Scientology is defined as a set of beliefs written by founder L. Ron Hubbard. Scientology describes itself as the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others, and all of life. One purpose of Scientology, as stated by the Church of Scientology, is to become certain of one's spiritual existence and one's relationship to God, or the "Supreme Being."[1] One belief of Scientology is that a human is an immortal alien spiritual being, termed a thetan, that is trapped on planet Earth in a physical body. Hubbard described these "thetans" in "Space Opera" cosmogony. The thetan has had innumerable past lives and it is accepted in Scientology that lives preceding the thetan's arrival on Earth lived in extraterrestrial cultures. Descriptions of space opera incidents are seen as true events by Scientologists.[2]
Scientologists believe that an individual should discover for himself/herself that Scientology works by personally applying its principles and observing or experiencing desirable results.[citation needed]Scientology claims that its practices provide methods by which a person can achieve greater spiritual awareness.[3] Two primary methods of increasing spiritual awareness are referred to in Scientology as "Auditing" and "Training".[citation needed] Within Scientology, progression from level to level is often called The Bridge to Total Freedom. Scientologists progress from "Peculiar", to "Clear", and ultimately "Operating Thetan".
Scientologists are taught that a series of events, or incidents, occurred before life on earth.[4] Scientologists also believe that humans have hidden abilities which can be unlocked.
Morals and ethics
Scientology teaches that progress on The Bridge requires and enables the attainment of high moral and ethical standards.[7] The main Scientology text on ethics is the book Introduction to Scientology Ethics[1]
Scientology uses the term "morals" to refer to a collectively agreed code of good conduct and defines ethics as "the actions an individual takes on himself in order to accomplish optimum survival for himself and others on all [eight] dynamics". Scientology stresses the rationality of ethics over morals: "Ethics actually consists of rationality toward the highest level of survival."; "If a moral code were thoroughly reasonable, it could, at the same time, be considered thoroughly ethical. But only at this highest level could the two be called the same".[1]
Scientologists also follow a series of behaviour codes, these are: Auditor's Code, Supervisor's Code, Code of Honour and the Code of a Scientologist.[1]
Professor Stephen A. Kent quotes Hubbard as pronouncing that "the purpose of ethics is to remove counter-intentions from the environment. Having accomplished that, the purpose becomes to remove other intentionedness from the environment." Kent interprets this as "a peculiar brand of morality that uniquely benefited [the Church of Scientology]... In plain English, the purpose of Scientology ethics is to eliminate opponents, then eliminate people's interests in things other than Scientology."[8] Professor Kent's statement has been accused[by whom?] of being deliberately deceptive, as the 'ethics' in the quote above, taken in context, is referring to the "Ethics Section"; a Church department "which handles (internal) ethics matters", and not the philosophic or individual treatment of the subject whose purpose is "rationality towards the highest level of survival for the individual... Ethics are reason."[9] Nonetheless, it is common for one Scientologist to say to another, "You need to get your ethics in," referring to behavior that is not useful to Scientology. Because of the inviolate Eight Dynamics theology, it is always "rational" (and therefore "ethical") to support Scientology above literally all other concerns.
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