Scientology

For a group project that is coming up my group decided to pursue all that is Scientology. Wanting to get a general insight into their beliefs and background I read up on wikipedia. This is not a creditable source but I think its good at painting the right picture. First of all this is what it said about their general ideas, "Scientology believes man to be basically good and that his experiences have led him into evil. That he errs because he seeks to solve his problems by considering only his own point of view. And that man can improve to the degree he preserves his spiritual integrity and remains honest and decent. (wikipedia, 11/5/07). Now it makes sense to me why celebrities would be so taken with this opportunity, to be able to blame your sins on everything else because deep down everyone is good. This religion is set up to allow people who have a bad past to be able to repent and move on, unlike other religions this one is guilt free. Once again this religion focuses on expanding one's knowledge and becoming more enlightened while immersing yourself in the religion. The method they speak of to achieve these goals sounds similar to a plan to help people lose weight. "Scientologists believe that an individual would discover for himself that Scientology works by personally applying its principles and observing or experiencing results" (wikipedia, 11/05/07). That quote referenced from a general Scientology website. The rest of the reading sounded more like a 'self-help' guide more then a religion. Believing that you can be a better person is one thing, turning it into worship is another.