5/20/13
Scientology
Scientology is a religion that was created in 1952 by L. Ron Hubbard. Scientology teaches that people are immortal beings who have forgotten their true nature, and aims to bring humans back to that nature. (What is scientology, 4) This religion aims to give you tools and ways to find out more about who you are as an individual. Scientology has since grown into a world wide organization/religion. Due to the fact that it is a newer religion they do not have any branches (Scientology.org, Official Church of Scientology: Beliefs & Practices) so this paper will discuss scientology as a whole. One of the most interesting things about this very complex religion is that you can be both Scientologists and another religion. Scientoligest can often relate most to the ideas of Budidsum but are open to you being any religion that you choose. (Kuchman, May 14)
L. Ron Hubbard was an American author and he was the founder of the Church of Scientology. Born on March 13 in 1911 Lafayette Hubbard grew up in Helena Montana. Hubbard became a writer for pulp fiction magazines during the 1930s starting his career in the field of writing. Hubbard was best known for his fantasy and science fiction stories, however he wrote many other genres. In May of 1950 the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health was published. It was after this that L. Ron Hubbard began to really promote Scientology as a religion and established the church of Scientology in 1953 located in Camden, New Jersey. (What is Scientology, 25-29)
In Scientology it is belived that you are not a mind or a body but a soul. If you think about it when you get your apendix or tonsils out it does not change your personality that is because your apendix is your bo...
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...hristian you would believe in heaven and hell, but if you were Hindu you would believe that you reincarnate. Scientologists believe that people are immortal spiritual beings who have lived before and who will live again, and that their future happiness and immortality as spiritual beings depend on how they conduct themselves in the here and now. (scientology.org, Does scientology believe in reincarnation or past lives).
Scientology is a religion that is becoming more and more popular and known. One of the reasons for this is the amount of press it gets. One of the biggest churches for scientology is located in LA this could result in the amount of celebrities involved in this religon. There is also a great amount of controversy concerning this religion. After taking this world religions class I have come to learn that this controversy is true with all religions.
Hinduism as a similar belief the only difference seems to be for you to reincarnate you have to go down a very long tunnel to do so. Like christianity islam also has a hell. Heaven has seven different levels the higher the level the better you were, hell also has seven levels the lower the level the worse you were in the afterlife. To be honest I really don’t believe in the afterlife I think once when you die nothing happens after that.My belief has both pros and cons the pros being to live life to the fullest because there I think there is no afterlife I am not going to have another chance. The main con of my belief is that I will never see anyone of my dead friends or family in another
According to document A, “Hinduism was (and is) polytheistic - Hindus believe in many gods…..In this kind of Hinduism, people believed in reincarnation - that people could be reborn into other bodies after they died.” The excerpt shows that the daily life would be affected since Hindus will worship more gods and believe in reincarnation. Moreover, Hindus believed in Karma as well as Dharma. Karma was the good or bad actions that had an effect on the soul in later reincarnations. Dharma was the spiritual duties that one must follow. Now it is evident that beliefs were influenced by religion.
Both of these religions originated in India. Buddhists and Hindus believe that death is not final. They believe that a person comes back after he or she dies. This process is known as reincarnation, and it provides opportunities for people to enter the world multiple times in different forms. Buddhists and Hindus want to reenter the world as humans, and they want to improve their status through reincarnation.
For many decades, the cult phenomenon has fascinated the masses. A cult is an organization with deviant beliefs and practices, and is characterized by the apparent life-time membership of its participants. It seems to be very popular among troubled teenagers and adults. The psychology behind why some people are more susceptible to the charms and the lure of being in a cult is not very widely researched or understood. Many people are concerned with cultist behavior and the effect that they have on the individuals involved, believing that they have been “brainwashed” into this lifestyle. This paper deals with cult mentality and how people become involved in certain religious and secular cults. It will explore the personality traits of current and ex-cult members as well as look at case studies of members of particular cults. The format of this paper will first look at some preexisting dispositions, the psychological effects while in the cult, and any short term or long term effects upon leaving the cult, as well as some treatment options.
It formed in 1960 C.E. and originated in the United States. Recent surveys of US adults indicate that many Americans hold at least some of the new spirituality beliefs. Eight percent of Americans believe in astrology as a method of foretelling the future. Seven percent of americans believe that crystals are a source of healing or energizing power. Nine percent of americans believe that Tarot Cards are a reliable base for life decisions. New Spirituality has many beliefs such as monism and also pantheism which is all that exists is God; This leads naturally to the concept of the divinity of the individual, that we are all gods. They don’t seek God as revealed in a sacred text; they seek god within the self and the entire universe. They also believe in reincarnation which is when you die you will come back reborn in a new form whether it’s another person or even an animal. They also believe in karma which is basically what comes around goes around so if you do something good or nice you will have good fortune but if you do something really mean or bad you will have really bad fortune come to you. They believe in aura which is an energy field radiated by the body. Some practices that new spirituality practices is channeling and meditation. Many celebrities are into new spirituality. The main one that is really out there about her worldview and doesn’t mind talking about it to anyone is Oprah. The six main characteristics of New Spirituality thinking are: first, all is unity. Second, all is divine. Third, is humanity is divine. Next is a change in consciousness. Fifth is all religions are one. Lastly Cosmic Evolutionary
The history of Scientology shows its persistence to keep their members with the promise of spiritual enlightenment. Scientology was founded in the mid-twentieth century by renowned science-fiction author L Ron Hubbard. (Sweeney) The basic foundation of the church stems from the ideas of his best-selling book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. (Anderson) Dianetics was published on May 9, 1950, and the date would become recognized among Scientologists as a religious holiday. Hubbard claimed that the discovery of the science of dianetics is “a milestone for Man comparable to his discovery of fire and superior to his inventions of the wheel and the arch” (Reitman 58). The book’s ideas encourage humanity to rid the individual of any of their mental weaknesses (18). It went on to make its way up the bestseller list by the summer o...
