6:34 PM RELS : Secret Societies Attendance Announcements Review of last class Scientology Beliefs Rosicrucians Freemasons Illuminati Midterm review

6:34 PM Review of Scientology Controversy Legal actions Successful (organized) Refusing medical help (Lisa McPherson case) L. Ron Hubbard Conventional life, except father was in Navy. Wounded in WW2. hospitalized (shell-shocked). Veterans admin not helping. Indiana Jones? Or Fantasy world? Influenced by occultist Alisteir Crowley Had read Freud and learned psychoanalysis in the Navy. 1950: conformity. Soldiers. Little boxes. First non-fiction book was 1950 Dianetics. Claimed a cure for anything. All illness is psychosomatic. In 1954, asserted legal control over the movement’s technology. In 1956, Scientology: The foundations of thought was published.

6:34 PM Engrams Engram: unconscious sensory impressions Reactive Mind = Unconscious mind; has corrupted files. Analytical Mind = conscious mind. Doesn’t make mistakes. Unlike psychotherapy, Scientology is pragmatic; the analytical mind can dispel engrams. Each person has 100’s of past lives, yielding engrams.

6:34 PM Auditing Hubbard’s true genius Structured form of questioning and listening Hundreds of exercises / tests to break down your basic understanding of who you are and how you can change them. Very first self-help Simultaneously patient and practiser Helping others.

6:34 PM Status Clear The status of “clear” means having no basic engrams. Operating Thetan (OT) A Thetan is a static immortal. Thetans got bored and created universes. Enthralled by their games, they were absorbed into them, and became lost in MEST. They forgot who they were. Escaping from MEST (reminiscent of Q from Star Trek) is the quest of the OT. Higher levels Pay-per-use organization: To reach these, one can pay for courses, or render services in lieu of payment.

6:34 PM Promises Freedom from fears New creative capacity Improved physical health Improved appearance Peace of mind

6:34 PM Concept of divine/ transcendent Recognize social and personal value of belief in God. But scientology has no doctrine of God of its own. It is not their concern. You can be part of any religion and be a Scientologist It is a pan-denomination applied religious philosophy. 8 dynamics; urges to exist as 1.Self 2.Sex 3.Group 4.Humankind 5.Animal 6.Universe 7.Spiritual 8.Infinity = God Gnostic element: you have a spark of the divine in you.

6:34 PM Being Human Humans are beautiful Thetans that have become lost Run an anti-virus program on your mind to recover your hidden capacity Objective: Become not only “clear”, but “at cause” You become the cause of things, not the effect. Go exterior = separate from body and go places (like astral projection) Hubbard’s book is like the Bible – unalterable. Stresses Free Will. Provides you with a means (“the technology”) to maximize your own free agency. You declare a “win” – when to move on to the next level.

6:34 PM Death The end of your present existence. Your Thetan will be reincarnated in another No doctrine (like karma) other than that reincarnation happens. Evolve back to (pure) Thetan.

6:34 PM Good life Non-prescriptive religion No “ethics” because focussed on technology Auditing practices Extremely litigious not open to being studied. 30-year legal case with IRS Whether it is a religion or not. Resolved in 1993 in Scientology’s favour. Ethical crusades. War with psychiatry (in competition); practicing medicine without a license? Government surveillance (IRS).

6:34 PM Rosicrucians Occult-cabalistic-theosophic "Rosicrucian Brotherhood", described in the pamphlet "Fama Fraternitatis R.C." (Rosae crucis), which was circulated in print in 1614theosophic Beginning with the fourth edition in 1615, "Confessio der Fraternitat", was added to the "Fama". According to these, the Rosicrucian brotherhood was founded in 1408 by a German nobleman, Christian Rosenkreuz ( ), a former monk, who while travelling through Damascus, Jerusalem and Fez had been initiated into Arabian learning (magic), and who considered an antipapal Christianity, tinged with theosophy, his ideal of a religion.monkJerusalemArabian Christianitytheosophy For 200 years: Concern: that their names should appear in the Book of Life. Alchemy was unimportant but easy apply themselves in secrecy to study Nature and make discoveries known to the order and profitable to humanity. (Cure the sick for free.) Assemble annually at the "Edifice of the Holy Spirit" (the secret head-quarters)

6:34 PM Rosicrucians The "Fama", invited "all of the scholars and rulers of Europe" to try to get admitted.Europe Generated excitement! Including Descartes and LeibnizDescartes A hoax. Luther's motto: "Des Christen Hertz auf Rosen geht, wenn's mitten unter'm Kreuze steht" Pseudo-Rosicrucian societies arose, falsely claiming descent from the genuine fraternity of the "Fama".societies After 1750 occult Rosicrucianism was propagated by Freemasonry,Freemasonry Since 1866 "colleges" of a Masonic Rosicrucian society, whose members claim to be direct descendants of the brotherhood founded in 1408.Masonicsociety Only Master Masons are eligible for membership.Masons "the aim of the Society to afford mutual aid and encouragement in working out the great problems of life and in searching out the secrets of nature; to facilitate the study of philosophy founded upon the Kabbalah and the doctrines of Hermes Trismegistus, which was inculcated by the original Fratres Roseae Crucis of Germany, A.D. 1450; and to investigate the meaning and symbolism of all that now remains of the wisdom, art, and literature of the ancient world".philosophy Germany

6:34 PM Modern Rosicrucians: AMORC Is AMORC a Religion? No. AMORC, which stands for Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, is not a religion and does not require a specific code of belief or conduct. The Rosicrucian path incorporates both metaphysics and mysticism. Metaphysics is that which falls beyond the five physical senses; for example, intuition, visualization, and healing techniques. Mysticism is simply the process by which you may eventually experience direct, conscious union with the Absolute, Divine Mind, Universal Intelligence, or what some Rosicrucian students call the God of their Hearts. This is not done by adhering to specific tenets or beliefs, but by learning and applying natural laws which, over time, allow you to experience Divine or Cosmic Consciousness.

6:34 PM Freemasons

6:34 PM Freemasonry and Religion Freemasonry is not religion nor is it a substitute for religion. Requires belief in a Supreme Being provides no system of faith of its own. open to all religious faiths. discussion of religion at meetings is forbidden. Freemasonry lacks the basic elements of religion. a) no theological doctrine, and prevents one from developing b) no sacraments. c) does not claim salvation by any means. The Supreme Being no separate Masonic God; a Freemason's God is the God of his religion. Volume of the Sacred Law The Bible is “the Volume of the Sacred Law”, open at every Masonic meeting. The Obligation of Freemasonry Masons swear on the Volume of the Sacred Law (to keep secret, to follow Freemasonry). The secrets of Freemasonry are concerned with modes of recognition. Freemasonry Supports Religion Expects faith, and to place duty to God above all else

6:34 PM Illuminati

6:34 PM Midterm preparation 50 Multiple choice questions (50 marks) On topics covered in Comprehending Cults On Theosophy, Scientology 2 or 3 paragraph answers (25 marks) On ISKCON, Unification

Homework Wednesday: Midterm test For Monday: Have a nice break. See you on the 2 nd ! Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints