Introduction
People's belief in God is a very personal experience and they are free to join whatever church that most closely aligns with the individual's choice to practice their religion. Catholics believe that they are the only true church; the Jews believe that the messiah is still coming. And so the list of the nuances of the religions goes on and on. In this paper an attempt will be made to examine the Scientology, Heaven's Gate, and Transcendental Meditation as a method of serving God. The end result is the same in that all hope for eternal salvation. But the beliefs that get a person from this earth to eternal salvation vary.
Question 1
People join churches in many cases due to a recruitment policy that imparts a certain devotion or meaning that is especially attractive to an individual. The religions in their recruitment policies are different that the cult mentality in that the person is free to join or not, participate or not. After dedicating oneself to the religion the structures may demand other requirements but initially they are free to join and to leave. It is hoped that the spirit of camaraderie and thought reform will encourage the individual to stay with the group.
In the Scientology, the recruitment begins with a legal release form. This form indicates that the recruitment is for a religion not a self help philosophy . According to Ortega the new recruit never knows in advance about the potential adverse legal consequences that they could face from signing these contracts. In addition to the signing of contracts, the new recruit will watch a video called "Orientation" and it sets up the legal requirement and explains it to the recruits. If this is not for you, this is a far as you go.
Heaven's Gate is a belief system that was founded in San Diego California and is formed on the doomsday theory. The planet earth was about to be recycled and the only chance to survive is to leave it immediately. This recruitment led to the deaths of 39 members in a mass suicide in 1997 . The Heavens Gate website does not encourage suicide but advocates a willful exit as the method to get to the Kingdom of Heaven. Recruitment for this was done by a series of videos explaining the end of the world and an escape from it. It is believed that the dead were happy to be going to a higher calling and self administered a concoction of applesauce and vodka laced with Phenobarbital to create the induces stupor that led to their deaths with a plastic bag over their heads. The news story says that the bags were found behind the house.
Critics of Transcendental Meditation say that recruitment is like falling down a rabbits hole . For most though, Transcendental Meditation is the offer to experience deep relaxation. This deep relaxation helps you to achieve physical and psychological benefits for the mind and body. Recruitment is easy in a world that is much stressed and on constant states of multitasking. The recruitment is helped if the individual has health benefits because this is a covered psychological benefit. Again like the other religions the person is asked to watch a video to ascertain whether this is a procedure or practice for them. The videos are the beginning of the recruitment practice.
Question #2
How is the “unseen order” defined or described by each of these groups?
The unseen order is a belief that there is a supreme good lies in harmony with getting in tune in our minds and bodies. This belief is put forth by many philosophers but in modern times William James is credited with the theory in the Varieties of Religious Experience: a Study in Human Nature . James espoused pragmatism and the belief in the religious experiences that were not from religious experiences or drugs and were in fact mostly drawn from Christianity. Science, he claimed did not study all of reality. According to James, American had a sick soul and a healthy mind. This theory was the focus of an article by Donald Duclow in the Journal of Religion and Health in which the use of medicines and other mind altering drugs are contraindicated for a health body and souls .
The unseen order in Scientology is somewhat different in that in Scientology the unseen order is the universe consists of pure energy. Individual expressions called thetans create the material existence and the material world has no existence as we experience it and beyond the thetans attributed to it . The true purpose of scientology is to clear away the impediments that keep the fold from understanding and experiencing reality as it actually is and to reconnect practitioners with their true nature as Operating Thetans. .
In the faith of the Transcendental Meditation, the yogi interprets the material world around the participants with a balance with the unseen order of Natural Law. People practicing
Transcendental Meditation wants to be in harmony with the unseen order and feel certain zeal to obtain this. Heaven's Gate has in its inception a different view of the unseen order and to avail yourself of this unseen order you have to remove yourself from this life. The unseen order is about entering into another atmosphere or place in which the problems of the world are not outside of the reality of the life here on earth. Quite a unique concept and because there is no way to test this concept one can only wonder about the life of the unseen order.
Question #3
What are the steps necessary to reach the goal of salvation, self-realization?
Each religion is based on the theory that there is a higher place and that getting to salvation and to be with a higher being is the end result of this path on earth. It is the belief of the Muslims, Catholics, Jews and all the larger established religions advocate this premise to their faithful in some form. So it is for the Scientologists, who believe that the path to salvation differs from the other religions that we have discussed as advocating for salvation. The difference is significant in that the thetan's immortality separates the mind and the body. Jews and Christians believing in eternal salvation believe that upon death the soul is resurrected and the spiritual body goes to heaven or hell. The Scientologists is more alike the Hindu which believes that the bodies go through a repeated contacts with the physical universe .
In the realm of the Transcended meditation, salvation exists in another form. The Marishis is the leader in the world of mediation and guides the participants through a series of mediations and teaches the individuals how to meditate on their own. This mediation leads to all kinds of higher level thinking and in some minds is the way to salvation. The mind and body together and not separated as in other types of beliefs is the way to salvation. Control and obedience also are helpful in achieving these states of salvation through Transcendental Meditation .
