Tom Cruise & Church of Science Fiction, Singularity, the Bible, and Other Things
The Ballyfermot Post: The church of science-fiction
March 07, 2008
The church of science-fiction
There has been much controversy surrounding the religion of Scientology. Many have dismissed it, calling it nothing more than a money-making cult. Lauren Halligan investigates the faith whose founder was widely rumoured to have said “The way to make a million dollars is to start a religion."
We all had a hearty chuckle at the expense of Tom Cruise a few weeks ago… yet again. A promotional tape of him talking at length about Scientology and how it changed his life was leaked online and within hours nerds all around the globe we’re blogging about the actor’s perplexing behaviour.
“It’s like, we're here to help. If you're a Scientologist, you see life, things, the way they are, in all its glory, in all of its perplexity, and the more you know as a Scientologist, the more you become overwhelmed by it,†he ranted, like a man possessed.
The press has gone to town on Cruise’s erratic behaviour, but not much has been said about the “new religious movement†that has more or less dominated his life for over a decade. Scientology was founded by science-fiction author L Ron Hubbard in 1952, after he published a book about Dianetics, a form of self-help (this is still the set of ideas and beliefs that Scientologists still follow).
Their core belief is that everybody has what are known as “engrams†ingrained on their psyche-basically scars left by any traumatic events that they have experienced. They also believe that all mental and emotional conditions are caused by engrams. The engrams appear on what Hubbard called the “reactive mindâ€, which according to him is com­­­­pletely separate to the “analytical mindâ€. Still with me? Good.
In developing Scientology, Hubbard decided that our souls or “thetans†were reincarnated beings and therefore carried over engrams from many former lives. To ascend to the topmost levels of Scientology you must eliminate all engrams and become “clearâ€.
What’s all this about a giant lizard? Ok, so if your “crazy†alarm hasn’t already begun to sound, this may do it. Hubbard believed that 75million years ago, a giant lizard-like alien named Xenu (pronounced zen-ooh) ruled the galaxy.
Due to overpopulation, Xenu decided to ship millions of humans off to Earth. He then dropped them into volcanoes around the world and blew them up. After doing this, their souls (or Thetans) tried to escape, but mean old Xenu had them boxed up and brought to cinemas.
It was here that the Thetans were shown movies that implanted a “false reality†in their minds. Ideas of all major world religions, such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam were shown to the Thetans in order to confuse them. After all this they begun to attach themselves to the left over humans and to this day continue to sully us with their
presence.
Many negative stories have been emerging regarding Scientology over the years. One of the most prominent cases is the “disconnectionâ€. If a person is believed to fraternizing with suppressive individuals (that would be people who disagree with Scientology), they are encouraged to limit, if not eliminate contact with them.
If the Scientologist is ill, unlucky or just plain moody, the suppressive individual is responsible and therefore need to be excluded from the Scientologist’s life. This applies to their parents, spouse, kids, friends and families.
There are two ways that this disconnection works – firstly, as described, disconnection of asuppressive individual from a Scientologist and secondly the disconnection of an individual that is perceived as detrimental to Scientology itself (this could be a former member). There are countless stories regarding this practice; the hurt, broken families and hearts it has caused.
One of the most talked-about and potentially most dangerous aspects of Scientology is its relationship with psychiatry and other medical professions. According to Hubbard, “Psychiatry is not a science and has no proven methods to justify the billions of dollars of government funds that are poured into itâ€.
Tom Cruise has also gone on record as saying that psychiatry should be outlawed as it is harmful to people.
Scientology’s avocation that they “do not need medicine†had gotten them into hot water from time to time though. Most famously, and tragically, was the case of Lisa McPherson. Lisa died aged 36 in 1995, after being discharged from hospital into the care of her church.
She had suffered a psychotic breakdown after a minor car accident and was in the process of being psychologically evaluated when members of the Scientology Church arrived and discharged her, claiming that she did not believe in medical science. Lisa was dead on arrival when she was rushed to hospital weeks later, and was found to be malnourished, underweight, dehydrated and covered in bruises.
Lisa’s family sued the church for wrongful death, as she was in their care at the time of her death. The case continued until the coroner, Dr Joan Wood, suddenly and unexpectedly changed her verdict of death to “accidentalâ€. Lisa’s family still have to live with the possibility that her death could have been prevented if she had been left in hospital.
The Ballyfermot Post: The church of science-fiction
March 07, 2008
The church of science-fiction
There has been much controversy surrounding the religion of Scientology. Many have dismissed it, calling it nothing more than a money-making cult. Lauren Halligan investigates the faith whose founder was widely rumoured to have said “The way to make a million dollars is to start a religion."
We all had a hearty chuckle at the expense of Tom Cruise a few weeks ago… yet again. A promotional tape of him talking at length about Scientology and how it changed his life was leaked online and within hours nerds all around the globe we’re blogging about the actor’s perplexing behaviour.
“It’s like, we're here to help. If you're a Scientologist, you see life, things, the way they are, in all its glory, in all of its perplexity, and the more you know as a Scientologist, the more you become overwhelmed by it,†he ranted, like a man possessed.
The press has gone to town on Cruise’s erratic behaviour, but not much has been said about the “new religious movement†that has more or less dominated his life for over a decade. Scientology was founded by science-fiction author L Ron Hubbard in 1952, after he published a book about Dianetics, a form of self-help (this is still the set of ideas and beliefs that Scientologists still follow).
Their core belief is that everybody has what are known as “engrams†ingrained on their psyche-basically scars left by any traumatic events that they have experienced. They also believe that all mental and emotional conditions are caused by engrams. The engrams appear on what Hubbard called the “reactive mindâ€, which according to him is com­­­­pletely separate to the “analytical mindâ€. Still with me? Good.
