Scientology and Christianity

Jesus answered, Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, "I am the Christ," and will deceive many.

Matthew 24:4-5

Hubbard's teachings about Christ are somewhat contradictory. In an earlier writing he states that Christ never existed but was only an idea electronically implanted in our minds during the "between lives" period (he called this implant "R6").

Somebody on this planet, about 600 B.C. found some pieces of "R6."

I don't know how they found it; either by watching madmen or something. But since that time they have used it. And it became what is known as Christianity.

The man on the cross. There was no Christ!

The Roman Catholic Church, through watching the dramatizations of people picked up some little fragments of R6. [LRH, Routine R6EW]

Then in a later writing he portrays Christ differently:

For those of you whose Christian toes I may have stepped on, let me take the opportunity to disabuse you of some lovely myths. For instance, the historic Jesus was not nearly the sainted figure [he] has been made out to be. In addition to being a lover of young boys and men, he was given to uncontrollable bursts of temper and hatred.... You have only to look at the history his teachings inspired to see where it all inevitably leads. It is historic fact and yet man still clings to the ideal, so deep and insidious is the biologic implanting. [LRH, Student Briefing, OT VIII, Series 1]

Similarly, Hubbard's overall tone when writing about Christianity in general is usually derogatory:

The whole Christian movement is based on the victim.... They won by appealing to victims. We can win by converting victims. Christianity succeeded by making people into victims. We can succeed by making victims into people. [LRH, Technically Speaking]

And:

Very often you will find aberrative personalities addicted to religion, but the addiction will not be accompanied by any belief in the human spirit. Just how this paradox is accomplished -- a professed avowal of Christianity and a complete unwillingness to accept any effort to heal or help the human spirit -- is another one of the paradoxes which mark the aberrative personality. [LRH, from PABS, Book 1]

Hubbard, in fact, believed himself to be the reincarnation of Buddha, as expressed in his poem, The Hymn of Asia:

Everywhere you are
I can be addressed
But in your temples best
Address me and you address
Lord Buddha
And you then address
Meitreya.

Hubbard writes that Christianity is simply an extension of Buddhism:

And the parables of Gautama Buddha were re-expressed with some differences and additions to spread westward again as Christianity. [LRH, from PABS, Book 3]

And then Hubbard teaches that the goals set by Christ find their fulfillment in Scientology:

This science [Scientology] is formed in the tradition of ten thousand years of religious philosophy and considers itself a culmination of the searches which began with the Veda, the T'ao, Buddhism, Christianity and other religions.... Scientology can demonstrate that it can attain the goals set for man by Christ, which are: Wisdom, Good Health, and Immortality. [LRH, from PABS, Book 1]

In a curious piece of writing, Hubbard states that he has been to "heaven" three times in his past lives. Heaven, according to Hubbard, is an implant; and in one course he draws the pattern of the implant in something called a Line Plot:

Well, I have been to heaven.

Yes, I've been to heaven. And so have you. And you have the pattern of its implants in the ... Line Plots. It was complete with gates, angels and plaster saints and electronic implantation equipment. So there was a Heaven after all -- which is why you are on this planet and were condemned never to be free again until Scientology.

For a long while, some people have been cross with me for my lack of cooperation in believing in a Christian Heaven, God and Christ. I have never said I didn't believe in a Big Thetan but there was certainly something very corny about Heaven et al. Now I have to apologize. There was a Heaven. Not too unlike, in cruel betrayal, the heaven of the Assassins in the 12th Century who, like everyone else, dramatized the whole track implants....

The symbol of the crucified Christ is very apt indeed. It's the symbol of the thetan betrayed. [LRH, Routine 3 Heaven]

According to Hubbard's son, Hubbard considered himself to be Crowley's successor. When Crowley died in 1947, Hubbard believed that he had taken on the "mantle of the Great Beast," and that he was in fact the anti-Christ.

He makes this claim in a late writing:

No doubt you are familiar with the Revelations (sic) section of the Bible where various events are predicted. Also mentioned is a brief period of time in which an arch-enemy of Christ, referred to as the anti-Christ, will reign and his opinions will have sway ... this anti-Christ represents the forces of Lucifer (literally, the "light-bearer" or "light-bringer"), Lucifer being a mythical representation of the forces of enlightenment.... My mission could be said to fulfill the Biblical promise represented by this brief anti-Christ period. [LRH, Student Briefing, OT VIII, Series 1]

In this same essay, he also predicts that after his death, he will return as the anti-Christ of the Bible. He also states that the so-called "Second Coming" of Christianity will actually be an invasion of earth by a race called the Marcabians from outside the universe. But Hubbard, as the anti-Christ, will return to save us:

I will return not as a religious leader but a political one.... I will not be known to most of you, my activities misunderstood by many, yet along with your constant effort ... I will effectively postpone and then halt a series of events designed to make happy slaves of us all. [LRH, Student Briefing, OT VIII, Series 1]

When new people are inducted into Scientology they are often told that Scientology is non-denominational, and that there is no inherent conflict between Scientology and any religion, including Christianity. But it is common for Scientologists to be less than truthful to the public at the outset. By calming the new person's misgivings, they know that by the time the person has become fully indoctrinated into Scientology, these misgivings will no longer matter.

I hope that it is now clear that there is no compatibility between Scientology and Christianity; in fact, as a belief system based on satanic principles, Scientology is diametrically opposed to Christianity. The truth is that you cannot be both a Christian and a Scientologist.

The choice is up to you.

The Propaganda of Scientology

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them -- bringing swift destruction on themselves.

