The Scientology Comparative Theology Page

Last Update: 5 August 1997

Index

  • Scope and Purpose
  • Introduction
  • Doctrine Comparison
  • Scientology Doctrine, Christian Heresies
  • Hubbard Denigrates Christianity
  • Scientology Claims Compatibility with Christianity
  • Religious Practice
  • The Secular Roots of Scientology

    Scope and Purpose

    This web site was created to promote the scholarly study of the religious beliefs of Scientology, and compare them to other religious belief systems. Scientology claims to be compatible with nearly all other religious belief systems, a claim which is not supported by the available evidence. While the preponderance of research has been oriented toward Christianity, people of all faiths are welcome to contribute to this page.

    The source material used in this document includes:

    This page is under construction and under review. Please report errors in fact or form to Perry Scott. If you have or know of material that may contribute to this web, please contact me.

    Introduction

    In 1981, the Church of Scientology forwarded the claim to me that they were "an applied religious philosophy" and compatible with Christianity (Scientology continues to make this claim). I accepted it at face value. "Why would they lie about it?", I reasoned, "They're a Church!" I signed up for a couple courses. However, as I read their material, it was clear that a belief in reincarnation was implicit to Hubbard's doctrine of Whole-Track (past lives) auditing, which is a central tenet of Scientology. At that point, I declined to supplant my own religion with Scientology and drifted away from the Church.

    More than a decade later, I found Scientology being discussed on the Internet newsgroup alt.religion.scientology . I was attracted by wild tales of Scientology's upper level "scriptures" that sounded more like a bad science fiction novel than they did salvation for the soul. Moreover, critics were being harrassed by Scientology's lawyers. The "Church" was threatening to sue people for quoting as little as six lines of their copyrighted scripture! I learned that the "Church" of Scientology prevents people from seeing their Advanced Technology through litigation, both on grounds of copyright infringement and trade secret law. The reason: the "Church" demands hundreds of thousands of dollars to reveal their "spiritual technology". Latest estimates are $365,000 (not a typo!) to advance through OT VIII, their highest level. At these rates, only the idle rich can afford spiritual salvation, Scientology-style.

    As I dug deeper into the Advanced Technology and other Upper Level doctrine, I began to find more and more material that confirmed my decision from a decade before. I learned that Hubbard was not only lying about being compatible with Christianity, I read and heard Hubbard denigrating Christianity in the upper level lectures which are safely hidden from public scrutiny. Worse, Hubbard was revealed to be a Satanist, studying under Aleister Crowley, even taking upon himself the name of "The Beast" upon Crowley's death.

    For those of you who are saying "OK, so Hubbard was anti-Christian, so what?", my reply is that Hubbard was an equal-opportunity bigot. Hubbard blasphemes the God of Abraham, simultaneously offending Jew, Christian, and Muslim alike. Hubbard says that Islam and Christianity are implants [false memories], as well as claiming that his "Technology" can create equals to Buddha. He takes a broad brush to "religion" in general being guilty of exploiting false memories (which only Hubbard was able to find) in order to control people. So, while there are a preponderance of Christian references on this Web, it is only because my research has been in that direction and that Hubbard blasphemed the God of Abraham most often (which makes those references easiest to find.) If your religion was targeted by Hubbard and you don't see the reference here, send some mail and I would be happy to correct the error.

    Scientology is a gnostic [gnosis: to know] system in every sense of the word. The material is doled out on The Gradient at steep prices. Each course is a prerequisite for the next. The church member is compelled to take that next course to secure their spiritual salvation or be condemned to sliding back to a state of degradation. Scientology takes a lifetime to learn; the opportunity cost of such a religious system is a lifetime diverted away from seeking God. Hubbard set up the system as circles within circles, a spiritual treadmill without end. After attaining OT VIII, the Scientologist has come to accept that God not only does not exist, but also believes that God is an implant that must be audited out like any other false memory. In this manner, Scientology binds the minds of its believers, then warehouses their spirits for the remainder of their life. From the Christian point of view, Hubbard's system is evil to the extreme; Scientology is a system of diversions away from God, an accomplishment that Satan would be proud to call his own.

    This Web is my response to the bald-faced lies that were told to me in 1981. (Yes, had they told me right up front that they were a Satanic cult, I would have never bothered with this.) It cost me both time and money to find the truth, time that I can never regain. I have a right and duty under the First Amendment of the US Constitution to both practice my religion as well as speak out against the dangers of Scientology. Scientology presents a whitewashed exterior and most Christians, Jews, and Muslims are unaware of the dark interior.

    Finally, a note of thanks to all the contributors to alt.religion.scientology which are included here. It has been quite a education. If you happen to be surprised to find your post here and wish it removed, please contact me. I have assumed that a newsgroup post has an implied license to copy.

    Doctrine Comparison

    An article from The Christian Research Journal , Summer 1993 describes the philosophy and theological presuppositions of Scientology and provides a comparison between Scientology and Christianity. It is a well-done scholarly work, complete with a rich set of references. This article is a good place to start because it avoids much of the jargon that is inherent in any reading of Scientology doctrine.

    Stephen Kent published an essay on Scientology's Relationship With Eastern Religious Traditions in Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1996, page 21.

    In 1996, the mysterious and secret Advanced Technology appeared on a.r.s., which include the Operating Thetan (a.k.a. "OT") and New Era Dianetics for Operating Thetans (a.k.a. "NOTs"). OT III contains part of the "creation story" of Scientology, detailing how an evil galactic space tyrant named Xenu solved an overpopulation problem 75 million years ago by:

    These spirits went on to inhabit the bodies of primitive apes, being passed from generation to generation to present-day man. OT III and NOTs are about exorcising these spirits. In the words of Dave Barry, I am not making this up. In case you didn't know, Hubbard got his start writing for pulp science fiction magazines.

    The Church of Scientology is absolutely rabid about protecting the copyrights and trade secrets of the NOTs. Rather than risk a lawsuit by quoting or discussing more here, the reader is referred to these pages:

    Scientology Doctrine, Christian Heresies

    Rebecca Hartong compares the heresies of Scientology to the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church.

    Jon Atack reports on Hubbard and the Occult, with references.

    Gnosticism

    Reincarnation

    Satanism

    Hubbard Denigrates Christianity

    Scientology is quick to claim religious persecution whenever someone criticises their scripture or religion. However, in true Scientology form, they make exaggerated accusations of others to divert attention away from their own sin. It reminds me of Jesus' parable of motes and beams.

    Note: I'm working on more commentary for this section, please be patient.

    Scientology Claims Compatibility with Christianity

    Religious Practice

    The Secular Roots of Scientology

    Scientology's roots are in the self-help movement of the 50's and 60's. Prior to Scientology and its predecessor Dianetics , L. Ron Hubbard was a science fiction writer for the various pulp fiction magazines of the time. He was overheard on several occasions as saying to the effect, "if you want to make a million dollars, you have to start a religion". And he did. Bare Faced Messiah cronicles the transformation from Dianetics into the religion of Scientology.

    The conversion of Scientology from a secular self-help group to a full-blown religion literally happened overnight. It all came together in response to various problems Hubbard was having with his brainchild:

    Some disagree with Hubbard that Scientology is a religion

    Thus, Hubbard declared Scientology to be a religion, ordering the establishment of various religious trappings such as calling his staff ministers , using clerical collars, calling auditing spiritual counselling with his steep prices called fixed donations . Hubbard even wrote a few "religious services", such as Marriage and Confession. If you ask around on a.r.s. you will find some perspectives on the miraculous transformation of Scientology.

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