Okay. I've just read the exceedingly long entry in Wiki and learned a good deal about what's gone on with Scientology since I read Dianetics. For what it's worth; here's my summary:
Dianetics is a book that teaches people to help each other unlock painful memories; in belief that bringing them to the forefront of the conscious mind will release the power they have over them and help them to think more clearly. In theory, painful events cause subconscious conjoining of facts that are frequently incidental. Example: a child beaten unconscious while being yelled at may throughout his life develop headaches when people shout, because his brain recorded
shouting=head pain during this incident. I have no trouble seeing this as possible, nor accepting that the realization that this is the case could result in a cessation of headaches caused by shouting. So, follow the procedures laid out in the book; and you can supposedly relieve each and every one of these illogical errors in thought process (and quite a few ill effects, that go with them) simply by making your conscious mind aware of them. When they're all gone; you are considered
Clear. (Sounds pretty cool to me; but I wonder if you wouldn't become something of a robot if you had no inexplicable personality quirks.)
According to Wiki; this remains the bread and butter of the "religion". Scientology essentially took this practice and built a religion around it. The supposedly secret levels according to Wiki are about finding faulty memories from past lives and taking the process to new levels.
I seriously doubt that L. Ron Hubbard believed such rubbish, and it would surprise me not at all if the "Church" was set up as a means to accumulate profit, while sharing what he considered valuable wisdom... and the thing just took on a life of it's own. Precisely how that differs from most other Church's; I honestly have no idea.
Also fungotheclown; I saw very little on Wiki that wasn't referenced in the version of Dianetics I read approximately 2 decades ago. Twas a newly re-released paperback at the time, with a wicked cool explosive cover. For the more fantastic of the beliefs described; I'm forced to wonder if some in the Church are really that kooky... or if the person editing Wiki just thinks so. Even most of that though, is no more fantastic than most religions if you really think about it. I do remember that L. Ron went to great length to separate what he knew to be fact, and what was merely his opinion until better facts were available, so I have trouble believing he would have gone completely bat-**** crazy in claiming fantastic things as fact. Just my opinion (until better facts are available :wink:).
Ps. I would be very interested to read what anyone who's actually gone through some Dianetic Auditing has to say about it (let alone a former CoS member).
