Year of Faith

It is hard to practice something that you suspect will do you harm.

My posts on Scientology have been few, far between, and I think generally uninteresting. Yes, I have been lazy and neglectful, but it is also that I am genuinely hesitant of getting too close to this religion.

From what I have experienced, and what I have learned, Scientology puts up a strong, rationale, practical, and inviting front. But that is all that it is. Behind it all there is just something that is not quite right. The majority of its principles and articles of belief are not very well justified. A lot of to do is made about the research and thought L. Ron put into this idea, but none of it is shown. Nothing is cited, most of what he says sounds good and reasonable, but I don’t get the feeling that much effort went into any of it.

And none of this helps my suspicions coming into this month. As I’ve said before, when I came to this my background would have put Scientology strictly into the ‘cult’ category. The majority of my friends as well as the literature I have read in the past have been almost universally hostile towards the group, and this is not without good reason.

After its inception, the Church of Scientology began receiving a lot of international flak. In 1962 Scientology was essentially banned in Australia, a ruling that was eventually overturned. The FDA got interested in the claims Dianetics was making about mental health and the use of the E-meter. They remain dubious about the claims to psychological wellness, but the E-meter has since been dubbed a “legitimate religious artifact.” After all of this unwanted attention, the Guardian Office was established. This section of the church handled public relations issues, information gathering, and propaganda against those who spoke out against Scientology or its founder.

All of this came to the attention of various government agencies with very familiar acronyms on July 8th, 1977. Scientology churches in Washington, DC as well as Los Angeles were raided after a Scientologist and member of the Guardian Office spilled the beans on their operations. The Guardian Office had been stealing confidential information from various government offices regarding investigations into the church, and information about people and groups who were against Scientology. They were caught trying to get information they could use to blackmail or besmirch their enemies.

The Guardian Office was of course disbanded after this little event. Now far be it for me to suggest that no other religion has members that go out and break the law, and have members that slander those that disagree with them. But to have a branch specifically designed to fulfill this purpose seems like a bit much.

Then again this doesn’t seem to be abnormal in the early history organized religion. The early Christian church certainly wasn’t friendly to the local pagans, to those who weren’t keen on jumping on the early Christian bandwagon. Early in its beginnings, Islam had to defend itself numerous times by force. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so quick to judge Scientology, perhaps it is sorting itself out into something a little less extreme.

I’d Like to start a religion. That’s where the money is.

-L. Ron Hubbard to Lloyd A. Eshbach

Then again, perhaps not.

First, I’ll go ahead and apologize again to myself and to anyone else reading this for not updating and being more involved in the project. I really want to be committing more time to this, after all I only have a few more months to get it right, and those will be taken up with the larger, more complex faiths. Despite what it may seem like, what with the very few posts concerning paganism, and the disparagingly few so far to cover Scientology, this is a very important project for me, and I don’t take it, nor my lax duties, very lightly.

That said, today I would like to share one of the cornerstones of Scientology- the eight dynamics of existence.

According to Scientology, all life exists and strives under the commandment to survive. As time passes we wish to be able to grow and survive, not only as an individual, but as a group, and even as a spiritual being. In Scientology and Dianetics these urges are called dynamics. L. Ron Hubbard originally posited four different dynamics in Dianetics (one to four). Later on, after his research that would culminate in the doctrine of Scientology, he posited four additional dynamics (five to eight). These eight dynamics are symbolized as the Scientology cross.

The dynamics are, generally, as follows:

First- The survival of oneself. This is the urge to become an individual and survive as a fit, unique person for the longest possible amount of time.

Second- Survival through family. This is the idea that one can live on through one’s children and the rearing of future generations. It encompasses sex and the basic relationships of the family.

Third- Surviving as a group. The third dynamic encompasses survival as a member of any group- a group of friends, a company, a class, a nation, or even a world. Whether it be transitory or permanent, large or small, each group that you consider yourself a part of is considered a third dynamic of survival.

Fourth- The survival of humanity. This dynamic is the continued existence of mankind as a species, including all races (each of which separately would count as a third dynamic).

Fifth- The survival and preservation of all life. Here the dynamics begin to step up a notch in scope and spirituality. The first of these is the urge for every form of life to survive as well as one’s own. The fifth dynamic is to survive for the sake of all life to survive.

Sixth- Survival of the physical universe. Scientologists believe that we have the urge to see the survival of matter, energy, space, and time (MEST). In addition to our own selves, our groups, and various forms of life, it would make sense that we would also want the substance of the universe in which we inhabit to survive as well, such as our own planet.

Seventh- The survival of the spirit and the spiritual universe. This is the motivation to continue on existing after we cease to exist as a body in the physical universe, the dynamic of the thetan.

Eighth- Existence as infinity, or the Supreme Being, or God. This is the dynamic of the never-ending life, to exist throughout all time (or perhaps even without time).

It is important to note that no one dynamic is considered more important than any other, though each person may put more stock and resources into some rather than others, this is just a matter of taste. An environmentalist would probably focus more time on the fifth and sixth dynamic, whereas an athlete may focus primarily on the first and third dynamics. All eight dynamics are closely interlinked, and if one or more gets pulled out or ignored, all of them suffer as a consequence.

As a person becomes more aware of their lives and the world around them, they become more interested in these dynamics. Scientology helps by explaining each of these areas of existence and teaching people how to balance between them and apply themselves to them so that they may feel more fulfilled and eventually get to the point where they feel they can survive in the eighth dynamic. That is, to exist for eternity as an infinite, spiritual being.

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.

From Scientology, The Fundamentals of Thought:

Scientology is a religion characterized by controversy. The images that will be conjured in one’s mind by the very mention of this religion will differ drastically from person to person, depending on where they stand in relation to it. These differences are more pronounced in Scientology, I would argue, than in any of the other religions will we encounter this year. Most either see it as an empowering and practical religious philosophy, or as a blood-sucking, money-grubbing, important-noun-being-verbed cult. Or at the very least, a suspicious bunch of people who seem really keen on helping you out.

I’ll admit I have spent a lot of time in the later camp, with most of my information having come from secondary sources who definitely had their own opinion on the matter. I figured now would be a good opportunity to investigate this religion myself, to do what Scientologists seem to recommend every time they are met with criticisms and accusations- to read the material and make my own conclusions.

This introduction, while making mention of the conflict of source materials and perspectives on Scientology, will not be overly concerned with the perspective of those critical to the religion. I seek only to give an overview of the teachings and practices of Scientology and Dianetics, and to make mention of the rather large body of resistance that has spring up over the years which tends to bring Scientology in and out of the public eye.

With that said, let’s get to it.

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