Scientology is a set of beliefs written by
science fiction author
L. Ron Hubbard.
Scientology describes itself as the study and handling of the
spirit in relationship to itself, others, and all of life. One purpose of Scientology, as stated by the Church of Scientology, is to become certain of one's spiritual existence and one's relationship to God, or the "Supreme Being."
[1] One belief of Scientology is that a human is an immortal alien spiritual being, termed a
thetan, that is trapped on planet Earth in a physical body. Hubbard described these "thetans" in "
The Space Opera" cosmogony.
The thetan has had innumerable past lives and it is accepted in Scientology that lives preceding the thetan's arrival on Earth lived in extraterrestrial cultures. Descriptions of space opera incidents are seen as true events by Scientologists.
[2]
Scientologists believe that an individual should discover for himself that Scientology works by personally applying its principles and observing or experiencing desirable results.[
citation needed] Scientology claims that its practices provide methods by which a person can achieve greater spiritual awareness.
[3] Two primary methods of increasing spiritual awareness are referred to in Scientology as
"Auditing" and "Training".[
citation needed] Within Scientology, progression from level to level is often called
The Bridge to Total Freedom Scientologists progress from "Preclear", to "
Clear", and ultimately "
Operating Thetan".
Scientologists are taught that a series of events, or
incidents, occurred before life on earth.
[4] Scientologists also believe that humans have hidden abilities which can be unlocked.
[5][6]
Although today associated almost exclusively with Hubbard's philosophy, the word "scientology" predates his usage by several decades. An early use of the word was as a
neologism in an 1871 book by the American
anarchist Stephen Pearl Andrews presenting "the newly discovered Science of the Universe".
[7] Philologist Allen Upward used the word "scientology" in his 1901 book
The New Word as a synonym for "
pseudoscience,"
[8] and this is sometimes cited as the first coining of the word.
[9]
Source:
Scientology beliefs and practices - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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