FS-105 - Scientology

Scientology presents itself as an applied religious philosophy offering a “technology” for spiritual freedom, but its claims deserve careful scrutiny. This course traces Scientology from L. Ron Hubbard’s founding of Dianetics through the movement’s growth into a global, tightly organized religious and commercial enterprise. It surveys the Church of Scientology’s organizational structure — its service organizations, management and publishing arms, dissemination and front groups, financial operations, and current leadership under David Miscavige — before turning to Scientology’s own writings, beliefs, and “technology” in depth: the concept of the thetan, the practice of auditing, the Bridge to Total Freedom, the Operating Thetan levels (including the controversial Xenu narrative), the Eight Dynamics, Scientology’s view of a Supreme Being, its distinctive symbology, and its approach to ethics, disconnection, and “Fair Game.” The course then examines the claims made both for and against Scientology — the benefits its adherents report, the perspectives of former members and critics, and the celebrities associated with the movement on both sides — before closing with a sober assessment of Scientology’s controversies and a direct evaluation of its teachings and practices against Scripture.