This article forms part of the series on Scientology Image File history File links Scientology_new_style_logo. ... Scientology is a new religious movement based on a system of beliefs, teachings, practices, and ceremonies that originated as philosophy in 1952 by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard (Lafayette Ronald Hubbard). ...
Dianetics
Engram  · Dianetics: MSMH · Clear
Scientology Doctrine
Thetan ·  Supernatural abilities Space opera ·  Xenu  ·  Human Evolution Past lives  · Medical claims ·  Altered texts
Practices
Study Tech · Auditing ·  Disconnection Purification Rundown ·  Comm Evs
Concepts
MEST · ARC · Tone scale · Reactive mind
People
L. Ron Hubbard · David Miscavige Tory Christman · Lisa McPherson Arnaldo Lerma · Karin Spaink
Public groups and recruitment
Personality Tests ·  ABLE  · CBAA   CCHR  ·  Narconon  ·  Criminon Volunteer Ministers  ·  WISE
Organization
Sea Org · Church of Scientology Gold Base ·  Trementina Base Office of Special Affairs ·  Celebrity Centre International Association of Scientologists Church of Spiritual Technology Religious Technology Center
Controversy
Suppressive Person · Fair Game Snow White  ·  Operation Freakout The Internet  · Patter Drills  ·  South Park The legal system  ·  Fishman Affidavit

