What Do Scientologists Believe?

Founder: L. Ron Hubbard.

• Hubbard was a prolific science fiction writer who began to dabble in pseudo-psychiatry with the publishing of the book “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health” in 1950. The book offered a way to relive and relieve traumatic experiences through a type of therapy called “auditing”. The book was massively successful and led to Hubbard later founding the Church of Scientology as an extension of the teachings of Dianetics. Dianetics would continue to form the basis of all of Scientology’s teachings as they continued to insist that modern psychiatry was a corrupt field filled with people who are only interested in hurting the general populous and Scientology was the only way to achieve true mental and spiritual health. At its core it was filled with people who were looking for the same things our guide was looking for- clarity of mind and success in life. Scientology has never been shy about claiming they can provide these things for those who advance up the “Bridge to Total Freedom”. This is the trajectory Scientology sends those who are “pre-clear” (those who still are plagued by traumatic experiences of the past) on their to being “clear”. To be “clear” means that one is completely free of these negative and traumatic experiences, or “engrams”, which have attached themselves to one’s “thetan” (soul or self).

Place of Origin: Los Angeles, California

Date of Origin: 1953 A.D.

Sacred Texts: While all of Hubbard's Scientology writings are considered sacred, special importance is given to Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health". 

Core Tenets:

• Thetan
  • The "thetan" is the immaterial soul or spirit that is attached to the physical body. 
• Engram
  • Engrams are experiences that are perfectly recorded and remembered by the "reactive mind". These engrams are what cause trauma, anxiety, pain, and mental illness as the mind recalls these experiences and causes an individual to re-experience them.
• Auditing
  • Auditing is a process by which an "auditor" will evaluate a Scientologist to help them clear themselves of engrams. When an engram is discovered, the individual will be asked to describe and re-experience that trauma until they no longer register it on the E-Meter (a device used in the auditing process). 
• Clear
  • When a Scientologist is said to be completely free of engrams, they reached the designation of "clear". At this point, they are said to be able to perfectly interpret the world around them as they are no longer hindered by the reactive mind and the engrams they used to struggle with. At one point in Scientology's history, this was the highest level one could ascend to.
• The Bridge to Total Freedom
  • "The Bridge" is the pathway a Scientologist follows to advance their way through Scientology's dogma. On this intricate chart, all of the various levels of Scientology are laid out, including OT III which is where Scientologists are allegedly told of the esoteric "Xenu" creation myth. It is believed that to advance to the highest levels of Scientology's "Bridge" an individual would have to pay thousands of dollars in course fees and auditing.