Basic Questions about Scientology Principles

martin jeffrey asked:

Hi Grahame,

I'm curious as to what the differences are between the mind and thetan. More specifically, I would like to know if memories and emotions are a product of the brain, or if the brain is more so used as a machine to interpret such things as memories and emotions that are a property of the thetan itself.

Further I am curious if the reactive mind is solely contained within the brain itself, or part of the thetan?

Sorry if my question seems a bit off mark, Scientology is an entirely new set of concepts for me.

Thanks

Hey Martin,

Excellent questions. They are totally answered in the book "Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought", but to save you the wait after you order it :) , here is the short version:

I'd recommend watching this video if you haven't already: "The Parts of Man". It gives you some useful background data in just a couple of minutes. I think it will help with understanding my explanation.

Now let's define our terms. Definitions from The Scientology Glossary.

Thetan: the person himself - not his body or his name, the physical universe, his mind, or anything else; that which is aware of being aware; the identity which is the individual. The term was coined to eliminate any possible confusion with older concepts. It comes from the Greek letter Theta (Theta), which the Greeks used to represent thought or perhaps spirit, to which an n is added to make a noun in the modern style used to create words in engineering.

Mind: a control system between the thetan and the physical universe. The mind is not a brain.

Body: the organized physical composition or substance of an animal or man, whether living or dead. The body is the thetan’s communication center. It is a physical object. It is not the being himself.

Your Questions:

Q1: I'm curious as to what the differences are between the mind and thetan.

A thetan is the person him or herself. The mind is the computer a thetan uses to store memories, make decisions, calculate things, etc.

Q2: I would like to know if memories and emotions are a product of the brain.

No. They are products of the thetan.

Q3: or if the brain is more so used as a machine to interpret such things as memories and emotions that are a property of the thetan itself.

No. The brain can be thought of as a sort of switch-board for the nerve impulses sent around the body. Emotion comes from the thetan, but can be influenced by the body and environment. Memories are recordings of the physical universe and the thoughts and conclusions of the thetan.

Q4: I am curious if the reactive mind is solely contained within the brain itself, or part of the thetan?

Definition of reactive mind: that portion of a person’s mind which works on a totally stimulus-response basis, which is not under his volitional control and which exerts force and the power of command over his awareness, purposes, thoughts, body and actions.

The reactive mind is not part of either the brain or the thetan. It is the part of the mind where moments of pain and unconsciousness are stored and thus is a difficult place for the thetan to get his attention into and is therefore not under his control.

I hope I've answered your questions. For more details you really have to read the book I linked to above.

If I haven't answered well enough or my answers have brought up more questions, then just ask some more.

What is an "Illegal PC"?

Darren asked What is an "Illegal PC"?

It's a term used to refer to someone who, due to psychiatric abuse, is in a state which makes it unwise for them to receive Scientology Auditing. They have been so messed up by damaging psychiatric treatments, such as electro-convulsive treatment (ECT), brain operations or the use of damaging psychiatric drugs, that any attempt to assist them spiritually in a way that has them looking inward is liable to push them over the edge.

It is not a permanent status. There are things a person can do to demonstrate that they have recovered sufficiently that they can safely receive Scientology Auditing, at which point they can.

In the meantime, they participate in all the other services and practices of Scientology.

Definitions:
Illegal = in this usage of the word, it does not refer to the laws of the land, but to the rules of Scientology Churches. "Illegal" in this sense means a violation of Church rules, for example, it is against the rules to audit someone who has not sufficiently recovered from abusive psychiatric treatment, so it is called "illegal".

PC = Pre-Clear = a person who has not yet achieved the State of Clear and is undergoing or planning to undergo Scientology Auditing with the goal of achieving the state.

I hope that answers your question, Darren.

Selfish Spirituality

Jonathan said: I just get the feeling that with the clearing of the reactive mind, that morals would fly out the window as the search for spiritual ends, in the end are selfish, and your told to do it for yourself. I believe that people are good, But when environments make it SO easy to be bad, and even rewarded in cases that clearer lines should be made about how much you do it for yourself.

Thanks for your comments Jonathan.

You say "the search for spiritual ends, in the end, are selfish". If that comes from your own personal observation, then that is sad. Personally, I have found that the search for the spiritual is very far from selfish.

As an example, would you call Mother Teresa selfish? I sure wouldn't.

Let me give you the Scientology view on this:

First: the dynamic principle of existence is SURVIVE! In other words that is the driving force behind everything we do.

Next: the purpose of the mind is to resolve problems relating to survival.

And third: When we talk about survival we don't mean just for oneself, we are talking about survival of self, ones family, the groups one is part of, of mankind, of all living things, of the physical universe, of all things spiritual and of God or Infinity.

