Dangerous Liaisons - Scientology

What is Scientology?

Scientology is a religion without a God. Officials in a number of European nations consider Scientology to be a cult; Britain and Canada have refused to acknowledge it as a genuine religion or charity. The High Court of Australia recognises The Church of Scientology as a religion though judicial authorities have longed viewed it with suspicion. In 1965 Justice Kevin Anderson of the Supreme Court of Victoria published a lengthy report into Scientology. In his concluding statements he wrote:

“Scientology is a delusional belief system, based on fiction and fallacies and propagated by falsehood and deception. While making an appeal to the public as a worthy system whereby ability, intelligence and personality may be improved, it employs techniques which further its real purpose of securing domination over and mental enslavement of its adherents.” (1)

America granted the Church of Scientology official tax-free status on religious grounds in 1993.

So what do Scientologists actually believe? According to Hubbard, Scientology is “the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life.” (2) Scientologists believe that humans are spiritual beings known as ‘thetans’.  However traumas in past lives interfere with humanity, resulting in the need for spiritual counselling which is termed ‘auditing’. These sessions, which can cost up to thousands of dollars each, are intended to create greater mental awareness, happiness and achieve enlightenment.

There are also the alleged health benefits. Scientology is allegedly able to cure 70 per cent of humanity’s ailments and diseases. (3) Hubbard claimed that the fatal wounds he received in WWII were healed through Scientology. Tom Cruise credits Scientology with curing him of dyslexia.

Based on the self-help philosophy of Dianetics (also conceived of by Hubbard), the actual beliefs of Scientology are hard to pin down. Hubbard described Scientology as a “route, a way, rather than a dissertation or an assertive body of knowledge.” (4) Thus there are levels of disciples. Through auditing scientologists progress through the ‘Operating Thetan’ levels. The higher one goes, the more secrets one becomes privy to. Just don’t take drugs.

Scientology and Mental Health

In May 2005, Scientology’s poster boy Tom Cruise publicly criticised actress Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants following the birth of her first child. He argued that vitamins were a safer way to cure post-natal depression.

Cruise’s stance on drugs is not unique. Since its foundation, Scientology has been vehemently opposed to psychiatry describing it as a “pseudoscience”.

In a 2003 interview with Andrew Denton on ABC TV’s Enough Rope, Australian singer and Scientologist Kate Ceberano said, “We quite blatantly believe psychiatry kills. And I think it does — it kills the mind and kills self-determinism and kills the right for a person to be an identity.” (5)

According to L Ron Hubbard, one of the key flaws with psychiatry is its failure to recognise humans as spiritual beings. Scientologists reject the practice of treating chemical imbalances with drugs and other forms of therapy preferring to use dianetics and auditing sessions to eliminate the emotional or spiritual problems that a person may be facing.

Scientology and Celebrities

From as early as 1955, Scientology has been fascinated by celebrities. Less than two years after its establishment, the Church launched “Project Celebrity”, a recruitment project aimed at drawing the famous and influential into Scientology. Opulent and elaborate Scientology centres were built specifically to accommodate celebrities away from the rank and file Scientologists.

The theory was that prominent and attractive celebrities would raise the profile of Scientology and encourage ordinary people to join.

Some fifty years after the launch of “Project Celebrity” Hubbard’s goal has been realised with more celebrities than ever embracing the beliefs of Scientology.

In Australia James Packer, his sometime girlfriend Erica Baxter and singer Kate Ceberano are linked with Scientology.

But it’s in America that Scientology seems to hold real appeal for celebrities. Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Jenna Elfman, Isaac Hayes and even Bart Simpson’s alter-ego, Nancy Cartwright, all count themselves Scientologists.

So why have famous actors and musicians joined what many regard as a dangerous cult? According to Hugh Urban, professor of Religious Studies at Ohio State University there’s a natural connection between fame and Scientology.

“It’s a religion that fits pretty well with a celebrity kind of personality. It’s very individualistic. It celebrates your individual identity as ultimately divine. It claims to give you ultimate power over your own mind, self, destiny, so I think it fits well with an actor personality.” (6)

Scientology rates professional success as an indication of spiritual development. Nor is there a sense that an individual owes his or her success to a higher being. The lack of accountability and moral constraints that are key to other religions are absent in Scientology.

The stratified nature of Scientology and the special treatment it offers for the elite and famous jars with the ethos of Christianity and Biblical teaching. In his letter, James (7) urges believers in the early church not to favouritism to the wealthy and powerful but to be loving and generous to all regardless of status . In his letter to the church at Galatia, Paul argued for equality among believers (8). To regard one sort of convert (a rich or famous one) as preferable to another is anathema to the teaching of the Christian faith – that all have fallen short of the glory of God; that all require redemption.

ENDNOTES:

1. Kevin Victor Anderson, Q.C., Report of the Board of Enquiry into Scientology, 1965 http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Cowen/audit/andrhome.html URL accessed 17.05.06

2. L Ron. Hubbard, Scientology Fundamentals http://www.ronthephilosopher.org/page43.htm URL accessed 17.05.06

3. Chris Owen, Scientology vs Psychiatry http://www.solitarytrees.net/cowen/misc/scnvspsy.htm URL accessed 18.05.06

4. L Ron. Hubbard, Scientology Fundamentals http://www.ronthephilosopher.org/page43.htm URL accessed 17.05.06

5. Enough Rope, ABC TV , August 2003 http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s917578.htm

6. “Mind over matter,” Beliefnet http://www.beliefnet.com/story/169/story_16925_1.html URL accessed 17.05.06

7. James 2:1-13

8. Galatians 3:26-28

9. “Scientology”, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology URL accessed 17.05.06

FURTHER READING:

Richard Behar, “The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power,” Time Magazine, May 1991

Kari Huus, “Scientology’s love affair with Hollywood” MSNBC, USA 2005 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11515

Sara Lawrence, “The Secrets of Scientology” The Independent 18 April 2006

“Mind over matter,” Beliefnet http://www.beliefnet.com/story/169/story_16925_1.html

“What Scientologists Believe”, Beliefnet http://www.beliefnet.com/story/80/story_8057.html

Official Papers on Scientology, A collection of official reports and court judgements relating to Scientology http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Cowen/audit/ofpapers.html

Photo: Howie Belin / Used by permission

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