World Religions Report Scientology - Essay Example

? World’s Religious Report-Scientology of Introduction Scientology refers to some set of beliefs founded by L.Ron Hubbard. It is based on firm foundations of studying the spirit and handling it in relationship to itself, the whole life and others. The core purpose as stated by the scientology religion is to be certain of an individual’s spiritual being and his relationship with God who is believed to be the Supreme Being (Reitman, 2011). According to scientology, it is believed that human beings are immortal beings who exist in spiritual forms usually called ‘thetan,’ meaning that they are only trapped on Earth in their physical body. According to scientologists believes, individuals discover are supposed to discover for themselves, the works of scientology by putting into practice all the principles and observing the results. Through scientology methods; individuals are believed to be able to achieve great spiritual awareness, through a method referred to as; ‘Auditing’ or ‘Training’. From these people are able to scale up from level to level a process called ‘the bridge to total freedom’. The progress typically involves three basic stages that is; ‘preclear,’ ‘clear’ and finally ‘operating Theatan’ (Ron Hubbard, 2007). Name Location and Review of the Site The Mormon Church was formally known as the ‘Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints’ the church has many temples across the globe with the majority concentrated in the United States. I visited the Bountiful Utah Temple which is located in North America in a place called Utah. The church is built high among the famous Bountiful East bench foothills. It offers a skeptical view which extends to far to the ‘Great salt Lake’. It was the eighth temple in Utah, the first having been built in Davis Country. The Bountiful Utah Temple represents one of the two temples which are normally dedicated by President Howard W, at the time he was the president of the church (The other temple is the Orlando Florida Temple). The people living around this region are political conservatives compared to the other people in the outskirts of this region. This was the major drawback in information gathering. Interview Summary I have always had an unexplored passion in scientology due to the fact that it is comparatively new religion with a lot of unknown secrets. When I met a guy called Brian, he was open and willing to talk to me about many aspects of this religion and below is some of the major issues we tackled at length as we communicated. A summary of conversation interview with Brian-a Scientologist Mike: have you ever been interviewed by someone like me before? Brian Wenger: yes indeed, but the topic was not precisely on scientology as you would wish to do, I have had friends and strangers questioning me on various topics but not one had hit the same thing as you did, and I believe this is what gave me some interest to talk to you as I will be sharing one of the things I hold so dear at heart with a stranger. Mike: I have always wondered and had passion in knowing more about scientology, I am always keen and eager to learn new things that are different from the normal societal values and teachings that I belong. When I met you the first question that rung into my mind was, how you heard and became a member of scientologist religion. Brian Wenger: I was introduced to scientology by my dad Mike: Ah so you grew up knowing it? Brian Wenger: Well, kind of. He and my mum had been in transcendental meditation. At fist I saw that it was weird, but as time went by I became curious and began looking at some stuff they were bringing home like some articles about scientology. They were committed Mennonite and as such, this religious thing was always around me. Mike: How long have you practiced this faith? Brian Wenger: I can say over 24 years now Mike: What religion or faith did you practice before scientology? Brian Wenger: just as I said, I learned about scientology when I was still young, and my parents being committed members of scientology, I did not practice any other religion apart from scientology. Mike: what drew you to this religion? Brian Wenger: I liked the way they conducted their services and worship, the fact that both my parents were also members of this religion, I was convinced it was the best so far and this has been my driving force behind my religion-scientology. Mike: What are the important holidays and traditions of this religion? Brian Wenger: Scientology has a spiritual belief and thought usually called ‘theta’. This is a kind of energy which is believed to exist solely in its universe which is distinct from the normal and physical universe. Each individual ‘thetan’ is a unit of this spiritual universe which often interacts only with the physical universe by inhabiting and being part of the human body. One is composed of this ‘thetan’ and not the body. Mike: tell me something about the holidays Brian Wenger: the most celebrated holidays in scientology are; march 13th, this is one of the most important holiday which is celebrated to remember L. Ron Hubbard’s birthday. Many people value this day because we celebrate the success brought to us through the founder of our religion. There is other holidays like; the student day on March 24th, celebrity day on February 22nd, L. Hubbard Exhibition Day on 20th among others. Mike: were you a Christian at some point? Brian Wenger: Never was, although I came to like some of their basic philosophies which I studied and appreciated through history how they had done good things to change the lives of many. I think I like Christianity religion in general. Mike: tell me about your higher power? Brian Wenger: the ‘infinity’ or what is known as the ‘higher power’ is part of our doctrine. The higher power is what controls people’s actions and help them get rid of all mental, emotional and psychological disorders. The higher power is capable of doing things which mortal beings can not do. Mike: what type of rituals or practices do you participate in? Brian Wenger: we have various rituals performed during birth, death or even in our major ceremonies. For example during birth, there is what is called the silent birth. It means that, any kind of sound or speech should be kept at a practical minimum during the process of childbirth. The major reason is to bring forth the newborn into a very quiet and calm environment as possible. Drugs also should be avoided during childbirth. The other practices are just the same as those of the other religions for example, devotional practices, wedding, newborn naming and so on. Mike: How do your rituals affect your spirituality? Brian Wenger: The rituals majorly bind us together and bring the sense of belonging. It also strengthens our religious life by making people to be totally devoted to what they are doing. Mike: How has religion shaped your life? Brian Wenger: religion has given me an inner peace that I desired. There is spiritual freedom which according Christianity they call salvation. This has enlightened my life and guided every path that I take in this life. I believe scientology has also changed the life of many not me alone, those who seek it in truth. Mike: what can you say is the one thing that you would wish people to know and appreciate about scientology? Brian Wenger: that is a good question. Just a moment…..