If you're new to Scientology or just interested in the movement, you might be wondering what it's all about. What does the word "Scientology" mean exactly, and how does it work? You might be interested in how it can help you or in what the law says about it. No matter what, you should know how Scientology works before you start going to meetings and learning more.
Scientology auditors lead people through a set of structured steps called "processing," which is an auditing method. The method is based on the idea that people have bad energy that can be cleaned away. Auditing is meant to help the preclear become spiritually independent. Pastoral counseling grew as a field of work in the 20th century. The goal of this kind of counseling is to help people who need it in a therapeutic way. Pastoral counselors use many different ways to help people. During counseling, they can talk about their own problems and problems related to their faith.
The auditor checks the electrical resistance of the preclear with a tool called a Hubbard Electropsychometer. It is like a skin galvanometer that the police in the United States use. The electrodes don't cost much and are easy to get. The preclear is sitting on them. The auditor looks at the electrical resistance and writes down any changes in the mind.
During the 1970s and 1980s, everyone knew the name Scientology. The best part was that Scientologists' peers treated them like stars. This was like going to a very secret club. Surprisingly, Scientologists didn't pay much attention to the critics, and one of the reasons they became a force to be reckoned with was that they had no sense of decorum. A quick look at the members' files showed that many of them didn't even bother to use the free benefits the organization had to offer.
Not everyone needs help from a pastor. This kind of therapy can help people who are dealing with grief, a terminal illness, or other emotional problems. It's also great for people who have problems with their relationships and want to work on them. Most of the time, pastoral counseling is done in private practice or at outpatient mental health centers. It's also common in places that help people get over addictions. Pastoral counseling is based on what the main religions believe. People who have strong religious beliefs or are having a faith crisis may benefit from this kind of therapy.
Sec Checking was first used to find out if someone was breaking the rules. In the future, it was used to find criminals. These days, it's used more to find small-time thieves than high-level criminals. A security check is when a suspect is asked a number of questions. Some of these questions are about what the course is for, what medicines a person takes, and whether or not a person has ever been sexually active with other students.
Scientology has been around for a long time. In the early 1960s, LRH came up with a method called "Security Checking" that was used to find people who didn't have good morals. In 1972, the technology was improved and used for general processing. It was later changed to "Integrity Processing." In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the confessional procedure could not be used by the Church of Scientology. Some members were afraid that it could lead to an embarrassing mistake.
Scientology has had a lot of legal problems over the years. In 1999, the UK said that Scientology could not become a legal religion. Scientology has done better in most places, though. Scientology will be tried in Canada in June for fraud, coercion, and extortion, among other things. Scientology is also being looked into by authorities in Italy, Spain, and France, among other places. Scientology has been called a dangerous cult by these courts. Scientology has hired well-known Italian lawyers to defend itself in order to avoid criticism. Most of the time, these lawyers are very strong supporters of the organization.
In one lawsuit, three people who used to be members of Scientology say that they were forced to do work for the group. In another, a person who doesn't want to be named says Scientology agents harassed and followed him. A third woman is suing the group for slander and invasion of privacy.