In Church of Scientology doctrine, there have been a number of controversial medical claims made, usually centered around their auditing process, which uses a device called an E-meter to analyze and treat a person's so-called "Reactive mind" and "Body Thetans". Dianetics is a practice which is based on ideas about the human mind. ... In Dianetics, the secular predecessor of Scientology, an engram is defined as a painful memory of unconsciousness stored in the stimulus-response unconscious (the reactive mind). ... In Dianetics and Scientology, Clear is defined as a state in which a person is free of unwanted influences of past memories, unwanted emotions, and mental and physical pain not existing in present time. ... This article examines the beliefs and practices of Scientology as taught by the Church of Scientology. ... The term thetan is used in Scientology to mean something roughly synonymous with spirit or soul. ... In Church of Scientology doctrine, the subjects of supernatural or superhuman powers and abilities are ones that recur often. ... In Scientology doctrine, space opera was the term used by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard to describe extraterrestrial civilizations and alien interventions. ... In Scientology doctrine, Xenu (also Xemu) is an alien ruler of the Galactic Confederacy who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of people to Earth, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. ... The Church of Scientology bases most of their beliefs on human history from the information provided from the Churchs founder, L. Ron Hubbard. ... Past Lives redirects here. ... In the Church of Scientology, It has long been considered essential that the word of founder L. Ron Hubbard is incontrovertible, and that his works, or Tech, must be preserved unaltered. ... This article examines the beliefs and practices of Scientology as taught by the Church of Scientology. ... Study tech, or study technology, is a method of study, devised and spelled out by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Disconnection is a practice in Scientology, in which a Scientologist severs all ties between themselves and friends, colleagues, or family members who criticize Scientology practices. ... The Purification Rundown[1], known as The Purif within Scientology, is a program of detoxification developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, involving the use of saunas, vitamins, and the drinking of oils. ... The Scientology Justice system is a means for a Scientology organization to take action against a member whose conduct or actions are viewed as highly desctructive or offensive by an executive within the organization. ... In the Scientology religion, MEST is an acronym for Matter, Energy, Space and Time, considered by Scientologists to be the four component parts of the physical universe. ... ARC is a fundamental concept in Scientology doctrine. ... The Tone scale in Scientology technology is a characterization of human behavior and bodily appearance. ... The reactive mind is defined in Dianetics as the portion of a persons mind which works on a totally stimulus-response basis, which is not under his volitional (willing) control, and which exerts force and the power of command over his awareness, purposes, thoughts, body and actions. ... An official Church of Scientology portrait of L. Ron Hubbard, circa 1970 Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was a prolific American author and founder of the controversial Church of Scientology. ... David Miscavige (born April 30, 1960) is Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center (RTC)[1], a corporation that owns the trademarked names and symbols of Dianetics and Scientology. ... Tory Christman (former married name Tory Bezazian; online name Magoo) born 1947, is a former member of the Church of Scientology who left the organization in 2000, after being a member for about three decades. ... Lisa McPherson (born Lisa Skonetski, February 10, 1959–December 5, 1995) was a Scientologist who died while in the care of the Church of Scientology (CoS). ... Arnaldo (Arnie) Pagliarini Lerma (b. ... Karin Spaink (born December 20, 1957 in Amsterdam) is a journalist, writer and feminist. ... The Oxford Capacity Analysis (OCA) is a personality test that is given for free by the Church of Scientology. ... The Association for Better Living and Education (A.B.L.E.) is a secular branch of the Church of Scientology. ... Founded in 1983, the Concerned Businessmens Association of America (CBAA) is an element of the Scientology movement directed at promoting moral education and enhanced well-being through the use of Hubbards The Way to Happiness booklet in their Set A Good Example (SAGE) program, which holds childrens... The international headquarters of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. ... Narconon is not associated with Narcotics Anonymous which is sometimes abbreviated Narcanon. Scientologys Narconon is a rehabilitation program for drug abusers in several dozen treatment centers worldwide, chiefly in the United States and western Europe. ... Criminon is a secular non proft 501 C3 working with government departments and inmates to reduce recidivism and restore self respect to the inmate. ... The Volunteer Minister program is a worldwide effort founded by the Church of Scientology International. ... World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE) is an organization that educates and assists businesses in the use of Scientology management techniques. ... This is a list of Scientology organizations operated by the Church of Scientology (CoS), including Church offices, missions, Celebrity Centres and publicized Scientology and Dianetics groups. ... The Sea Org logo. ... Official Scientology Cross Symbol The Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by the late author L. Ron Hubbard. ... The Gold Base is the headquarters of Golden Era Productions, the media division of the Church of Scientology, located near Hemet, California with the address of: 19625 Highway 79, Gilman Hot Springs, CA 92583. ... The Church of Scientology maintains a large base on the outskirts of Trementina, New Mexico. ... The Office of Special Affairs (OSA) is a department of the Church of Scientology responsible for directing legal affairs, publicizing the Churchs social betterment works, and oversee[ing its] social reform programs. Observers outside the Church have characterized the department as an intelligence agency, comparing it variously to the... Celebrity Centres are Church of Scientology centers that are open to the public but serve mostly artists and celebrities and other professionals, leaders and promising new-comers in the fields of the arts, sports, management and government. ... The International Association of Scientologists (IAS) was formed in October 1984 by a group of selected Scientologists, who assembled at Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead, Sussex, England. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Religious Technology Center (RTC) is a non-profit organization established in 1982 by the Church of Scientology to control and oversee the uses of all of the trademarks, symbols and sacred texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of the religions founder, L. Ron Hubbard. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In Scientology, a formally condemned and shunned heretic or wrongdoer is labelled a Suppressive Person, often abbreviated SP. L. Ron Hubbard coined the term to refer to enemies of the Church of Scientology, whose suppressive acts are said to impede the progress of Scientology. ... Fair Game is a status assigned to those whom the Church of Scientology has officially declared to be Suppressive Persons or Suppressive Persons are those whose actions are deemed to suppress or damage Scientology or a Scientologist. ... Operation Snow White was the name given internally by the Church of Scientology to a program which included the largest incident of domestic espionage in the history of the United States. ... Operation PC Freakout was the name given by the Church of Scientology to a covert plan undertaken by the Church in 1976, with the goal of harassing Paulette Cooper, author of a book critical of Scientology titled The Scandal of Scientology. The plan came to light when the FBI seized... Scientology versus the Internet is the colloquial term for a long-running online dispute between the Church of Scientology and a number of the Churchs online critics. ... Patter drills are a technique of rote learning used in courses in the Church of Scientology added by David Miscavige in mid-1995. ... Trapped in the Closet is episode 137 of the Comedy Central series South Park. ... The Church of Scientology is well known for its extensive use of the legal system. ... The Fishman Affidavit is a set of court documents submitted by ex-Scientologist Steven Fishman in 1994 containing criticisms of the Church of Scientology and, controversially, substantial portions of the Operating Thetan course materials. ... Official Scientology Cross Symbol The Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by the late author L. Ron Hubbard. ... This article is in need of attention. ... An E-Meter is a battery powered electronic instrument made by the Church of Scientology (CoS). ... The reactive mind is defined in Dianetics as the portion of a persons mind which works on a totally stimulus-response basis, which is not under his volitional (willing) control, and which exerts force and the power of command over his awareness, purposes, thoughts, body and actions. ... In Scientology doctrine, body thetans or BTs are the ghosts of the victims of a genocide perpetrated 75 million years ago by Xenu. ...

These claims range from the 1950 publication of founder L. Ron Hubbard's book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health to the present day. They have often brought the Church to the attention of law enforcement and regulatory agencies. An official Church of Scientology portrait of L. Ron Hubbard, circa 1970 Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was a prolific American author and founder of the controversial Church of Scientology. ...

Scientology and mainstream medicine

In public statements, especially to newcomers, the Church claims that it has no problem with Scientologists taking drugs prescribed by a physician. However, the Church has a long history of opposition to drugs and medical treatments of any kind but their own. In their Narconon materials, they explicitly state that all drugs are poisonous and remain in the body permanently. Several former members of Scientology have reported being ordered to stop taking their prescription medications, and being warned that they would suffer negative consequences if they continued to do so. [1] Narconon is not associated with Narcotics Anonymous which is sometimes abbreviated Narcanon. Scientologys Narconon is a rehabilitation program for drug abusers in several dozen treatment centers worldwide, chiefly in the United States and western Europe. ...

