This article will examine Hubbard's book Dianetics and how it influenced Church of Scientology texts. We'll also discuss David Miscavage's role in shaping Scientology's view of Scripture. The church's religious texts are a fascinating blend of religious and scientific ideas.
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health is a book by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1950s. It describes the system that Hubbard developed based on his own experience and the work of Sigmund Freud. It is considered the bible of Scientology and launched the movement. It is currently available in fifty languages.
Hubbard was born in Nebraska and studied civil engineering at George Washington University. He then went on to have a successful writing career, focusing on science fiction and pulp magazines. Scientists and the American Psychological Association widely debated his theories about the mind's power to heal. Hubbard also introduced the electropsychometer, a device that measures the electrical current in the body.
Dianetics explains how the human mind functions. It's the most widely read book on the human mind. It includes a comprehensive description of the human mind's reactive mind, or "thetan." It's this reactive mind that causes problems, stress, and unhappiness. With the use of the Dianetics technique, a person can overcome these problems.
David Miscavage was a Catholic who converted to Scientology at sixteen. He spent several years attending the church's courses to cure his asthma. He later became one of the few who worked directly with L. Ron Hubbard, who stressed the importance of the media in promoting religion.
Miscavage also completed a project to ensure the accuracy of Scientology's scriptures. This 25-year endeavor required nearly two million person-hours and translated all LRH recorded Congresses and Dianetics basic books into dozens of languages. Miscavage was also responsible for the translation of Hubbard's advanced clinical courses. David Miscavage's father, Ron Miscavige, has admitted that David grew up in a dysfunctional household. However, Miscavage says he saw a tremendous change in David when he had his first "auditing" session at age nine. After this, he became an "action chief" overseeing churches worldwide.
Hubbard was born in Tilden, Nebraska, in 1911 and studied civil engineering at George Washington University. After graduating, he wrote pulp magazines and eventually turned to science fiction. In his writings, Hubbard discussed the separation of the body and spirit and claimed that thetans had occupied other bodies before the present one. He also outlined a vision of the cosmos that shared many similarities with Eastern religions and the Gnostic tradition.
Hubbard published several books that expanded upon his ideas. These became the basic texts of the church, and he made them widely available to potential members. These works included Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science (1950), Scientology 8:80 (1952), The History of Man (1953), and All About Radiation (1957).
Hubbard's texts emphasized the importance of personal spirituality. As such, Scientologists are encouraged to expand their worldview and identify with larger realities. While they first feel the urge to survive as individuals, they eventually identify with a family, tribe, and, ultimately, with all humanity. In addition to examining the nature of human existence and fostering individual spirituality, Hubbard emphasized that humankind's intrinsic spiritual essence was more important than its physical form.
The Church of Scientology's view of Scripture is at odds with Christian beliefs. For example, Scientology teaches that there are multiple gods and that some are higher than others. On the other hand, Biblical Christianity believes in one God and recognizes that he is supreme. This false concept of God is unacceptable to Christians.
The Church of Scientology's view of Scripture is highly controversial. While the church is committed to tolerating all religions, it does not recognize any particular holy book as the Word of God. Instead, it lists three texts, Dianetics (1950), The Factors, and The Axioms and Logics, as sacred texts. While these books are not Scripture, they are considered divine revelations. They are also not filled with fulfilled prophecies or narratives of God's love.
In addition, the Church of Scientology's founding founder, L. Ron Hubbard, rejects the traditional Christian view of God. His teachings are radically different from the biblical view of God. Hubbard also rejects the concept of the Trinity and uses Buddhist terminology such as the "allness of all."