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wikiHow: How to Join Scientology. "Scientology is widely misunderstood, criticized"

CommunicatorIC

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wikiHow: How to Join Scientology

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wikiHow: How to Join Scientology
http://www.wikihow.com/Join-Scientology

How to Join Scientology

7,202 views 17 Editors Edited yesterday

Three Parts:

Understanding Scientology

Joining the Church

Developing Your Practice

Scientology is a practical method of self-improvement, largely misunderstood and often criticized. If you're curious about exploring and joining Scientology, distinguishing fact from fiction is your first step. Learn more about the basic tenants of Scientology and learn how to move forward in your exploration of this philosophy.

Part 1 of 3: Understanding Scientology

1 Understand what Scientology is.

Scientology is best thought of as a practical philosophy or self-actualization method, more so than a religion in the strictest sense of the word. As a religion, Scientology is relatively new, extending from writer L. Ron Hubbard’s mid-century method of self-improvement via past-life exploration and auditing, called dianetics.

There is a spiritual mythology related to Scientology which can sound a little sci-fi to the uninitiated, but Scientology itself is about the practice more than the belief in the system. Scientologists do believe that the inner self is a "cosmic" being, something that lives beyond the body and which needs to be properly maintained when in your care.

Applying the principles of the Tone Scale and Dynamics to your life is thought to help eliminate the reliance of modern society on mood-altering substances and other primarily commercial methods of “self improvement.”

2 Understand what Scientology is not.

More than perhaps any other contemporary religion, Scientology is widely misunderstood, criticized, and mocked in pop culture, for a variety of reasons. It's not a cult, a pseudo-religion, or a pyramid scheme. Rumors of alien-worship and ad-hominem attacks against Hubbard (he's a nut! he's a science fiction huckster! he invented it in a bar!) account for much of the mockery. If you're curious about Scientology, try and learn about it from the source rather than relying on things you've heard.

Contrary to popular belief, Scientologists do not make it impossible to "leave" the church, nor do they outlaw the use of certain medications. Again, it's best to think of Scientology as a method that you can use according to how it benefits you, taking from it what you choose. Learn the teachings before you come to conclusions.


3 Learn what to expect from Scientology.

If you choose to explore Scientology, there's a lot you should expect to learn and study. Some of the vocabulary can be momentarily disorienting, so having some idea of what to expect when you're first exploring can help you negotiate the somewhat complicated waters of Scientology.[1]

Dianetics is the original method invented by Hubbard as a self-improvement method, regarding a mind-body connection. The goal of diabetics is to get your "reactive mind" out of the way, leading to a happier, more fulfilled state of being.

Thetans are immortal beings, insubstantial in nature, that rule your body. Scientologists believe Thetans create life and exist independent of our bodies beyond death. This is the Scientologist conception of the human soul, essentially. Practicing Scientology and finding practical benefit from it doesn't require that you "believe" in Thetans in the strictest sense of the word.

4 Request introductory literature from the church.

It would be impossible to give an accurate primer on the wide body of thought that represents Scientology in a few hundred words. The church is known for the easy access to and volume of reading materials associated with it, so get in touch with the Church of Scientology, via their website and request literature. It’s generally free of cost.

Scientology: A Religious Philosophy by L. Ron Hubbard outlines the basic tenants of Scientology, though more easily digestible volumes are frequently produced by the church for more easy consumption.

In general, if you request materials, you’ll likely be inundated with more boxes than you know what to do with. This is a promotional tactic used by the church to spread the word. Be forewarned and expect lots of books.

Part 2 of 3: Joining the Church

1 Attend a regional conference.

One of the most common ways to learn more about Scientology is to attend a regional conference in your area, where Scientologists gather for discussion and recruitment. These tend to meet in large cities, yearly, and are an excellent opportunity for interested persons. It's also a great place to pick up free or cheap Scientology literature so that you can learn more on your own.

2 Find a weekly gathering in your area.

If you want to attend Scientology services and gatherings on a more regular basis, find a church in your area and make contact. Express your interest in joining the church. You can find a branch of the church of Scientology in your area by clicking here.

The actual process of joining the church will differ slightly depending on the particular branch of the church itself and the other Scientologists. Most cities won't have more than one branch, however, so it's difficult to do much exploring.

If you don't like the church in your town, consider just reading up and developing your own practice on your own. Again, it's a practical method, which means you'll do most of the work yourself.

3 Talk to other Scientologists.

Scientologists are not a part of some mysterious celebrity cult or shadowy Illuminati, and meeting some for discussion and fellowship can answer a lot of your questions and assuage a lot of your concerns. Regular people from all walks of life practice Scientology. Meet and talk to them.

