"SCIENTOLOGY"
Apologetics • Sermon • Submitted
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Try to figure out how I can play the following videos from the Scientology website
What is Scientology
Inside a Church
Dianetics
1. Scientology background and history -
1. Scientology background and history -
Scientology is a difficult religion to summarize. Scientology was founded in 1953 by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard and has gained popularity due to some Hollywood celebrities who have embraced it. Hubbard became a multi-millionaire as a result of creating Scientology.
In fact, one of the most common criticisms of Scientology is that it is nothing more than a complex money-making scheme. The LA Times reported that the financial policy of Hubbard’s organization was, in Hubbard’s own words, “MAKE MONEY, MAKE MORE MONEY, MAKE OTHERS PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MONEY” (Joel Sappell and Robert W. Welkos. “The Scientology Story, Part 2: The Selling of a Church.” latimes. Monday, 6/25/1990, page A1:1. Los Angeles Times. WEB. 11/23/2015).
L. Ron Hubbard, the founder, was born in Nebraska March 13, 1911.
Scientology made claims that Hubbard graduated in Civil Engineering from George Washington University and had a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from “Sequoia” University in CA, but neither of these claims were true.
Hubbard began writing science fiction novels in the 1930s, with his first novel titled Excalibur in 1938, and in May 1950 he collected many of his past ideas into a work called Astounding Science Fiction.
In 1950 Hubbard’s science fiction ideas were collected and put into the non-fiction work Dianetics, the movement’s name until it became Scientology in 1952, an official religious organization.
Hubbard’s background includes much mystery and controversy: (a) for years headquarters were in Saint Hill England, (b) from 66-75 they were on a 300 foot yacht the Apollo, (c) from 75-79 he ruled in seclusion from the deserts of Southern California.
Due to non-existence, in 1983 his son Ron DeWolf tried to have him declared dead.
In 1983 Time Magazine wrote a very critical piece about Scientology and Hubbard, who was thought dead.
In 1984 a Los Angeles judge Paul Breckenridge wrote a stinging judgment against Scientology in its efforts to silence ex-Scientologist Gerald Armstrong: “[Hubbard is a man] who has been virtually a pathological liar. . . . [with an organization characterized by] egoism, greed, avarice, lust for power and vindictiveness” (LA Times 6-22-84).
Many countries (e.g., USA, Australia, Great Britain, France) have made investigations of Scientology, not to mention raids by the Food and Drug Administration and IRS.
Membership during the 70s may have been as high as 2 million, although in the 80s in was perhaps several hundred thousand, many of whom have been well-known celebrities.
WHAT IS FLAG?
Flag (the Flag Service Organization) is a religious retreat located in Clearwater, Florida. It serves as the spiritual headquarters for Scientologists planet wide. Flag is the largest Church of Scientology in the world. Flag represents the hub of the greater Scientology worldwide community as a dynamic, multilingual organization. Flag not only ministers the most advanced levels of training available anywhere, but all advanced levels of auditing up to New OT VII.
The title “Flag” follows from the fact that from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s, the highest ecclesiastical organizations were located at sea aboard a flotilla of ships. The 330-foot motor vessel Apollo served as Mr. Hubbard’s home. Accordingly, it was then the most senior Scientology Church. It was known as the “Flagship” of the flotilla and called “Flag” for short.
At that time, special advanced auditing and training services were ministered only aboard Flag. However, as more and more Scientologists wished to participate in these services, the lack of sufficient space required a move to land. In 1975, the Flag Service Organization established itself in Clearwater, Florida, where it occupied the historic twelve-story city landmark Fort Harrison Hotel.
Since then, Flag has continued to expand. Today it also occupies the Sandcastle which ministers advanced auditing, the Coachman Building which serves as a training center for thousands of Scientologists and many other supporting facilities.
Given Flag’s growing international congregation, the last several years has seen continual construction to provide still more facilities for its parishioners. On January 1, 2008, the fully renovated 172,000-square-foot Oak Cove opened, providing accommodations for visiting Scientologists.
On March 14, 2009, the ribbon was cut on the eleven-month, million-man-hour restoration of the 267,000-square-foot Fort Harrison. Providing accommodations and restaurants for Scientologists while receiving religious services, the historic property is also open to the public for charity events, tours and open houses.
On November 17, 2013, ten thousand Scientologists gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the new Church of Scientology Flag Building. The building stands 377,000 square feet and occupies an entire city block. It has the capacity to deliver Scientology religious services to thousands of parishioners every day.
Since its founding, Flag has expanded to more than 50 buildings totaling more than 2 million square feet, servicing Scientologists in all major languages.
Flag is also a hub of Scientology within its own community, sponsoring a variety of outreach activities to help those in need. Visiting Scientology artists and performers regularly hold public exhibitions and concerts to which local residents are always invited.
Flag is the spiritual headquarters of the Scientology religion. Although it concentrates on ministering the most advanced spiritual levels of Scientology, its services span the entirety of the Bridge. Every Scientologist aspires to come to Flag. And sooner or later, everyone does.
WHAT IS THE FREEWINDS?
The motor vessel Freewinds is a 440-foot ship based in the Caribbean. Its home port is Curaçao. The ship, in turn, is the home of the Flag Ship Service Organization (FSSO), a religious retreat ministering the most advanced level of spiritual counseling in the Scientology religion.
