Scientology: Its Background and Origins

Scientology is about the individual man or woman. Its goal is to bring an individual to a sufficient understanding of himself and his life and free him to improve conditions in the way that he sees fit. 

Scientology follows a long tradition of religious practice. Its roots lie in the deepest beliefs and aspirations of all great religions, thus encompassing a religious heritage as old and as varied as man himself.

Though drawing upon the wisdom of some 50,000 years, Scientology is a new religion, one which has isolated fundamental laws of life and, for the first time, developed a workable technology that can be applied to help one achieve a happier and more spiritual existence. Scientology is therefore something one does, not merely something one believes in – an important point which will be greatly clarified as you read on.

That Scientology’s development and rapid promulgation was made possible, in part, by advances in the physical sciences through the first half of the twentieth century is significant. Scientology constitutes man’s first real application of scientific methodology to spiritual questions.

Part One of this site provides a firm grounding on the subject of Scientology, covering three topics, with a chapter devoted to each. The first provides a brief introduction to the Scientology religion and a basic explanation of its principles. The second traces the history of religious thought in order to place Scientology into its proper context and clarify the path it follows. The third chapter introduces the reader to the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard.

The full story of the development and codification of Scientology can be found in scores of books, more than 15,000 pages of technical writing and more than 3,000 taped lectures. All told, these works represent a lifetime of research by L. Ron Hubbard to discover a workable means to set men spiritually free — to replace ignorance with knowledge, doubts with certainty and misery with happiness.

Today, the fruits of L. Ron Hubbard’s work are available to anyone who wishes to reach for them. And no matter how different Scientologists may be — whether teachers and businessmen, housewives and athletes, artists and secretaries — they hold one vital factor in common: having significantly bettered their lives, they know that Scientology works.

Nothing in Scientology, however, need be taken on faith. Its truths are self-evident, its principles are easily demonstrable and its technology can be seen at work in any church of Scientology. One need only open the door and step through. 

People benefit from Scientology through specific services which translate its philosophy into religious practice – practical applications of Scientology principles. Auditing and training are the two central services of the Scientology religion. Each service has an end result, enabling a person to increase his spiritual awareness and ability. His problems resolve, his relationships improve and his outlook on life brightens. He understands himself better and becomes more able.

Scientology can be addressed to any area in one’s life. An arrangement of clearly defined services makes it possible for anyone to learn and apply its different aspects. In this way people progress up the Bridge to spiritual freedom.

The chapters in this part describe the services of Scientology. These follow the pattern of the Classification, Gradation and Awareness Chart, starting with introductory books and services and progressing up to different auditing levels and courses of training. All of the categories of services offered at churches and missions are discussed, including the Scientology system of ethics which helps people apply Scientology for the greatest gains.

t is easy for someone new to Scientology to take his first steps on the Bridge to Total Freedom. His introduction to the religion usually comes through reading one of L. Ron Hubbard’s books and/or attending a lecture about Dianetics or Scientology given by a Scientologist at a church or mission. After realizing there are areas in his life and environment that he would like to change for the better, and that Scientology has a technology that will help him achieve this, he is usually eager to begin a service. And with this as the impetus, he finds Dianetics and Scientology introductory services which provide an accessible first step.

While the following services are described as “introductory,” their power to bring about positive spiritual benefit should not be underestimated. Each service provides much insight into the basic precepts and practices of Dianetics and Scientology and furnishes valuable data one can immediately apply to improve life — one’s own and that of others.

Dianetics and Scientology is a vast body of wisdom. It is presented in a series of gradient levels that enable one to rise in spiritual awareness and ability with certainty and stability. And like all services in Scientology, these initial ones are designed on an ideal gradient.

Introductory services are usually short in length and can be completed in a few evenings at any church or mission. Several, but by no means all, of these services are described below. While they are usually done in the order given below, this may vary according to an initial assessment which helps gauge a person’s current spiritual state. This includes testing such as a personality profile which measures ten different traits, the person’s knowledge of Scientology, what Scientology books he has read, and other factors. With the help of a Scientologist who knows exactly what part of Scientology best matches the individual’s immediate needs, he can then progress in the sequence that is right for him.

His first action before beginning any service, however, will invariably be to see the Orientation film which, as described below, shows him what he will find in a church of Scientology. The next step is usually the Success Through Communication Course which provides invaluable tools which will help him progress more effectively in everything he does in Scientology. In addition, one finds a lineup of introductory services which address specific needs which may be appropriate depending upon the initial assessment that has been done. All exist, however, to move him through the introductory area and onto and up the Bridge to Total Freedom