M. Darrol Bryant, Ph.D., in his essay on Is Scientology a Religion?
says: “The modern academic study of religion that emerged in the 19th
and 20th centuries must be distinguished from the classical disciplines
of theology. While the task of theology was the exposition of the faith
of a particular community (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc.) --
this most commonly meant the Christian faith in the west -- the
academic study of religion was concerned to offer a scientific
description and analysis of all religious phenomena. Thus one of the
first tasks of the modern discipline of the study of religion was to
free the definition of religion from its typical identification with
Christianity. Standard dictionary definitions of religion still reflect
this tendency to identify religion in general with the characteristics
of especially Christianity and other monotheistic faiths. Those
definitions often indicate that the sole or central characteristic of
religion is "belief in a Supreme Being." But scholars of religion knew
of great and ancient religions that had no such "belief in a Supreme
Being." The principal examples were Buddhism, especially in its
Theravadin forms where such a belief was explicitly rejected, and
Jainism, which also explicitly rejected this belief. Yet these
religions were more than 2,000 years old.”
Samuel S. Hill, Ph.D., in Scientology - A New Religion,
concludes that Scientology “…is a bona fide religion, with its own
beliefs and practices. Basically, Scientology is a theory of knowledge
or a way of understanding by which parishioners know what the Supreme
Being is and how to participate in it for the improvement of personal
and social health. Through this kind of knowing or understanding or
worship, the person realizes himself or herself, achieves
self-awareness, and is in healing relationship with God. In this
process of arriving at true spiritual freedom, one’s life is cleared of
barriers and obstacles to that freedom, and made whole and happy as
intended. In this respect it is quite like Hinduism and Buddhism.”
He adds, however, that in Scientology
“ ‘God’ is less a personal ‘Supreme Being’ here than an ‘Ultimate
Reality’, the way things ultimately and most purely are, hence the
route to the fullness of life intended for and available to all people.
Through the employment of revelation, which often takes the form of
techniques, people may achieve relatedness to and participation in the
Supreme Being. In these respects, Scientology is more Eastern than
Western, and more Buddhism than Hinduism. It aims for enlightenment
through relatedness to the ways things really, ultimately are.”
Although the above discussion seems rather dry, it does seem to me (IMHO) an adequate description of the Eighth Dynamic (God Dynamic) as apprehended in Scientology. Of course, apprehension of this is an individual thing, each one coming to his own appreciation.
Pam Blehert
I've been accused, what with the "DaVinci Code" and current interest in mystical secret societies, of belonging to a "secret society." I beg to differ. Anyone can join Scientology, can study as much as they please, and can experience for themselves that they are an immortal being. Scientology is an heuristic religion, by which I mean experiential. You don't have to "believe" anything. In fact, you shouldn't. You discover what is true for you.
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