What do Scientologists Believe?

Odin's Servant asked:

Hi grahame, I would like to start by letting you know that I am not being sarcastic or malicious in any way with my question. I do not know a lot about scientology, so my little knowledge may even be incorrect. But from my understanding, scientology believes that everyone is controlled by the spirits of dead aliens. and that when you die you will be rejoined with a mother ship or something like that.

Now i have to ask, how does one actually come to believe in this? Now I am no stranger to criticism for my beliefs. I am Asatru, that is, i believe in the old pagan gods of the norse tribes of scandinavia. Odin, Thor, Freya, etc... So I am not some self righteous dumba** who wants to badmouth someone.

But i would like to note that my beliefs have been grounded in my heritage for thousands of years. Scientology however seems to have been dreamed up by a science fiction writer. The stories behind scientology are quite interesting but i'm not sure i could believe in them. Could you inform me about how you came to this religion and what your actual beliefs are if my knowledge is incorrect. Thank you!

Hey Odin's Servant, thanks for your question and thanks for not assuming that what you have heard about our beliefs is correct. The beliefs you describe are not Scientology. You ask "How does one actually come to believe in this?" Simple answer is that one doesn't.

So, what do we believe? Let me start by saying that Scientology is also grounded in a heritage that goes back thousands of years. We look at our roots as being in Buddhism and the Veda (the basis for the Hindu religion). Religious scholars have also compared Scientology to eastern religions: Scientology And Its Interrelation With Other Religions, Scientology: A Comparison with Religions of The East and West.

The most basic belief of Scientology is that man is a spiritual being. But what does that mean? You can watch this video to get a good idea of it: Scientology Beliefs: The Parts of Man. I could start trying to explain it all in this blog but I think the video does a much better job.

The Scientology home page also puts it very well:

Man is an immortal, spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized — and those capabilities can be realized. He is able to not only solve his own problems, accomplish his goals and gain lasting happiness, but also achieve new, higher states of awareness and ability.

In Scientology no one is asked to accept anything as belief or on faith. That which is true for you is what you have observed to be true. An individual discovers for himself that Scientology works by personally applying its principles and observing or experiencing results.

Scientology is actually an extremely practical religion. Belief plays a very small part in it. Application of the principles and observation of how they work plays a huge part in it.

Here are some more sources of accurate information on what our beliefs are:
- Introduction to Scientology
- Scientology Video Channel
- The Creed of the Church of Scientology
- What is Scientology?
- Dianetics Video Channel
For some of the actual practical principles that can be applied to everyday life:
- The Scientology Handbook

Please tell me if that answers your questions and if not then please post more.