The analytical mind in its optimum state tries to bring about the best possible survival in all those areas, not just self.

The reactive mind gets in the way of this. The selfish and destructive things you see in this world are products of the reactive mind.

Once a person has gotten rid of his reactive mind, all that is left is the analytical mind - the optimum mind. So a Clear acts in the best interests of all and a Clear is as active as he can be in that direction. He or she works toward the best possible survival for all the areas I mentioned above.

So, in my experience, people who are improving spiritually become more and more interested in the rest of existence and they become more and more active in helping others - that's why the Scientology Volunteer Ministers are such a huge organization and why you see them whenever disaster strikes. They have improved enough spiritually that they want to, and do, help others.

You say "you're told to do it for yourself". Perhaps there are religions where that is the case, but Scientology is not one of them. Yes, it does require active participation if you want to improve spiritually, and yes, it is necessary sometimes to look inward at your own existence in order to understand yourself, but it is not a solo effort, you need to both give and receive help in order to make it.

I hope your own path towards the spiritual is successful and that you too can help others be unselfish and help their fellow man.

Scientology: Contemporary Issues

My fellow blogger djdiaz answered the question: "What are scientology's teachings on contemporary issues such as: Homosexuality (sex, marriage, adoption etc.), abortion, global warming & 'going green', euthanasia, and finally the relationship between church and government?"

Good questions and he gives good answers.

More Questions from a Nurse (10)

Taylor asked a number of questions here: More Questions from a Nurse. Here are more answers:

16. When I give the report I'm supposed to provide handouts for the class. Is there anything that you can think of that would benefit?

Regarding health, Scientologists tend to follow the advice in Chapters 1 and 2 of The Way To Happiness. I recommend you download the book and read those chapters (they are short). This will give you the basic idea of our views on this area.

One other important thing is that when ill or injured Scientologists like to get "Assists" which are spiritual healing procedures. You can read all about them here: Assists for Illness and Injury. These can really help speed up recovery.

The Scientology Web Site has a very good search feature. Just go to the site, type in the "Search" and press the Enter key.

That was the last question. Thank you Taylor for asking them. It's always a pleasure to clarify questions about Scientology and Scientologists.

More Questions from a Nurse (9)

Taylor asked a number of questions here: More Questions from a Nurse. Here are more answers:

14. If caring for a family member in a nursing home and is going to die, is there someone to prepare the body?
There are no special religious requirements for preparation of the body after death. The normal traditions of the individual would apply. For me it would be finding an undertaker.

15. Is there a particular process for the funeral?
We do have a funeral service in Scientology. What is the Scientology funeral service?

Whether the coffin is there or the service is held after burial (as in a memorial) is a decision of the loved ones.

More tomorrow.

More Questions from a Nurse (8)

Taylor asked a number of questions here: More Questions from a Nurse. Here are more answers:

13a. What are the thoughts on Divorce?
There is a good chance that a marriage that is heading for divorce can be put back together again with Scientology Marriage Counseling. It has a very good success rate.

If at all possible a marriage should be saved but there are circumstances where the best course for all involved is divorce. That sums it up for me and I think for Scientologists in general.

More tomorrow.

More Questions from a Nurse (7)

Taylor asked a number of questions here: More Questions from a Nurse. Here are more answers:

13. What are the thoughts on infidelity?
Infidelity is destructive to the individuals involved and has a ripple effect on other family members, especially children.

As L. Ron Hubbard says in The Way to Happiness Book, "Unfaithfulness on the part of a sexual partner can heavily reduce one's survival. History and the newspapers carry floods of instances of the violence of human passions aroused by unfaithfulness. 'Guilt' is the milder evil. Jealousy and vengeance are the greater monsters: one never knows when they will cease to sleep."

I would recommend reading Chapter 3 of the book because I would say it accurately describes a Scientologist's view on this subject.

More tomorrow.

More Questions from a Nurse (6)

Taylor asked a number of questions here: More Questions from a Nurse. Here are more answers:

12. What are the beliefs and views on marriage?
Scientology regards the family as the building block of any society and marriage as an essential component of a stable family life.

For more check out this: How does Scientology View Marriage and the Family? and this What is the Scientology Wedding Ceremony?.

12a. Are there arranged marriages?
No.

More tomorrow.

More Questions from a Nurse (5)

Taylor asked a number of questions here: More Questions from a Nurse. Here are more answers:

10. On whom do you rely on health care services or healing?
For general data on the religious view on medical care read this: What is the Scientology position on medical care?

For myself the answer to the question is the clinic I mentioned above and Dr. Fuhrman.

