From: hartong@netins.net (Rebecca Hartong) Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: Re: Catholicism and Xemu Date: Sun, 02 Mar 97 13:44:03 GMT Organization: Knights of Xenu, Prairie Chapter Message-ID: <5fc0bg$j25@krypto.zippo.com> References: <33195BEA.1943@netcomuk.co.uk> In article <33195BEA.1943@netcomuk.co.uk>, Roland wrote: >If you want to contact the right people in the Catholic Church to tell >them the Xemu story and how anti-religious and anti-christian the Co$ is >then this is the place to start: http://206.96.121.29/cid/cid.html Here's a copy of a posting I wrote a while ago on this very topic: In article <143318Z19071996@anon.penet.fi>, W. W. Bosworth-Field wrote: >>> = W. W. Bosworth-Field >> = Rebecca Hartong > >>>The bottom line is this: I am a Roman Catholic and I am a Scientologist. >>>As I have said in previous posts, whether or not you approve is of no >>>concern to me. >> >>And, of course, it doesn't matter whether *I* approve anyway! What really >>matters is whether the Catholic Church approves. >> >>They don't. > >Whom is a better authority on this subject? > >A. My local priest (and, for that matter, the priest at my last parish). > >B. You. ------------------------- Since we have to assume that these priests know very well what the Roman Catholic Church teaches, I can only conclude that they *aren't* well-informed about what Scientology teaches. As Bosworth-Field should be well aware, Scientology is much, much more than a simple "self-help" therapy. It *is* a religion-and a religion that is incompatible with Catholicism at the most basic levels. To prove my point, I've selected excerpts from Scientology writings regarding some of the "big" issues in any religion and have contrasted them with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The Scientology excerpts were found using Scientology's own search engine at http://www.scientology.org/p_jpg/search/index.htm. Unfortunately, the Scientology web site isn't particularly clear about what publication different search results might be found in. Suffice it to say, though, that all of these excerpts would be from official Scientology publications. The information on what the Roman Catholic Church teaches is taken directly from the US edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I'll indicate the Scientology excerpts as SCN: and the Roman Catholic Church excerpts as RCC:. In addition, for the RCC excerpts I'll include the paragraph number from the Catechism. THE NATURE OF GOD SCN: The highest beingness or Absolute has an impersonal character, it being a condition of existence of personal spiritual beingness and those creations which result from the creative game of the powerful and eternal self. RCC: God has a name; he is not an anonymous force. (203) We believe that God needs no pre-existent thing or any help in order to create, nor is creation any sort of necessary emanation from the divine substance. (296) In Scientology, God (the "Absolute") is a condition of PERSONAL "beingness." In other words, God is the highest spiritual "level" to which a human might aspire. In Scientology, this "beingness" is impersonal and creation proceeds from it as part of its eternal "game." The Catholic Church teaches that God is unique and distinct in being from humans. Humans are God's creatures-- created not as a mere "byproduct" of the divine nature but through an act of will on God's part. The Catholic Church teaches that God is NOT impersonal or anonymous. Scientology's teachings of co-identification with the Absolute (with God) is not only incompatible with Catholicism. Co-identification with God is a very serious sin in the Catholic Church. Aspiring towards Godhood is part of "Original Sin." REINCARNATION SCN: It [Scientology} offers adherents a graduated path of spiritual enlightenment. It claims to disencumber adherents of the untoward effects of past traumas, whether experienced in the present or in past lives. RCC: Death is the end of man's earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When "the single course of our earthly life" is completed, we shall not return to other earthly lives; "It is appointed for men to die once." There is no "reincarnation" after death. (1013) It really couldn't be shown any more clearly than this that Scientology teaches that there is at least a possibility for reincarnation. The Catholic Church very clearly states that there is NO reincarnation. THE PATH OF SALVATION SCN: In some aspects, Scientology appears not unlike Buddhism, Jainism and the Sankhya tradition in Hinduism, but the premise on which its soteriology rests is that of practical and systematic therapeutic techniques. (...) Confession and understanding one's self bring about salvation. Salvation is understood as a stable awareness of one's own true nature and removal of all internal, spiritual barriers (engrams) which block the correct awareness of the powerful and eternal self; i.e., salvation of the awareness, finding the spiritual identity. RCC: Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation. (161) First, a bit about soteriology. Soteriology means a theological doctrine of salvation. IMO, it's actually being used incorrectly here by the Scientologists because Buddhism is *not* a "theological" doctrine of salvation. Buddhism doesn't reply upon the existence of a supreme being for salvation-but let's assume for a moment that what is meant is just "a doctrine of salvation" in the usual sense of preserving one's own immortal soul in a blissful state of some sort for all of eternity. Scientology teaches that understanding of one's own self is necessary for salvation. (There's that idea of co-identification with God again.) This clearly contradicts the teachings of the Catholic Church that believing in Jesus Christ (and in the One who sent him) is necessary. The Catholic Church teaches that there is NO other way to salvation. Scientology teaches that it's techniques ARE a way to salvation. Also, the Scientologist notion of "confession" contrasts quite sharply with the Catholic teachings about confession and penance. In Scientology, the aim of confession is to remove "engrams." Scientology teaches that by removing these "engrams", a person advances further upon the path to salvation. The Catholic Church does not recognize the existence of "engrams" in any way-- particularly not as an obstacle to salvation! SCIENTOLOGY ITSELF STATES THAT IT IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH OTHER RELIGIONS SCN: Scientology is a complete religion and its members practice Scientology to the exclusion of any other faith even though they may retain membership in their natal religion for familial, social or cultural reasons. Note that carefully. "Scientologists may maintain membership in their natal religion for FAMILIAL, SOCIAL, OR CULTURAL REASONS." A Scientologist would not maintain membership in another religion because they actually believed it's teachings! Rebecca Hartong ************************************************************ "One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant." --John Locke