Scientology is a twentieth century religion. The word Scientology means "the study of knowledge" or "knowing about knowing" from the Latin word "scio" which means "know" or "distinguish," and from the Greek word "logos" which means "reason itself" or "inward thought." So it means the study of wisdom or knowledge, or "knowing how to know." Scientology is further defined as the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life. The word was coined by L. Ron Hubbard.

The essential tenets of Scientology are these: You are an immortal spiritual being. Your experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. And your capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.

In Scientology, you are called a thetan (from the Greek letter theta, for thought or life or the spirit). This is to avoid confusion with previous conceptions of the soul. The thetan is the spiritual being himself. It is the individual. It is you. You are a thetan, a spiritual being. Not your eyes, not your brain, but you. You do not have a thetan, something you keep apart from yourself; you are a thetan.

Scientology provides exact principles and practical technology for improving self confidence, intelligence and ability. It does not require faith or belief - one can apply the principles and see for oneself if they work and are true. Scientology addresses the spirit - not simply the body or mind - and is therefore completely apart from materialistic philosophies which hold that man is a product of his environment or his genes.

Scientology is a religion by its basic tenets, practice, historical background and by the definition of the word religion itself. It is recognized as such by courts in country after country around the world, including the highest courts in the United States, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Denmarkand many others.

All denominations are welcome in Scientology.

Scientology is a route, a way, rather than a dissertation or an assertive body of knowledge. Through its drills and studies one may find the truth for oneself. It is the only thing that can show you who you really are. The technology is therefore not expounded as something to believe but something to do.

L. Ron Hubbard began his studies of the mind in 1923. In 1947 he wrote a manuscript detailing some of his discoveries. It was not published at that time, but circulated among friends, who copied it and passed it on to others. (This manuscript was formally published in 1 951 as "Dianetics: The Original Thesis" and later republished as "The Dynamics of Life".)

His first published article on the subject, "Terra Incognita: The Mind," appeared in the Winter/Spring 1950 issue of the Explorers Club Journal, followed by the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health which was published in May 1950. It became a nationwide bestseller almost overnight. By late summer, people across the country were not only reading the book, but were also organizing their own groups for the purpose of applying Dianetics techniques. The book has remained a bestseller ever since, again becoming number one on the New YorkTimes bestseller list, almost four decades after its initial publication. It continues to appear on bestseller lists around the world.

During the course of thousands of hours of Dianetics counseling on thousands of individuals all over the country, incontrovertible evidence was amassed about the fundamentally spiritual nature of man. L. Ron Hubbard himself had discovered early in his research that man was a spiritual being, inhabiting a body and using a mind. These discoveries led him to realize that he had entered the realm of religion.

In 1954, the first Church of Scientology was formed in Los Angeles by a group of Scientologists. Within a few years churches had been formed across the country and around the world.

In the years that followed, L. Ron Hubbard completed his research into the spiritual nature of man. Today, all his writings on the subject are available to anyone who wishes to study Scientology. Although Mr. Hubbard died in 1986, he is still with us in spirit and the legacy of his work continues to help people around the world.

Scientology is an applied religious philosophy, the stress is on application and workability. It addresses the individual and brings aboutself-improvement by increasing a person's awareness and ability to handle life. It differs from other religious philosophies in that it supplies the means through which a person can increase his ability to effectively handle the problems and situations he and others face in life.

Scientology can increase a person's awareness and its application can help one to achieve greater happiness, self-confidence and ability.

Man has often been attracted to philosophies that sound plausible but which have no technology that can be applied to bring about desirable changes in one's life. Scientology and Dianetics, on the other hand, supply the tools with which an individual can improve his own life and the lives of those around him.

Scientology philosophy is based on the premise that man is basically good and that man can improve conditions in his life. However, Scientology cannot promise to do anything by itself. Only the individual can bring about his own improvement by applying Scientology tenets to himself, his life and others in his environment.

CRYSTALINKS

 THE FUNDAMENTALS OF SCIENTOLOGY

 THE BASIC BOOK OF SCIENTOLOGY 
By L. Ron Hubbard






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