What are the differences between Religious Science, Christian Science, and Scientology?

I would differentiate these three in a more neutral manner--Religious Science is more of a philosophy, Christian Science is more of a religion, and Scientology is considered by many to be a cult. All three focus on the mind in some way, with Christian Science and Scientology especially focused on the healing powers of the mind, and Religious Science more focused on the metaphysics of mind. Religious Science and Christian Science both have roots in the late 19th and early 20th century, a time when the disciple of psychology was just being born and wasn't necessarily even called 'psychology' yet.At that time, science was embracing something called 'logical positivism'--which sounds a lot more cheery than it really is but kind of comes down to the idea that the world can be known through observation and through scientific methodology, and that metaphysics is useless as a tool for knowing the world.

That was a radical thing for science to say outright (scientists of the century before were mostly religious men), but it was a well-received declaration because religion had gotten pretty oppressive. Logical positivism also embraced the idea of mind, which was new and exciting territory. The religion of the 19th century was heavily influenced by Calvinism and the idea of 'The Elect'--which in a nutshell is an idea that says that God has already decided who gets to go to heaven and who doesn't (predestination) and if you aren't one of the lucky ones, too bad, you're screwed.

This harsh doctrine was causing a wave of mysterious illnesses (especially within the middle class) that came to be known as 'invalidism'. People would just draw all the blinds, take to their beds, and lay around miserable and weak, sometimes for several years at a time.In retrospect we can see they were likely depressed, and who wouldn't be? If you're going to hell no matter what, why even try?

The popular cure was rest--which likely made the depression worse. Christian Science, Religious Science, and logical positivism (real science) all pushed against this harshness by recognizing (in different ways) that the mind both exists and that it creates powerful effects. Christian Science promoted prayer as a curative and kept most Christian principles but rejected metaphysics.

Logical positivism rejected metaphysics and prayer but kept the concept of mind. Religious Science embraced metaphysics but minimized the religious aspects of metaphysics, drawing heavily on Eastern traditions and mysticism in the process. All three were pushing against the harsh Calvinist religious doctrines of the 19th century, which left people feeling that the world was a bleak place and that human beings had little to do except repent--and uselessly at that.

Christian Science was the first 'cure' for invalidism that actually worked. Before that, this illness had baffled doctors. (Remember, there were no shrinks yet).

Christian Science rejects the notion of evil and teaches that prayer and positive thinking can cure illness, and in fact, in the case of invalidism it DID cure it much of the time. You can imagine why--if people feel that God has already damned them to hell and someone comes along and says, no, God is nice, cheer up, get up and take care of yourself--that's going to have a powerful effect. In her book "Bright-Sided" Barbara Ehrenreich talks about the history of this movement at length and identifies it as the root of today's corporate push toward 'positive thinking'.

By the time Scientology came along, psychology was an established discipline, but was of course divorced from religion entirely. Scientology tries to replace psychology by welding it to an eccentric metaphysics that brings religion back in to it. Scientologists go through rigorous counseling sessions known as 'auditing' which are designed to rid members of ingrained patterns of behavior and thought that are considered inauthentic.

Scientologists believe that once these patterns are eliminated, people are capable of superhuman things.At one time, L. Ron Hubbard (the science fiction author who created Scientology) tried seriously to get his methods recognized by the medical community, and even submitted papers to the Journal of the American Medical Association, but they told him to go away, so he did. S book "Dianetics"--which is pretty much the self-help manual of Scientology--is still one of the best selling books of all time.

Did Hubbard write "Dianetics" as a cynical attempt to make more money than he could make writing science fiction? Who knows. I have friends who have tried Scientology and who claim that many of the practical techniques are helpful but the organization itself is oppressive and disturbing--kind of the same way some Catholics say the like the teachings but not the political structure of the Church.

I don't have any friends who stayed with Scientology. It's weird alright, but if you look at what a lot of mainstream religions believe, you'll find no shortage of weirdness there either. I think these three organizations get confused because they all have the word 'science' in them.

None of them are scientific in a way that would be recognized or respected by real scientists, but often, new ways of looking at the world will borrow the terminology of the dominant world view (in this case, science) to lend an air of credibility and authority to their ideas. Advertisers still throw the word 'science' into anything they want to sell. I don't really think science always knows what it is doing either, BTW, so I'm not all that persuaded by quasi-religious organizations that borrow the word 'science' to make themselves look more credible.

Really nobody knows what we are doing here. People who pretend to know should be avoided at all costs in my view.

I wrote this last night as a clarification of part of the discussion. Since Mahalo went down for service I couldn't post it, and the conversation has moved forward, but I'll post this to help with the clarification of "science. " __________ The question is about comparing religions, but as I skim through the answers I see a difficulty in sorting out just what SCIENCE is.So to help with that clarification, I will offer this answer.

(Jump to the bottom and I've posted definitions of Christian Science and Scientology that come from the OED. ) The difficulty with answering this question is the word "science" in the names. And in the instance of these religions, "Science" isn't the systematic approach to knowledge based upon study, observation, and experimentation to learn about the way things work.

