“Scientology” conjures up images of a secretive, perhaps slightly paranoid society made up of super-famous couch-jumpers and science-fiction fans.
But members of the Dallas Church of Scientology paint a different picture. After a recent visit, it seems they’re an open and friendly group, genuinely interested in anyone who walks through the door of the church, located at 1850 N. Buckner Boulevard. But does dropping the gay bomb put an end to that?

Dave Hamann, flag banking officer at the Dallas church, estimated that from 60 to 70 people study there each week. These studies are done independently or as part of an instructor-based course. In the past 20 years, more than 12,000 have studied at the Dallas church, he said.

According to Hamann, membership is on the rise both locally and internationally. The Dallas Church has purchased a new building in Las Colinas and plans to move in by the end of the year, after $3 million in renovations have been completed.

Its parent Web site (Scientology.org) defines scientology as “the study of truth” based upon the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, who published his first book in 1950 and went on to publish over 100,000 pages before he passed away in 1986. Scientologists believe that each person is an immortal, spiritual being with unlimited capabilities. It attributes present failures, unhappiness and discontent to unfortunate events of the past.

“Auditors,” who are Scientologists with special training, help others who are progressing through Scientology locate and examine the past hurts so any negative effect can be removed.

Like some Christians, Scientologists have been accused of being less than tolerant when it comes to gay issues. Much of this stems from comments made by Hubbard in a book called, “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health,” published in 1950.

In it, Hubbard wrote , “The sexual pervert (… includes any and all forms of deviation in dynamic two such as homosexuality, lesbianism, sexual sadism, etc.) is quite ill physically.”

According to the religious tolerance Web site (ReligiousTolerance.org), the term “dynamic two” refers to the human urge to procreate. Since homosexuality doesn’t lead to procreation, Scientologists who cite this passage believe gay and lesbian people have illnesses and need to be rehabilitated.

There are also parallels between Christianity and Scientology when it comes to umbrella statements about homosexuality. But do these attitudes hold up in real life?

Many Christians condemn homosexuality based upon Biblical passages, but it is possible to find Christians who embrace homosexuality — sometimes Christians’ real-life experiences don’t match what comes from the pulpit.
And like some Christians, there are Scientologists who condemn gays based upon Hubbard’s writings. I decided to find out whether anti-gay convictions were rampant in the church.

I started by taking a 200-question personality test on the Scientology Web site. I took the printout of my supposed strengths and weaknesses to the Dallas church, and Hamann conducted my evaluation.

After I dropped the gay bomb, Hamann briefly pauses, shook his head and said, “It’s not a big deal.”

He chuckled a bit and added that my sexual identity might be something to address on my own as I progressed. But he made it clear that my evaluation wouldn’t be flagged, nor would any church members attempt to rehabilitate me.

“Scientology is about truth,” he said. “And whatever you observe to be true for yourself is true.”

For a more official stance, Hamann referred me to Cathy Norman, director of special affairs for the Texas church. Norman has been involved with Scientology since 1977. Her take?

“A being cannot be fundamentally gay or straight any more than they can be fundamentally male or female. Their body influences the role they adopt in this lifetime, but not their basic beingness or identity,” she said.

Norman cited an example from Hubbard in which a person who limps, uses a cane and has great difficulty walking seeks an auditor’s help. When the auditor asks what is bothering him, the man coughs a little bit and tells the auditor his chest is the source of his troubles.

Norman added, “The auditor would never take up lameness as a difficulty unless the person brought it up themselves.”

Being gay can hardly be compared to walking with a limp, but at least it’s nice to know that Scientology considers homosexuality to be a limitation only if a gay person considers it to be. If the individual doesn’t bring it up, Scientology doesn’t either. That’s one thing that lies in stark contrast to general attitudes in fundamentalist Christianity, where homosexuality is viewed as sinful no matter what.

What about marriage? Can gay Scientologists consider themselves fit for marriage?

“The marriage ceremonies of the church reflect the traditional view of marriage being between a man and a woman,” Norman said.

But she also described a moral code that Hubbard released in 1980, which he hoped would be adopted by people both inside and outside Scientology.

“It is based not on the specific, distinctive beliefs of Scientologists,” Norman said, “but on common sense rationality about what would lead to better conditions for all.”

The code mentions a single rule for sexual relationships.

“Be faithful to your sexual partner,” Norman said.

Where it seems that Christians sometimes use their faith to justify their own prejudices, Scientologists seem to be more likely to use theirs to “live and let live.” Granted, there are tiers of information that are revealed only with progress, and that seems to imply that there will always be a bit of Scientology that’s left to the imagination.

But after my brief glimpse into the religion that makes Tom Cruise look crazy on Oprah, at least Scientology doesn’t issue the fire-and-brimstone judgments that have made Fred Phelps and Pat Robertson so famous.
Perhaps it has something to do with the placement of faith.

Scientologists hesitate to even use the word “faith” because it implies a placement of trust in something external. While in Christianity, that external faith is the keystone.

Scientologists place faith in the self — Christians place faith in Christ. This external placement of faith sometimes gives fundamentalists (not all Christians) license to assign specific prejudices to a being beyond themselves. Scientologists seem to give more credence to individual truth than a blanket ideology.

Even though fundamentalists say that homosexuality is condemned by all of Christianity, there are groups of gay Christians who seek to reconcile their faith and sexuality. Is it necessary to become a Scientologist to escape condemnation? That depends where one places his or her faith.

So which is scarier for gays and lesbians: A group of Scientologists with their noses in Hubbard’s books or a Southern Baptist Convention? At least in Scientology, there’s room for self-discovery.

TALK LIKE A SCIENTOLOGIST
The Dallas Church of Scientology has a framed chart under glass outside one of the classrooms that illustrates the steps one must take to advance along what Scientologists call The Bridge. The Bridge is the chart that shows the different levels of Scientology, and every Scientology church follows it.

Virgin newbies are called Pre-Clears, which means they haven’t been through the auditing process. One becomes a Clear after auditing, and no longer has his or her own reactive mind, and therefore suffers none of the ill effects that the reactive mind can cause. After Clear, one becomes an Operating Thetan, or “OT” for short. Thetan is the name given to a person’s spirit, so an Operating Thetan is able to operate without a dependency on things. OTs are able to control matter, energy, space and time rather than being controlled by them. There are different OT levels that one can achieve, the highest of which is OT VIII.

— Jen Austin

The Structure of Scientology
Class V Organizations administer all introductory services: auditing, first steps toward the states of Clear and Operating Thetan.

Celebrity Centre is another name for a Class V organization. The “artist” who comes to a Celebrity Centre takes the same spiritual journey across the Bridge as the millions of other parishioners who are not in the public spotlight. Art and music have been linked with man’s religious quest throughout history. At the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre, the religious services of the church elevate the individual artist to achieve his own spiritual goals and in turn, the artists routinely channel their inspiration in ways that contribute to the spiritual uplifting of society as a whole.

To date, Celebrity Centres exist in 11 major cities (including Dallas) and cultural centers around the world,
— from Scientology.org

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition of February 10, 2006.
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