In 1965, Hubbard wrote that Scientologists taking courses were barred from visiting a doctor without express permission from the Church, except in cases of severe emergency. (HCOPL 26 July 1965 "Release Declaration Restrictions, Healing Amendments).

Tory Christman

Main article: Tory Christman

After being a member of the Church of Scientology for three decades and rising through the ranks to reach their OT VII level, Tory Christman broke away from them and went public with her experiences. She had been ordered to stop taking her epilepsy medication, and when her health subsequently worsened, her Scientologist superiors told her it was because she needed to work harder to remove invisible alien "Body Thetans" that were clinging to her. [2] Tory Christman (former married name Tory Bezazian; online name Magoo) born 1947, is a former member of the Church of Scientology who left the organization in 2000, after being a member for about three decades. ... In Scientology, the state of Operating Thetan is a spiritual state above Clear. ... In Scientology doctrine, body thetans or BTs are the ghosts of the victims of a genocide perpetrated 75 million years ago by Xenu. ...

Charlotte Kates

Charlotte Kates is a former Scientologist who came out against the Church in support of Keith Henson's appeal of RTC v. Henson, in which Scientology's Religious Technology Center sued Henson for revealing secret Church documents regarding fraudulent medical claims. In her statement, Kates tells of a fellow Scientologist whose life she observed being ruined after she was diagnosed with Lyme disease : Keith Henson in Clearwater, Florida Howard Keith Henson (b. ... The Religious Technology Center (RTC) is a non-profit organization established in 1982 by the Church of Scientology to control and oversee the uses of all of the trademarks, symbols and sacred texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of the religions founder, L. Ron Hubbard. ... Wikispecies has information related to: Borrelia Lyme disease or Lyme borreliosis is an infectious tick-borne disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a gram-negative spirochete bacterium. ...

A medical doctor did confirm her symptoms as being a recurrence of Lyme disease; however, before beginning medical treatment, she sought the advice of Scientologist chiropractors, nutritionists and other alternative medical practitioners. Scientologists deeply distrust traditional medicine, a viewpoint promoted by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard since the time of Dianetics, and commonly refrain from medical treatment at all costs......After spending approximately one hundred thousand dollars on Scientology's cures, she had "learned" in her auditing sessions that billions of years ago, in a past life, she had been forced to "zap" her mother with a ray gun by an evil space government, yet she was still afflicted with Lyme disease. She had maxed out all of her credit cards, taken out loans, and otherwise expended all of her resources--and given all of her money to Scientology in return for a much-promised, never-materialized cure for her Lyme disease." [3]

Lisa McPherson

Main article: Lisa McPherson

In 1995, a young Scientologist named Lisa McPherson, after a minor car accident, stripped naked and walked down Belleview Boulevard in Clearwater, Florida until apprehended by paramedics. She told them in a monotone voice that she was an Operating Thetan and didn't need a body to live. Soon after being taken to the hospital, a group of Scientologists arrived and insisted she leave immediately to be under their own care, not the doctor's. Lisa McPherson (born Lisa Skonetski, February 10, 1959–December 5, 1995) was a Scientologist who died while in the care of the Church of Scientology (CoS). ... 1st incorporation date 1891 2nd Incorporation date 1915 Zip Codes 33755-65 County Pinellas (county seat) Mayor Frank Hibbard Population  - City (2004)  - Tampa Bay Metro   108,606 2,600,000 (estimate) Time zone Eastern: UTC-5 Latitude Longitude 27°58 N 82°46 W City of Clearwaters Official Website... In Scientology, the state of Operating Thetan is a spiritual state above Clear. ...

Against the hospital's wishes, McPherson left with the Scientologists, who took her to their "Flag Base" at the Fort Harrison Hotel. 17 days later, she was dead and in an emaciated condition, dehydrated, bruised, and covered in insect bites. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

According to the Washington Post, the Scientologists who tended to McPherson at the Flag Base included an unlicensed anesthesiologist, a dentist, and various office staffers with no medical training. One was only seventeen. [4] ...

Mental health

Scientology has long claimed that their own system is the only way to mental health, and that psychology and psychiatry is are not only ineffective, but evil. In their book What Is Scientology?, they state that psychology "provides no means of producing actual improvement" and that psychiatry has "no tools at all for dealing with the mentally ill". Scientology celebrity activist Tom Cruise has made many public claims on behalf of the Church, claiming Scientology's superior ability to treat mental illness over psychiatry's. [5] [6] [7] Tom Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and film producer who has starred in a number of top-grossing movies and remains one of the biggest movie stars in the world. ...