Church and regional conferences are obviously the best place to meet other practitioners, but you might also be able to find more informal discussion groups in your area. Consider starting one, like a book group, in your town.

4 Consider completing an audit.

Auditing is completed by meeting with an experienced Scientologist who will guide you through the process, asking questions and reading your Thetan quality with an E-meter.[2] It's a lot like Scientology "confession." Completing an audit is a lot like a cross between past life or regression therapy and a simple visit to the doctor. You'll basically sit, chat with a friendly Scientologist, and answer some questions. That's it.

Church audits are done regularly, should you join a church. Field auditors and mission auditors are also dispatched frequently to travel, like an old-style Evangelical Revival, to get the word out and to show people what Scientology is all about. This can be an excellent way to experience your first audit and see if it's right for you.

Part 3 of 3: Developing Your Practice

1 Commit to improving your life.

The Church of Scientology claims that the method works 100% of the time for people who commit fully to using it. In that "commit fully" though, is a lot of real work. Do you want to improve your life and reach a state of contentment and happiness? Are you willing to do what it takes? If you're interested in Scientology, approaching it with an open mind and a full commitment to change your life for the better is necessary.

2 Start ranking your emotions on the tone scale.

The Tone Scale is used in auditing to place your overall attitude and emotional state somewhere on a quantifiable scale, which runs from +40 (Serenity of Being) to -40 (Total Failure). Depending on your situation, your attitudes will fall in a variety of places on the tone scale at any given time.

It's fine to explore the tone scale by yourself, but it's also important to let an experienced auditor guide you through the process to more thoroughly integrate the concepts into your practice.

3 Consider the dynamics of your actions.

Dynamics are an essential part of Scientology, referring to the eight classifications of survival, which Scientologists believe is an essential part of changing your life for the better. A person progresses through various dynamics over the course of a life, the first of which is your innate desire to survive. Babies have this desire, and animals, but we gradually progress through various mind-body stages of improvement over the course of a life dedicated to improvement.[3] This is a life-long struggle. The Eight Dynamics are as follows:

Self
Creativity
Group Survival
Species
Life Forms
Physical Universe
Spiritual Dynamic
Infinity

4 Receive periodic audits to stay on track.

The life of a Scientologist involves receiving period audits, assessing your personal growth and the stages of your improvement, and realigning your practice in accordance to where you're going. Receiving periodic audits is an essential part of improving your life and your practice as a Scientologist, to get your mind-body alignment in harmony.
 
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Chris Shelton

Patron with Honors
Re: wikiHow: How to Join Scientology. "Scientology is widely misunderstood, criticize

You know, for old school Scientologists like me (yes, I do consider that someone who was around since the 1980s is "old school") I can't help but still cringe and throw up in my mouth a little when I see such blatant "squirreling" of Hubbard. I know I shouldn't since I've been out so long now and I actually want to see Corporate Scientology die its quite deserved death. But still, that old "KSW" indoctrination still rises up in protest as my first reaction to seeing Hubbard's works so grossly altered.

I then have to curb that and realize that these gross and glaring alterations of Hubbard's writings are just Corporate Scientology's attempts to obfuscate what Scientology really is and make it seem somehow more palatable to the general public in a vain effort to try to appeal to people who don't know that much about it. It's interesting from that angle to watch what they are doing.

Whoever wrote this, they are completely off-script from Hubbard's writings and lectures. In fact, almost everything in this is 100% opposite to what Hubbard stated. As I said in a recent blog article, Miscavige isn't even pretending to align with anything Hubbard actually said or wrote anymore. The abuses and OSA antics were one thing, but at least you could say that they were still following Hubbard's directions. Whoever wrote this stuff has totally lost the plot.

The really funny thing about this is that if Hubbard saw any of this, he'd actually projectile vomit all over the walls.

So the conclusion is: Corporate Scientology is officially a squirrel group now.

Kind of funny, huh?
 

CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Re: wikiHow: How to Join Scientology. "Scientology is widely misunderstood, criticize

You know, for old school Scientologists like me (yes, I do consider that someone who was around since the 1980s is "old school") I can't help but still cringe and throw up in my mouth a little when I see such blatant "squirreling" of Hubbard.
I'm not sure the wikiHow is an example of squirreling. I think they are simply following the HCOB or HCOPL (forget which, been awhile) on "acceptable truth."

In my experience, they have always done this -- i.e., altered things for public consumption -- and have always justified it based on the Scientology concepts of acceptable truth, gradients, etc.
 

