OUT OF SCIENTOLOGY AND INTO...?

In the last week or two, there has been some interesting news that caught my attention and perhaps yours as well. On Thursday, April 17^th, the Church of Scientology made the news with the announcement of television star Jason Beghe declaring publicly his leaving the church. He has been featured in numerous TV dramas such as "Criminal Minds," "Numb3rs" and "CSI." [1a]

In 2005, he appeared in promotional spots for the Church of Scientology. But now, Beghe has escaped the church after taking courses since 1994. He’s made a video that’s up on Google Video. He had this to say: "Scientology is destructive and a rip-off." [1b] And I have this to say: “No duh!!” If you are a true student of the Bible, that should also be your answer! Of course the cults are destructive and rip offs! Let alone far from the truth! I was glad to see that finally someone opened their eyes and saw this, and all the other false religions, for what they truly are,….FALSE! The question is: where will Jason and the others that have come out of this organization go to? While I commend Jason in his "coming out", I am left to wonder if he, or any of the others, will come to find that which they are seeking? Let us hope and pray that God will send someone to reach out and minister to their lives with the real truth and thereby reaching the ultimate goal, to be with our creator forever praising and worshiping Him!

Jason Beghe was an OT 5, similar in level to Tom Cruise and John Travolta, to name some of the other more famous proponents of Scientology. OT stands for Operating Thetan. A Thetan is their word for a person, who, according to their beliefs “is an immortal spiritual being who possesses a mind and a body”. Prime among Scientology's beliefs is "that man is a spiritual being whose existence spans more than one life and who is endowed with abilities well beyond those which he normally considers he possesses." Scientology believes man to be basically good, that his experiences have led him into evil, that he errs because he seeks to solve his problems by considering only his own point of view, and that man can improve to the degree he preserves his spiritual integrity and remains honest and decent. According to the Church, the ultimate goal is: "a civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights." [2] Now, that sounds familiar. This type of belief is not at all unique among the many false religions and cults that have come into existence. It shouldn’t be a surprise since Scientology is like a smorgasbord of rehashed lies and human thinking. Scientology borrows on the theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and William Sargant; and is influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and even Gnosticism.[3]

The Church of Scientology is not to be confused with The Church of Christ Scientist. This other so called “church” was founded by a woman named Mary Baxter Eddy following a personal healing in 1866, which she claimed happened after reading the Bible. In contrast, the founder of Scientology was a former speculative fiction author named L. Ron Hubbard. In 1952 he developed Scientology teachings as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics.[4] Interestingly enough, Scientology began as a business and entered into the religious category simply by renaming and reorganizing itself. Here is evidence that just about anything can become a “church”, regardless of its message!
I truly hope that the light of the Gospel finds its way into the lives of these and others that are seeking the Truth! It is very sad to realize that today, even the true church of Christ finds itself with a battle from within, struggling with these very same ideologies and beliefs that have now infiltrated the very same institution that at one time led the charge against such lies and deceptions!

While it is partially true that us “thetans” are immortal, we have not received that immortality yet. This will become a reality when we as believers in Christ will all be “changed, - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory.” [1 Cor. 15: 51-54]

Regretfully, L. Ron Hubbard and his Church of Scientology, will be of any use to anyone when the Day of the Lord comes! You see, L. Ron Hubbard did not choose to build his foundation on solid ground, but rather in sinking sand!


4/26/2008
James

PS - [1 Thes. 4:15-18]
(15) For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. (16) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (18) Therefore comfort one another with these words.


Footnotes:

1a & 1b – Fox News [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351287,00.html]
2, 3, & 4 – Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia