If there is one thing I will take away from this month, it will be the practicality of Scientology. The entire religion is focused on action- whether it be auditing, or taking a course, or reading, volunteering, or working in part of the massive Church of Scientology bureaucracy, one must be in motion to be a Scientologist.

They do not waste time on fancy allegory, metaphors, prayer, or silent contemplation. As mentioned before, there is a nod to an “author of the universe”, whoever that may be, but it is only window dressing for the real meat of the religion. No time for theological debate or paradox. Scientology posits that while you are essentially good, you are broken, and they can fix you. This process of bettering yourself by getting rid of engrams and that pesky reactive mind is what makes up the majority of Scientology. It is a single identifiable process, a technology, a practical religious philosophy.

But altruistic it sure ain’t. The stress it puts on practicing what you preach is commendable, but they aren’t exactly giving it away. You have to pay for every book, every course, and every auditing session, and they do get more expensive as you move on. Every other religion we have come across gives away their wisdom for nothing. Their holy books are so common they are practically free, and once you have them it is up to you to work through them and to understand them. Or you can consult a priest/nun/monk and they will be all too happy to help you. Most religions give out their wisdom for free, or for a donation of your choosing. Such is not the case with Scientology.

This makes it difficult to believe that they exist for your own benefit rather than for their own profit. If they really wanted to help you, to “save” you, why would they be so eager to get you to pay? Wouldn’t they be like all the other religions whose ideas and techniques are practically open source?

I’d like to think that this isn’t a trade off for having a practical philosophy. That if you want to establish an idea dedicated to helping people that you have no choice but to charge money for the service you will offer. It seems that most religions I have experienced identify a problem, whether it be the dissolved ego, the cycle of death and rebirth, or the issue of original sin, and then offer their own solution. This solution costs no more than time, consideration, and devotion (and perhaps a little faith), and really, this seems proper for anyone who really wants to get you to understand the problem and to help you.

But charging people for the entire process?  Sounds more like a self-help technique than a religion.