In 1995, Scientology's David Miscavige set a goal for Scientologists to literally destroy psychiatry within five years: David Miscavige (born April 30, 1960) is Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center (RTC)[1], a corporation that owns the trademarked names and symbols of Dianetics and Scientology. ...

"There are a lot of opinions out there as to what is wrong with Earth, 1995. But if you really want to eliminate those problems all you have to do is work for the objectives that we, as members of the IAS, have set for the year 2000: Objective One - place Scientology at the absolute forefront of Society. Objective Two - eliminate psychiatry in all its forms. Let's get rid of psychiatry, and let's bring Scientology to every man, woman and child on this planet." (International Scientology News #38, 1995)

Hubbard, in his HCO Technical Bulletins Volume 2, states "We know more about psychiatry than psychiatrists", and then goes on to add: "We can brainwash faster than the Russians". (pages 473-474)

The FDA lawsuit

In 1963 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) contacted a surprise raid on the Church in Washington, DC and confiscated all E-meters on the premises. The FDA filed suit against the Church of Scientology for fraudulent medical claims and called the E-meter a fraudulant healing device. After almost a decade of court battles, the Church finally settled with the FDA. The court ruled that the Church was to abide by certain conditions: 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United...

"The device should bear a prominent, clearly visible notice warning that any person using it for auditing or counseling of any kind is forbidden by law to represent that there is any medical or scientific basis for believing or asserting that the device is useful in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of any disease. It should be noted in the warning that the device has been condemned by a United States District court for misrepresentation and misbranding under the Food and Drug laws, that use is permitted only as part of religious activity, and that the E-meter is not medically or scientifically capable of improving the health or bodily functions of anyone.......each user, purchaser, and distributee of the E-meter shall sign a written statement that he has read such a warning and understands its contents and such statements shall be preserved." (United States of America, Libelant, v. An Article or Device... "Hubbard Electrometer" or "Hubbard E-Meter" etc., Founding Church of Scientology et al., Claimants, No. D.C. 1-63, United States District Court, District of Columbia, July 30, 1971 (333 F. Supp. 357)

Alleged medical claims

A History of Man

In the foreword to Hubbard's book A History of Man (in which a pseudoscientific timeline of Human Evolution is laid out), Hubbard promises miraculous cures: A pseudoscience is any body of knowledge purported to be scientific or supported by science but which fails to comply with the scientific method. ... The Church of Scientology bases most of their beliefs on human history from the information provided from the Churchs founder, L. Ron Hubbard. ...

"This is useful knowledge. With it the blind again see, the lame walk, the ill recover, the insane become sane and the sane become saner. By its use the thousand abilities Man has sought to recover become his once more." [8]

Elsewhere in the book, numerous medical cures are claimed:

• "Today, Eleanor has arthritis. She is audited... tonight she doesn't have arthritis" (pg.7)
• "Paralysis, anxiety stomachs, arthritis and many ills and aberrations have been relieved by auditing them." (pg.14)
• "Cancer has been eradicated by auditing out conception and mitosis." (pg.20)

Dianetics

Originally published in 1950, this book (full title: Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health) has undergone many slight changes and alterations over the years, so one edition may vary from another. Among its claims:

• "arthritis vanishes, myopia gets better, heart illness decreases, asthma disappears, stomachs function properly and the whole catalogue of illnesses goes away and stays away." (pg.72, 1987 edition)
• "All our facts are functional and these facts are scientific facts, supported wholly and completely by laboratory evidence." (pg.96, 1987 edition)
• "Clears do not get colds." (pg.121, 1992 edition)

Dianetics Today

In the 1975 edition of Hubbard's Dianetics Today, it is claimed:

• "A broken limb will heal (by X-ray evidence) in two instead of six weeks." (pg.110)
• "I've seen a goiter the size of a baseball visibly shrink and disappear in the space of one-half hour right after an engram was run." (pg. 280)
• "A girl crippled by polio was able to throw away her crutches after my first session." (pg.353)
• "ONLY processing by Dianetics and Scientology can handle the effects of drugs fully." (pg.481)

Scientology 8-8008

In Hubbard's book Scientology 8-8008, which is heavy on Scientology Space Opera concepts and serves as an introduction to the Operating Thetan levels to novice Scientologists, it is repeated throughout as a fundamental tenet that achieving full Operating Thetan status results in the ability to completely control matter, energy, space and time (MEST). He also speaks of something called "Facsimile One": In Scientology doctrine, space opera was the term used by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard to describe extraterrestrial civilizations and alien interventions. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

"Facsimile One: the first proven-up, whole-track incident which, when audited out of a long series of people, was found to eradicate such things as asthma, sinus trouble, chronic chills and a host of other ills. It was originally laid down in this galaxy about one million years ago." (pg. 172, 1990 edition)