My 11 year old mathematician and science freak son left his extension studies course today asking me, "what is scientology"?
I gave him a vague answer based on my (limited) understanding of Scientology along the lines of: Scientology is an American religion started by a writer of science fiction about 100 years ago...they believe amongst other things that all inhabitants of Earth are descendents of aliens that crash landed in volcano at some time in the past.
I didn't have time to explain to my son reasons why I don't think Scientology is a proper religion, which is what I think.
It seems from the information from Wikipedia below that I was somewhat accurate in my description of Scientology today.
Although I personally consider Scientology as not qualifying as a religion, why is Christianity considered any more a religion than Scientology?
In fact, what is a "religion"? Does any personal belief system that may be held qualify?
"The Church of Scientology holds that at the higher levels of initiation ("
OT levels"), mystical teachings are imparted that may be harmful to unprepared readers. These teachings are kept secret from members who have not reached these levels. The church says that the secrecy is warranted to keep its materials' use in context and to protect its members from being exposed to materials they are not yet prepared for.
[102]
Scientology cruise ship
Freewinds
These are the OT levels, the levels above
Clear, whose contents are guarded within Scientology. The OT level teachings include accounts of various cosmic catastrophes that befell the thetans.
[140] Hubbard described these early events collectively as "
space opera".
In the OT levels, Hubbard explains how to reverse the effects of past-life trauma patterns that supposedly extend millions of years into the past.
[141] Among these advanced teachings is the story of
Xenu (sometimes Xemu), introduced as the tyrant ruler of the "
Galactic Confederacy". According to this story, 75 million years ago Xenu brought billions of people to Earth in spacecraft resembling
Douglas DC-8 airliners, stacked them around volcanoes and detonated hydrogen bombs in the volcanoes. The thetans then clustered together, stuck to the bodies of the living, and continue to do this today. Scientologists at advanced levels place considerable emphasis on isolating body thetans and neutralizing their ill effects"