The Religion of Tom Cruise: Scientology

6. Man does not experience 22__________________ by meditative enlightenment.
ou captive through hollow and
Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes y
you
deceptive philosophy
philosophy,, which depends on human tradition and the basic
principles of this world rather than on Christ”
DON’T MISS NEXT WEEK’S COMPELLING MESSA
GE WEDNESD
AY, APRIL 17 AT 6:30 PP.M.
.M.
MESSAGE
WEDNESDA
“SCIENT
OL
OGY COMP
ARED TO CHRISTIANITY
“SCIENTOL
OLOGY
COMPARED
CHRISTIANITY-- Par
artt II”
7. No human being is a divine 23__________________ - all such claims mark
24
__________________ teachers.
2 Peter 2:1, “But there were also false prophets among the people
people,, just as
ou. They will secretly introduce
you.
there will be false teachers among y
destructive heresies
heresies,, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them –
bringing swift destruction on themselves
themselves..”
ho is the liar? It is the man who denies that JJesus
esus is the
1 John 2:22, “W
“Who
ather and the Son.
”
Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the FFather
Son.”
8. ____________________ spirits can bring euphoria to the emotional or
25
intellectual senses as a means of deception.
or such men are false apostles
II Corinthians 11:13, “F
“For
apostles,, deceitful workmen,
”
Christ.”
masquerading as apostles of Christ.
Church of Scientology
• Claims membership internationally of over 7 million people.
• More accurate estimate is 50,000 to 100,000 adherents.
• Retains one of the world’s top Public Relations
companies to help recruitment by designing slick
commercials and international T.V. broadcasts.
• LaFayette Ronald Hubbard published his book,
DIANETIC: The Modern
Science of Material Health, in 1950.
• L. Ron Hubbard died January 24, 1986 at age 74.
L.Ron Hubbard
“Y
ou think that, if y
ou call imprisonment true freedom, people will be
“You
you
ou’
re quite right.
”
you’
ou’re
right.”
attracted to the prison. And the worst of it is y
– Aldous Huxley, Eyeless in Gaza
Pastor Jerry’s Recommended Reading:
A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L.Ron Hubbard Exposed by Jon
Atack, A Lyle Stewart Book, Published by Carol Publishing Group 1990
L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman by Brent Corydon and L. Ron Hubbard, Jr.
a.k.a. Ronald De Wolf, Lyle Stewart Inc. 1987.
Larson’s New Book of Cults by Bob Larson, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 1989
Pick up today’s message by Pastor
Jerry on CD or cassette--only $5!
ANSWERS:
The Religion of Tom Cruise: Scientology
MESSA
GE #3 IN THE SIMILARITIES & DIFFERENCES SERIES
MESSAGE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2002
Dr
erry JJohnston’
ohnston’
Dr.. JJerry
ohnston’ss Sermonar
Revealing exerpts from the May 6, 1991 TIME magazine article “Cover Story: The
Thriving Cult of Greed and Power”, by Richard Behar:
Ruined lives. Lost fortunes. Federal crimes. Scientology poses as a
religion, but is really a ruthless global scam – and aiming for the mainstream ... For nearly 40 years, the big business of Scientology has
shielded itself exquisitely behind the First Amendment as well as a
battery of high-priced criminal lawyers and shady private detectives.
... The Church of Scientology, started by science-fiction writer L. Ron
Hubbard, portrays itself as a religion. In reality, the church is a hugely
profitable global racket that survives by intimidating members and
Tom Cruise
critics in a mafia-like manner. ... Scientologists, including Hubbard’s
wife, were sent to prison in the early 1980s for infiltrating, burglarizing and wiretapping
more than 100 private and government agencies in attempts to block their investigations.