Self realization is important concept also the followers of Heaven Gate. Their website has a selection called "Last Chance to Advance beyond Human" . Their belief is that the earth needs t be recycled and as the humans become the leaders above the animals certain duties as required. One of these duties is to be a container for the soul. The soul is the bond between the Members of the Kingdom and those members here on earth. When the two become one self-realization is achieved and total salvation acknowledged.
Question #4
What are the results or rewards in attaining these goals?
The results of salvation are eternal life as believed by many religions. However for the Heavens Gate followers it is the reunion of the Members of the Kingdom of Heaven. In the true Kingdom, there are no space aliens that race through the civilization and represent themselves as "Gods", according to the website of the Heaven's Gate . The close of the Age will come with every significant soul of this civilization returning somewhat attached to a physical body. In their return they will reap a reward. Its desires of what heaven is going to be or not going to be will be revealed at this time. After this there will come a time when the Older Member or leader will incarnate or come again and pick up where this group left off. The whole website appears a little difficult to understand and the reading makes it difficult to discern whether this Older Member is a Gog like figure but it appears as it is. In another place this notion is discusses as recycling, refurbishing and re-spading . The kingdom of heaven will recreate the earth and the world as we know it will be destroyed. Life which was planted in the first place is going to recreate it and then destroy the old and transform the new. This is just the same concept of recycling and apparently this is done to not only destroy humanity and the only way to escape this is to reach the Next Level. This is why the mass suicide occurred it was to reach the next level.
In the realm of Transcendental Mediation the view of the world is much less rebellious and there is not attempt to break out existing worlds on the outside but on the inside of each individual. Transcendental meditation is a much more personal religion and the thoughts of changing from the inside of the person and not so much on the outside is the main theme of the successful end of this belief system.
The idea of transcendental meditation is accepted by many physicians and groups worldwide as the rewards are far reaching and important to reduce stress and anxiety. More so than a religious endeavor the ability to de stress in today's highly stressful world is a great benefit for one's mind and body. There are over 380 published peer reviewed research studies on Transcendental mediation that have documented the positive results on the stress related illness brain function and more physical problems .
In the world of Scientology the regiment for the believers is again physically healthy and involves some of the same relaxation techniques as used in Transcendental meditation. When the question is posed as to "What does one get from Scientology?" the answers vary. They vary in directions of physical and relationship circles. In Scientology one gains the ability to communicate and to improve one understands of themselves . One becomes less afraid of life and begins to enjoy the life that they have. With better communication skills the individual is less misunderstood and creates a positive interaction with those in their work worlds and families. Being free of stress and unexplainable fears, life becomes more enjoyable. The health and physical benefits just as with Transcendental Meditation are experiences as life's pressures and stresses are put into a forum for understanding and improvement.
A Scientologist believes in their own immortality and as a spiritual being the individual learns to achieve their true potential. Becoming immortal and a spiritual being is a well earned role of the religious experience.
Conclusion
The study of alternative religions provides great insights into the mind and psyche of the many people that we share our lives with. To be pigeon holed into just one form of belief and not expanding into the belief systems of others is to do a disservice to your own set of beliefs.
In the three religions that were discussed in this paper, the hardest one to wrap around as a true belief system is the Heaven's Gate. Part of the reason, as anyone can guess, is the mass suicide, but apart from this incident the whole thinking of the recycle and reuse the planet is a little too far off. It does make on think about the recycle and sustainability movements that are in full force around the world and wonder about the feelings of Heaven's Gate about those. The institution of the beliefs of Heaven's Gate seems a difficult task in the modern world but there are sufficient members to give the belief system some respect.
Scientology is a much better accepted religion in the modern world and does receive press about celebrity members. Sometimes the press is good and sometimes it is not. When the press is derogatory it is usually in the vein of members being asked to donate and contribute large amounts of money to the Church. This of course lends people to think that the church is just after their money and not their welfare. But this argument can be made against most organized religions. The Scientologists having to sign a legal document swearing them to secrecy lends one to belief in an endeavor that is less than above board. But that conclusion does not have any basis other than some reports of cult type camps and holding areas that the members are confined. This again poses as negative press.
However, one of the most peaceful and healthiest of the three religions is that of Transcendental Meditation. There are reports of unscrupulous yogi taking insurance payments for unnecessary treatments but again the same can be said of any religious group. The ability to successfully perform medication to the stage of physically reaping the benefits can be a well welcomed state for members of all religious beliefs. The ability to process a yoga exercise certainly does not involve the e religious experience as a fully fledged member o f the faithful group but it does help in many ways to locate the center of your person and relax.
All in all the study of these religions contained several themes making them more similar thena different. The belief in salvation of some kind is central part of the core of the belief system. Also the belief in the importance of the individual and the responsibilities that individual has to protect the physical surroundings. The role of peace and a peaceful mind and body was apparent in the Scientology and the Transcendent Mediation but there was not an emphasis in peace for the heaven gate. It may be s very important part of their belief system but it did not seem to resonate as such in this research
Looking at the various beliefs is an opportunity to expend the time and energy to see the good in all people and understand that most have the desire to be someone who is worthy of eternal salvation. It does not matter how the person gets to eternal salvation although it does matter that it is an important desire. It begins to show that all people are not as different as many would think and that the ability to be good and please our Maker to one day earn a place in salvation is a well desired belief for many religions.
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