Scientology Pluralism Essay

Scientology Pluralism Report As religions grow and change, people may be influenced by the religions of the past and create new belief systems. Scientology was formed in the 1950s and today has millions of members in various countries worldwide.

Scientology is a religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard in 1954. Hubbard founded Scientology not as a religion, but as a science (Scientology: Sect, Science, or Scam?). He began writing his ideas in the 1950s and expanded on them over time. The initial writings are the foundation for Scientology beliefs. One of the main documents is The Creed of the Church of Scientology. It begins with “We the Church Believe…” and it states the foundational beliefs of Scientologists like “That all men of whatever race,

Dianetics is a process of speaking phrases to unconscious or troubled people to create an engram or recording of it in the brain. Later, the listener may hear the phrase again and relive the experience. Dianetics is the foundation for Scientology and Hubbard's book on the subject serves as the Holy book of Scientology.

Another important practice is auditing. Auditing is done with two people and can help them rid themselves “of any spiritual disabilities and increase individual abilities” (Scientology Religion). Auditing helps the person look inside and reach a higher level of religious knowledge. “Through auditing one is able to look at his own existence and improve his ability to confront what he is and where he is” (Scientology Religion).

Scientologists also believe that humans have a soul inside of them called the thetan. The thetan is imprisoned by the material world or MAST. MAST represents matter, energy, space, and time. Scientology is influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism beliefs like samsara, the cycle of birth and rebirth. Other beliefs and practices are similar to Hindu beliefs but don’t use the terms nirvana or moksha. “Another similarity with Hindu and Buddhist worldviews is the notion that the goal of each individual human being is some type of psychological liberation that can be brought about by new insight” (Molloy,

As people leave Scientology, they reveal secrets about the often undisclosed operation within the church. In her documentary, actress Leah Remini and other ex-Scientolgists explain the issues they experienced living in Scientology. Since she left the religion, she lost contact with her family and friends that are still a part of the religion. According to James Lewis who wrote the article “Scientology: Sect or Scam”, “one of the chief criticisms leveled against CoS is that it is a money-making business — or, more harshly, a money-making scam” (Lewis, 227). Scientology attracts wealthy or powerful members who can then influence others to join and give more money. From an outsider’s perspective, one might see Scientology as a cult. Many people consider it to be one since it uses tactics like fear and isolation on its current and former members, but through various legal battles, the Church of Scientology has not been listed as a cult by the governments that have challenged its