When asked what Scientology is most people would have no idea that Scientology is an applied religious philosophy. Although the majority of people have no clue about scientology it is said to be the worlds fastest growing religion. Like any other religion it has its believers and non-believers. Is Scientology anything like the average religion? Is there a god or Supreme Being involved with the relion? Scientologists believe that they can fix the crucial problems of the world. Among some of these problems there are drug abuse, crime, education and the decay of moral values. But how do they go about solving these problems?
The major issue that is plaguing the scientology religion is that of drug abuse. They have worked long a hard on getting their message across. In the year of 1995 the Scientology religion gained group on there ever growing battle with drugs and young people. In Jun of that year the Atlanta papers reported on the pledge that kids in the area where making. The children had pledged to maintain drug free. In May of that year the children made another major step in staying drug free, they pledged to their mothers on mother’s day to remain drug free for life. Also in Europe they were making an impact as well. A women’s soccer team held a game in honor of staying off drugs and this brought about the "Say no to drugs" campaign. As you can see the Scientology religion is hell bent on ridding the world of drugs and their users. But like any other religion there are people out to rid the world of the Scientology faith. For example in Australia in 1965 the High Court of Australia banned the church of scientology from practicing. This ban lasted for eighteen years. It was over turned and the scientologists were permitted to practice in Australia once more. Also in Britain the British parliament forbid any foreign students to enter then country and study the religion. But after a few years of battle this ban was lifted as well. But it wasn’t only these countries that refused to allow this kind of religion to happen. In Canada and Germany the Scientologist religion was shunned and not accepted.
Like all other religions the collection plate is passed around. In some religions is has no bearing on whether you donate or not. In the Christian religion you are expected to donate ten percent of your earnings. When it comes to Scientology you must first buy your franchising rights. After you have done that and set up your church your are free to charge people whatever you feel is fair. The only thing is, is that ten percent of your church earnings go to the mother church which is located in England. Now that you have your church your can offer course and charge people anywhere from $5 to $100,000. This money is used to cover the cost of the courses people wish to take. The courses are in place so one that is seriously into the religion can advance and make themselves more powerful with the Scientology church. Life Magazine that in order to become an Operating Thetan, Class VIII (the highest classification at the time) it could cost as much as $15,000. The courses that the scientologists take are suppose to be healing courses, with emptying the mind and purifying the thoughts. They believe that by clearing the ones mind they will not get sick, however if the mind isn’t cleared they feel that you could be plagued by a number of things such as dermatitis, arthritis, allergies, bursitis, ulcers, migraine headaches and even cancer. But people of today know what and how these things are caused.
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. They seek no revolution. They seek only evolution to higher states of being for the individual and for society. After the endless struggles that the religion has faced and the ridicule it has become a solid religion in our world. Those who choose not to see it and fellow their own religions have no right to come down upon the Scientology religion. The parishioners of every religion are bound together by creed and codes. These serve to state their aspirations, their duties, their mores and their beliefs. The codes and creeds of Scientology were written by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950s during the formative years of the religion. Included are codes for auditor, the supervisor, the manager and the additional codes by which all the Scientologists strive to live up to.
Life in our society has taken many strange twists: Children are forcibly administered tranquilizing drugs in school in the name of control; workers are taxed one hour’s wages for every three on the job; and our youth emerge from their schools unable to read and write. Whole populations are directed what to think, what to believe or what attitudes to hold through media manipulation. It is not easy to live with purpose, dignity and happiness in a world so engrossed in materialism and so utterly blind to man’s spiritual needs. These are just some of the things that Scientology deal with and over come. Today, Scientology has expanded to the point where it cannot be stopped, and a summation of battles fought and won demonstrates the persistence of Scientologists and their active involvement to preserve religious freedom and the rights of man, not just for Scientology, but for everyone.
References