[pauses for a minute or two] as I said earlier, that is a very good question because when I see people like you over here, I understand that people are gradually starting to appreciate scientology and having interest in knowing it deeper-especially those people that go beyond what is being portrayed online. What I would like people to appreciate and know is that, scientology aims at creating a better world worth living; it does so by first, changing an individual’s life, then the lives of those around him or her. I wish that many people would embrace this idea and devout themselves to scientology to ensure peaceful coexistence and a better world to come. Mike: what are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion? Brian Wenger: I can say there no major challenges once you set your mind to practice scientology. It only becomes a challenge for individuals who still would wish to carry their burdens and normal ways of life at the expense of practicing what scientology requires. The major issue that many people view as a challenge, which to me is not, is the fact that, there strict rules that one must adhere to when he or she wants to be a devoted and committed member, this is what many people fear. Mike: is there anything about your religion you do not agree with? Brian Wenger: yeah of course, according to our founder Hubbard, we are not supposed to handle any criticism but instead attack the person’s character. This has always brought many issues particularly in convincing new people to join scientology; I strongly believe that the most important thing is to counter your critic’s ideas by convincing him or her with your values. Mike: do you attend a church and if so, how often? Brian Wenger: yes I do. I have a responsibility in our church and as such I rarely miss. Mike: how do you think other religions view your religion? Brian Wenger: some people view our religion as a cult and I know many people criticize some of our religious practices, but if they had an opportunity to study it in-depth, I think they will be more than willing to join us since we are doing the right thing. Mike: do you have a bible you study from? If so, what is it, and where did it come from? Brian Wenger: we have sacred scriptures that we study from, these church’s scriptures were majorly written by the founder Hubbard. They are known as the source. Hubbard’s words are considered as sacred scripture. Mike: Thank you very much for taking your time to share this information with me. I assure you this information will be treated with ultimate confidentiality as it is only meant for study purposes. Comparison and Contrast Comparison Scientology has a lot of similarities with Christianity, one of which is; believe in Supreme Being. Christianity believes in; God the Father, The son and the Holy spirit as being supreme beings. Scientology also believes in the existence of a god and a spirit who guides everyone’s actions in earth. Just like the soul in Christianity, scientology believes in an invisible existence called ‘thetan’. Both Christianity and scientology share some similar religious philosophies such as ‘love thy neighbor’ “treat others as you wish to be treated” “refrain from the use of force” There are holiday celebrations in both scientology and Christianity. Christians celebrate, Christmas day, Good Friday, Easter Monday among others while scientology celebrates March 13th Hubbard’s birthday, the student day on March 24th, celebrity day on February 22nd, L. Hubbard Exhibition Day on 20th among others. In both religions, death is considered a means of passage and that every living soul must die at some point in time. Both Christianity and scientology believe that death is brought about as a result of punishment or consequences of an individual’s action. When death occurs, people mourn the death and they are given a final celebration as they are laid to rest. Contrast Scientology concentrates on the study of the spirit and how it can be handled; it is not linked to faith or belief, the entire worship revolves around the spirit and the Supreme Being, there are also stages and passages in religion. This is opposed to Christianity, which is founded on faith with worship surrounding God. In Christianity, there are no stages of purification, one change once and becomes a new being saved through the blood of Jesus Christ, a process called salvation. Another difference is that, scientology uses scriptures written by its founder, Hubbard while Christianity uses the bible which they believe to be the written word of God. Scientology is built wholly on the work and discoveries of L .Ron Hubbard. The entire organization therefore runs and follows his rules, beliefs and ideas. On the contrary, Christianity is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, everything around Christianity revolves around the savior Jesus Christ who saves all humanity and is believed to be coming again to take his chosen ones who have lived to his expectations. Conclusion Although there are similarities between scientology and Christianity, the two religions are much unconnected. Contrary to what people say, scientology is a well established religion with sound doctrines that are worth borrowing. Its believes however, are different from those embraced by Christians and as such it makes it difficult for a Christian to accept or embrace the teachings or scientology, this has been the reason behind the rumors that scientology is a cult. According to my analysis, individual’s spirituality is normally deeply rooted in the core values he or she believes in and as such it becomes very difficult to convert any individual who has a strong ground on what he or she believes in. References Reitman, J. (2011). The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers. Ron Hubbard, L. (2007). The Fundamentals of Thought. Los Angeles: Bridge publications, Inc. Read More