{"id":5009,"date":"2018-09-06T13:27:30","date_gmt":"2018-09-06T20:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/?p=5009"},"modified":"2018-09-06T13:27:30","modified_gmt":"2018-09-06T20:27:30","slug":"why-i-love-being-a-scientologist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/scientologybeliefs\/2018\/09\/why-i-love-being-a-scientologist\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Love Being a Scientologist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

In Why I Love Being a Scientologist,\u00a0<\/a>a blog published on STAND (Scientologists Taking Action Against Discrimination), Scientologists John Allender\u00a0<\/a>explains some of the many ways Scientology has enhanced his life and how to sidestep false and corrupt sources on the subject.<\/em><\/p>\n

Why do we read the news or put it on the tube, turn on the radio while we drive or have it fed to us on the internet? Why do we sign up for special \u201cNewsletters\u201d or requests \u201cfor more information\u201d or talk over the fence to our neighbors? We want to be informed, we want to be in the know. We want the information so that we can understand the world around us. None of us can be everywhere at all times, see all, know all. We depend upon others to keep us informed. How is traffic, can I get there on time, are the markets okay, should I sell, should I buy? Rain, shine? The people who give us this information are our \u201csources.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what happens when our sources are corrupt or misinformed themselves? What happens when the reporter tells you the freeway is clear when it\u2019s really backed up? Or worse, that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction when it doesn\u2019t. We act correctly based on the data we have, but in the end, if we have wrong data, we fail in our purpose.<\/p>\n

There is also the resulting confusion. You get on the freeway that is said to be open and moving and it takes 10 minutes to clear the on-ramp. You feel disoriented, you doubt yourself and your decisions. It\u2019s far worse sending your neighbor\u2019s son to war for reasons that turned out to be lies. And when you get into other important aspects of your life, like finance, the confusion can be deafening. Inflation\u2014is it good or is it bad? What investments should I make? Derivatives?? Who among us can define what they actually are? How about insurance\u2014how many of us have read the 20 pages of disclaimers and exemptions? And what about your kids\u2019 educations? There are so many varying point of views you can just spin in the conflicting \u201cinformation.\u201d At the end of any given day, how much of what we have heard or seen did we not understand? At the end of a week, are we less confused or more? At the end of a year\u2026?<\/p>\n

Scientologists have quite a few weapons against this confusion<\/a>. They are not secret weapons. In fact, to start with, there is one in the name\u00a0Scientology<\/a>\u00a0itself. The word\u00a0Scientology<\/i>\u00a0means \u201cknowing how to know.\u201d If you\u2019re a news buff or an information addict, you\u2019ve got to like that, right? How do\u00a0\u201cI know\u201d<\/i>\u00a0what I\u2019ve been told is true? Well, knowing HOW to know, would be where you\u2019d start, right?<\/p>\n

We Scientologists have some very cool tools to help us make sense of the news and information we receive.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t speak for all Scientologists, just myself, but I would guess many use these same tools.<\/p>\n

The first tool in my Scientology toolkit is from a wonderful article written by L Ron Hubbard called \u201cPersonal Integrity<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is true for you is what you have observed yourself. And when you lose that, you have lost everything.<\/p>\n

What is personal integrity? Personal integrity is\u00a0knowing what you know<\/i>.\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd not necessarily maintaining a\u00a0skeptical attitude, a critical attitude or an open mind\u2014not necessarily maintaining these things at all\u2014but\u00a0certainly\u00a0 m<\/em>aintaining\u00a0\u00a0sufficient<\/i>\u00a0personal integrity and\u00a0sufficient<\/i>\u00a0personal belief and confidence in self and courage that we can observe what we observe and say what we have observed.\u201d\u2014L. Ron Hubbard<\/p>\n

Now when you apply that to the news cycle and the sources of news and keep on applying it, you start to become a pretty sharp cookie. If the weatherman is wrong, you notice it\u2014you don\u2019t doubt yourself. If the business reporter says something that doesn\u2019t pan out, you put him on your naughty list. And if your local scribe describes an event that you have firsthand knowledge of in a false or fake way, he just gets ignored from there on until he proves himself to be responsible with the truth. You don\u2019t doubt your observation. You may go back and look again and ensure you are really seeing what you are seeing, but you don\u2019t doubt and become confused.<\/p>\n

