What Scientology is actually?

As Scientology and Dianetics grew, a number of aspects were added. In particular, a form of recinarnation, in which a person's soul (or Thetan) passed from one body to the next on death, is described in Hubbard's book Have You Lived Before This Life? Engrams were thus described as resulting not only from experiences in the subject's current existence but also from past lives, some lived on alien worlds over a history spanning trillions of years (a figure disputed by scientists as longer than the known age of the universe.) These engrams, much as those incurred during this lifetime, could be cleared through Scientology practices – for a “nominal fee,” of course.

Beyond the status of Clear lie “hidden” levels known as Operating Thetan. An Operating Thetan is a person who, having cast off those forces holding them back, is able to function as a Thetan – a spiritual being. There are a number of Operating Thetan levels (fifteen in total, of which eight have been used so far), each of which reveals another portion of the Church's teachings, again for a “nominal fee”, the cumulative total for OT8 (that is, Operating Thetan Level Eight) being approximated as nearly three hundred thousand US dollars.

The Church of Scientology now has centres worldwide and the endorsement of celebrities such as Beck, John Travolta, and – perhaps most prominently – Tom Cruise. As the Church has grown, however, so has concern over allegations of authoritarian control of its members, harassment and intimidation of its critics, excessive fees for membership, and cult-like behaviour.