The Cults
Scientology
Ron Williams
University of Life
Ridgecrest Baptist Church
© 2007 Ron Williams
www.namb.net
Scientology
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Official name:Church of Scientology
International
Leader: L. Ron Hubbard, current
leader= David Miscavige, Heber
Jentzsch
Headquarters: Los Angeles, Clearwater,
Fl
Current membership is unknown.
Scientology actively seeks new
members to undergo “clearing”
Training centers exists in 50 major US
cities and 50 countries
Scientology
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Organizations associated with Scientology
include:
Applied Scholastics, Association for Better
Living and Education, Citizens Commission on
Human Rights, Concerned businessmen’s
Association of America, The Hubbard
Dianetics Foundation International,
Narconon/Criminon, National Commission on
Law Enforcement and Social Justice,
Religious Technology Center, Sterling
Management Systems, The Way to
Happiness Foundation, World Institute of
Scientology Enterprises
Scientology
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Key Publication is
– Dianetics: the Modern Science of
Mental Health (1950). It is more of
textbook on mental health than
anything scripture-like
Scientology-Background
Hubbard was born in Nebraska in
1911. He had the opportunity to
visit Asia during the 1920s that
introduced him to eastern
philosophies and thought.
 He supposedly was wounded in
WWII and during that time began
to observe techniques that would
be useful in mentally healing
wounded soldiers.
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Scientology-Background
Hubbard became an accepted
science fiction writer.
 In 1950 he wrote Dianetics. He
describes these concepts as proven
-- although he does not provide
any acceptable documentation of
such proofs
 He incorporated the Church of
Scientology in 1954 to promote his
ideas under the guise of a religion
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Scientology-Background
Hubbard apparently became
financially independent as a result
of Dianetics and became a recluse,
spending most of his final years on
his yacht.
 He died with little public fanfare in
1986
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Chief Outlets
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The book -- Dianetics
Dianetic classes
Call-in numbers, 1-800-367-8788
Local churches
Churches or training centers exists in 50
major US cities and in ~ 50 countries.
They provide no estimates of the
number of members or individuals who
have received Dianetics training
The Skinny...
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Their teachings do not so much as confront
Christianity as they simply ignore all religious
thought.
Dianetics is not about spiritual salvation or
being one with God, it is all about optimizing
who you are now (your present existence on
earth)
They believe Hubbard was a genius who
discovered the answers to life’s questions and
unraveled the secrets of our past, present and
future existences. His writings are considered
authoritative
The Skinny...
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Others have noted that most of what Hubbard
claims to have been his life story is exaggerated
or outright lies at best.
His concepts directly oppose Christian thought
on how we exist, the forces that impact us and
the nature of God
The training necessary to become a “Clear” is
expensive. Dianetics is a money making
industry, feeding on those who can accept this
non-scriptural thought.
Scripture Authority
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Dianetics is the textbook they use to
clear the mind of unwanted earlier
experiences that inhibit who you are. You
cannot really call it scripture because it
does not involve itself with bringing one
to a state of salvation with God. It is
about empowering oneself by getting rid
of earlier hurts
Who is God?
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They provide no definition of the nature or person of
God or a supreme being. They sometimes refer to the
eighth dynamic or infinity. They sometimes use the
term “allness of all” to describe one like God.
Our response: God is eternal, infinite, and personal
creator of the universe. He exists as Father, Son and
Holy Ghost.
Who is Man?
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Man is a collection of thoughts “engrams” that have
occurred prior to birth, during past lives and during the
formative years. Man has always existed and is
recycled through new lives.
It is the bad memories or events from former lives that
causes individuals to be morally corrupt, evil, failures,
sick, etc.
Getting rid of all of the earlier bad experiences is
needed to heal someone to where they can be fully
productive in their current life.
Our response: Man is a created being of God who
constantly rebels from God and lives in a state of sin.
Only God has the ability to redeem man and he did so
through Jesus Christ.
What about death?
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Dianetics says that people are immortal, divine beings.
They are composed of soul, mind, and body.
Our response: People are souls created in the spiritual
and likeness of God. They are twofold in nature (not
threefold). This consists of body and spirit. There is no
existence before eartly life.
Who was Jesus?
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Jesus is not a figure in Dianetics.
