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Dialogues@RU is published
annually
by the
Writing Program at
Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey
Volume 4
Fall 2005
Scientology and its Potential for Dominance as a World Religion - Page 6
By Stephen Linguito
An interesting persuasive technique in the movie was its reliance on statements that used confusing double negatives and falsely attributed goals . . . The movie argued that one needn't know psychology, psychiatry, or self-hypnosis to be successful. One only had to understand the Dianetic approach to life and take the classes offered by the organization. (4)
Martin seems to think that Scientology is being billed as something it is not. One may wonder whether people will conclude that the Scientology system is not what its leaders make it out to be, thus rendering the various approaches used to bring in new members ineffective. Furthermore, adapting to multiple cultures, causing much confusion as to what Scientology's belief system truly represents may cause others to simply turn away from it. However, despite these concerns, people may simply regard Scientology's aggressive tactics as unimportant in the grand scheme of things. They may employ an "ends justify the means" argument, pointing out that despite its faults, the religion has allegedly helped many people enrich their lives.
The people of the world must decide what future, if any, Scientology has and whether the benefits it provides are valuable enough to overcome what some might consider to be its underlying corruption. Kent seems to believe that Scientology's status as a "multi-faceted transnational" that combines religion and a conglomerate of other components will persuade people to dismiss Scientology in the end ("Scientology" 3). The religious component may be legitimate, but when you start bringing in examples of brainwashing and other kinds of abuse, you get a different picture. Kent discusses a Scientology program called the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF), which basically monitors Scientologists. If they begin to stray from Scientology's principles, they are "rehabilitated" so that they once again are model followers. Kent explains, "In a phrase, the RPF program places Scientology's most committed members in forced labour and re-education camps" ("Scientology" 9). And the RPF is described by Kent as "a rigorous program of hard, physical labor, constant verbal abuse from immediate superiors, social isolation, intense co-auditing and sec[curity] checking and study of Hubbard policies and techniques" ("Scientology" 10). If this does not work, there is another program called the RPF's RPF. Kent asserts, "One hardly has to point out that the RPF and the RPF's RPF are brainwashing programs" ("Scientology" 13). On the other hand, there are those who experience no difficulties with Scientology and use it to improve their lives. As Heelas states, "it is highly likely that numbers of people have found that New Age participation has enabled them to handle those stresses and other psychological problems generated by competitive, enterprise-driven, capitalism" (69). Scientology, therefore, works as a religion if you follow it correctly, but if you make a mistake, the entire system breaks down. We may conclude that Scientology's potential to replace Christianity may be dependent on how willing people are to follow a strict code of conduct and on Scientology's ability to survive as both a religion and as a profit-driven organization.
Like any complex debate, the issues discussed in this paper have no definitive answers. They must be further explored and resolved if we are to determine Scientology's future, and even then, only time will truly reveal its potential. Scientology does have its proponents, but experiences with this religion are not always pleasant. It is fairly safe to say that Scientology as a religion has similar qualities to traditional religions, and perhaps even some beneficial ones that traditional religions do not possess. Its growing membership rates around the world show that it may very well continue to grow and become a mainstream religion. However, as for Scientology's potential to replace religions such as Christianity in the future, this issue can only be resolved when we observe how Scientology conducts itself in coming years.