Scientology is a non-secular religion founded by Ron L. Hubbard, based on his book Dianetics. It claims to help individuals achieve greater happiness and success, but has been criticized as junk science and potentially harmful. The organization has also been associated with controversies, including encouraging members to break ties with critical family or friends and infiltrating the US government for wiretapping and theft.
Scientology, administered by the Church of Scientology (CSI), is a non-secular religion founded by Ron L. Hubbard (1911-1986). The word itself means the study of truth, knowledge or skill. Scientology’s roots begin in Hubbard’s best-selling book, Dianetics, first published in 1950. Dianetics claims that most physical and emotional ailments can be attributed to stored traumatic memories. With the help of an “auditor” a person can be “cleansed” of these memories and free to enjoy expanded states of consciousness, increased intelligence and general well-being. Scientology has expanded upon the principles described in Dianetics, extending them to spiritual awareness. Hubbard’s Scientology philosophy began in 1952.
Scientology purportedly goes beyond the mental and emotional planes to help an individual develop his or her whole person or being across lifetimes. By “rehabilitating” the soul, the person can achieve greater happiness and success beyond what the individual may believe he or she can achieve. Many celebrities are commonly associated with the religion, including Tom Cruise, Kirstie Alley and John Travolta.
A pulp science fiction writer by trade, Hubbard, according to his own published statements, was tired of working for “a penny a word.” In a 1980 Reader’s Digest article, Hubbard is quoted as saying, “If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion.
In Dianetics and Scientology, Hubbard takes concepts from a variety of fields, including medicine and religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, and infuses them with his philosophies. Some doctors and scientists consider Scientology junk science. Others consider some aspects of it potentially harmful.
Scientology has its share of controversies associated with it. Members have been encouraged to break ties with family or friends who are critical of the organization. In United States vs. Mary Sue Hubbard (DDC 1979), Hubbard’s wife and several other Scientologists were found to have infiltrated the US government for wiretapping and theft. Various deaths, thought by some to be suspicious, have been linked to the Church of Scientology, including the suicide death of one of Hubbard’s sons, George Quentin Hubbard (1954-1976), as well as the deaths of Lisa McPherson, Noah Lottick and Susan Meister. While some find the church’s philosophies of self-help and enlightenment to contrast sharply with these controversies, others feel that Scientology has been a great boon to their lives.
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