Scientology and Human Rights

Eric asked: I notice that Scientology makes a big deal out of human rights, although I don't know what LRH or Scientology itself has to say on the matter of human rights.

To be even more specific, does Scientology assert that humans have inherent rights (and if so, what are they as understood by Scientology?), or do Scientologists simply endorse and stand by the established legal understanding of human rights, i.e. the Universal Declaration on Human Rights?

Thanks for any clarification you can give on this matter.

Hey Eric,

Great question. There are multiple answers:

Why do we "make a big deal out of human rights"?

Scientologists and the Church of Scientology make a big deal of human rights because you can't help individuals to become more spiritually free in an oppressive society. For example, if a person can be imprisoned without trial then people will be walking around with this threat hanging over their heads and just won't be able to put their attention onto the spiritual trauma underlying their current condition.

It's like you have a guy sitting with a boa constrictor wrapped around him about to swallow him and you ask him to recall a time he was happy - it isn't going to work. You have to handle the boa constrictor first.

This applies to almost every human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. If conditions such as discrimination, slavery, inequality, imprisonment without trial, torture, no asylum, no freedom of thought, etc. are prevalent in a society then spiritual improvement will be either very difficult or impossible.

Aside from the spiritual side, life is much harder to lead in all areas without these rights. No one but a totalitarian could object to human rights.

Between the mid-1960s and early 1980s, following a geopolitical study of what most plagues this world, L. Ron Hubbard wrote a series of essays on the "cultural inadequacies" of the late twentieth century. In these articles he mentions human rights a great deal and covers why they are so important.

Does Scientology assert that humans have inherent rights (and if so, what are they as understood by Scientology?)

Specific human rights that are regarded as inherent are mentioned in the Creed of the Church of Scientology.

For example:
- That all men have inalienable rights to think freely, to talk freely, to write freely their own opinions and to counter or utter or write upon the opinions of others;
- That all men have inalienable rights to their own defense;

Do Scientologists endorse and stand by the established legal understanding of human rights, i.e. the Universal Declaration on Human Rights?

Absolutely.

Scientologists and the International Association of Scientologists support and sponsor a huge human rights educational program that is aimed at making the Universal Declaration of Human Rights known to people all over the world so that human rights become a reality rather than just an idea or theory.

-Youth for Human Rights
-United for Human Rights
-Human Rights Public Service Announcements (Videos)
-What are Human Rights? (Video)

I hope that answers your questions.
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