2 Peter 2:1-2

>From one's first day in Scientology, one is constantly bombarded by propaganda. In the hundreds of tape recorded messages of Hubbard and the thousands of printed pages studied daily, one's world view is constantly being shaped according to the paranoid world view of the cult leader. This world view has nothing to do with Christianity.

In all of the propaganda of Scientology, three lessons predominate:

That there is a problem.

That there is a solution to the problem.

That the solution can only be found in Scientology.

The first problem posed by Hubbard is the imminent danger of nuclear war. And only Scientology has the potential to thwart this danger:

We are the only people and the only organizations on Earth which have the technology and the ambition to attempt a clarification of situations which in other hands are considered entirely out of control, to wit, the atomic bomb and the decay and confusion of central governments. [LRH, Purpose]

And:

In the same period in history, two of the most sweeping forces Man has known have come to fruition: a knowledge of himself and others with Scientology, and a means of destroying himself and all others by atomic fission. Which force wins depends in a large measure on your use of Scientology. [LRH, Fundamentals of Thought]

And:

The mission of Scientology is not conquest -- it is civilization. It is a war upon stupidity, the stupidity of which leads us to the Last War of All. [LRH, Fundamentals of Thought]

And:

The primary race of Earth is not between one nation and another today. The only race that matters at this moment is the one being run between Scientology and the atomic bomb. The history of man, as has been said by well-known authorities, may well depend upon which one wins. [LRH, Fundamentals of Thought]

The second problem posed by Hubbard is that mankind is caught in a trap, and that he has been in this trap for millions of years during which he has been recycling back to earth through an endless series of lifetimes. It is only through Scientology auditing that he can escape this trap:

In fifty thousand years of history on this planet alone, Man never evolved a workable system. It is doubtful if, in foreseeable history, he will ever evolve another.

Man is caught in a huge and complex labyrinth. To get out of it requires that he follow the closely taped path of Scientology. [LRH, Safeguarding Technology]

And:

We're free men and women -- probably the last free men and women on Earth... If we don't do a good job now we may never get another chance. [LRH, Your Post]

And:

Is there a way out?

Yes there is.

We have it in Scientology now. I have found it and charted it. I know exactly how to open the gate. [LRH, Escape]

And:

The whole agonized future of this planet, every Man, Woman and Child on it, and your own destiny for the next endless trillions of years depends on what you do here and now with and in Scientology. [LRH, Keeping Scientology Working]

The Scientologist is trained to believe that the only hope for the salvation of mankind is the "science" of Scientology. That there is no other hope.

In all the broad universe there is no other hope for man than ourselves. [LRH, Ron's Journal 1967]

And:

Let us face the reality of this thing. The world confronts several crises. Man's inhumanity to Man is gaining monuments daily. The time to bring a chaos under control is before it is well begun. We're slightly late as it is Brutally, there is no other organization on Earth that can slow these down. Factually there is no other know-how on Earth that can plumb the problems of Man. So if we don't want all of us to be sitting amongst the charred embers, we had better get busy. [LRH, The Eighteenth A.C.C.]

And:

We are the first group on earth that knew what they were talking about. All right, sail in. The world's ours. Own it. [LRH, The World is Ours]

And:

Auditors have since the first session of Scientology been the only individuals on this planet in this universe capable of freeing Man. [LRH,
Auditors]

Scientology is presented to believers in global terms as "The Road to Total Freedom" and as "The Only Hope for Mankind." The goal of every Scientologist is nothing less than to "Clear the planet," to ensure the salvation of every person on earth through the attainment of the Scientology state of "Clear."

We're playing for blood, the stake is Earth. [LRH, Policy Letter 7 Nov 1962]

And:

The purpose of the Field Staff Member [a Scientologist] is: To help LRH [Hubbard] contact, handle, salvage and bring understanding to individuals and thus the peoples of Earth. [LRH, Field Auditors]

And:

Now, without further discourse, let's get hot. This is Scientology -- the freedom for Man. Let it be known. [LRH, The Public Divisions]

And:

Scientology -- The Road Sign Out.

We are the Free People. We LIVE! We're FREE! [LRH, We Are the Free People]

And:

There is no greater game in the Universe than Scientology, for it is the only game in which everybody wins. [LRH, Contests and Prizes]

And:

The Valuable Final Products of a Scientologist are:

DISSEMINATED KNOWLEDGE

PURCHASED BOOKS

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

A CLEARED PLANET [LRH, Org Board Division Six]

And:

The eons march on.... Perhaps, this time, due to our efforts, a humanitarian world can exist. We, the Prophets of the Morrow, know the way. [LRH, Scientology: The Philosophy of a New Age]

Scientology wants you -- your mind, your spirit, your soul.

"No one can serve two masters." Matthew 6:24

Jesus Christ or L. Ron Hubbard -- who will your master be?

Appendix A:

Creation According to Scientology

THE FACTORS, by L. Ron Hubbard

Before the beginning was a Cause and the entire purpose of the Cause was the creation of effect.

In the beginning and forever is the decision and the decision is TO BE.

The first action of beingness is to assume a viewpoint.

The second action of beingness is to extend from the viewpoint, points to view, which are dimension points.

Thus there is space created, for the definition of space is: viewpoint of dimension. And the purpose of a dimension point is space and a point of view

The action of a dimension point is reaching and withdrawing.

And from the viewpoint to the dimension points there are connection and interchange. Thus new dimension points are made. Thus there is communication

And thus there is light.

And thus there is energy.

And thus there is life....

[There are thirty Factors in all.]

Humbly tendered as a gift to man by
L. Ron Hubbard
April 23, 1953