Flag Ship Service Organization, Caribbean
The Freewinds provides a safe, aesthetic, distraction-free environment appropriate for ministration of this profoundly spiritual level of auditing. Thus, while the Flag Service Organization in Clearwater ministers the highest levels of training and auditing from the bottom of the Bridge to New OT VII, the most advanced OT level (New OT VIII) is exclusively entrusted to the FSSO.
To a Scientologist, boarding the Freewinds for New OT VIII is the pinnacle of a deeply spiritual journey. Years of training and auditing have brought him to this ultimate point. It is the most significant spiritual accomplishment of his lifetime and brings with it the full realization of his immortality.
The Freewinds is a very special place. It is the one place a Scientologist may go and be certain he will be able to devote himself entirely to his religious practice and in the company of people who share his religious commitment and outlook on life in general.
Other religious programs conducted aboard the Freewinds include religious conventions and seminars for staff and parishioners from Churches of Scientology world over, as well as specially arranged gatherings of Scientologists from a particular country or community for a tailored program of religious services.
2. Scientology Theology -
2. Scientology Theology -
Scientology teaches that mankind is an immortal being (called a Thetan) not originally from this planet, and that man is trapped by matter, energy, space, and time (MEST). Salvation for a scientologist comes through a process called ”auditing,” whereby ”engrams” (basically, memories of past pain and unconsciousness that create energy blockage) are removed.
Auditing is a lengthy process and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. When all engrams are finally removed, the Thetan can once again control MEST instead of being controlled by it. Until salvation, each Thetan is constantly reincarnated.
Scientology is a very expensive religion to pursue. Every aspect of Scientology has some sort of fee associated with it. This is why Scientology’s “pews” are filled only with the wealthy. It is also a very strict religion and very punitive against those who would try to leave behind its teachings and membership. Its “scriptures” are limited solely to the writings and teachings of L. Ron Hubbard.
“Who is God?”
“There are gods above all other gods, and gods beyond the gods of the universe.”
God: Scientology believes that there are multiple gods and that some gods are above other gods. Biblical Christianity, on the other hand, recognizes the one and only true God who revealed Himself to us in the Bible and through Jesus Christ. Those who believe in Him cannot believe the false concept of God as taught in Scientology.
According to the Bible -
10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. 11 “I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me.
4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!
5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
“Who is Christ?”
“You will find the cross as a symbol all over the universe, and the Christ Legend as an implant in preclears a million years ago.”
“Neither Buddha nor Jesus Christ were Operating Thetans . . . They were just a shade above clear.”
Jesus Christ: Like other cults, Scientology denies the deity of Christ. Instead of having a biblical view of who Christ is and what He did, they assign to Him the characteristics of some sort of lesser god who has obtained legendary status over the years. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was God in the flesh and through His incarnation He could act as a sacrifice for our sins. It is through Christ’s death and resurrection that we can have the hope of eternal life with God (John 3:16).
According to the Bible -
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
“What is Sin?”
”It is despicable and utterly beneath contempt to tell a man he must repent, that he is evil.”
“Personal salvation in one lifetime [is] freedom from the cycle of birth and death. . . . Religious practice of all Faiths is the universal way . . .”
Sin: Scientology believes in the inherent goodness of man and teaches that it is despicable and utterly beneath contempt to tell a man he must repent or that he is evil. On the other hand, the Bible teaches that man is a sinner and the only hope for him is that he receive Christ as his Lord and Savior (Romans 6:23).
According to the Bible -
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—
“What is Salvation?”
“Hell is a total myth, an invention just to make people very unhappy.”
Salvation: Scientology believes in reincarnation and that personal salvation in one’s lifetime is freedom from the cycle of birth and death associated with reincarnation. They believe that religious practice of all faiths is the universal way to wisdom, understanding, and salvation. In contrast, the Bible teaches that there is only one way of salvation and that is through Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
According to the Bible -
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
24 “Then they will go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die And their fire will not be quenched; And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”
2 “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
11 “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Summary -
Though scientologists will claim that Scientology is compatible with Christianity, the Bible counters each and every belief they hold to. The Bible teaches that God is the sovereign and only creator of the universe (Genesis 1:1); mankind was created by God (Genesis 1:27); the only salvation available to man is by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:8);
salvation is a free gift that mankind can do nothing to earn (Ephesians 2:8-9); and Jesus Christ is alive and well and is seated at the right hand of God the Father even now (Acts 2:33; Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 1:3), awaiting the time when He will gather His people to Himself to reside with Him for eternity in heaven. Everyone else will be cast into a very real hell, separated from God for eternity (Revelation 20:15).
Scientology categorically denies the existence of the God of the Bible, heaven, and hell. To a scientologist, Jesus Christ was simply a good teacher who unfortunately was wrongfully put to death. Scientology differs from biblical Christianity on every important doctrine. Some of the most important differences are summarized below:
Comparing the teachings of Scientology with the Bible, we see that the two have very little, if anything, in common. Scientology only leads away from God and eternal life. Scientology, while sometimes disguising its beliefs in Christian-sounding language, in fact diametrically opposes Christianity on every core belief. Scientology is clearly, and most definitely, not Christian.
SO WHAT?
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.