It’s Time to Shed the Stigma of “Organized Religion”

I’ve heard people speak of “organized religion” rather distastefully. The term can conjure up visions of being told what to do and how to think by an elder shaking a disapproving finger. Organized government takeover or organized guerrilla warfare might seem lighter, more acceptable subjects today.

Individuals using force or threats to get you to believe or “have faith” are the ones who have earned organized religion this reputation. Religion can be used as a tool to oppress, just as anything can. Although oppression sounds chaotic and disorganized, it is “organized” religion that bears the stigma.

I’ve also heard (more times than I can count), “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” Certainly taking one’s own personal journey and doing one’s own thing can be quite fulfilling, but this statement is often expressed with an attitude of dislike for being associated with a religious group.

Well, if you can put aside any grim ideas associated with organized religions of the past and take a fresh, new look in present time, I invite you to do so. And I’ll give you my take on why a newer religion, Scientology, is “organized.”

Reason number one

It’s a workable spiritual technology and we’d all like to keep it that way. L. Ron Hubbard was not going for something great or amazing and to be liked or admired by the masses was not his goal. He didn’t dress up his research to make it palatable for everyone. It wasn’t what the mystics had found. It wasn’t what psychology had found. And he didn’t care. Mankind was in trouble and existing methodologies were not reversing the downward trend, so he was looking only for what got results. When spiritual betterment had been achieved, he documented what he found and passed it along to us. And that is Scientology. Results are achieved when it’s applied exactly as L. Ron Hubbard intended and when it’s altered, things go astray and the workability falls to pieces.

“To organize” is to form as or into a whole consisting of interdependent or coordinated parts, especially for unified action. In contrast, it’s disorganized groups that end up causing misery and upset rather than positive progress for mankind.

Scientologists have gone to great lengths to keep L. Ron Hubbard’s work from being changed. This is achieved by—what do you know?—being organized. It’s quite a task when translating lectures, books and bulletins into all of the languages of the world. Check the Guinness Book of Records—L. Ron Hubbard is the most translated author of all time. And from Chinese to Hebrew to Russian, uniform results can be achieved from the procedures in a Scientology book, without concern of alteration from the English original. That’s a pretty incredible undertaking and it wasn’t done by people casually practicing the religion in their spare time.

Reason number two

We’re actually trying to get something done. We are not a reverent group of holy people looking for redemption, or sheeple groveling at Brian’s feet as in Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” (oops! Sorry, Eric Idle. Your work has now been mentioned in TWO Scientologist’s blogs! Where is this headed?).

The aims of Scientology as stated by L. Ron Hubbard are: “A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where Man is free to rise to greater heights…”

Imagine having the tools with which to accomplish these aims. It might be hard to do if you’ve never read a Scientology book. Well Scientologists not only know these aims are possible, we possess the know-how to get them done and this sharpens our resolve. Simply put: it’s so real we can taste it. And so we get organized.

“To organize” is to form as or into a whole consisting of interdependent or coordinated parts, especially for unified action. In contrast, it’s disorganized groups that end up causing misery and upset rather than positive progress for mankind.

Getting attacked by the various entities in society that would like to continue this civilization’s downward spiral doesn’t make our aims any easier to achieve. That’s why we fight back. Show me a quiet, passive, obedient Scientologist and I’ll show you someone who’s not a Scientologist at all.

So yes, Scientology is organized—perhaps more so than any religion you will ever see.

Notice these aims are not “make as many Scientologists as possible.” Any group, religious or otherwise, can participate in the aims of our religion and believe me, we welcome your assistance!

Reason number three

Survival. If this religion wasn’t organized, it would be gone, plain and simple. The destructive elements in society find a great threat in Scientology. Certain governments seem to have a penchant for violating their own constitutions and suppressing religious freedom. And when they fail utterly to find any wrongdoing with Scientology churches, it doesn’t seem to stop them. If we didn’t stand together, organized, alert and willing to fight back, we would have been wiped out many years ago.

Additionally, Scientologists are one of the most drug-free groups there is. What happens when more and more people find that they, too, can live without drugs? Billions of dollars in drug money is threatened. It is to the detriment of quack doctors and pharma corporations that we are organized.

So yes, Scientology is organized—perhaps more so than any religion you will ever see.

It’s time organized religions got a new reputation: one for major accomplishments in improving life the world over. If your religion isn’t organized, I encourage you to make it more so and help us with our aims.

The world’s a mess. And the clock is ticking.