 |
| Image 1 |
L. Ron Hubbard established the Church of Scientology (CoS) in 1954. Hubbard had spent years as an author writing pulp/science fiction, but this proved to not be a lucrative enough lifestyle for him. He declared in the late 1940s: "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion" (Methvin, 1980).
And so this is exactly what he did. Hubbard called his new subject Scientology and in introducing it, he claimed to have discovered the human soul. Scientology involved freeing souls (which Hubbard called "thetans") from supposed entrapment in the physical or material world and restoring their alleged supernatural powers (see the following South Park clip for more information on the beliefs of Scientology)
Scientology has been surrounded by controversies since its inception. It has often been described as a cult that financially defrauds and abuses its members, charging exorbitant fees for its spiritual services. This is because, for members to delve deeper into the religious teachings of Scientology, one must pay a fee to get to the next ‘level of initiation’. These levels are known as ‘OT’ levels, and the highest level – OT level VIII – is the major goal of Scientology and is the level at which one becomes “clear” and develops their ability as ‘Operating Thetans’ (Beyer, 2010)
Information in the upper OT levels are kept secret until a member is deemed ready to receive them- that is, they have payed enough to reach this level. This secret is kept because the mystical teachings imparted at the upper levels are seen as harmful to unprepared readers- i.e. those not yet willing to pay enough. According to the ‘What Scientology Won’t Tell You’ website (2004), “the estimated cost from beginning Scientology courses through completion of the upper levels is today $300,000 - $500,000 in US dollars.”
The following South Park clip shows a scene from an episode that shows the very secret that the Church of Scientology normally attempts to keep confidential and only reveals to members once they make significant monetary contributions. According to Wikipedia (2010), “The plot of the episode centers on character Stan Marsh, as he joins Scientology in an attempt to find something "fun and free". After the discovery of his surprisingly high ‘thetan levels’, he is recognized as the reincarnation of the founder of the church, L. Ron Hubbard. The episode generated significant controversy. Tom Cruise, who is portrayed in the episode, reportedly threatened to back out of his promotional obligations for the Paramount Pictures film Mission: Impossible III if Viacom, the owner of both Comedy Central and Paramount, allowed a repeat of the episode to air.”
So why do some people follow this bizarre belief? It is founded on ideas that are highly controversial and...well, some would say preposterous, but I guess this could be said with any religion to some degree. Stay tuned for the next TheWhyGuide post where I will attempt to unravel this mystery of Scientology fellowhip. In the mean time, your comments are welcome, and could be alluded to in the next post! So what do you think? What would make you join this religion? What is it that appeals to some people? Do some people just want to have something to believe in?
References:
Beyer, C., (2010), ‘How Much Does Scientology Cost? The Financial Expenses of Spiritual Development’, About.com Guide, http://altreligion.about.com/od/controversymisconception/a/scientology_cos.htm, accessed 09/10/2010
Methvin, E., (2004), ‘Scientology: Anatomy of a Frightening Cult’, http://tinyurl.com/2dkw2
No comments:
Post a Comment