Our response: Jesus is the Alpha and the
Omega, the Prince of Peace, Wonderful
Counselor, Prince of Peace, Heavenly Father,
Wonderful Counselor, the Living Word. He was,
is, and is to come. No other historical figure
has died and been resurrected to eternal life.
He has proven himself to be true.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
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The deity of the Holy Spirit is not a
reality. There is no Trinity.
How are we saved?
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Salvation is never considered in Dianetics. The
ultimate goal is to be liberated from mind, energy,
space, and time (MEST). Because of their belief in
reincarnation, you may have to go through many,
many clearance procedures to ever liberate yourself
from the hurts of your current and past lives. Doing so
will allow you to become spiritually aware and one
with the universe.
Our response: There is no reincarnation. Failure to be
saved results in eternal judgment. Christ is the only
means to a happy eternal life.
The Resurrection
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The do not believe in a resurrection, rather a
continuous reincarnation as one repeatedly tries
to obtain a state of “Clear”.
Our response: Jesus was the first fruits of the
resurrection.
Quotes from Dianetics
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Dianetics consists of -the goal of man;the
single source of all inorganic mental and
organic psychosomatic ills, and therapy
Dianetics is an adventure. It is an exploration
to an unknown land, the human mind. Page 1
Quotes from Dianetics
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The science of the mind is composed of:
– an answer to the goal of thought
– source of all insanities
– scientific evidence as to the basic nature ....of the
human mind
– techniques by which the discovered single source
could be invariably cured
– methods of prevention of mental derangement
– the cause and cure of all psychosomatic ills. Page
12
Quotes from Dianetics
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Dianetics does these by:
– an organized science of thought built on natural laws
– a therapeutic techniqe..with assurance of a complete cure
– producing a condition of ability and rationality for man well in advance of
the current norm
– gives a complete insight into the full potentialities of the mind
– the basic nature of man is discovered and is found to be good
– the single source of mental derangement is discovered
– the storage capacity and recall ability of the human memory is finally
established
– the full recording abilities of the mind are discovered
– brings forth the nongerm theory of disease
– ends the necessity of destroying the brain by surgery
– explains many problems posed by endocrinology
– educational, sociological, political, military studies are enhanced
– cytology is aided by Dianetics, page 13-14
Quotes from Dianetics
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The optimal individual is call a “Clear”, page 15
The Clear has full color-vision, tone-sonic,
tactile, olfactory, rhythmic , kinesthetic, thermal
and organic imagination, page 23
Man is good, page 26
the universe contains mind, energy space and
time, page 29
the goal of life can be considered infinite
survival, page 30
Man has evolved, page 45
Quotes from Dianetics
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Man survives because of
– self drive for survival
– sex- having children
– group activities
– mankind’s desire for immortality, page 46
– That man is selfish is a valid statement when one
means an abberated man, page 47
– Engram is a moment of unconsciousness, page 54
– The villan is the reactive mind, page 64
– if there ever was a devil, he designed the reactive
mind, page 68
Quotes from Dianetics
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There are no real demons in Dianetics, page 114
The common cold has been found to be psychosomatic. Clears
do not get colds. page 123
“Call 1-800-367-8788. The Dianetics Information line,page 131
Dianetics is not interested in saving man, but it can do much to
prevent him from being “saved”, page 139
The acceptance of the prenatal engram… makes it possible to
be a Clear, page 169
The womb is a wet, uncomfortable, and unprotected place,
page 171
A family which runs on the godhead plan, where somebody
must be obeyed without question… is never a happy family,
page 183
Quotes from Dianetics
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Any person who is intelligent….should be able
to become a Dianetic auditor, page 225
PreClean recall past engrams in a 10 step
process, page 264
What makes it attractive?
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Sense of self-empowerment
You can become one with the universe by
clearing your mind of bad thoughts
Sin is not an issue
There is a methodology (works) that allows you
to obtain spiritual awareness
There is no God that you are accountable to.
Witnessing to Scientologists
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Have a clear understanding of what the person
believes
Ask the person what will happen to them upon
their death. Relate how you know you can be
sure of your fate
Have a good understanding of what the Bible
teaches about creation, who God is, God’s plan
for mankind, and why the Bible is true
Witnessing to the Scientologists
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Discuss the authority of the Bible and that
nothing that Dianetics teaches is
consistent with that teaching
Tell them about Jesus. Most will have heard
about Him but would not know who He really
is.