The Forbidden Side of Scientology
By the Reverend Murray Luther
L. Ron Hubbard was never shy about discussing his version of the history of Earth - a scenario that falls somewhere between Star Wars and Star Trek. In a lecture he gave in November of 1959, Hubbard gave an out-of-this-world account of ancient Egypt, stating that at that time, Earth was under attack between two forces. One was the Space Command and one was the Martian Command. Although most Scientologists would avoid admitting it, they believe this completely and without reservation. Well trained Scientologists not only believe this, but they would nod sagely amongst themselves and add, "Ah, yes, the Fourth and Fifth Invader Forces. What a struggle that was."
OK, so Scientologists adhere to some odd ideas, but that only puts them in the plentiful company of the kook community at large. For every UFO sighting, cattle mutilation, or crop circle, you'll find someone with a crackpot theory about Area 51, the Freemasons, the Illuminatti, or just about anything that can be construed into some New World Order conspiracy. In some ways Scientology is but one voice in a vast and cacophonous kook opera.
Scientologists believe that Earth was once part of a seventy-five planet galactic confederacy that met a catastrophic demise some 75 million years ago. But is that any stranger than what the Raelians believe? If Scientology isn't your particular cup and saucer of tea, you can read "Space Aliens Took Me to Their Planet," by founder Claude Vorilhan, who believes that the human race is descended from - quite literally - little green men.
Though some critics like to dismiss the Church of Scientology as just another UFO cult, Scientologists are different in one significant way. They don't like to talk about things like the Marcab Confederacy or implant stations, or how Earth is a prison planet that's been used as a dumping ground for interstellar riff-raff. So sensitive are they about their outer space material that they've designated some of it "confidential." You need to be specially qualified before you can learn about the "wall of fire," a great cosmic calamity of galactic proportion and far reaching impact. Revealing this secret knowledge to others will get you summarily expelled from the Church.
In spite of their many unconventional beliefs, the Church of Scientology wants so much to be part of the mainstream that they've constructed huge PR campaigns to separate themselves from the greater kook community at large. Mostly, they've been successful. Scientologists are very active in a number of social betterment groups organized by their church. Scientologists will gladly discuss all the wonderful things they're doing in the area of education, criminal rehab, drug abuse, etc. Just don't ask them about the five invader forces that have set out to conquer the universe.
Scientologists keep mum on their outlandish beliefs with good reason. They're fully aware of how it affects their credibility. And one thing the Church of Scientology doesn't want is to be seen as just another off-the-wall fringe group. Like the Unarius movement for instance. Unarians believe that through the use of fourth dimensional physics they're able to communicate with advanced intelligent beings that exist on higher frequency planes. Like Scientologists, Unarians believe that our solar system has been inhabited by ancient interplanetary civilizations. Founder Ernest Norman writes in his book, The Truth About Mars, that the Chinese evolved from ancient interstellar migrants who began colonizing Mars a million years ago.
L. Ron Hubbard acknowledged life on Mars too. He claimed that there used to be an interplanetary outpost there. He nevertheless would have disputed some of Norman's more fantastic claims. Norman believes that the Red Planet is currently populated with a network of underground cities that run on radiated atomic power. Hubbard would have pooh-poohed that notion in an instant. Martian civilization, he would have insisted, has been defunct now for hundreds of years.
Every now and then, you'll even find some Christians jumping on board the intergalactic bandwagon. Aliens in the Bible by John Milor claims that the Bible is filled with accounts of alien visitors. A more sinister theory can be found in a book by Mark Hitchcock and Scot Overby called Extraterrestrials: What on Earth is Going On. According to them, the appearance of UFOs is a sign that the end of the world is upon us, as prophesized in Revelations in the New Testament. Even Hubbard weighed in a few times on the Christian angle. The gospel according to Hubbard is that many Christian concepts were the product of implanted ideas from invading interplanetary forces. Apparently, one such alien nation was Helatrobus, responsible for something Hubbard called the "heaven implants."
The Church of Scientology likes to present itself as a worldwide movement that has taken its rightful place within the religious mainstream. Yet at the same time they completely embrace Hubbard's beyond-the-fringe scenarios of intergalactic war. When L. Ron Hubbard calls our solar system Sun Twelve of a stellar confederation known as Espinol, United Moons, Planets and Asteroids, you might call that science fiction. Scientologists call that scripture. Either way, that's not mainstream, that's lunatic fringe.
Scientology may be many things, but mainstream it's not. In a 1968 lecture, L. Ron Hubbard concluded with this: "I am not from this planet." As far as I know, Hubbard never elaborated specifically as to what planet he was from, though he did once mention a brief excursion to Venus. At least he never brandished a ray gun and demand, "Take me to your leader." Come to think of it, it's too bad that he never said, "Beam me up, Scotty." Now that would have been mainstream.
Murray Luther is the pen name of a Scientologist who's been in good standing with the Church for over twenty-five years. © Copyright Murray Luther 2004. All rights reserved.