Going Clear by Lawrence Wright
General Overview The book Going Clear by Lawrence Wright discusses in depth the beginnings and insights into the church of Scientology. The book starts off by introducing and following the life of the leader of the Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard led a life full of messy relationships and suffered with mental illness. The author goes into the origin of Scientology and how it began as a way to get money and was built on the basis of practically nothing. The goal of Scientology is to become a Thetan, an immortal spiritual being that is claimed to be your highest self. There are also levels to being an Operation Thetan, or OT, which at the final stage you have reached complete spiritual freedom and has gained the knowledge and truth of everything in the world. The book then goes into the birth of Scientology in Hollywood and how actors played a big part in how large Scientology has become. Tom Cruise and John Travolta are two highly notable members that the novel covers. We see the overtaking of the church once L. Ron Hubbard passes and he direction the church takes. Going Clear also covers the backlash and investigations the church faced and what the future has to hold for the notorious religion of Scientology. For someone interested in really understanding the inner workings and lives of those who partake in this belief system, Going Clear by Lawrence Wright is the perfect place to start.
Favorite Part
My favorite part of this novel was learning about the lives of celebrities and how they got into Scientology. I have heard over the years many names of celebrities who were known for being scientologists, but I had no idea that Kohn Travolta was one of them. He was introduced to Scientology by talking with someone on set of a movie he was filming. When he complained of feeling that he was not doing as well in his career as he wanted, a fellow actress told him about how Scientology had really helped her and how Dianetics allowed her to really get in touch with the characters she was playing and have that raw emotion. As someone who relies on getting in touch with a character as their livelihood, who would not give this a chance? After feeling that Dianetics helped him with his depression and well-being, he decided to dive deeper into Scientology. One part of the novel that really stood out to me was when Travolta was taking a Scientology course, he told the teacher that he really wanted a part in and ABC television show. The instructor made everyone point towards the direction of ABC studios and say, “We want John Travolta for the part”. Travolta later got the part that set off his career and truly believed that it was Scientology to thank. It really shocked me that one could believe that Scientology could be so powerful and that telekinesis actually works.
Related
Going Clear almost directly relates to the lecture on 10% of Our Brains and Out of Body experiences. The lecture discusses that people believe that if we were to use more that just the 10% of our brains that we normally use, we would be able to have powers such as telepathy. As I spoke about earlier, Scientologists practice telepathy when a member wants something or to enhance their life. Scientologists are able to do this because they believe that they are reaching a level of clearness where they are able to use more of their brain and reach complete spiritual freedom. The term Operating Thetan means that one is able to act in a way that they are no longer using their body, but by becoming one's wholly self. There are 8 levels to this and the final level is not reached without an exorbitant amount of time and money. They also believe at the completion of becoming an Operating Thetan VIII you have become an immortal spiritual being. Also, Scientologists often experience out of body experiences. As we learned in the Heaven's Gate cult, their members believe in dualism and that the body was just a vessel for carrying the soul. In Scientology, they believe that the goal is to reach a state where you are spiritually free an no longer need your body or any physical elements to support you.
Creative
I have created a powerpoint that shows famous figures in Scientology, the beliefs of Scientology, and have included a video that goes into depth about the levels of Operating Thetans.
Extension
From my own personal experience and those who I have spoken about Scientology with, when hearing the word Scientology, the first thing that comes to mind is a cult. I have never heard anything good about Scientology and it seemed that it was just a money hungry organization that did not care about its followers, so I did not understand why so many people joined. Now after reading I can see why people join Scientology. When you are at a low point in your life or learn that Scientology uses methods that seem as if they are backed by science to improve your life, you become interested in learning more and it eventually pulls you in. The problem that I feel that we are faced with today is the ostracism members are subjected to when joining the organization. When members join, they sign billion year contracts to prove their commitment to Scientology. One is practically signing their life away to an organization that takes up so much of your time and money. Scientology requires you to disconnect from anyone that has different beliefs than you including friends and family. Even notable figures like Tom Cruise allegedly "abandoned his daughter" because his ex-wife did not want to raise her in the church. These are real lives that are being taken away from being with the friends and family that truly care about them. I believe that this is the real issue with Scientology that is not discussed enough. I believe that people are entitled to believe in whichever religion they feel connected to, but it should not come at the cost of others. Religion is always considered one the biggest dividers in the world and Scientology plays big part in that.
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