... Yet, the outrage and litigation have failed to squelch Scientology. The group, which
boasts 700 centers in 65 countries, threatens to become more insidious and pervasive than
ever. ... By aggressively recruiting and regally pampering them at the church’s “Celebrity
Centers,” a chain of clubhouses that offer expensive counseling and career guidance,
volta
stie Alley
cher
actors Tom Cruise
Cruise, John Tra
ravolta
volta, Kir
Kirstie
Alley, Mimi Roger
Rogerss, Anne Ar
Archer
cher, the late
Sonny Bono
Bono, jazzman Chick Corea
Corea, Nancy Cartwright
Cartwright, the voice of cartoon star Bart
Simpson, and many more of Hollywood’s elite have become followers. ... Rank-and-file
members, however, are dealt a less than glamorous Scientology. According to the Cult
Awareness Network, who monitors more than 200 “mind control” cults, no group prompts
more telephone pleas for help than does Scientology.
• Buys massive quantities of its own books from retail stores to propel titles onto best-seller lists.
• Recruits wealthy and respectable professionals through a web of consulting groups that typically hide their ties to Scientology.
• False fronts in Healthcare, drug-rehabilitation, public schools, and business consulting use
lies and deceptions to pull unknowing victims into Scientology.
• Church information falsely describes its founder as an “extensively decorated” World War II
hero who was crippled, blinded, pronounced dead twice, and miraculously cured by Scientology.
• In a 1984 case in which the church sued a Hubbard biographical researcher, a California judge
concluded that its founder was “a pathological liar.”
• The IRS stripped Scientology’s mother church of its tax-exempt status in 1967
• During the 1970s, the IRS proved that Hubbard was skimming millions of dollars from the church.
PASTOR JERRY USES THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION
1. repeatedly 2. incorrectly 3. inappropriately 4. church 5. Jesus 6. church 7. one 8. 115 9. 92 10. Jesus 11.
Faith 12. Fellowship 13. Unity 14. purity 15. Power 16. alien 17. pre-existence 18. god 19. sinned 20. heaven
21. hell 22. salvation 23. revelator 24. false 25. Demonic
DID YOU KNOW ...
%
1
Scientology loves the word church: They use the term ______________;
2
_______________; 3_________________.
This is a favorite deception of CULTS…they want to be referred to as a 4_____________.
“Tom Cruise, who has always spoken proudly of the Church of Scientology and
how it has enhanced his life, recently met with U.S. Ambassador Dan Coats in
Berlin to lobby for the group’s rights in Germany…Since 1997, Germany has
refused to recognize Scientology as a church, saying it is a commercial enterprise
that masquerades as a religion to make money. Scientologists are barred from
government jobs in some parts of the country. Scientology advocates say this is a
violation of human rights.”
-Ann Oldenburg, USA Today, January 31, 2002
DEFINITION & NATURE OF A GENUINE CHURCH
! ___________ was the first to refer to His followers as a ______________.
5
6
ou that y
ou are P
eter
Matthew 16:18, “And I tell y
you
you
Peter
eter,, and on this rock I will build my
”
it.”
church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Apart from Matthew 16:18, the word “church” occurs in the four Gospels in
!
only ________________ other place:
7
Matthew 18:17, “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he
ou would a pagan or a tax
you
refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as y
collector
collector..
!The word “church” (Gk. Ekklesia) is used ____________ in the New Testament.
_________ times it refers to local congregations; there are other
!
instances of application to the universal church. (Acts 9:31)
8
9
! _________________ alone is the head of the Church. (I Corinthians 12)
10
Ephesians 1:22, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to
”
church,...”
be head over everything for the church,...
The Church of Jesus Christ is distinguished by 5 AUTHENTIC FEATURES:
! _________IN JESUS CHRIST (Acts 2:44; 4:32; 5:14; I Timothy 4:12)
" _________ IN JESUS CHRIST ((koinonia) Acts 2:42; Romans 12:5)
# _________ IN JESUS CHRIST (Acts 2:46,47)
o the
$ SPIRITUAL & MORAL _________IN JESUS CHRIST (I Corinthians 1:2, “T
“To
11
12
13
14
church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ JJesus
esus and called to
holy,, together with all those everywhere who call on the Name of our
be holy
Lord JJesus
esus Christ – their Lord and ours
ours..” )
ou that
____________ IN JESUS CHRIST (Matthew 16:18, “And I tell y
you
you ask P
eter
Peter
eter,, and on this rock I will build my church, and the
gates of Hell will not overcome it.