Jump

Operating teatime
Re: wikiHow: How to Join Scientology. "Scientology is widely misunderstood, criticize



If someone had the time to do an alternate article...


wikiHow: How to Leave Scientology


How to Leave Scientology


Three Parts:

Reasons for Leaving Scientology

Leaving the Cult

Reversing Your Indoctrination


 

Chris Shelton

Patron with Honors
Re: wikiHow: How to Join Scientology. "Scientology is widely misunderstood, criticize

I'm not sure the wikiHow is an example of squirreling. I think they are simply following the HCOB or HCOPL (forget which, been awhile) on "acceptable truth."

In my experience, they have always done this -- i.e., altered things for public consumption -- and have always justified it based on the Scientology concepts of acceptable truth, gradients, etc.

I see your point but what they wrote in that wiki article is total alteration, not just "acceptable truths". I was on the lines when they were first putting out those "based on the works of..." materials and they were still tightly monitored against Hubbard's actual works. This wiki article shows that they are deep into the realm of making shit up now, not just altering some words or ideas. For example, they are completely changing what Dianetics and Scientology actually are ("...self-actualization method, more so than a religion..." "...spiritual mythology...").

And that bit about ranking yourself on the Tone Scale goes directly against what Hubbard said to do with it in one of his earliest lectures on the subject.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not unhappy about this . I just think it's amazing they are so brazenly ignoring Hubbard now. It's actually another sign of their impending doom, so I fully approve.
 

Gib

Crusader
Re: wikiHow: How to Join Scientology. "Scientology is widely misunderstood, criticize

I see your point but what they wrote in that wiki article is total alteration, not just "acceptable truths". I was on the lines when they were first putting out those "based on the works of..." materials and they were still tightly monitored against Hubbard's actual works. This wiki article shows that they are deep into the realm of making shit up now, not just altering some words or ideas. For example, they are completely changing what Dianetics and Scientology actually are ("...self-actualization method, more so than a religion..." "...spiritual mythology...").

And that bit about ranking yourself on the Tone Scale goes directly against what Hubbard said to do with it in one of his earliest lectures on the subject.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not unhappy about this . I just think it's amazing they are so brazenly ignoring Hubbard now. It's actually another sign of their impending doom, so I fully approve.

from the OP:

Scientology is a practical method of self-improvement, largely misunderstood and often criticized.

"Dianetics is the original method invented by Hubbard as a self-improvement method, regarding a mind-body connection. The goal of diabetics is to get your "reactive mind" out of the way, leading to a happier, more fulfilled state of being."

I read Dianetics back in 1987, as a self help book, as it was promoted as such.

As it turns out that is a lie, fraud, there is no self help as one needs another to read the book and co-audit. :hysterical:

Play on words by Hubbard. :laugh:

And so the scam continues, :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:

One cannot read dianetics, and go "Clear" unless one has an auditor. Thus it is no self help, or self-improvement method. LOL
 
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TrevAnon

Big List researcher
Re: wikiHow: How to Join Scientology. "Scientology is widely misunderstood, criticize

:biggrin:

This article has been nominated for deletion with the reasons of:

"Advertisement. Unless this article can be edited to meet our brand name guidelines it may be deleted" and

"Does not meet character article standards".
 

Random guy

Patron with Honors
Re: wikiHow: How to Join Scientology. "Scientology is widely misunderstood, criticize

Nominated for deletion does not mean it will be deleted.

Stay-on-target-random-19147366-500-334.jpg
 

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Random guy

Patron with Honors
Re: wikiHow: How to Join Scientology. "Scientology is widely misunderstood, criticize

I've had a look at the talk-page for the article. It has been nominated for deletion twice before (first time in 2011), but two people voted to keep it, so it stays (gives you an idea of the activity level of "HowToWiki").

Some comments on what is wrong with the article would probably help:

http://www.wikihow.com/Discussion:Join-Scientology
 

HollywoodGuy

Patron with Honors
Re: wikiHow: How to Join Scientology. "Scientology is widely misunderstood, criticize


Contrary to popular belief, Scientologists do not make it impossible to "leave" the church, nor do they outlaw the use of certain medications. Again, it's best to think of Scientology as a method that you can use according to how it benefits you, taking from it what you choose. Learn the teachings before you come to conclusions.

This is how I would re-write it.

Contrary to popular belief, Scientologists do not make it impossible to "leave" the church. However, if for whatever reason you end up being declared a suppressive person by the Church, all Scientologists who are still members of the Church, including your family members, will be required to shun you if they wish to continue receiving their religious services. Nor do they outlaw the use of certain medications except for psychiatric medications. Again, it's best to think of Scientology as a method that you can use according to how it benefits you, taking from you choose, but you are expected to apply all of Hubbard's writings EXACTLY as they are written, or else you may end up being declared a suppressive person.

I would just use a different computer than the one I'm using right now because I wouldn't want OSA to track my computer's IP address.
 
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