Understanding the Mechanisms of the Church of Scientology

The Church of Scientology

Before my visit to The Church of Scientology, I did not know much about the religion, how they practiced, or what they believed. I did know that celebrities like Tom Cruise and Kristie Alley were Scientologist, but other than that the religion was a mystery to me. I was born and raised in a Catholic family, so exploring new religions was never something I did. I was very excited to have the opportunity to visit The Church of Scientology and see what it is all about, especially because I had no idea what to expect.

The Church of Scientology does not really look like your average church from the outside or the inside. It was a big stone building, which was somewhat oddly shaped. In the middle of the building there were two large pillars, and the top of the building looked slightly like a pyramid. There was also a large sing on the front of the building that read “The Church of Scientology,” and has the symbol of the two triangles with the S on it. If the outside didn’t look like an average church, then the inside definitely didn’t. When you walked in there were two large staircases on both sides and then a small flight of stairs down which lead to the front desk. On one side of the front desk was a small gift shop. Where you were able to purchase books and videos about Scientology.

A man named L. Ron Hubbard, in Los Angeles, California, opened the first Church of Scientology in the year 1954. Scientology originally started at the Hubbard Association of Scientologist International. Eventually L Ron Hubbard declared that Scientology was a religion. Hubbard said that the goal of Scientology was to create a society that did not have any insanity, criminals, or war. The goal also stated that Scientology wanted people to prosper, to have rights, and be able to rise to greater heights. All in all people who practice Scientology focus on their own personal faith and they focus on being the best person they are able to be.

On of Scientology’s main focuses is Dianetics. Dianetics is the idea of the relationship between mind and body. Scientologist focus on their immortal spiritual being, and one of the main ways they do this is by auditing. Members of the church are trained auditors that lead this process. Auditors ask the person a series of questions, in which they have a specific objective to achieve. There is a specific code of conduct that all professional auditors must follow. A Hubbard Electropsychometer, also known as an E-Meter is used to measure electrical resistance during the auditing process, and is believed to aid the trained auditor to detect memories. These memories the E-Meter helps detect could either be from the person’s current life, or even from their past lives. Another way Scientologist practice their religion is by attending a variety of classes or seminars. In these classes they can get help with relationships, work, school, and many other important issues in life.

I was amazed at the organization in The Church of Scientology. Each and every person as a specific job in the church. Everyone knows what he or she is supposed to do, and where their place is in the church. There are large charts all over the church. They all describe different processes in the church. As long as everyone sticks with what they are supposed to be doing the church runs smoothly and no problems should arise.

There are many different symbols in Scientology. As I mentioned above, there was two triangles with an S in it on the sign in front of the church. This is probably one of the most recognizable symbols. The S stands for Scientology, the upper triangle is called the K-R-C triangle, and the lower triangle is known as the A-R-C triangle. In the K-R-C triangle K is for knowledge, R is for responsibility, and C is for control, and in the A-R-C triangle, the A standing for affinity, R for reality, and c for communication. Another symbol of Scientology is an eight point cross. Each point represents a different basic dynamic of Scientology, which are: self, creativity, social groups, humanity, life, the universe, the spiritual realm, and infinity. Another important symbol for The Church of Scientology is the well-known infinity symbol, which stands for infinity in the religion.

When I went to The Church of Scientology I has an appointment with a women named Mindy. I got there and I told the women at the front desk that I was there to meet with Mindy, she made a phone call, and a few seconds later Mindy came down one of the large stairwells. Before I started talking to Mindy the lady at the front desk asked me to fill out a short questionnaire. It had some information like name, phone number, reason for visit, and then there were also questions like what do I value most in life, and where are my biggest struggles in life. After filling out the questionnaire Mindy took over by the gift shop and showed me a video called Orientation. The video was basically the history of Scientology and how the church of organized. After the video Mindy and I went upstairs to a big room. There were lots of tables and chairs along one wall. There was also a stage at one end of the room with chairs in front of it. Along the other wall were a few desk. Mindy showed me where her desk was and then she sat me down in the chairs in front of the stage. Mindy told me that the tables and chairs along the one wall was where the auditing took place. I was still a little confused about the religion and how I was practiced. Mindy explained that there is not a set of rules and ideas you have to believe in to practice Scientology. She told me that it was simply important for Scientologist to have faith in what ever was best for them. There was nothing specific, as long as there as faith. We then talked about how Scientology was full of logic, and there was a reason for everything. She explained that Scientologist believed that if you were have difficulties in any area of your life, there was a few different reasons why you were struggling with that, and there is also a way to fix it. She showed me small paperback pamphlets, which were created to help you on your journey though your struggle. There were books about school struggles, relationship struggles, etc. Wherever you have a problem in your life, there is a book that can help you in fixing it. Mindy then showed me a video about the life of L. Ron Hubbard. He started out as an author, and then went on to create a religion that is said to have approximately 8 million followers. After the video Mindy asked me if I had any questions, and we talked a little bit more about her religion. She told me how she found The Church of Scientology, and how much it has changed her.

After my visit to The Church of Scientology, I don’t know what to think. I feel like the idea of Scientology is something I have never thought about before, and it is hard to form an opinion about something after only being exposed to a little of it. It amazes me how in touch Scientologist are with their inner self, and the way they are able to think. All in all I am glad I visited The Church of Scientology.