Cults have existed throughout history since the beginning of time. A cult is defined in Webster’s dictionary as a “system of religious worship with a devoted attachment to a person, principle, etc.” Over the past thirty years numerous religious cults have caused “ tens of thousands to abandon their families, friends, education’s, and careers to follow the teaching of a leader they will never meet”(Beck 78).
“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” ― Albert Einstein. According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, religion could be defined as, “an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group”. In other word a religion could mean a belief in a supernatural controlling power. In todays society there are many well renowned religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The main thing that all of these above mentioned religions have in common is that they serve as guides on how one should live their life. On the other hand many people started to question religions and their stories. Which in turn led to many individuals becoming atheist. According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, atheism is defined as, “a disbelief in the existence of deity”. Basically atheism is the belief that a supreme overlord does not exist. Let’s forget about atheism and concentrate on religions. There are many religions beside the big three that many people don’t know about. Many may not believe this but scientology is considered a religion. A science fiction author named L. Ron Hubbard created the religion, which is now known as scientology. Hubbard was born on March 13th, 1911 in Tilden, Nebraska. He later attended George Washington University, where he studies engineering and molecular physics. From 1934 to 1936 Hubbard started to write novels and gained much success in 1937. On 29th of March 1941, L. Ron Hubbard earned his Master of Sail Vessels license for Any Ocean. Three months later, he is commissioned as Lieutenant of the United States Navy Reserve. With United States involvement in the Second World War, Lieutenant Hubbard was dispatched to Australia. After a couple years in ...
Fine lines proceed to subsequently blur the separation between a religion and a cult. Throughout history, the label cult has consistently succeeded in disparaging numerous religions including Christianity. To bring a standstill to the confusion amidst all personages, the narrow slash between these two matters need to be entirely divulged and established. Distinctions separating a religion and a cult are elucidated primarily by their treatment of individuals and relations. Variances can be seen through examples of behaviors, the “Moonies” cult, and the works of the Christian religion.
To be fair, I was looking for information on Katie Holmes agreeing with Tom that she and her children will have to turn only to Scientology treatment when dealing with mental or terminal illness, however, I find this excerpt about Sofia and Scientology to be more interesting. “Unlike her daughter, this devout Catholic was not given an armful of literature as she left. All conversion efforts were focused on Sofia-they had been since she first met Cruise” (Morton 261). I found this quote to be the most shocking, and another reason why I choose this excerpt, because it shows the Scientologist's desperate attempt at trying to get Sofia to join. I also found it interesting that this text seems to focus more on Sofia's view of the relationship, in a biography about Tom
Robinson, B.A. "About the Church of Scientology A Religion Founded by L. Ron Hubbard." http://www.religioustolerance.org/scientol.htm
Some hale and some hate L. Ron Hubbard. Before my months of research into the religion of Scientology I had never learned of a man so loved and so dispised by many. The science-fiction writer turned leader/ antithesis depending on where you stand made his way into the world in 1950 when a book called dianetics hit America's west coast like a storm. Some claim it was his plan saying he was only out for money. I can not conclude other than that L. Ron Hubbard was a genius in the craft of foolery and money making.
Society strives to feel a sense of belonging. We want to be a part of something that shares the same beliefs as us. We spend our time trying to place ourselves in a group to satisfy these needs, whether it is in a hobby club, a group of friends, or religion. Some people go to more extreme measures and find this in what we call a cult. According to Henslin, a cult is a new or different religion whose teachings and practices put it at odds with the dominant culture and religion. (2013:405) Cults are often identified with the ideas of mass murder, deviant behaviors, unusual beliefs, and extremely devoted members. Cults are also highly known for their leaders. The leaders of cults usually are the ones that portray the image for the entire group. Successful cults take a strong-minded and, according to Max Weber, charismatic leader.
Hinduism is an ancient religion. It has no known founder. It has several holy books. The most important of these is the Vedas, a collection of hymns. Hinduism like buddism believes in reincarnation. The goal of this religion is also to escape the birth-death cycle. Through Hinduism the entire Indian social structure was formed by creating the caste system. The major difference between Buddism and Hinduism is that Hindus believe in a god. Brahman is the spirit that encompasses all living things. There are several lesser gods who are believed to be incarnates of Brahman.
Christians, for example, believe that souls that have lived by the words of their God will exist eternally in heaven as divine beings themselves. This conception of an afterlife is generally what we people who are residents of the Unitied States hold to be true. For American culture has its roots in Europe and European culture was and is still influenced by Christian faiths. Similar to Christianity, the Hinduism also eases the fear of death by presenting a life after death. Disimilarities present themselves in the two faiths concerning exactly what kind of afterlife is lived. Believers of the Hindu faith expect to be reincarnated after their demise, either as an animal or human being depending on the manner in which their lives were carried out.