87 Facts About Scientology

Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement.

Scientology teaches that a human is an immortal, spiritual being that resides in a physical body and has had innumerable past lives.

Some Scientology texts are only revealed after followers have spent more than $200,000 in the organization, and it charges tens of thousands of dollars for access to these texts in what it calls "Operating Thetan" levels.

The secret Scientology texts say this was a ruler of a confederation of planets 70 million years ago who brought billions of alien beings to Earth and then killed them with thermonuclear weapons.

The Church of Scientology was convicted of fraud by a French court in 2009, a judgment upheld by the supreme Court of Cassation in 2013.

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Church of Scientology has been described by government inquiries, international parliamentary bodies, scholars, law lords, and numerous superior court judgments as both a dangerous cult and a manipulative profit-making business.

Scientology's ship sustained minor damage and three crew were injured.

In 1969, The Church of Scientology admitted to Hubbard's involvement with Parsons while claiming that Hubbard, a US Navy Officer, was "sent in to handle the situation".

The Scientology organization says that Hubbard's experience with hypnosis led him to create Dianetics.

Scientology started giving talks about Dianetics and established the Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he trained his first Dianetics "counselors" or auditors.

Sociologists Roy Wallis and Steve Bruce suggest that Dianetics, which set each person as his or her own authority, was about to fail due to its inherent individualism, and that Hubbard started Scientology, framed as a religion, to establish himself as the overarching authority.

Ron Hubbard originally intended for Scientology to be considered a science, as stated in his writings.

In May 1952, Scientology was organized to put this intended science into practice, and in the same year, Hubbard published a new set of teachings as Scientology, a religious philosophy.

Scientology's letter discussed the legal and financial benefits of religious status.

On January 4,1963, FDA agents raided offices of the Church of Scientology, seizing hundreds of E-meters as illegal medical devices and tons of literature that they accused of making false medical claims.

Scientology hid first in an apartment in Hemet, California, where his only contact with the outside world was via ten trusted messengers.

Scientology cut contact with everyone else, even his wife, whom he saw for the last time in August 1979.

In 1981, Scientology took the German government to court for the first time.

In 1965, a longtime Church member and "Doctor of Scientology" Jack Horner was born on 1927, and dissatisfied with the Church's "ethics" program, developed Dianology.

The Free Zone Association was founded and registered under the laws of Germany, and espouses the doctrine that the official Church of Scientology led by David Miscavige has departed from Hubbard's original philosophy.

Scientology described Scientology as an "applied religious philosophy" because, according to him, it consists of a metaphysical doctrine, a theory of psychology, and teachings in morality.

Scientology asserts that people have hidden abilities which have not yet been fully realized.

Scientology teaches that the E-meter helps to locate spiritual difficulties.

Scientology uses an emotional classification system called the tone scale.

Scientology emphasizes the importance of survival, which it subdivides into eight classifications that are referred to as "dynamics".

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Scientology posits a causal relationship between the experiences of earlier incarnations and one's present life, and with each rebirth, the effects of the MEST universe on the Thetan become stronger.

Scientology asserts some people are truly malevolent, and Hubbard taught 20 percent of the population were suppressive persons, which includes some hopelessly antisocial personalities who are the truly dangerous individuals in humanity: "the Adolf Hitlers and the Genghis Khans, the unrepentant murderers and the drug lords".

The Church of Scientology denies that a disconnection policy exists, and quotes Hubbard's definition of disconnection as "a self-determined decision made by an individual that he is not going to be connected to another".

Defectors who turn into critics of the movement are declared suppressive persons, and the Church of Scientology has a reputation for moving aggressively against such detractors.

Internal structure of Scientology organizations is strongly bureaucratic with a focus on statistics-based management.

Worldwide estimates of Scientology's core practicing membership range between 40,000 and 200,000, mostly in the US, Europe, South Africa and Australia.

Highest ranking people in the Scientology hierarchy are the members of the Sea Organization, or Sea Org.

The organization includes some 5,000 of Scientology's most dedicated adherents, who work for low pay, and sign a billion-year contract.

Organization operates the Scientology archiving project, which aims to preserve the works of Hubbard on stainless steel tablets, encased in titanium capsules in specially constructed vaults throughout the world.

Scientology operates hundreds of Churches and Missions around the world.

Scientology operates eight locations that are designated Celebrity Centres, designed to minister to celebrity Scientologists.

Several Scientology organizations promote the use of Scientology practices as a means to solve social problems.

Scientology began to focus on these issues in the early 1970s, led by Hubbard.

Church of Scientology began its "Volunteer Ministers" program as a way to participate in community outreach projects.

In plain English, the purpose of Scientology ethics is to eliminate opponents, then eliminate people's interests in things other than Scientology.

The head of the French Church of Scientology was convicted at the same trial and given a suspended one-year prison sentence.

An FBI raid on the Church of Scientology's headquarters revealed documentation that detailed Scientology's criminal actions against various critics of the organization.

In March 2016, the Church of Scientology was acquitted of all charges, and demands to close its Belgian branch and European headquarters were dismissed.