”)
it.”
15
A TRUE CHURCH HAS PURE, BIBLICAL TRUTH
…Let’ss examine why Scientology violates this:
…Let’
1. Auditing is 16____________________ to Scripture; it is a deceptive
recruitment technique. Scientology attempts to give the appearance that it is both a
science and a religion.
Scientology Nomenclature:
• Published their own dictionary with 7,000 definitions for the use of over
3,000 Dianetic words.
• Mankind descended from a race of uncreated gods called thetans who gave up
their powers to enter the Material-Energy-Space-Time (MEST) world of earth.
• Gradually they evolved upward by reincarnation to become humans who
could not remember their deified state.
• Scientologists are coached to awaken their dormant thetan potential by
removing all mental blocks called ENGRAMS.
• ENGRAMS are emotional hang-ups, comparable to repressed memories
stored in the subconscious (traumatic experiences in past lives).
• Dianetics teaches the techniques for removing (clearing) all engrams.
• Preclear (PC) is a person in need of auditing to discover his engrams.
• Scientologists claim the auditing procedure is like a church confessional.
• Those who have removed the psychic hindrances of their engrams are said to be CLEAR.
• The clear one is a thetan who has audited out his reactive mind responses.
2. Scripture rejects the concept of 17___________________ or reincarnation.
ust as man is destined to die once
”
Hebrews 9:27, “J
“Just
once,, and after that to face judgment,...
judgment,...”
3. Man was not and is not becoming a 18___________________.
ou are mindful of him, the son of man that
Psalm 8:4, “what is man that y
you
ou care for him?
you
y
here is no one righteous
Romans 3:10, “As it is written: “T
“There
righteous,, not even one;”
4. Man has 19___________________ and only Jesus Christ can redeem him.
Titus 3:5, “he saved us
us,, not because of righteous things we had done
done,, but
mercy.. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and
because of his mercy
renewal by the Holy Spirit,...
”
Spirit,...”
5. Man has only two eternal destinations: a literal 20___________________ or a
21
literal ____________________.
Luke 16:23, “In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw
away,, with Lazarus by his side
side..”
Abraham far away
1 John 5:11, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life
life,, and
this life is in his Son.
”
Son.”
SCIENTOLOGY TODAY
Did You Know ...
Battlefield Earth – the action-and-special effects-packed motion picture adapted
from L. Ron Hubbard’s international bestselling science fiction novel has earned
more than $72 million since its original theatrical debut in May 2000. The film stars
John Travolta, a member of Scientology, and he was one of the film’s producers.
TIME critic Richard Schickel: “Not since the inglorious days of the old
Hollywood’s “B” pictures has one seen such totally grab-a-- writing and direction. Maybe this is inherent in the underlying material, a novel by Scientology
founder L. Ron Hubbard, which Travolta, a sect adherent, insists carries no
religious message. Sounds right. If Scientology were this stupidly organized, it
would have no members.” (May 22, 2000, A Planetary Disaster)
Scientology’s Progress ...
• German restrictions compared to the holocaust! “...until last month, only the
Scientologists and human rights observers were paying attention to what was
going on in Germany. Than a startling letter appeared in the International Herald
Tribune, signed by 34 show-biz celebrities and studio executives, comparing the
purported discrimination suffered by Scientologists in Germany today to the
“unspeakable horrors” perpetrated against the Jews in the 1930s. That comparison provoked outrage in the American Jewish community.”
– Source: TIME, “Does Germany Have Something Against These Guys?”
by Bruce W. Nelan, February 10, 1997.
