Article 230218 of alt.religion.scientology: Path: casaba.srv.cs.cmu.edu!nntp.club.cc.cmu.edu!newsfeed.pitt.edu!news.duq.edu!newsgate.duke.edu!hookup!nntp-hub2.barrnet.net!cam-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!howland.erols.net!feed1.news.erols.com!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!REX.RE.uokhsc.edu!Pjust From: emma@internetconnect.net (Emma) Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: THE BRIDGE TO A BETTER LIFE Date: 1 Nov 1996 02:34:26 GMT Organization: University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Lines: 87 Message-ID: <55bnji$lhe@REX.RE.uokhsc.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: 206.171.236.35 X-Newsreader: News Xpress Version 1.0 Beta #4 Many falsehoods and inaccurate statements regarding several aspects of the religion of Scientology have been observed on ars. The purpose of this message is to give you a sample of the true data from the book 'What is Scientology?' and show you where you can look to get the full contents of this book. ------------- That man could improve and better himself is a traditionally held belief. This idea tended to become obscured by the nineteenth-century theories of psychology which claimed otherwise - that we remain as we were born. More than that, psychology offered the novel - but utterly false - idea that man was only an animal and therefore could not improve his ability, could not improve his behavior and could not improve his intelligence. Because of this, man in general now finds it rather hard to grasp the older and truer idea that man is a spirit and that he can reach for and attain higher states. Yet betterment is a reality. Many higher states of existence are available to man, and these are attainable through Scientology. L. Ron Hubbard provided a precise delineation of these states, and then clarified how they could be attained by arranging them on a chart which graphically showed each step of the route upward. Life is improved on a gradient. It is improved a little and then it is improved a little more and then a little more. It does not happen all at once. One cannot expect to be handed a totality of improvement in an instant, like being injected with a syringe that magically cures everything - unless of course one subscribes to the nonsensical idea that a living being has nothing to do with life. What is improved in Scientology is the individual and his awareness. It is not his body, his credit cards, his automobiles or other attendant and appendant machinery surrounding him. The individual himself is improved. If one had a person with a very serious illness, his mind would be so thoroughly occupied with that condition that he could envision little more than recovery. If in this state someone were to propose the idea he might return to his job and play for the company football team within a week, it is doubtful he would even listen. When the pain subsided and he began to contemplate sitting up, this would be a substantial gain; after which he might even entertain the idea of going downstairs. But if at any point of improvement he were asked to consider the rigors of his job or the company team, it would constitute too big an improvement in too short a time. Similarly, spiritual advance occurs a bit at a time and one cannot expect someone to immediately leap to the highest levels. The chart Mr. Hubbard devised indicates not only attainable improvements, but also the proper progression, thus avoiding the inevitable setback when attempting to attain too much too soon. An orderly progression, one improvement at a time, as Mr. Hubbard laid out, enables one to ascend at a satisfactory pace to a very high state indeed. The chart which shows these gradations to betterment is called the Classification, Gradation and Awareness Chart of Levels and Certificates. It is divided into two sides - the left-hand side showing training steps one takes in Scientology, and the right-hand side showing the auditing steps. Classification refers to training in Scientology and the fact that certain actions are required, or skills attained, before an individual is classified as an auditor at any particular level and allowed on to the next class. Gradation refers to the gradual improvement that occurs in Scientology auditing. There are grades to a road and there are grades to steps. There can be shallow or steep steps, or even a vertical ascent, which is not a gradient. The desirable road is a gradual grade upward. One's awareness improves as one progresses in Scientology. By receiving both training and auditing, each equally necessary, one's awareness increases. The levels of awareness are listed in the center of the chart and correspond precisely to one's progress in training and progress in auditing. For more information go to the following URLs: http://www.scientology.org http://www.lronhubbard.org http://www.dianetics.org (c) 1993 Church of Scientology International. All Rights Reserved.