What is this religion all about?

I lifted this verbatim off the Pat's Elma Washington e-mail list. It was such a good summary I decided to include if for the newbies to this subject. Pat Krenik, the author of this little e-mail gem, has a fair amount of credibility in the FreeZone due to her age and experience. Age and experience stem from her status as an original L. Ron Hubbard groupie. She was about 20 when Dianetics was published in 1950 and can be seen and/or heard in one of the 50's congresses that L. Ron Hubbard gave. She worked in, out and around the church for many years and has been an Independent Scientologist since the early 80s.

The question was asked, "What is this religion all about?"

So lets start at the beginning with Dianetics. Dianetics used to be called "through the mind". It is a therapy. Understanding about engrams (moments of pain and/or unconsciousness containing impact or injury) and learning about how those engrams can effect one's current life is what Dianetics is all about.

In Dianetics LRH talked about the "awareness of awareness unit". The basic personality. Later that awareness of awareness unit was termed "a Thetan" from the word "Theta" meaning thought.

There was a sort of cross-over from Dianetics to Scientology as the idea of a Thetan having lived before became popular. Many people running Dianetic engrams had come up with past life incidents.

In Scientology, (the study of knowing) the Thetan is a spiritual being, with many, many lifetimes and experiences. When you start getting into handling of the spirit, then you are bridging into religion.

There is much to be learned in Scientology. People who go up and down in their emotions (now termed bi-polar by the psychiatrists) are people who have someone in their present time, or past environment who were suppressive in nature--from "suppress" to hold down. There is an entire technology devoted to suppressives and those who have been effected by them, called "PTS tech". One can study that material and perhaps cognite on the source of one's difficulties.

Scientology has been a religion since 1953, when LRH realized that dealing with the spirit is a religious activity. It also solved a big problem we were having earlier...how to deliver Dianetics and Scientology in States that required a degree in psychology for a license to practice. I know I had tried to "hang out a shingle" as a Dianetic auditor, and could not in this State as I did not have a degree.

Most religions focus on God, but in Scientology we focus on the spirit, and let the spirit, or Thetan find his own answers about God. We don't tell him what to think about the subject.

Reading Dianetics, the Modern Science of Mental Health will give a person an insight into how the mind works.

Pat Krenik

Updated June 21 2004