IS SCIENCE OR THEOLOGY? (The of the Hollywood stars, Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Courtney Love, Patrick Swayze 2 Peter 1:16; 2:1-3

Myth-That this is a religion or theology, a study of God. -In 1952, its founder changed it to Scientology & declared it a religion for tax purposes. -Its centers of instruction are now called churches & its counselors called ministers. -Their focus is on famous wealthy converts.

I. The meaning of Scientology-“The Study of Truth” From their website-No one is asked to accept anything as belief or on faith. -What is true for you is what you have observed to be true. -You learn to solve your own problems & have a higher state of awareness

II. The maker of Scientology-L. Ron Hubbard was a Science Fiction writer. L. Ron Hubbard-“Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, The best way would be to start his own religion.”

-His parents were in the U.S. Navy & while overseas in the 1920’s he learned eastern & philosophies. -He said he had a nuclear physicist degree from George Washington Univ. but actually flunked out in his second Year. Said PHd, from a Univ. in Calif. That doesn’t exist. -He is most famous for his 1950 book “: The Modern Science of Mental Health.” -The book basically tells you how to expand your mind to promote mental health & emotional strengths. -In his latter years, he became a recluse aboard his yacht and died in 1986.

III. The message of Scientology-“You can improve yourself” -Every person has “Engrams ” which are recorded mental images that have negative effects on . -You pay an “Auditor” money to help you work through your negative engrams. -A person is “clea r” when he is finished & removing negative engrams. -All of us are a “Thetan ”, which is a divine, immortal or being. -Your thetan can have previous . -Negative engrams build up from previous lives & you may need excessive auditing sessions at $1000 per hour.

READ: “Kingdom of the Cults”p.346

Ralph Lee Smith wrote this: One preclear (student of Scientology) said that this thetan (somewhat similar to “soul” or “spirit”) has inhabited the body of A doll on the planet Mars, 469,476,600 years ago. Martians seized the doll and took it to a temple, where it was zapped By a bishop’s gun while the congregation chanted “God is Love.” The thetan was then put into a ice cube, placed aboard a Flying saucer, and dropped off a Planet ZX 432, where it was given a robot body, then put to work unloading flying saucers. Being a bit unruly, It zapped another robot to death and was shipped off in a flying saucer to be punished. But the flying Saucer exploded, and then the thetan fell into space.

IV. The mistakes of Scientology -There are many, we will list a few. -It is a secular approach to life & problems.

1. God-There are many (Isa. 44:6; 45:18,22) L. Ron Hubbard Scientology Quote (“There are gods above all other gods, And gods beyond the gods of the universe.”) -There is no definition of the nature or person of God. -References to a Supreme Being are rare, usually called an “infinity”. -Usually use pantheistic(Joke-this will just pan out in the end) terms like embracing the “allness of all.” 2. Jesus-He is not the Messiah (Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:1-3) L. Ron Hubbard Scientology Quote “You will find the cross as a symbol all over the universe, and the “Christ Legend” as an in preclears or students a million years ago.”

3. Sin-It does not (Rom.3:23; Psalm 66:18) Ex. Tom Cruise getting his girlfriend pregnant. L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology) “It is despicable and utterly beneath contempt to tell a man he must repent, that he is evil.”

4. Salvation-It is a mystery (John 14:6; Heb. 2:3) “Scientology: A World Religion” “says”…personal salvation in one lifetime is freedom from the cycle of birth and Death (),…Religious practice of all Faiths is the universal way to Wisdom, Understanding and/or Salvation.”

5. Hell-It is a myth (Matt. 25:41,46) L. Ron Hubbard Scientology “…hell is a myth, an invention just to make people very unhappy and is a vicious lie.”

Professor of Philosophy and Bible at Westminister College, Joseph Hopkins , writing in Christianity Today, presented a succinct Summary of one of the most valid criticisms of Scientologys failure to demonstrate altruistic social concern:

Another liability of Scientology is its utter lack of social concern . It could hardly be criticized for this omission were it to abandon the pretense of being a religion. But to pose as a church, while neglecting the responsibilities of a church in the community, nation, and world, is reprehensible. Scientology offers society nothing except an expensive and highly dubious method of psycho-therapy, the goal of which is self improvement, self mastery and personal happiness. The door to salvation is shut to those who cannot afford to pay the price of processing. Nothing is said about the plight of the poor, the sick, the homeless, the oppressed…