11. Are there religious restrictions that your caregiver should know?
The Church of Scientology itself does not enforce any restrictions on physical treatment.

But Scientologists are opposed to destructive psychiatric treatments such as psychiatric drugs, electroshock therapy and psychosurgery. I have seen that regular doctors are prescribing psychiatric drugs without understanding there dangers, so that would be a restriction which a caregiver would need to know: don't give psychiatric or other mind-altering drugs to a Scientologist. For more info read this: What is the Scientology View
on Drugs and Medicine?

Medical drugs and normal medical treatments are no problem.

More tomorrow.

More Questions from a Nurse (4)

Taylor asked a number of questions here: More Questions from a Nurse. Here are more answers:

9. Who/what is your primary source of information about your health?
This answer has nothing to do with Scientology. My answer reflects my personal choices.

My wife and I have read widely in this field attempting to discover what diet and other life style choices lead to health. Over the years I have used many sources, tried many different diets and have finally narrowed it down to something that actually works. My primary source is Dr. Joel Fuhrman who bases his recommendations on thousands of scientific studies rather than opinion or a few studies that conform to a personal bias. Since following his methods my health has improved more than ever before. For example, I lost 65lbs in nine months, my energy went way up and my general level of health is the highest it has ever been.

During our quest we also discovered a local clinic that uses physical tests (blood tests, saliva tests, etc.), Functional medicine, Orthomolecular medicine and Naturopathic medicine. Their diagnoses go much deeper than those of a traditional medical doctor and they use both natural and medical solutions as appropriate for solving health issues. I find that actual physical tests interpreted by someone who is well trained are far superior to any other method.

We also use Chiropractic and other natural practitioners when needed.

More tomorrow.

More Questions from a Nurse (3)

Taylor asked a number of questions here: More Questions from a Nurse. Here are more answers:

7. Can you describe some of your family's dietary habits and your personal preferences?
Our diet has nothing to do with our religion. There are no dietary rules in Scientology.

My adult kids don't live with us, so they eat whatever they want. My daughter tends to go for more organic and healthy foods. My son is more lax about what he eats.

Until about a year ago, my wife and I ate what we thought was a healthy diet, mainly organic, avoiding junk food, but eating along the lines of what you could call a "Standard American Diet" of mainly grains, a normal amount of meat (light on the red meats) and some vegetables.

In the last year we have become Nutritarians and eat a science based, high nutrient diet that is actually healthy and not at all like the Standard American Diet we used to eat. This is a personal choice and has nothing to do with our religion.

8. Are there any foods forbidden from you diet for religious or cultural reasons?
No. Although after watching the documentary Super Size Me you'd have to be nuts to eat junk food.

More tomorrow.

More Questions from a Nurse (2)

Taylor asked a number of questions here: More Questions from a Nurse. Here are more answers:

6. Who is the spokesperson for your family?
If we did or did not have a spokesperson, it would have nothing to do with Scientology. Such things are personal or traditional choices.

For our family, we don't have a "spokesperson". Not sure when or why we'd need one. My kids are adults living their own lives now but when they were still children my wife and I would always discuss things with them and come to an understanding. There were very few situations where we had to override their choices and if we ever did then there was full agreement between my wife and I. I guess we have more of a democratic set up than a dictatorial one.

Here is more data: What Does L. Ron Hubbard Say About Raising Children?

More tomorrow.

More Questions from a Nurse (1)

Taylor asked a number of questions here: More Questions from a Nurse. I will answer them over a number of days starting with these answers:

1. What is your name?
Grahame

2. Primary language:
English

3. Place of birth:
United Kingdom

4. Educational level or specialized training:
I am an ordained Scientology Minister and am trained as a Scientology Auditor.

Secularly I am a highly trained software developer.

5. To which ethnic group do you belong?
Caucasian.

More tomorrow.

Questions from a Nurse

I just got a couple of good questions:

Hello,

I am currently in nursing school to become an LVN. The new criteria is 'transcultural nursing'. This new subject is a way for nurses to cater better to the different cultures and religions that are in this wonderful world of ours. My theory teacher has assigned us all to give presentations on topics that we choose. Mine is Scientology. There are many questions that we are required to ask and learn so that we may educate our fellow classmates. Would anyone be willing to educate me on a couple of questions for now and then I can ask more later?

1. If ill or have a condition, do you seek out a doctor for help or a respected individual in the community?
2. If someone had a condition like hyper tension (high blood pressure), diabetes, or asthma, can you take prescription medications or are there remedies or herbs that you prefer? If so what are they and what is in them?
3. WHen pregnant does the individual see a doctor? If so does she go for regular check ups? In child birth are there rituals, traditions, or certain actions that are made or certain parts needed (such as umbilical cord, some cultures need it)? Is birth control an option for teens?