Another tool at our disposal is a body of knowledge called\u00a0Study Technology<\/a>. You can take a free course on the subject online. This is all about comprehension and the ability to apply what you\u2019ve just learned. Whether it is the spoken or written word, can you comprehend exactly what you are being told and then put it into application? Being of the mindset to put anything you hear into application makes you a little dangerous to lie to. People begin to notice that you work things out quickly, try them out and don\u2019t just accept anything they have to say. When you try to apply some of the junk spit out by the media with this information under your belt, it becomes obvious when they know what they are talking about and when they don\u2019t. Another point is you stop being confused by useless information that does not work out in real life. You just let it go or file it in your trivia section.<\/p>\n

After Study Technology, the next tool is\u00a0Investigation Technology<\/a>. Again, you can take a course on it for free online. (Look at us just giving all our \u201csecrets\u201d away!) This is about how to analyze information. Does the information add up to the opinion being expressed or are there facts missing? Do you have to make assumptions about the data you were given for it all to add up? I could go on, but the course is free so you should just do it yourself.<\/p>\n

There are more tools available in Scientology that I can use, but I think this gives you a pretty good idea of what I am talking about.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
Avid newspaper readers on a New York train<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

With all these tools, reading the newspaper can get a little comical if not sad. You take a position on what you are being told rather than just accepting it because it\u2019s in The<\/em>\u00a0New York Times<\/i>\u00a0or announced on the 10 o\u2019clock news. You stop being a parrot of miscellaneous facts and start\u00a0owning<\/i>\u00a0the information. You decide if it is true and start aligning it with other information or observations you already have.<\/p>\n

If you read an article, you notice the opinion as opinion and the facts as facts and can keep them separate. You can even start peeking into the future a little bit, predicting how the event will play out. But mainly you can\u00a0think<\/i>\u00a0with the information you are being given.<\/p>\n

When you watch a documentary, you tend to evaluate and understand rather than being led to an opinion by emotional music and hypnotic photos that fixate your attention and cause you to accept what you are being told. Instead, you stay more fluid with your thinking: \u201cHave\u00a0I\u00a0<\/i>seen this before?\u201d \u201cDo\u00a0I<\/i>\u00a0know of anyone who is in that situation?\u201d \u201cWhat would it be like to have been there?\u201d \u201cAre their conclusions correct or are there other conclusions that make more sense?\u201d This is what runs through your head, not a monotone statement like \u201cI hate the government.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Conflicting reports become obvious. The consequences of actions people take shout out at you. The environment around you begins to calm down. It gets quiet and responsive to your demands rather than being a swirling mass of trash bags filled with random, useless information banging you in the face.<\/p>\n

But the best thing about all of this is the pleasure of talking with another Scientologist who deals with life and information in this manner. The conversations are loaded with usable facts and \u201cI saw\u2026\u201d or \u201cit\u2019s my opinion\u2026\u201d There is a kindness you experience coming from someone who is telling you something that they obviously comprehend and want you to understand. It\u2019s just pure pleasure. And because of this, some of the most upsetting or horrific world events can be talked about without upsetting or offending anyone.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not saying we all agree on everything\u2014far from it. We come from numerous cultures, diverse backgrounds and faraway lands.\u00a0If you enter a Scientology Organization<\/a>\u00a0you will find diversity there second to none. Every race, creed, ethnicity, nationality, age group and any other way you want to divvy up the human race is represented.<\/p>\n

It is quite a pleasure to have conversations and friendships like this. And if I got nothing more out of Scientology, I would consider myself truly blessed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why we stand tall. It\u2019s why we have an impact on society, and it\u2019s why we are regarded highly. We know what we know\u00a0and<\/i>\u00a0we (each of us individually) know we know it.<\/p>\n

Now maybe I\u2019m bragging. But that\u2019s what I\u2019ve observed myself, and that\u2019s what\u2019s true for\u00a0me.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Why I Love Being a Scientologist,\u00a0a blog published on STAND (Scientologists Taking Action Against Discrimination), Scientologists John Allender\u00a0explains some of the many ways Scientology has enhanced his life and how to sidestep false and corrupt sources on the subject. 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