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Converting
Unlike other faiths, the conversion process in Scientology doesn't involve deep discussions of doctrine. There are no missionaries who discuss the finer points of their theology and there's no attempt for you to declare your conversion and go through some rite of passage, such as baptism. The process of becoming a Scientologist is very gradual, almost to the point where you don't even realize you've become a part of a religion.
The conversion process can be quite confusing because of its lack of similarity to other faiths. Perhaps the most difficult difference to grasp has to do with the amount of information freely given in the beginning. With most religions, they're eager and willing to discuss their beliefs with anyone; they're willing to take you as far into the deep depths of their doctrine as you're willing to venture. They'll tell you everything you want to know about their beliefs aboute where we came from, the purpose of life, where we're going, and how we can get there. With Scientology, it's almost the exact opposite.
It's quite common for Scientology to tell the outside world that theirs is an "applied religious philosophy," that it can be applied to any faith and any doctrine. Both John Travolta and Tom Cruise have said repeatedly in their interviews that you can be a Catholic and a Scientologist, a Buddhist and a Scientologist, etc. The more you dig into what Scientology truly is, the more apparent it becomes that such statements couldn't be farther from the truth.
The most common way for people to be introduced to the Church of Scientology is through the free pesonality tests they offer on the streets, in shopping malls, and in their many offices and buildings. It's a long survey that, in some peoples' opinions, is designed to produce a result telling you that you are sad, depressed, and in serious need of help. This is the hook that Scientology depends on. After you've invested your time in this free personality test only to discover that you're horribly depressed, this is when Scientology swoops in to offer you the means to correct that depression - auditing, for a nominal fee.
You pay for a few courses, and at first, all seems well. In the beginning it fits that image that's sold to the public, that it's a way of thinking that can be applied to any faith. You go through these courses, paying higher and higher fees for each new course, learning these great new methods for thinking. Soon you think, sure, I'm still a part of my faith, but now I'm also a Scientologist.
That's the beginning of the Scientology conversion process. You start off slow, following that same cliche they ascribe to drug pushers - the first is free, the second is going to cost you. They reel you in with those personality tests, then tell you the cure is going to cost some money. Thus begins the process of pulling out your wallet, handing over some cash, and starting yet another course. Each successive course gives you just enough to keep you interested, but ultimately leaves you with the same feeling given by the personality test - you're depressed, but this next course will fix that.
It's a slippery slope that leads to a definite progression in your own involvement with Scientology. For the first year or two, it's all applied religious philosophies that you think mesh well with whatever other faith you belong to. But as you're sliding down that slippery slope, another important change is occuring in your life.
The deeper you get into Scientology, the more you are encouraged to only associate with those individuals whose beliefs are the same as your own. You're urged repeatedly to disconnect from anyone who voices doubts, dissents, or concerns regarding your involvement in Scientology. In the vast majority of cases, this leads to the utter destruction of families and friendships, as you disconnect from them entirely, ceasing all communication.
Scientology's disconnection policy is a gradual process that strips away the outside world and removes your support structure. When we're most vulnerable, it's our family and friends who safeguard us, lift us back up, and set us right again. Without that, you're left truly vulnerable and open to coercion. As more and more of that support structure is stripped away, more and more Scientologists are being pushed into your life to take their place. This happens slowly enough that you don't recognize it until you wake up and realize all of your friends, all of the people you associate with, all of them are Scientologists. All of them reinforce that cycle of paying for another course, which leads to another, and another. As the outside world is stripped away, it's systemmatically replaced with Scientology.
This leads to the single greatest difference between Scientology and other faiths. This gradual process applies to the sharing of doctrines as well. What starts as an "applied religious philosophy" slowly turns into a full and complete religious doctrine. As you're pulled away from your family, you're also pulled away from you original beliefs. Rather than the average religion who will share every detail of their doctrine with you if given the chance, Scientology only feeds its followers a single precept at a time. For instance, it takes years of courses and hundreds of thousands of dollars before you're told the Scientology equivalent of the story of creation. Most people are in the church for ten years or more before they're told that part of Scientology doctrine states that all other religions in the world are a product of alien intervention and brainwashing. It would be as if Christianity were to hide the story of the crucifixion until you'd been in the church for over a decade and you'd turned over all your possessions to the church. Then and only then would you hear about precisely who Christ is and what his role is in relation to the entire religion. And most importantly, now that you do know, you're not allowed to discuss it with anyone.
It's this slow release of information that causes so many problems, leads to so many half truths, and wreaks such havoc on the lives of individual Scientologists. By the time you've found out the majority of the Scientology doctrine, you've already disconnected from your family and your friends and you've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars. In most cases, you've even sacrificed your job so you can work for the church in order to pay for more courses. You become engulfed by the organization before you've even had the chance to discover all the doctrine for yourself, before you're allowed to freely analyze it and decide if it's right for you. There is no conversion process; it's a slow and calculated plan to silently seclude you from society and envelope you in a scheme before you've even realized what it is.
Detailed Information & Additional Resources:
• Mark Bunker: Comparing Myths
• Dentists Defrauded, 3 of 10 - Great explanation of the slow pull into Scientology
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