If I have offended anyone, I apologize. I would like to get as much information for my report and to educate my fellow classmates just as you will do for me. Thank you for any insight that you may provide and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Best Wishes,

Taylor

Hey Taylor,

I'm going to answer each of these questions from the viewpoint of the Church as I understand it.

Q1: This depends on the individual and their preferences. It is recommended by the Church that a person get care when they are ill. This is one of the precepts of the book "The Way To Happiness". The book itself is non-religious, but it is recommended by the Church that Scientologists follow it. How the individual implements this recommendation is up to them. They could go to a medical doctor, a naturopath, a chiropractor or whoever they prefer. Such a choice is individual and not an area in which the Church interferes.

Q2: Again it is up to the individual. If you want to go to a medical doctor and take prescription drugs then that is your choice. If you prefer to try something that is actually effective (e.g., Lower high blood pressure, handle diabetes, handle asthma) then it is your choice. The Church simply recommends that you get care when you are ill.

Q3: This is really four questions in one.

The answer for the first and second parts: it is up to the individual.

For the third part of the question: At birth there is an additional recommendation that the birth is kept as quiet as possible. For full details you can read this article, Scientology Silent Birth: 'It's A Natural Thing' . There are no other recommendations and no requirements. The physical bits connected to birth should be handled in whatever way the individual decides. Standard hygienic practices are always a good idea.

And for the last part: guess what ... it is up to the individual and, in the case of someone underage, their parents.

Not any real earth shattering or controversial answers but, hopefully, they tell you what you want to know. If you have more questions please feel free to ask. I'll try to answer a bit quicker than I did with this one. Last week was rather busy for me.

Good luck with your studies.

Scientology: Question about teen sexual activity

Steph asked: Some are concerned about the high rates of teen sexual activity in America. Do you share that concern? What does your religion teach about sexual intimacy before marriage?

I am concerned about the high rate of teen pregnancies and the consequences for both the young mothers and the children.

"Be faithful to your sexual partner" and "don't be promiscuous" are the moral codes that we follow in this area. They are both covered in the Way To Happiness.

Scientology: Have you ever felt harassed, persecuted or stereotyped because of your religious beliefs?

Steph asked: Have you ever felt harassed, persecuted or stereotyped because of your religious beliefs?

Yes. The current hate campaign by members of the Internet hate group "Anonymous" is straightforward harassment. Some members of this hate group also attempt to persecute members of my religion by putting their names and addresses on the net in the hopes that others won't want to do business with them, etc.

They promote lies about my Church in order to demonize Scientology and Scientologists. That gives them the excuse to carry out their harassment and to pull in others to help them.

The venom and lies these people spew out on the Internet is disgusting.

You can read more about them here: Anonymous.

I also feel an element of harassment from certain members of the news media who are not interested in truth or facts but only in "controversy" and "conflict". The lies and twisted facts coming out of these creeps is also disgusting. You can read about an example of such a twisted news outlet here: Inside the St. Petersburg Times.

Scientology: Is it easy or difficult to be a Scientologist in America? Why or why not?

Steph asked: Is it easy or difficult to be a Scientologist in America? Why or why not?

It has not been difficult to be a Scientologist in the parts of America in which I have lived. People in California are pretty easy going. Florida has also been fine. I find that once you get to know a person they realize that any false ideas they may have picked up from the media or crazy websites are easily handled because here I am, a regular, standing right in front of them.

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Scientology: How does your religion help you transfer the faith to your children? Do you worry about that?

Steph asked: How does your religion help you transfer the faith to your children? Do you worry about that?

The Church leaves it up to the parents. There are courses for children to help them understand the wisdom and practial practices. But we also have a rule that a person should only take part in Scientology Training or Scientology Auditing if he or she wants to. A parent cannot force Scientology onto their child.

Personally I always tried to explain things to my kids so they would understand it and be able to make up their own minds. I'm happy that they both chose to be Scientologists. If they hadn't I would have been disappointed, but that would not affect my relationship with them.

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Scientology: Are you encouraged to share your belief with others in the hope that they will "join" your religion? Why or why not?

Steph asked: Are you encouraged to share your belief with others in the hope that they will "join" your religion? Why or why not?

Sure. We feel that if people understand the wisdom of Scientology then that will improve them and help achieve the goals of Scientology that I described earlier.

On the other hand a person can be a Scientologist and a member of another religion, so there is no "conversion" in the Western religious sense of the word. We are more interested in people understanding and applying the wisdom because that's what will make a difference in the world.

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