Scientology, << `sy` uhn TAHL uh jee, >> is a religious movement founded by L. Ron Hubbard, an American writer, adventurer, and visionary thinker. Hubbard combined ideas from Eastern religion and Western philosophy to form a system for achieving human improvement and mental health.
According to Scientology, every person is an immortal being who has been born over and over again. Each soul has great powers. However, negative experiences in previous lives have produced engrams—_that is, mental images that prevent the soul from using its vital force. Trained Scientologists called _auditors try to guide people through a clearing process that erases engrams and allows the soul to realize its unlimited potential.
Scientology teaches that though people have a mind and a body, they are actually immortal spiritual beings called thetans whose experiences extend far beyond a single lifetime. As thetans rise through several levels of knowledge, they grasp the divine force that is their basic nature. Scientologists who are clear (free of engrams) continue to seek higher spiritual states as Operating Thetans (OT’s). This path of spiritual development is called the Bridge to Total Freedom. Scientologists have yet to reach the highest levels of the Bridge. But they believe they may achieve advanced spiritual states and, eventually, a full awareness of God.
Hubbard founded Scientology in 1952. According to official church records, the Church of Scientology was established in Los Angeles in 1954. However, unofficial accounts report that the first Scientology church was one of three churches that Hubbard established in Camden, New Jersey, in 1953. As Scientology spread, it received much criticism. For example, some people have argued that the donations required for auditing and other services are excessive. They claim that Scientology is a business disguised as a religion. Scientologists deny this claim.
In spite of long-lasting and highly publicized controversies, Scientology has attracted followers throughout the world. The Church of Scientology has reported a worldwide membership of several million people. Other sources have reported a much smaller membership of fewer than 200,000 people.
