Scientology from Islamic Perspective

Muhammad Vandestra

• Publisher: Dragon Promedia Publisher & Publishdrive
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781370052769
• Topic: Teología y religión
• Subtopic: Religión

Scientology has been called the world's most significant new religion, and Scientologists themselves claim to draw on 50, 000 years of wisdom. However apostates from Scientology claim it is a vicious, dangerous cult masquerading as a religion. No matter which description we choose, the fact remains that Scientology is a controversial, mysterious religious movement, with more than 10 million members in around 160 countries across the globe. In this series of articles, we hope to delve into this puzzling movement, and find the answer to several intriguing questions. Is Scientology a religion or an evil cult? What exactly does a scientologist believe, and how do these beliefs compare to the religion of Islam? The official scientology web site states that "Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one's true spiritual nature and one's relationship to self, family, groups, mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being". From this we can easily deduce that scientology does acknowledge God, or what they refer to as the Supreme Being. "Scientology comprises a body of knowledge which extends from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these are, that man is an immortal spiritual being, his experience extends well beyond a single lifetime and his capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realised." In this statement we can see that scientologists believe in some form of reincarnation perhaps not dissimilar to the Eastern religions such as Hinduism or Buddhism.

What Is Scientology? (Part1)

Scientology has been called the world’s most significant new religion, and Scientologists themselves claim to draw on 50,000 years of wisdom. However apostates from Scientology claim it is a vicious, dangerous cult masquerading as a religion. No matter which description we choose, the fact remains that Scientology is a controversial, mysterious religious movement, with more than 10 million members in around 160 countries across the globe. In this series of articles, we hope to delve into this puzzling movement, and find the answer to several intriguing questions. Is Scientology a religion or an evil cult? What exactly does a scientologist believe, and how do these beliefs compare to the religion of Islam?

The official scientology web site states that “Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being”. From this we can easily deduce that scientology does acknowledge God, or what they refer to as the Supreme Being.

“Scientology comprises a body of knowledge which extends from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these are, that man is an immortal spiritual being, his experience extends well beyond a single lifetime and his capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realised.” In this statement we can see that scientologists believe in some form of reincarnation perhaps not dissimilar to the Eastern religions such as Hinduism or Buddhism.

Scientology further holds humankind to be basically good, and believes his spiritual salvation depends upon himself, his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe. This is a very pleasant sentiment, not unlike most of the religions that exist in the world today. The ultimate goal, scientologists say, is true spiritual enlightenment and freedom. This they exhort is achieved by applying Scientology’s principles and observing or experiencing the results.

The founder of scientology L Ron Hubbard began his studies of the mind and spirit in 1923, resulting in a 1938 manuscript entitled Excalibur. It was in this unpublished work that the word Scientology first appeared to describe what Mr. Hubbard termed “the study of knowing how to know.” Hubbard expanded on his studies by writing a manuscript detailing an actual therapy easily applicable to the average person.

The book describing the therapy, Dianetics - the Modern Science of Mental Health, was Hubbard’s masterwork and the basis of Scientology. It provides the means by which practitioners discover past lives. Pressing Hubbard’s ap...