In developing Scientology, Hubbard decided that our souls or “thetans†were reincarnated beings and therefore carried over engrams from many former lives. To ascend to the topmost levels of Scientology you must eliminate all engrams and become “clearâ€.
What’s all this about a giant lizard? Ok, so if your “crazy†alarm hasn’t already begun to sound, this may do it. Hubbard believed that 75million years ago, a giant lizard-like alien named Xenu (pronounced zen-ooh) ruled the galaxy.
Due to overpopulation, Xenu decided to ship millions of humans off to Earth. He then dropped them into volcanoes around the world and blew them up. After doing this, their souls (or Thetans) tried to escape, but mean old Xenu had them boxed up and brought to cinemas.
It was here that the Thetans were shown movies that implanted a “false reality†in their minds. Ideas of all major world religions, such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam were shown to the Thetans in order to confuse them. After all this they begun to attach themselves to the left over humans and to this day continue to sully us with their
presence.
Many negative stories have been emerging regarding Scientology over the years. One of the most prominent cases is the “disconnectionâ€. If a person is believed to fraternizing with suppressive individuals (that would be people who disagree with Scientology), they are encouraged to limit, if not eliminate contact with them.
If the Scientologist is ill, unlucky or just plain moody, the suppressive individual is responsible and therefore need to be excluded from the Scientologist’s life. This applies to their parents, spouse, kids, friends and families.
There are two ways that this disconnection works – firstly, as described, disconnection of asuppressive individual from a Scientologist and secondly the disconnection of an individual that is perceived as detrimental to Scientology itself (this could be a former member). There are countless stories regarding this practice; the hurt, broken families and hearts it has caused.
One of the most talked-about and potentially most dangerous aspects of Scientology is its relationship with psychiatry and other medical professions. According to Hubbard, “Psychiatry is not a science and has no proven methods to justify the billions of dollars of government funds that are poured into itâ€.
Tom Cruise has also gone on record as saying that psychiatry should be outlawed as it is harmful to people.
Scientology’s avocation that they “do not need medicine†had gotten them into hot water from time to time though. Most famously, and tragically, was the case of Lisa McPherson. Lisa died aged 36 in 1995, after being discharged from hospital into the care of her church.
She had suffered a psychotic breakdown after a minor car accident and was in the process of being psychologically evaluated when members of the Scientology Church arrived and discharged her, claiming that she did not believe in medical science. Lisa was dead on arrival when she was rushed to hospital weeks later, and was found to be malnourished, underweight, dehydrated and covered in bruises.
Lisa’s family sued the church for wrongful death, as she was in their care at the time of her death. The case continued until the coroner, Dr Joan Wood, suddenly and unexpectedly changed her verdict of death to “accidentalâ€. Lisa’s family still have to live with the possibility that her death could have been prevented if she had been left in hospital.
Founder, L Ron Hubbard, on the ‘aims of Scientology’...
A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology.
First announced to an enturbulated world in 1950, these aims are well within the grasp of our technology.
Nonpolitical in nature, Scientology welcomes any individual of any creed, race or nation.
We seek no revolution. We seek only evolution to higher states of being for the individual and for society. We are achieving our aims.
After endless millennia of ignorance about himself, his mind and the universe, a breakthrough has been made for man.
Other efforts man has made have been surpassed. The combined truths of fifty thousand years of thinking men, distilled and amplified by new discoveries about man, have made for this success.
We welcome you to Scientology. We only expect of you your help in achieving our aims and helping others. We expect you to be helped.
Scientology is the most vital movement on Earth today.
In a turbulent world, the job is not easy. But then, if it were, we wouldn't have to be doing it.
We respect man and believe he is worthy of help. We respect you and believe you, too, can help.
Scientology does not owe its help. We have done nothing to cause us to propitiate. Had we done so, we would not now be bright enough to do what we are doing.
Man suspects all offers of help. He has often been betrayed, his confidence shattered. Too frequently he has given his trust and been betrayed. We may err, for we build a world with broken straws. But we will never betray your faith in us so long as you are one of us.
The sun never sets on Scientology. And may a new day dawn for you, for those you love and for man.
Our aims are simple, if great. And we will succeed, and are succeeding at each new revolution of the Earth.
Your help is acceptable to us.
Our help is yours.
- L Ron Hubbard
A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology.
First announced to an enturbulated world in 1950, these aims are well within the grasp of our technology.
Nonpolitical in nature, Scientology welcomes any individual of any creed, race or nation.
We seek no revolution. We seek only evolution to higher states of being for the individual and for society. We are achieving our aims.
After endless millennia of ignorance about himself, his mind and the universe, a breakthrough has been made for man.
Other efforts man has made have been surpassed. The combined truths of fifty thousand years of thinking men, distilled and amplified by new discoveries about man, have made for this success.
We welcome you to Scientology. We only expect of you your help in achieving our aims and helping others. We expect you to be helped.
Scientology is the most vital movement on Earth today.
In a turbulent world, the job is not easy. But then, if it were, we wouldn't have to be doing it.
We respect man and believe he is worthy of help. We respect you and believe you, too, can help.
Scientology does not owe its help. We have done nothing to cause us to propitiate. Had we done so, we would not now be bright enough to do what we are doing.
Man suspects all offers of help. He has often been betrayed, his confidence shattered. Too frequently he has given his trust and been betrayed. We may err, for we build a world with broken straws. But we will never betray your faith in us so long as you are one of us.
The sun never sets on Scientology. And may a new day dawn for you, for those you love and for man.
Our aims are simple, if great. And we will succeed, and are succeeding at each new revolution of the Earth.
Your help is acceptable to us.
Our help is yours.
- L Ron Hubbard
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