NOTE: Signatures included Dustin Hoffman; Goldie Hawn; Larry King; Gore
Vidal and the top executives of five of the major studios – MGM, Warner,
Paramount, Universal and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
– W HA
T T HEY’ RE SAYING –
HAT
“Scientology makes people free, sane and able. It makes it possible to
be more oneself, with the ability to create and change anything being a
natural and expected phenomenon. It puts you at cause over your life
and makes it easy for you to take responsibility not only for your own
life, but for the world. Scientology is sanity and if people who aren’t in
Scientology knew just how sane their lives could be, they would run to
find out about it.”
– Anne Ar
cher
Archer
cher,, Actress
Anne Archer
“Scientology has enabled me to see clearly what my goals in life are. Before I became a
Scientologist, I was a professional race car driver, but quit. I got involved with Dianetics
and Scientology and through my studies and auditing, I was able to rekindle my purpose
in life and return to my profession. My capabilities increased and I became more certain.
As a result, I won the 24 hours of Le Mans. Without Scientology, I would never have
accomplished this nor found the happiness I now have in life.”
– Philippe de Henning
Henning,, Champion Racer & Winner of the 1987 Le Mans
SCIENTOLOGY TODAY
“The main thing that has really impressed me about Scientology is that there is the most
brilliant tech for anything and everything in your life. I’ve become a more powerful individual
with increased abilities I never even conceived that I could experience these kinds of gains prior
to Scientology. There is a way to handle every part of life with
Scientology, and a way to exist that is far beyond any dream that you
could ever dream. All of my dreams keep becoming realities and that’s
very exciting! Through Scientology, things happen a lot quicker. What
used to take weeks or months sometimes happens in days or even
minutes! Life is at my finger tips and with Scientology I’ve found I can
have or be whatever I want”.
– Kelly Preston, Actress
Kelly Preston and
“In January of 1975 I was working on my first film in Durango, Mexico.
John Travolta
There I met an actress who gave me the book Dianetics. During the five
weeks we were filming she gave me some auditing sessions and applied some basic principles.
That was when I became involved in Dianetics – because it worked. When I returned to the
United States I began Scientology training and auditing. My career immediately took off and
I landed a lead role on the TV show “Welcome Back Kotter” and had a string of successful
films. I have been a successful actor for 17 years and Scientology has played a major role in
that success. I have a wonderful child and a great marriage because I apply L. Ron Hubbard’s
technology to this area of my life. As a Scientologist I have the technology to handle life’s
problems and I have used this to help others in life as well. I would say that Scientology put
me into the big time”.
– JJohn
ohn Tra
volta, Actor
ravolta,
“I started in Scientology in 1977 and soon realized the data contained in Scientology
would make a huge difference in my life. All the courses and auditing have been
extraordinarily enlightening and valuable. My wife and I use Scientology to create a
wonderful marriage. In fact, I’m sure there’s not a day that I don’t apply what I’ve
learned in Scientology dozens (and probably hundreds) of times in a variety of ways.
Scientology is such a key part of my life today that it really constitutes an approach to
living that is optimum for me as an individual, as a member of a family, as a member
of groups I belong to, and as a citizen of the world. Scientology founder L. Ron
Hubbard was a great man. We should all be thankful for the insights and knowledge be
made available for all people.”
– Terry JJastrow
astrow
astrow,, Seven-time Emmy Award-winning Producer/
Director ABC Sports
“Scientology has made it possible for me to change my life and the lives of others. It
provided me with tools that I could apply to realize my potential. Not long after I
became a Scientologist I got my role as Mary Ellen on the TV show “The Waltons.”
Through what I have learned in Scientology I am able to confront and handle difficult
situations without relying on other people for solutions. I apply what I’ve learned to
other people and have had a positive effect on their lives as well. Scientology has made
me much happier.”
– JJudy
udy Norton, Actress/ Singer