{"id":326,"date":"2011-08-25T15:59:41","date_gmt":"2011-08-25T15:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/scientologybeliefs\/?p=326"},"modified":"2017-10-24T05:17:43","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T12:17:43","slug":"what-does-happiness-have-to-do-with-religion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2011\/08\/what-does-happiness-have-to-do-with-religion\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Happiness Have to Do with Religion?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

In Scientology: a New Slant on Life<\/a>, <\/em>L. Ron Hubbard<\/a> poses the question \u201cIs it possible to be happy?\u201d<\/p>\n

I believe that question is even more pertinent today that it was some fifty years ago when he penned most of the essays that appear in this book.<\/p>\n<\/iframe>\nA 2009 article in USA Today reflected on that estimate that some 10% of Americans \u2014 or 27 million people \u2014 were taking antidepressants in 2005, twice the number as in 1996.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\nThis doesn\u2019t count how many people drink or smoke weed to \u201cbe happy,\u201d take cocaine, meth or other uppers for the same reason, or take narcotics like heroin to deaden the pain of their existence.<\/p>\nWhat Mr. Hubbard proposes in this essay is that it is, in fact, possible.<\/p>\nIf religion is meant to answer such questions as \u201cWho am I really?\u201d \u201cWhere do I come from?\u201d \u201cWhere an I going?\u201d and \u201cWhy am I here?\u201d and if one could gain an understanding and certainty of these factors through study of their religion, as one can in Scientology, and if one could gain this certainty not by having another or others tell him or her what to think by gaining his own personal perspective on these subjects, then would people need to seek a chemical happiness or relief?\u00a0 I think not.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Scientology: a New Slant on Life, L. Ron Hubbard poses the question \u201cIs it possible to be happy?\u201d I believe that question is even more pertinent today that it was some fifty years ago when he penned most of the essays that appear in this book. A 2009 article in USA Today reflected on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":220,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[44,169,170,235,294,3,322,335],"class_list":["post-326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-body","tag-happiness","tag-happy","tag-mind","tag-religion","tag-scientology","tag-self-respect","tag-spirit"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>What Does Happiness Have to Do with Religion?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Scientology: a New Slant on Life, L. 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