Scientology has historically engaged in hostile action toward its critics; executives within the organization have proclaimed that Scientology is "not a turn-the-other-cheek religion".

Many of Scientology's critics have reported they were subject to threats and harassment in their private lives.

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In March 2009, Maureen Bolstad reported that women who worked at Scientology's headquarters were forced to have abortions, or faced being declared a "Suppressive Person" by the organization's management.

In March 2010, former Scientologist Janette Lang stated that at age 20 she became pregnant by her boyfriend while in the organization, and her boyfriend's Scientology supervisors "coerced them into terminating the pregnancy".

Scientology said that he had been told members of the organization had coerced pregnant female employees to have abortions.

On January 14,2008, a video produced by the Church of Scientology featuring an interview with Tom Cruise was leaked to the Internet and uploaded to YouTube.

The Church of Scientology issued a copyright violation claim against YouTube requesting the removal of the video.

Legal status of Scientology or Scientology-related organizations differs between jurisdictions.

Scientology was legally recognized as a tax-exempt religion in Australia, Portugal, and Spain.

Scientology was granted tax-exempt status in the United States in 1993.

Church of Scientology argues that Scientology is a genuine religious movement that has been misrepresented, maligned, and persecuted.

Church of Scientology has often generated opposition due to its strong-arm tactics directed against critics and members wishing to leave the organization.

In 1973, state laws banning Scientology were overturned in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

In 1983 the High Court of Australia ruled in a unanimous decision that the Church of Scientology was "undoubtedly a religion and deserving of tax exemption".

Scientology is officially recognized as a religion in the United States.

New York Times noted in this connection that the Church of Scientology had funded a campaign which included a whistle-blower organization to publicly attack the IRS, as well as hiring of private investigators to look into the private lives of IRS officials.

IRS officials "insisted that Scientology's tactics had not affected the decision" and that "ultimately the decision was made on a legal basis".

Miscavige claims that the IRS's examination of Scientology was the most exhaustive review of any non-profit organization in history.

Elsewhere, Scientology is recognized as a religion in Australia, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Sweden, Croatia, Hungary and Kyrgyzstan.

Scientology officials have won the right to perform marriages in South Africa.

In May 2008, the City of London police, senior officers of which had earlier received gifts worth thousands of pounds from the Scientology organization, unsuccessfully attempted to initiate a prosecution of a 15-year-old boy following a peaceful protest at which he held a sign reading "Scientology is not a religion, it is a dangerous cult".

Scientology has been accused of being "a business, often given to criminal acts, and sometimes masquerading as a religion".

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Since 1997 Germany has considered Scientology to be in conflict with the principles of the nation's constitution.

In Greece, Scientology is not recognized as a religion by the Greek government, and multiple applications for religious status have been denied, notably in 2000 and 2003.

Church of Scientology maintains strict control over the use of its symbols, icons, and names.

Scientology has filed suit against a number of individuals who have attempted to set up their own auditing practices, using copyright and trademark law to shut these groups down.

Scientology encourages existing members to "sell" Scientology to others by paying a commission to those who recruit new members.

In November 2009, Australian Senator Nick Xenophon used a speech in Federal Parliament to allege that the Church of Scientology is a criminal organization.

Four monographs emerged in the 21st century, adding to the body of scholarship about the Church of Scientology, including Hugh B Urban's The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion, which focused mainly on L Ron Hubbard and his creations from the 1950s.

Donald Westbrook wrote Among the Scientologists: History, Theology and Praxis based on field interviews; and the most recent was Free Zone Scientology: Contesting the Boundaries of a New Religion, pertaining to Independent Scientologists.

Scholar Luigi Berzano of the University of Turin listed five religious characteristics of Scientology: a set of doctrines leading to a spiritual goal, a community of believers, an authority figure, ritual practices, and "an ethical-moral view of life".

Church of Scientology says that the idea of Hubbard starting a religion for personal gain is an unfounded rumor.

Scientology can be seen as a UFO religion in which the existence of extraterrestrial entities operating unidentified flying objects are an element of belief.

Scientology is unique within the UFO culture because of this secretiveness, as well as because of the capitalist format under which they operate.

Either way, Scientology is perhaps most different from other UFO groups in their attempt to keep all of the space opera stuff under wraps.

Ankerberg and Weldon mention the sources of Scientology to include "the Vedas, Buddhism, Judaism, Gnosticism, Taoism, early Greek civilization and the teachings of Jesus, Nietzsche and Freud".

Scientology cited the significance of understanding Scientology's appeal as aligned with Esoteric tradition.

Scientology argues that Scientology is a "significant revision" and "meaningful revitalization" within the esoteric tradition.

Melton states that Scientology can be traced back to Gnosticism, Manicheanism, Freemasonry and Theosophy.

Scientology is further defined as "the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes, and other life".

Scientology teaches that improving one of the three aspects of the triangle "increases the level" of the other two, but Communication is held to be the most important.

Scientology has influenced a broad range of therapy and spiritual groups formed since the 1960s.

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Academic research into Scientology was for a long time comparatively limited compared to the media and public interest in it.

Scientology was lampooned in the 2005 South Park episode "Trapped in the Closet".