My Flirtation with Scientology

People in the ministry are always in someway under the microscope. I often have loved ones coming to me and saying, "Should you be saying things like this, or that?" and "Should a pastor be into those types of things considering this, or that?" I understand their concerns, however, I have always tried to be unflinchingly honest with both where I am and where I've been, especially in regards to my Christian faith. I don't want people thinking they have to sort out any baloney in what I say, or that the past of those who serve in the ministry are squeaky clean.

With that said, the chapter in my life right now seems to be about reflection and revelation. In a previous post I had mentioned that for a time in my early twenties I had walked a way from God. During that time I had a brief flirtation with Scientology, in fact it was right around the time Tom Cruise was being criticized for what he said about Psychology and medication for psychological conditions. I also believe that the "church" of Scientology was doing a big PR campaign to the public because in the mall of all places a women at a kiosk grabbed my attention. I remember her asking me and the person I was with about stress and mentioned she had a device to help measure what I found stressful. This device is what is called an E-meter. For the most part I think it's bogus and the one doing the test reads body language as she pretty much gave it away when she mentioned my reaction to what caused my stress. Anyway, after everything was said and done she revealed to me that she was a Scientologist and then expounded on the many benefits the belief system had in her life and others. When all was said and done both me and the person I was with came away with a favorable view of it.

Soon after, the book Dianetics arrived in the mail. For those of you who aren't familiar with the book that explains the practices behind the belief system, it is basically a bible for Scientology. Being that I lived with my parents at the time, who were/are very active Christians, I had to sort of sneak it past them. Truth be told, I never really opened the book, nor did I research any further about Scientology and I think I owe that to some very specific reasons.

The first reason I believe my flirtations with Scientology did not go any further is because of prayer. You see, even though I had tried to sneak Dianetics past my parents, my father still found out about it. When he learned that I had it he gave me a sort of disappointed look. I think it was deeper than that though, I truly believe that he prayed that I wouldn't come under the influence of that book. Fervent prayers from parents are not something to take lightly. I say that because I am a parent and I know what it is to love a child and worry about them. It is the kind of prayer that Apostle Paul talks about in Romans when he says "for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very [Holy]Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words (Rom 8:26 NRSV)."

South Park "Trapped in the Closet" 2005

Oddly enough one of the other reasons why I didn't get more involved with Scientology is because of South Park. Now South Park isn't a bastion of knowledge by any means, but in this case they seemed to have done their homework. They featured an episode which ridiculed the creation stories and "supernatural" beliefs of Scientology. I'm sure they made a lot of crude jokes, but what I remember is thinking how I grew up believing something that others might find far fetched. I didn't need to, or want to practice something that could seem more absurd.

A Reason Which Leads to More Reasons

The last reason is sort of a guess, but I'm willing to bet it was so that I could share Christianity with everyone. Christianity as it currently exists is by no means perfect. This has to do with with the fact that humans are the ones who practice it. Sometimes Christians are guilty of the same things Scientology is accused of. The Church can get very greedy, it can cover up abuse, it can make people feel isolated from family, and it can be manipulative. However, it can be argued, the church holds itself accountable. It does this through inter-denominational dialogue. Another way the church is held accountable is through the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus refers to as the Spirit of truth in John's gospel. An example of how the Holy Spirit keeps the church accountable through truth would be the events of the movie Spotlight which centers around journalists uncovering child molestation at the hands of priests. I believe, almost without a doubt, that the Holy Spirit was working behind the scenes to expose such an injustice.

However, one of the best things revealed to us through the Bible about faith in Christ is that he saves us where we are at and sanctifies us through loving him. There are so many religious systems out there, some that have major contributions to wisdom, but most religions are work based. Meaning, you have to do a certain amount of things, or follow certain paths, and perform certain rituals to be redeemed, enlightened, etc. In Christianity "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV). The work that is done in Christianity flows out of our love for Christ who wants us to Love him with everything we have, but also love our neighbors. Scientology, however, has so many different levels one needs to go through to get "cleared" and even then it might not be enough because the "thetans" can come back. Christians fail sometimes, we too feel like it might not be enough, but at least we can take comfort that there is no more condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1) and that the love that God gives us covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). We are not perfect, by far, but God has shown he doesn't need to work with perfect people, he works with available people who are hopefully doing their best and listening to Him.