(Scientific method, laws of nature, etc. ) (journaloftheoretics.com/editorials/vol-1... This link takes you to lots of the terms one finds association with a discussion of The Sciences, and contemplates the methods used by sciences (anthropology, archeology, etc.That don't lend themselves quite so easily to experimentation. )

The philosophical use of the word science is the one that applies to these religions. The Oxford English Dictionary gives us a "Theological use in the rendering of scholastic terms (see quot.1728), and occasionally Philosophy in the sense of 'knowledge' as opposed to 'belief' or 'opinion.'" Quote 1728 says "CHAMBERS Cycl.

S.v. Science, Divines suppose three kinds of Science in God: The first, Science of mere Knowledge... The second, a Science of Vision... The third, an intermediate Science." When the definition number 2.a.

Says "Knowledge acquired by study; acquaintance with or mastery of any department of learning. Also pl.(a person's) various kinds of knowledge" it isn't excluding hard science or religious theory.It simply implies mastery of a subject. Further down the page, definition 3.a.

Says "A particular branch of knowledge or study; a recognized department of learning.(In the Middle Ages, 'the seven (liberal) sciences' was often used synonymously with 'the seven liberal arts', for the group of studies comprised by the Trivium (Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric) and the Quadrivium (Arithmetic, Music, Geometry, Astronomy). This does not expressly exclude religion when logic and rhetoric can be so tightly bound in the arguments one finds in religion (it's the leap of faith that defeats many of those arguments, though). Definition 3.c.

Simply says "A craft, trade, or occupation requiring trained skill.Obs." But that obsolete definition I think isn't so dead. I think it is implied in several of the other definitions.

Definition 5.b. Says "In modern use, often treated as synonymous with ‘Natural and Physical Science’, and thus restricted to those branches of study that relate to the phenomena of the material universe and their laws, sometimes with implied exclusion of pure mathematics. This is now the dominant sense in ordinary use.

Also attributed, as in science-class, -master, -teacher, -teaching." ______ "Religous Science" is too general a term and doesn't appear as such in the OED, but _Christian Science_ does: A theory of the nature of disease, a system of therapeutic practice, and a religious sect, founded on principles formulated by Mrs. Mary Baker Glover Eddy, of Concord, New Hampshire, U.S.A. Hence Christian Scientist, one who holds and practises this; a member of the sect founded by Mrs. Eddy. The principal tenet of this theory is that matter is an illusion, and that therefore what is supposed to be bodily disease is an error of the mind, which may be cured by leading the patient to apprehend the truth as revealed in the teaching and healing of Jesus Christ. The churches of Christian Scientists are called ‘First (Second, etc.) Church of Christ, Scientist’.(This quote is straight off of the page) _______ Scientology, in the OED: A system of beliefs based on the study of knowledge and claiming to develop the highest potentialities of its members, founded in 1951 by L.

Ron Hubbard (b.1911). Scientology is registered in the U.S. As a proprietary term.1937 A. NORDENHOLZ Scientologie 7 Die Scientologie oder Eidologie, als eine Wissenschaft vom Wissen selbst, stellt sich ihrer Anlage nach in einen Gegensatz zu den Wissenschaften von den Dingen, die ins Wissen eingehen.

1951 L.R.HUBBARD (title) Handbook for Preclears: Scientology.1952 {emem} Scientology: 8-80 8 Scientology means knowing about knowing, or science of knowledge. 1960 Daily Tel.29 Nov.13/2 Meanwhile, I toured the town trying to discover the meaning of ‘scientology’ and ‘creative learning’, the system under which the children were instructed to imagine they were dead.1965 L.R. HUBBARD Scientology Abridged Dict.30 Scientology, an applied religious philosophy dealing with the study of knowledge, which, through the application of its technology can bring about desirable changes in the conditions of life.1969 Wall St.Jrnl. 30 July, The Court of Claims ruled that the Founding Church of Scientology failed to show its net income didn't benefit private individuals.1970 Official Gaz.(U.S.Patent Office) 1 Sept.

TM 52/2 Reg.No.898,018.L. Ron Hubbard, Washington, D.C...Scientology. For Bulletins, Books and Newsletters (URL6.16).

First use Nov.21, 1951.1971 J.G. FOSTER Enquiry into Pract. & Effects Scientology iv.42 in Parl. Papers 1971-2 XXXVI.917 Scientology departs from the mechanistic psychology of Dianetics by introducing a new causative agent... More usually..and especially in recent works..it is called the ‘spirit’ or ‘thetan’... Among the goals of Scientology processing are to increase the beingness of the thetan and thus increase the creative potential of the individual personality and its analytical mind.1973 Daily Tel.

31 Oct.14/4 There was Lord Soper grudgingly admitting that Scientology was entitled to be called a religion even if it was the worst one he had come across.1975 D. LODGE Changing Places v.176 A young man distributing, without conviction, leaflets about courses in Scientology. 1980 Daily Tel.

14 July 3/1 A Scientology spokesman said the removal of the ban would be ‘in keeping with Mrs Thatcher's beliefs in individual freedom and human rights’. _________ So, I will conclude this answer by stating that there are divergent meanings of the word Science, and I think you're having trouble sorting out those meanings. I can't post a link to this Oxford English Dictionary because it is in a subscription database, but I did save a PDF of the entire thing.

So if you want to see this, send me an email address through the Mahalo message system and I'll email it to you.

Nothing is different they all want you to believe their fantasy stories to be true but GOD gave us all common sense and its our job to use it.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.