To discuss whether Scientology is (or is not) a religion, one must first define religion. Scientology has been very successful in sitting on the fence between secular and religious, depending on circumstance [Kent Affidavit in McPherson Civil Suit, 1999] In article <8cj1f2$pkn$1@nnrp1.deja.com>, doubtingthomas says...

>When I was a Scientologist, Scientology was my religion. I didn't
>see "God" mentioned anywhere except in the creed.
This is the usual basis for those stating that Scientology is not a religion. Scientology does not fit the historical definition of religion, which is why it has run afoul of many governments in Europe and elsewhere.

Dr. Kent states that Scientology is a multi-faceted system which has religion as only one of its aspects. I feel that the "religion angle" is too small when compared to the bulk of Hubbard's writings. If Scientology is a religion, then I could make soccer into a religion, simply by placing a "spiritual veneer" over corporeal aspects of soccer. Hubbard appears to have done the same with Scientology.

Barwell's collection of quotes shows that Hubbard was on the "Science" side of the fence in the 1950s and early 60's. As recently reported by Robert Vaughn Young, Young was part of rewriting Scientology in an Orwellian shift toward "the religion angle" around 1964.

> Ron preferred to stay away from terms that had so many
> different meanings.
Hubbard never had a problem with redefining perfectly good words especially if Wog society didn't agree with him. Hubbard thought "philosophy" was equivalent to "religion" (Ministerial Course), which was his primary M/U. In the early days, Scientology was a *secular* philosophy [Barwell's quotes] - auditors were doctors (D.Scn), churches were clinics, and auditing fees were similar to psychiatrists' fees.

>In lieu of "God" (which has different meanings to different people), we
>had "static," "theta," "source," and "cause." In lieu of "heaven" I
>used "the realm of theta." Instead of spirit (which also has multiple
>meanings), we say "thetan."
Where did these words come from? Were they not part of Dianetics (secular) and early Scientology (pre-veneer of religiousity)? Hubbard couldn't use the usual words for God because he had already defined and used them in previous work.

He could not revise the previous work, so he changed the definition of the words used, so they would be more "religious".

>"Thetan" is derived from "theta", just as the spirit comes from God.
I suggest you do some digging and see how the meaning has changed over time. Find some pre-1964 works and reverse-engineer the definition of "Thetan" from context. At its most basic, "thetan" is "thought"; hardly a religious concept.

> To me, Christ was just an OT, that man made a god out of. I've
learned more about him since.

"just a shade above Clear", eh?

> We didn't pray. We postulated.
Prayers are to a Being greater than oneself. One of the beliefs of Scientology is that you *become* God. If one is a Supreme Being, one cannot pray to oneself. Instead, one postulates.

However, the belief is not based on fact; there has been no demonstrated OT behavior. Randi still has his million dollars for any would-be OT that can.

> I never thought Hubbard was Source. I always thought that
> source came from the realm of theta.
>
> Did I have an MU or something?
Part of clearing a M/U is to understand the historical context of a word. That should "clear" you of the temporal M/Us that abound in the current RTC version of "Scientology".

>Based upon my beliefs, I voted, "Yes. Scientology is a religion."
>
>I don't know whether "implants" really exist or not, but if they do, it
>is quite possible that the implant contents contain the truth, albeit
>enforced truth.
Scientology is an implant. The enforced truth is that if you don't believe it, you're going back to the Martian implant station (or whatever Scientology's equivalent of "Hell" is.)

>Maybe that PAB 25 (was that it?)will get me to change my vote.
[no context, so I cannot comment.] Perry Scott, SP 4.3, ScienoSitter 3X + ISP + 2 words
Co$ Escapee

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