In early April, World Religion News published the “10 Things You Should
Know About Scientology,” with key points brought up about the modern religion.
The Nashville Church of Scientology is sharing this as a public service – here
are ten things to know about the Scientology religion.
First: Scientology comes from the Latin Scio ("Knowing") and
Greek logos ("Study Of"). At its core, Scientology is literally the
study of knowledge. The religion is embodied by knowing oneself as well as
one’s family and friends, the world, life, the universe, the spirit, and God.
It is the study of truth, drawing on 50,000 years of wisdom, mathematics, and
nuclear physics to reach its profound conclusions. Scientology is a new kind of
religion: Not just something you believe in but something you do, not merely
posing questions but supplying answers. It provides practical solutions to real
life problems: Relationships, work, parenting, creativity, self-respect,
motivation, inspiration, and spirituality—helping people to understand each
other as well as themselves.
Second: It’s represented by more than 11,000 Churches, Missions and
groups across 184 nations, welcoming millions of new visitors to our sites each
year. The worldwide community that comprises Scientology spans 193 languages,
employment in 3,200 professions, and 2.8 million community volunteer hours
annually. Scientology is a movement with grassroots groups starting up every 24
hours and new Churches and Missions opening on every continent, today growing
faster than at any time in its history. In Nashville, the church has welcomed
more members through its doors within the last five years than the twenty-five
years prior. Hundreds in the Middle Tennessee region call this church home.
Third: L. Ron Hubbard founded the Scientology religion. He was a
beloved friend and mentor and a singular visionary whose creation continues to
change the world for the better. Smithsonian magazine last year recognized Mr.
Hubbard as one of the 10 most influential religious figures in American history
and one of the 100 Most Significant Americans of All Time. In his celebrated
1965 essay “My Philosophy,” Mr. Hubbard offers, “The first principle of my own
philosophy is that wisdom is meant for anyone who wishes to reach for it.” In
keeping with this philosophy, Mr. Hubbard recorded and made available the full
chronicle of his research and discoveries through more than 5,000 writings and
3,000 recorded lectures.
Fourth: Scientology has a concept of God, which is expressed as the
Eighth Dynamic—the vision of an infinite existence. This is also identified as
the Supreme Being. As the Eighth Dynamic, the Scientology concept of God rests
at the very apex of universal survival. Unlike religions with Judeo-Christian
origins, the Church of Scientology has no established dogma surrounding God
that it imposes on its members. As with all of its tenets, Scientology does not
ask individuals to accept anything on faith alone. Rather, as one’s level of
spiritual awareness increases through participation in Scientology auditing and
training, one attains his own certainty of every dynamic. Accordingly, only
when the Seventh Dynamic (spiritual) is reached in its entirety will one
discover and come to a full understanding of the Eighth Dynamic (infinity) and
one’s relationship to the Supreme Being.
Fifth: Scientology postulates that nothing in Scientology is true for
you unless you have observed it and experienced it personally – i.e., nothing
in Scientology should be accepted just because the church says so. This concept
is expressed in the essay “Personal Integrity,” in which L. Ron Hubbard
observes, “What is true for you is what you have observed yourself. And when
you lose that, you have lost everything.” Scientologists apply this principle
in studying Scientology. In learning Scientology, students are not expected to
memorize and parrot answers. Rather, they are prompted to understand and
utilize its concepts and techniques and to conclude if they ring true for them
—try them out, make them their own, apply them to their own lives or use them
to enlighten and assist others.
Sixth: Scientology deems that man is an immortal spiritual being. His
experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are
unlimited, even if not presently realized. In his famous essay “The Golden
Dawn,” L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “For countless ages a goal of religion has been
the salvage of the human soul. Man has tried by many practices to find the
pathway to salvation. Man can save his soul. Like the bright cool dawn after a
night of prison and of thunder, Man can taste that freedom sought so long...
You are a spirit. You are your own soul. You are not mortal. You can be free.”
Seventh: A fundamental tenet of Scientology is that mankind is
basically good; that it is seeking to survive; and that man’s survival depends
upon himself, upon his fellows, and upon his attainment of brotherhood with the
universe. However, mankind’s experiences in the physical universe, through many
lifetimes, have led him into evil. He has committed harmful acts or sins which further
reduce man’s awareness and innate goodness as a spiritual being. Through
Scientology, one confronts these acts, erases the ignorance which surrounds them,
and comes to know and experience truth again. All religions seek answers.
Freedom of the spirit is only to be found on the road to truth. Sin is
composed, according to Scientology, of lies and hidden actions and is therefore
lacking in truth.
Eighth: Scientology was founded on the principles of human rights. The
Creed of the Church of Scientology states, “We of the Church believe that all
men or whatever race, color or creed were created with equal rights.” Scientologists
subscribe to the Code of a Scientologist and pledge “to decry and do all I can
to abolish any and all abuses against life and mankind” and “to support true
humanitarian endeavors in the fields of human rights.”
For more than 40 years, Scientologists have championed the United
Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). In 1969, L. Ron Hubbard
reprinted the UDHR in the Church’s Freedom Magazine and wrote: “The United
Nations came up with the answer. An absence of human rights stained the hands
of governments and threatened their rules. Very few governments have
implemented any part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These
governments have not grasped that their very survival depends utterly upon
adopting such reforms and thus giving their peoples a cause, a civilization
worth supporting, worth their patriotism.”
Ninth: Scientologists believe in helping others and taking
responsibility for our communities and the world. Help is a primary concept and
orientation of a Scientologist. In Nashville, Scientologists work to bring drug
education to schools, they help organize events to promote human rights, and
tutor neighborhood children.
Tenth: Scientology is a practical religion. In keeping with his
philosophy, Mr. Hubbard made the basic principles of Scientology broadly
available so people of any faith can gain a greater understanding of their
place in the universe, and can benefit from the practical application of these
principles. Moreover, the Church has made this training available to everyone
through free online courses in 19 subjects that span improving relationships,
salvaging marriages and resolving conflicts as well as helping those plagued by
a drug or alcohol problem or balked by barriers to learning. These are
available at the Scientology website. The
Scientology Volunteer Ministers program brings this technology to every corner
of the globe through on-site seminars and Scientology Volunteer Ministers
Goodwill Tours.
