Knowing what people believe helps us prepare to share the Truths of Christianity with evidence and confidence. Here are some of the beliefs people have about the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ. This part of our study looks at Scientology. How would you answer their charges?
“Religion does much to keep the assumption in restimulation, being basically a control mechanism used by those who have sent the preclear into a body. You will find the cross as a symbol all over the universe, and the Christ legend as implant in preclears a million years ago.” … “A few operating thetans scarcely could lead to trouble. Witness the chaos resulting from the activities and other determinism technology of one operating thetan, 2,000 years ago. It is despicable and utterly beneath contempt to tell a man he must repent, that he is evil. Those who talk most about peace on earth and good-will among men themselves carry forward the seas of unrest, war and chaos.” (Dianetics, PABS book 2, L. Ron Hubbard, 1956)
“The codes and creeds of Scientology were written by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950s during the formative years of the religion. They set the guidelines for the practice and expansion of Scientology and still serve those ends today.” (Scientology Creeds and Codes, Scientology.org)
“Scientology is a religion in its highest meaning, as it helps bring man to total freedom and truth. 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. Furthermore, man is basically good. He is seeking to survive. And his survival depends upon himself and his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.” (What Is Scientology? Scientology.org)
“Unlike religions with Judeo-Christian origins, the Church of Scientology has no set dogma concerning God that it imposes on its members. As with all its tenets, Scientology does not ask individuals to accept anything on faith alone. Rather, as one’s level of spiritual awareness increases through participation in Scientology and training, one attains his own certainty of every dynamic. Accordingly, only when the Seventh Dynamic (spiritual) is reached in its entirety will one discover and come to a full understanding of the Eighth Dynamic (infinity) and one’s relationship to the Supreme Being.” (Does Scientology Have A Concept Of God?, Scientology.org)
“Somebody on this planet, about 600 B.C. found some pieces of ‘R6.’ I don’t know how they found it; either by watching madmen or something. But since that time they have used it. And it became what is known as Christianity. The man on the cross. There was no Christ!’ The Roman Catholic Church, through watching the dramatizations of people picked up some little fragments of R6.” [LRH, Routine R6EW, L. Ron Hubbard]
“For those of you whose Christian toes I may have stepped on, let me take the opportunity to disabuse you of some lovely myths. For instance, the historic Jesus was not nearly the sainted figure (he) has been made out to be. In addition to being a lover of young boys and men, he was given to uncontrollable bursts of temper and hatred … You have only to look at the history his teachings inspired to see where it all inevitably leads. It is historic fact and yet man still clings to the ideal, so deep and insidious is the biologic implanting … No doubt you are familiar with the Revelations section of the Bible where various events are predicted. Also mentioned is a brief period of time in which the arch-enemy of Christ, referred to as the anti-Christ, will reign and his opinions will have sway … this anti-Christ represents the forces of Lucifer (literally, the “light-bearer” or “light-bringer”), Lucifer being a mythical representation of the forces of enlightenment…. My mission could be said to fulfill the Biblical promise represented by this brief anti-Christ period.” (Student Briefing, OT VIII Series I, L. Ron Hubbard)
Question – Why Do You Believe That?
Find out why Scientologists say they believe what they believe. Much of what they believe sounds like wild-eyed science fiction, so why would a reasonable, rational person believe it?
It’s important to remember a few basic things about Scientology based on various reports available in the news media, legal documents, and online research.
1. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, was a science fiction and fantasy writer. He developed a self-help system in 1950 called Dianetics based on his “experiments and experiences.” Less than a year later in January of 1951, the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners went after Hubbard for teaching medicine without a license. The Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation closed its doors, ending the proceedings against it. Hubbard lost the rights to the name “Dianetics” during bankruptcy proceedings, so he came up with the name “Scientology” in 1952 calling it a “religious philosophy.”
2. Hubbard dropped out of George Washington University in 1932 after flunking out of the only nuclear physics class he took, then began his writing career. He briefly commanded two U.S. Navy vessels during World World 2, but lost command of both after superiors found him unsuitable for command.
3. Hubbard was charged with petty theft in 1948 and fraud (in abstentia) in 1978. He was named an unindicted co-conspirator in an information infiltration and theft project in 1983 (known as Operation Snow White). Hubbard went into seclusion in California and died in 1986.
These facts are in stark contrast to the way the Church of Scientology presents Hubbard as a nuclear physicist, philosopher, artist, photographer, poet, youngest Eagle Scout at the age of 13, aviation pioneer, decorated war hero, member of the famed Explorer’s Club leading dangerous expeditions to remote islands, and master mariner licensed to captain vessels on any ocean (Spain, Portugal, Britain, Greece, and Venezuela closed their ports to his fleet). Scientologists are taught that Hubbard was the first person to “scientifically isolate, measure and describe the human spirit, while objectively demonstrating spiritual potentials well in advance of scientific thought.” (Scientology.org) Critics called Hubbard a madman, liar, and charlatan.
The Church of Scientology officially calls itself “a religion in its highest meaning, as it helps bring man to total freedom and truth.” Hubbard taught that every person is an immortal spiritual being with experience that extends well beyond a single lifetime. He believed that man is basically good “and his survival depends upon himself and his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.” (Scientology.org)
The Church of Scientology battled with the Internal Revenue Service for 26 years to obtain tax exemption as a “church.” It received the IRS exemption in 1993. Though the agreement between the IRS and the Church of Scientology was secret, investigations by several major media (e.g. New York Times, Wall Street Journal) have revealed much about what happened during those 26 years and why the IRS surprised tax professionals and taxpayers with its sudden change of mind about withholding the tax exemption from Scientology.
Extensive information about the life of L. Ron Hubbard and the activities of the Church of Scientology and the Church of Spiritual Technology is available for online research.
In the next part of our study, we’ll share ideas about how to talk with Scientologists about Jesus Christ and the Virgin Birth.
In Christ’s Love and Grace,
Mark McGee
Faith Defense
Building Confidence Through Evidence
“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Faith & Self Defense 