Tag Archives: scientology

Auditing Through the Eyes of a Scientologist

Practitioners define the goal of Scientology as “[enabling] Man to improve his lot through understanding.” For centuries the western world made huge advancements in science and made amazing worldly discoveries, however we managed to forget all about ourselves in the process. We struggle with who we are, where we came from, why we’re here, etc.

Mirriam-Webster defines audit as “a methodical examination or review.” Most of the time when I hear the word audit I think of finances, taxes, and the IRS. Generally auditing sounds unenjoyable. Yet for Scientology auditing means completely reviewing certain aspects of your experiences to discover the core problems of emotional/spiritual distress. Auditors are trained to listen and usually work at the churches of Scientology. From what I’m gathering an auditor is the love child of a minister and psychologist. There is an auditors code which is to be strictly followed to protect the preclears, which are the people who are spiritually distressed and trying to get help, and provide them with an aid to understanding themselves. All auditor sessions are private and the auditor cannot make suggests or lead the preclear to any beliefs of how they should think of themselves. Preclears hold an electropsychometer, which is as FOX puts it “a kind of an old-fashioned lie detector that measures bodily changes in electrical resistance.” Here are some of the more interesting creeds in the Auditor’s Code…

I hereby promise as an auditor to follow the Auditor’s Code.

1. I promise not to evaluate for the preclear or tell him what he should think about his case in session.

2. I promise not to invalidate the preclear’s case or gains in or out of session.

4. I promise to keep all auditing appointments once made.

5. I promise not to process a preclear who has not had sufficient rest and who is physically tired.

6. I promise not to process a preclear who is improperly fed or hungry.

9. I promise not to let the preclear end session on his own determinism but to finish off those cycles I have begun.

16. I promise to maintain communication with the preclear and not to cut his communication or permit him to overrun in session.

18. I promise to continue to give the preclear the process or auditing command when needed in the session.

19. I promise not to let a preclear run a wrongly understood command.

27. I promise to refuse to permit any being to be physically injured, violently damaged, operated on or killed in the name of “mental treatment.”

28. I promise not to permit sexual liberties or violations of patients.

What particularly interests me are ones which seem to say that an audit is like a mental boot camp. “I promise not to let a preclear run a wrongly understood command,” begs the question what kinds of commands are involved? Also from creed number 9 I am disturbed by the idea that someone can’t take leave of their own freewill until the auditor determines that their appointment is over.

While Katie Holmes was dating Tom Cruise she underwent several auditing sessions and supposedly was very skeptical of the process. After she filed for divorce and primary custody over her and Cruise’s daughter, Suri, propaganda began to circulate as the media hounded Katie for information of the auditing sessions and the happenings in the Church of Scientology. An expert and critic of Scientology, Andreas Heldal-Lund, says that, despite confidence between the preclear and the auditor being a part of the auditing code, the church could decide to reveal recorded information from the auditing sessions if she were to make any public statements against the church.

Heldal-Lund has a website called “Operation Clambake” which reveals information about the Church of Scientology. This website will be the topic of my next Civic Issues Blog.

SOURCES:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/07/03/former-scientologist-says-katie-holmes-answers-during-church-qa-sessions-will/

http://www.scientology.org/

Potential Research for CI blog

L. Ron Hubbard’s Passion for Knowledge and Advancements in Education

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La Fayette Ron Hubbard was born in 1911. Throughout his youth L. Ron Hubbard had a desire to learn. He read from scholarly books, traveled all over the United States (on account of his father’s military status), and joined the boy scouts. He earned badge upon badge until he became the youngest Eagle Scout in American History. Then he met a navel officer who taught him about the Freudian theories of psychoanalysis. These theories were what began his interest in the human mind. (Nothing like starting all your scientific theories on someone who is often considered a crack addicted nut case.)

When he was 16 he got the opportunity to travel to Asia with his father. There he gained knowledge and first hand experience of the practices of some of the world’s most ancient religions. He even spent time with an exclusive group of Buddhist monks.

After he returned to America he joined the George Washington College in D.C. and became an engineering student. He learned much about scientific methodology and nuclear physics. Through these studies he was able to create an idea for how to capture and observe the human soul. He continued to travel around the world seeing all the various cultures religious practices and observing the human spirit surrounding them. Through his explorations he determined that the single common denominator between all living things was something he called the “Dynamic Principle of Existence” – everything exists (what a revelation!)

During the Second World War he became a naval Leutenent. He ended up in a hospital for several months were he met patients who were not recovering from their illnesses and injuries despite the intense medical care they were receiving. After considering all of the cultural beliefs he had witnessed, Hubbard had an epiphany; “If the mind regulated the body and not the body regulated the mind, then the endocrine system would not respond to hormones if there was in existence a mental block.” In other words, he discovered that because of some sort of mental block the men were not recovering from their injuries, and in order for the medicines to start taking effect on their bodies, they had to first unblock the hormones from the endocrine system. Through this theory Hubbard created the study of Dianetics.

He published a book about Dianetics in 1950 and continued to help people all over America overcome their mental blocks. Through dianetics he was able to further study the human spirit and past lives (referring back to his studies in college). He discovered a practice of “exteriorization” in which a spiritual unit functions independently of a physical form. These practices are what lead to Hubbard founding the church of Scientology and opening them in places all over the world, starting what many critics think is an inane cult.

Thus begins the epic tales of Scientology…

Sources: L. Ron Hubbard Chronology Video

Ron The Philosopher Website

Scientology: Religion of the 21st Century

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If you know who Tom Cruise is, then you probably have heard of Scientology. This new religion which Cruise is overzealous for pulls from many different religions in the world, but adds a new take to perceiving one’s spiritual destiny and relationships with people and the environment.

L. Ron Hubbard is the attributed creator of Scientology and is known for starting many of the Churches of Scientology around the world. Its own website describes Scientology as the “religion for the here and now.” Hubbard studied the human soul for most of his professional life and what he ultimately decided was that it was something that experiences many lifetimes and is a power which can be harnessed and directed towards whatever the person wants.

At its core, Scientology attempts “…to enable Man to improve his lot through understanding.” There is a strong focus on the improvement and well being of mental health. Freedom of speech and equality as well as other humanitarian acts are important goals of a Scientologist. Overall Scientology focuses on “knowledge of the truth” about friends, family, life, etc and is not based on faith, rather, as the name suggests, it is based on a scientific observation of truths. One of the primary goals of Scientologists is to continue the advancements in technology and science, and believers feel that every new discovery will only further prove that Scientology is right.

Despite it’s attractive appeal, many people (especially those who are members of other religions) think that the entire idea behind scientology is absurd. Some people claim that Scientology is a multifaceted organization and involves itself not only in religion but in politics, business, medicine, and even a family structure; therefore it shouldn’t be considered or followed as religions are. I can attest that my own church has not been shy to make jokes about Scientology during mass — most of which I don’t understand because I don’t know much about the religion.

Not everyone might agree with Scientology as a religion but it is making some interesting advancements in humanitarian efforts. Whether Scientology lasts as a religion or not, they will definitely impact society, and whether their impact is generally good or bad has yet to be determined.

Meanwhile, what was Hubbard thinking when he came up with this religion? How did he come to the conclusions he made about the human soul, and what effects has this had on society?

I hope to explore these topics, though not necessarily in the order I’ve laid them out, as well as highlight some of the most prominent current events that have effected Scientologists and their beliefs.

Sources:

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/kent/religion.html