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Origin of religion theories
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Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a compete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, Mankind, all life form, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being. L. Ron Hubbard created scientology in 1952; who then in 1953 characterized Scientology as a religion. He then created the first Church of Scientology in Camden, New Jersey that same year. Scientology means, “Knowing how to know”. Scientology focuses on the spirit, not the mind or body, and strongly believes that Man is far more than a product of his surroundings, his environment, or his genes. Scientology comprises a body of knowledge from certain fundamentals; man is an immortal spiritual being, his experiences extend beyond a lifetime, and his capabilities are unlimited. Basically, Scientology holds man to be good and that his salvation is based upon himself and his relationship with the universe.
Hubbard claimed to have discovered certain natural laws of the spiritual universe, claiming they could be used to predict and control human behavior and phenomena in a manner similar to the way natural laws codified in the physical sciences could be used to predict and control phenomena in the physical world. Scientology believes that spiritually and thought is an energy existing of its own universe. This is called a “Theta”. It is also separated and distinct from the physical universe of Matter, Energy, Space and Time (MEST), and that “Theta”, is senior to and created the “MEST”. People are believed to be called “Thetan’s”, who are a “thought unit”, of the spiritual universe. Thetans interact with the physical universe (MEST), usually by inhabiting a huma...
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...ng that it is not a cult or harmful religion. I am very convinced that this religion is much darker that what it is portrayed to be. When I was doing my research I tried to dig deeper into the religion but was somewhat at a road block, especially when I entered their website. The Church of Satan claims to be very private, you have to be a member or registered member to gain any knowledge. They encourage you to read and understand the Satanic Bible before even thinking of joining. To me that is a red flag. Again, I don’t think the Church of Satan or Satanism is a religion…it is more of a cult with dark, disturbed people joining. Upon trying to join, they also claim that you have to be a legal adult – meaning of legal age with no ties. To me that is another red flag. I personally do not know anyone who has been a part of the Church of Satan, nor do I want to.
Cults are a small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.A tremendous population increase of cults occurred between the 1960s and 1970s, because this time period was of rebellion and reform. People felt inspired by questioning authority. People mainly join cults because they are looking for a place to fit new and something to belong to. Cults use psychological techniques to create their cults as seen in Jonestown and the Klu Klux Klan .
The Church of Scientology is a global organization with over 270 churches or missions worldwide. For decades, it has possessed followers with an almost fanatical devotion to their leader, L. Ron Hubbard. Since the advent of the Internet, the Church has begun to resort to various legal actions to maintain the secrecy of their “scriptures.”
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...
Cults can be dangerous as manipulative strategies are used to control large groups of people into behaviour they may not usually be comfortable with. A cult is a counterculture that is an extremist group usually lead by religion and a charismatic leader (Winner 2011:417). Counterculture is the rejection of popular norms and values and replaces them with extreme views on violence, family and loyalty (Winner 2011:417). Cult leaders often preach about religious history as they take it very seriously. Usually, these religious views guide the bizarre behaviour and conformity within the cult. Anthropologists see cults as a way for people to find self-identity and belonging within a group which they are not receiving from outside of the group.
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).
Scientology was founded in 1954 based on the religious teachings of L. Ron Hubbard an American science fiction author. At first Hubbard's books were looked at as a new way to accomplish mental healing. The practicing of Scientology is f...
Satanic cults are known to be one of the most darkest cults in the world. There have been reports of Satanic worship across the nation. It is not entirely known of what kind of activity goes on in most Satanic cults, but there are quite a few crimes that have been committed that lead to Satanic worshipers such as, kidnapping, rape, and murder. It also has been reported that people are being kidnapped for so called “religious purposes”. Many believe that people that are kidnapped, are then put into “sacrificial ceremonies” and some believe that they are then “brainwashed” into joining the cult, but it is not a real fact that these events really happened. There have been many court trials over suspected Satanic cult members that have committed major crimes in the past.
