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•Claimed to have been discovered in the year 1866 by Mary Baker Eddy.

• Practiced most prominently by members of the Church of Christ, Scientist.

• Christian Science has no connection with Scientology and should not be confused any true concept of science such as physical.

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• In a common tenet found in many other religions, Christian Science teaches that God and God's creation are entirely good and spiritual, and all things are made in his likeness.

•Prayer does not ask God to intervene, but is rather a process of learning more of God's spiritual reality.

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• Christian Science healing is based on the view that man is the expression of a good and perfect God - therefore man is perfect.

•Christian Scientists believe the material world is an illusion coming from a misunderstanding of the true spiritual world.

• This error can be changed by prayer to reorient thought, seeking to banish the illusion to see the true spiritual reality. The result is healing.

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• Prayer is used to achieve an understanding of God and creation through spiritualization of thought .

• The world we see is only a distorted view and the world we see is only illusion and the spiritual world is the only true reality – this is healed by prayer.

• Prayer brings the spiritual into clearer focus, it doesn’t change the spiritual view - like adjusting a telescope until it allows a clearer view.

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• Believe that prayer works through love and the unlimited, unconditional awareness as well as worth of another - this is how Christian Science explains how Jesus healed the sick.

• For example, they believe that Jesus could walk on water or calm a storm based on his faith and if his followers had enough of it they could do the same.

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The Kitchener First Church of Christ, Scientist is located on Water St. near Duke St.

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• Christian Science teaches that matter as we commonly see it is not reality.

• There is some commonality with Buddhism with the illusions the senses perceive – but that ends where Buddhism accepts the inevitability of aging and death.

• There is the belief that Jesus defeated the concept of death as the supreme demonstration of spiritual reality. 10

Anyone see “The Matrix (1999)”?

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• The related Church of Christ, Scientist displays a symbol of a crucifix with a tilted crown below the cross-beam.• In a circular formation around that symbol are two lines with the following text printed around it: “HEAL THE SICK – RAISE THE DEAD – CAST OUT DEMONS – CLEANSE THE LEPERS”• The symbol is closely guarded and requests must be formally granted permission for each separate use of the Cross and Crown.

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Several Controversies

• Faith-Based vs. medical healing (rights issues)

• Abuse potential

• Dissent / Cult Status among Christian theologians

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• Created in 1952 by Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, a science fiction writer.

• Originally self-published in 1948, titled “The Original Thesis”, led to the publication of “Dianetics” in 1950 and made the New York Times bestseller list. 15

• Information about his life differs greatly depending on who you ask.

• For example, Scientologists claim him as a high ranking war hero during WW2, official government records say a very different thing.

• Court records indicate he was wanted for fraud at the time of his death.

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• Among many other contradictions within Scientology and its founder is his use of “psych drugs” at the time of his death…

… something that Church of Scientology members have spoken out against.

Records of this are available from the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office. Coroner's file #8936

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One of the major beliefs of Scientology is a belief that each human is inhabited …

… no, that would take too long…

… Actually, just watch this video…

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• “The Bridge to Total Freedom”

• Through donations, spiritual enlightenment comes from studying Scientology materials (called “tech”, paid for by each members) to reach different levels through interaction and testing.

• New members are known as “Pre-Clear” and are encouraged to pay/provide services to reach a state of clear once across The Bridge, and then levels of Operating Thetan – ranking from OT1 to the rare OT8. 19

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• Device used in “Free Stress Test” demonstrations as well as security checks with existing members and those expressing interest to either advance or leave.

• Originally claimed to be an accurate and precise instrument for detecting mental tension, no attempt had been made or allowed to scientifically validate this hypothesis by comparing the E-meter readings of individuals under tension to the readings of a control group.

• Examinations with the “E-Meter” are called “Audits”, a term usually reserved for financial dealings (ex. the taxman). 21

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The Kitchener Church of Scientology is conveniently located downtown beside a pizza shop and underneath a studio that teaches pole dancing.

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• Aside from the dubious legal standing of its founder, Scientology has been accused of being overly litigious (“lawsuit-happy”) against those critical of the organization. Lawsuits against TIME and STERN magazines dismissed.

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• The Church of Scientology became the only Canadian religious organization to be convicted for breaching the public trust and ordered to pay $250,000

• The Crown Attorney in that case later won a $1.6 Million defamation suit against The Church of Scientology after it was found that they kept a file on him in an effort with evidence of the malicious intention of Scientology to "neutralize" him.

• It was at the time (1995) the largest libel damage suit ever awarded in Canada.

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• Deaths of practitioners under the care or even possible restraint of Scientology and its officials.

•Noah Lottick, 24, jumped 10 storeys and died bouncing off the hood of a limo with his dead hand still holding $171… the only money that the Church of Scientology didn’t get out of the thousands originally given to them.

•Lisa McPherson, 34, died in 1995 during an “Introspection Rundown” where she was found and determined to have been denied water and food for quite some time with her skin more than a hundred insect bites, presumably from cockroaches. She had been locked in a room at their “Fort Harrison Hotel” for 17 days. Originally criminal indictments against the church were filed, but they were later dropped and her family reached a confidential out of court settlement in 2004.

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• Sea Org (Pseudo Para Military Naval Extension)

• Rehabilitation Project Force(Gulag work)

• Disconnection Policy(Members advised to avoid antagonistic family)

• Scientology Security Checks(Blackmail potential - members wishing to leave)

• Over Reported membership(Scientology claims 8 Million, researched max. is 500,000)

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The most famous and recent occasion of censorship was

Scientology’s efforts to remove their own published video of celebrity member

Tom Cruise erratically praising Scientology.

CENSORSHIPScientology has repeatedly engaged in suppression of criticism of its organization, going so far as to adhere to an “attack the arguer and not argument” policy – the sort seen in political campaigns as opposed to the positive ideals of what one would hope to see in a religion. 28

• Scientology has the dubious distinction of having protests against them waged in various forms: everything from worldwide rallies outside their offices to subversive tactics such as internet campaigns and even website hacking.•A Trip to Clearwater• Project Chanology

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