Religion and Social Control
Religion refers to a set of cultural beliefs and practices adopted by a sect of the community as a mode of showing their allegiance to a deity. According to Durkheim, religion comprises of unified practices and beliefs that enable a respective society to unite together and form a church (Durkheim 1995, p.xxxiv). The religious practices also enable the people to differentiate the profane and sacred things as outlined by their creed. Some of the notable religions all over the globe include Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, and Scientology. However, unlike the other religions- which have been easily adopted by the community members – Scientology has been met with immense opposition to the extent that some people have even pointed out that it is a cult. It is important to note that one of the main uses of religion is to enhance social control among the people. This is done through some religious stipulations that give insight into how they should relate to each other as well as enabling them to identify the practices they should not engage in as doing so would be contrary to their religious beliefs (Okon 2012, p.136). Unfortunately, Scientology does not provide a basis on which its followers should differentiate between the right things and bad ones. An in-depth analysis of the religion denotes that, instead of being a solution to the modern ills, its main objective is to advocate for Hubbard's – its founder – theoretical propositions, hence, making it a cult.
History of the Church
Scientology is a religious sect that was established by Ron Hubbard, an American author, in 1954. Hubbard was born in Nebraska – Tilden – on 13th March 1911. His father was a navy commander while his mother worked as a tutor. While at a relatively young age, he became a friend of the Blackfoot Indians who lived close to his home in Montana. Hubbard seized this opportunity as a favorable strategy of learning about the customs and culture of the Blackfoot Indians. After attaining the age of six years, he was initiated into the Blackfoot Indians' culture as a blood brother. After completing his studies in the Woodward School for Boys – Washington – he was admitted to the George Washington University where he undertook a course in engineering and mathematics. It is during his studies that he came up with the idea that subatomic particles might play a crucial role in enabling one to gain insight into how a person's mind works. He thus noted that atomic studies could be used as an effective platform for making sure that the human mind was controlled all through. Hubbard passed on in 1986 and was succeeded by Ron Miscavige (Business Insider 2017).
Development of the Religion and Its Beliefs
Before the establishment of Scientology, Hubbard had come up with the concept of Dianetics, which he defined as a scientific explanation of mental health. According to Hubbard, dianetics could be used as a therapy technique to enhance the health welfare of the community members suffering from psychiatric ailments. However, after he presented his findings to the medical board, they were opposed by the American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association due to a lack of any scientific backup (Religion Facts 2016). Fortunately, the community members embraced his concepts, which made him start the Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation, which he used as the basis of creating awareness among the societal members on his techniques and theories. Unfortunately, the foundation's performance began to decline to the extent that by 1952, he had almost ceased to be in charge of it. It is during this time that he proposed that he had invented an electropsychometer, an instrument that could be used to boost efficiency in auditing by detecting any lies. Hubbard renamed his discovery as Scientology and pointed out that he had devised the human soul. According to him, Dianetics was concerned with giving insight into the human body whereas the main objective of Scientology would be freeing the souls. Hubbard argues that the main objective of the religion is to better the world as a place where all people live together in peace by enabling the people to regain their simplicity and truth of their spirits (Hubbard 2001, p.1).
Scientology's Beliefs and Practices
After starting up the church, Hubbard also formulated the creed that would be followed by the followers. By reciting the creed, the followers agree to enhance equality among them since all people possess equal and inalienable freedoms (Pentikainen and Pentikainen 1996, p.5). Additionally, the creed dictates that the survival mechanisms of the community members are dependent on their wishes, their interactions with others, and the potential to achieve brotherhood among them (Pretorius 2006, p.319). Just like any other religious sect, Scientology also has various beliefs that every follower ought to abide by. For instance, they believe that all people have equal rights irrespective of one's race, creed, or background (Flinn 1994, p.3). Additionally, the religion decrees that all societal members have absolute rights to self-defense, life, sanity, and the choice of who or which institution they should support (Flinn 1994, p.3). Besides, like any other church, Scientologists also perform various celebrations, key among them being the Sunday service ceremony. First, the priest makes a relatively short speech to welcome the congregation. After that, he/she reads out the principles of the religion, one of them being that the church was founded by Hubbard, whose main objective was to make people aware that they are immortal and that the doctrine is to be used to enhance their level of wisdom and freedom (Lewis 2009, p.168). Therefore, the major goal of an individual is not to amass wealth for him/herself but rather to increase his/her survival tactics (Hubbard 2001, p.3). During the wedding ceremonies, the partners are reminded of the essence of remaining faithful to each other and standing together irrespective of the challenges that they may come across (Hubbard 2001, p.3).
Scientology: A Cult or A Solution to Modern Ills
A cult may be defined as a religious group whose main objective is to glorify or devote their allegiance to a respective object or individual. Newcombe is of the opinion that one of the main characteristics of a cult is that the main objective of the leader is to manipulate the followers (Newcombe 2016, p.1). Therefore, his/her main objective is to control the community members by convincing them that some of the achievements they desire can only be achieved if they embrace the doctrines of a given religious sect (Zukeran 2003, p.4). There exist various reasons why Scientology may be deemed as a cult, one of them being Hubbard's assertion that Scientologists are free to be followers of other religions (Lewis 2015, p.236). In most cases, the followers of a respective religious body are not allowed to adopt the doctrines of any other religion as a way of making them remain true to their beliefs and faith. However, this is not the case with Scientology since Hubbard claims that the Scientologists are at liberty to join other religious bodies. As a result, a sect of the societal members has pointed out that the main objective of the church is an effective strategy of making money since it provides a favorable platform for Hubbard to reach out to more community members and advocate for his theories. The rationale behind this conviction is that Hubbard is aware that his propositions (for instance, his assertions on mental therapy) might be opposed by various organizations since they – Hubbard's theories – would be lacking the scientific backup. Therefore, to avoid such opposition and also being taxed, he came up with an effective strategy of putting across his ideas to the community members (Lewis 2015, p.227). Additionally, some of the people who have forsaken the religion's teachings have claimed that senior members had either physically or mentally abused them to the extent that most of them have sued the church for violation of their rights (Behar 1991). Such revelations uncover the evil deeds that are orchestrated through the church while the members are being convinced that it – the religious group – will enhance them to achieve the desired liberation. Besides, the church has been involved in various scams as it has been found to be violating the laid-down rules by the government. For instance, in 1980, several members of the religious sect were imprisoned for wiretapping and burglarizing at least a hundred governmental and private agencies that were investigating the church (Behar 1991).
Conclusion
To sum it all, Scientology is a religion that was founded by Hubbard. According to the religion, the survival rates of the community members depend on their survival tactics and ability to maintain brotherhood among them. Its creed dictates that all people have equal and inalienable rights irrespective of their backgrounds, religious affiliations, and race. However, the church has been vehemently opposed by the societal members since its establishment and has even been termed as a cult. One of the reasons why the Scientology church has been termed as a cult is its lack of clear practices that guide the conduct of the followers. Hubbard's dictation that the Scientologists are free to adopt the other religions' practices is an indication that Scientology does not have comprehensive guidelines on the countenance of its followers. As a result, a sect of the community members believes that the church is a money-making enterprise, which is made possible under the disguise of religion. As mentioned earlier, one of the main goals, why Hubbard started the church, was to enable him to create awareness among the people about his discoveries that were not backed up by any scientific evidence. Besides, some of the societal members who have denounced the religion have pointed out that cases of physical and mental abuse are a common phenomenon in the church. Additionally, several senior members of the religion have been imprisoned for violating the government regulations. For example, some Scientologists were found guilty of hindering investigations against the church by burglarizing and wiretapping the communication channels of the detectives.
References
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