Scientology is one of the most widely known cults/religions, primarily for its negative reputation. Founded in 1954 by L. Ron Hubbard, based on the theory of his book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. According to the book, every person has an analytical mind which acts as the conscious mind, responsible for daily decision and judgement making. There is also the reactive mind, equivalent to Freud’s subconscious, which takes over during times of stress. Hubbard says memories from these times can leave lasting scars on the reactive mind, only to be released through a process he invented called auditing. The process of auditing is designed for members to divulge their unconscious memories in front of a counselor through a series of questions to encourage the analytical mind to regain control. Hubbard introduced an electropsychometer, or E-meter, to measure the strength of a small electrical current running through a person’s body while auditing. This sparked Hubbards shift from Dianetics to Scientology. Rather than solely focusing on mental health, scientology is a religious movement based off of the teachings found in Dianetics.
Dianetics caught onto popularity in the post WWII world because of the mind healing premise. Scientology says that humans are immortal souls trapped in multiple bodies throughout several lifetimes only to be released when one can “clear” their mind. One can become clear through auditing and purging their unconscious memories from the reactive brain. Those who are clear are thought to be of a higher morality and ethics, control over their environment, and even less susceptible to disease. Reaching a clear state is the ultimate goal of scientologists.
Scientology has been involved in controversy since its inception. Particularly criticized by medical, scientific, and religious communities, as Hubbard began with teachings of mental health, a field he was not technically qualified to speak on. Hubbard resigned from all offices in 1966 and began focusing the majority of his time developing post- Clear Operating Thetan Levels. He also spent a lot of time aboard a boat filled with young scientologists called Sea Organization, or Sea Org which quickly became Scientology’s elite and religious order.
In 1980 Hubbard left the public eye and died in 1980.Scientology was then taken over by David Miscavige who runs the organization as we know it today. Many countries are not supportive of the organization, as there have been numerous investigations due to alleged tax evasion. In Germany in 2009, scientologists were banned from being allowed to hold public office. As of today, there are over 11,000 scientology churches in 184 countries, welcoming around 4.4 million new members each year. As Scientology continues to grow, we must not forget its dark past, and the shady activities that go on within the institution.
Emma Lutz says:
The only knowledge I had of Scientology before reading this was that Tom Cruise is allegedly a member of the religion. I always find it cool to read about the origin of cults and religions like this.
October 25, 2018 — 4:48 pm
Lisa Li says:
It’s really interesting how this cult incorporates psychology with religion. It’s surprising how many churches there are for this. There are also a lot of celebrities, like Tom Cruise, who believe in it.
October 26, 2018 — 7:21 pm