Within the past twenty years scientology has dominated celebrity culture. The religion has increased its celebrity following, and as a consequence has been put in the spotlight. Scientology is a fairly new religion that was founded in the 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard started his career as a science fiction writer, but one day when he was under anesthesia at the dentist he had an epiphany that inspired Scientology. He believed he knew all the answers to the universe, and he wrote Dianetics, which has become a guide book for the religion (Christian Century). Scientology focuses on the soul and clarity of the mind. In scientology the soul is called a thetan, and followers are required to “undertake the path of mental liberation with the help of another person, a spiritual counselor called an auditor” (Molloy). Auditing how scientologists free and overcome problems from past lives that their thetan inhabited. Molloy says, that scientology has roots in Buddhism and Hinduism because of the connection to past lives and liberation of the soul. L. Ron Hubbard set out to make a thriving religion that would grow and prosper.
The key of Scientology is that it deals mainly with the human spirit and its salvation and rehabilitation. It preaches that an individual is a spirit; not a body, not a brain, not something of genes and chemicals. It is this single recognition of the nature of an individual that forms the foundation of this religion. Throughout the ages, man has viewed himself as more of a spiritual being then anything else. It has only been within the last 100 years or so that the materialistic idea that man is merely another animal similar to a monkey or rat has taken place. Scientology teaches that this idea is incorrect and acts as a barrier to a personal understanding of life. Its like if you skip a step and don't believe in something, then you can not fully understand the religion in its entirety. Scientology basically answers all the questions in life that people long for, such as "Who am I" & Where do I come from." It truly helps give understan...
According to dictionaries a cult is 1) a system of religious worship or ritual. 2) A religion or sect considered extremist of false. 3) Obsessive devotion to a person or principle. It is believed that every cult ties into some kind of religion, and religions all have a common basis of “a leap of faith”. Whether this so-called leap of faith is going to heaven or being reincarnated, or moving on to some other planet, depends on the beliefs of the cult itself.
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.
Scientology, founded in 1950 (Hubbard. What is. 3), "is an applied religious philosophy" (Hubbard. What is. 4), which is a branch of psychology (Fundamentals. 7). Developed by Lafayette Ron Hubbard, Scientology was created "from discoveries resulting from Hubbard's research into the mind and life" (Fundamentals. 11). Hubbard claimed that "Scientology is for the betterment of man" (Fundamentals. 117), and that Scientology can be used by an average person to bring better order to their life (Fundamentals. 8). Hubbard claimed that Scientology "improves the health, intelligence, ability, behavior, skill and appearance of the average person" (Fundamentals. 8). One of the most fundamental ideas in Scientology is the belief that the individual man is divisible into three parts (Hubbard. What is. 5-6): The Mind, the Body and the Thetan. Hubbard believed that the Thetan, or personality of a person, "is separable from the rest of the mind at will, and without causing bodily death or mental derangement" (Fundamentals. 5-6).
Society strives to feel a sense of belonging. We want to be a part of something that shares the same beliefs as us. We spend our time trying to place ourselves in a group to satisfy these needs, whether it is in a hobby club, a group of friends, or religion. Some people go to more extreme measures and find this in what we call a cult. According to Henslin, a cult is a new or different religion whose teachings and practices put it at odds with the dominant culture and religion. (2013:405) Cults are often identified with the ideas of mass murder, deviant behaviors, unusual beliefs, and extremely devoted members. Cults are also highly known for their leaders. The leaders of cults usually are the ones that portray the image for the entire group. Successful cults take a strong-minded and, according to Max Weber, charismatic leader.
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...
The word “cult” has a very negative connotation in modern society as a result of it being applied to several religious groups that have violated basic moral or societal rules. It is regularly applied by the media to groups that are considered to be “deviant, dangerous or corrupt” (1). “The Theological use of the word “cult” is most evident in Christian Evangelical literature.” (2) Here, a cult is described by Walter Ralston Martin as “a group, religious in nature which surrounds a leader or a group of teaching which either denies or misinterprets essential Biblical doctrine.”(2) Another definition by Charles Braden is “those religious groups that differ significantly from those religious groups that are regarded as the normative expression of religion in our total culture.” And “a group of people gathered about a specific person or person’s misinterpretation of the Bible.”(2). Two very vague definitions that could apply to just about any faith that doesn’t align with what the...