of God.” The term was invented in 1869 by Thomas H Huxley from the Greek “agnostos”. So one can define the difference between an Atheist and an Agnostic is simply as the Atheist emphasizes that there is no God, whereas the Agnostic maintains only that he does not know. Agnosticism is not a position one can take like theism or atheism, rather it’s more like an rational process.