CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
Christian Science is an indigenous American religion developed by Mary Eddy Baker in New England in the nineteenth century. In 1879 a charter was granted to found the Church of Christ, Scientist. The mother church was built in Boston in 1894. The Christian Science church considers themselves to be a Christian denomination but they aren’t. Legitimate Christian denominations do not claim them. At the peak of their popularity in 1936 there were 270,000 followers of Christian Science but membership today is less than 50,000 people. The church puts out its own newspaper called the Christian Science Monitor.
Eddy adopted the belief of many eastern religions that the material world is an illusion and reality is purely spiritual. Eddy believed all sickness and disease was a mental error of faith rather than a physical disorder and should be treated by prayer. Christian Science says they believe in the Bible as God’s Word but Eddy disputed some parts of the Bible. You can’t pick and choose which parts of the Bible you like. It’s all or none. There is no supplication in Christian Science prayers. Eddy believed Jesus did not die on the cross for our sins and there is no doctrine of the soul in Christian Science beliefs. Eddy referred to God by the feminine pronoun “she”. According to Eddy heaven and hell are a state of mind and not real places. According to Eddy when someone dies that individual continues his probationary state until he has worked out his own salvation by proving the truths of Christian Science.
Christian Science has four main beliefs that differ form mainstream Christianity:
1. Rejection of original sin – The divine is completely good and all creation reflects that perfection. Humans are not born in sin but are part of a divine and flawless reality.
2. No ordained pastors – Ministers are replaced by studying the Bible and the doctrine of the faith, “Science and Health.” Members elect a “First Reader” to run church services which consist of reading selected Bible passages and quotes form Science and Health.
3. Salvation is an everyday process – Christian Science doesn’t believe salvation by faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior is a one time event. They believe in salvation-by-action to reform our lives here on earth rather than a pardon for sins.
4. Emphasis on spiritual health – Prayer is the first line of treatment when one suffers disease. Christian Science doesn’t prohibit the use of Western medicine by its followers but it does emphasize spiritual healing.
Notable celebrities who were either raised Christian Science or currently practice Christian Science include the following:
Those raised Christian Science who didn’t practice it as adults: Marilyn Monroe, Ellen DeGeneres, Robin Williams, Elizabeth Taylor (converted to Judaism), Audrey Hepburn, Earnest Hemingway, Kelsey Grammer, Henry Fonda, Robert Duvall and Daniel Steele.
Those who actively practiced the Christian Science faith: Ginger Rogers, Doris Day, Joan Crawford (converted from Catholicism), Jean Stapleton, Carol Channing, Val Kilmer, Alan Shepard. Jim Henson was an ex-Sunday School teacher for Christian Science before he left the faith.
This is a fake religion, a cult, that believes man is basically good and capable of saving himself. That’s a hallmark of fake religions. Followers don’t believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and they don’t believe in the gospel of Christ or a physical heaven or hell or a final judgment by God. Christian Scientists believe man is his own god capable of saving himself. The wrath of God will fall on all followers of Christian Science on the last Day.
SCIENTOLOGY
Scientology is a set of beliefs invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986). Scientology has variously been defined as a cult, a business, and a new religious movement. There are about 25,000 followers in the United States and another 6,000 abroad. Hubbard initially developed a set of ideas he called “Dianetics”, intending it to be a science. In 1952 he repackaged his ideas as a religion he called the Church of Scientology. Scientology has three fundamental beliefs:
1.Man is an immortal spiritual being
We know from the Bible that this is correct so nothing new here.
2.Man lives more than a single lifetime
We know there is no such thing as reincarnation. The Bible confirms we only have one life to live and after that we stand before God for judgment.
Hebrews 9:27 – And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.
3.Man’s capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized
The Bible confirms man is sinful, corrupt, wicked and totally lost on their own. Left to their own devices man would ultimately destroy themselves if not for God’s intervention at the second coming of Jesus Christ to save us from destruction.
Mark 13:20 – (Jesus speaking) – And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.
Scientology calls our spirit “Thetan” and says we have had innumerable past lives on other planets. Hubbard also believes Xenu, the ruler of a confederation of planets, brought billions of aliens to earth and then killed them with nukes. Like all fake religions Scientology say man is good and the highest principle of Scientology is survival. Scientology does not preach or impose a particular idea of God but people are left to discover their own truth. Like all fake religions, Scientology glorifies man as good and capable of reaching a higher existence on their own therefore god is not needed.
Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
John 8:24 – (Jesus speaking) – Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.
Acts 4:12 – Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
The Bible tells us that God has put eternity in the hearts of men so that we will seek his face. God has left an obvious void in our souls that only he can fill. It’s like our soul has a special lock on it that can only be opened with one key, and God is that key! You can try all other keys to no avail. You’ll never be truly happy until you’re reunited with Jehovah, the God who made you. As we all begin our own personal search for the truth of God the first place we should look is the most obvious place. Christianity has 2.5 billion followers, more than any other religion. God’s Word, our Holy Bible, is almost 2,000 years old and has never been disproven and is inerrant even though critic have tried for centuries to find fault. Over the centuries there have been millions of Christians who have provided their personal testimonies that Jesus Christ had dramatically changed their lives for the better.
Instead, we have some people ignoring the obvious; choosing to follow fake religions like Scientology without a shred of evidence. If these lost souls would just do their homework they’d realize the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, was one sick puppy. Here was a man who had a failed Navy career and was so mentally disturbed he sough psychiatric help. L. Ron Hubbard didn’t receive any spiritual revelation. He freely admitted he invented “Dianetics” as a science but later repackaged as a religion because religion sells. Here was a man who was in and out of bankruptcy court a number of times and whose business dealings were shady to the point of being illegal or on the verge of being illegal. Here was a man sought by law enforcement from several countries and Mr. Hubbard often had to go into hiding to avoid arrest. All in all, I’d say Mr. Hubbard had a rather dismal and unhappy life.
And we have a number of people today still following L. Ron Hubbard and his fake religion, Scientology. Do people really believe Mr. Hubbard had some spiritual insight into how the universe works and the answers to our questions about God? Contrast the failed life of Mr. Hubbard against Christianity and the perfect, sinless life of Jesus Christ and the wisdom of God’s Word and there is no comparison. The followers of Scientology and all the other fake religions of the world have truly been blinded by Satan to the truth of God. They’re headed straight to hell and as believers we must be prepared give our witness to them if we get the opportunity. Our hope is that we can change their eternal destination from hell to heaven.
Scientology is one of those trendy religions that draws a host of celebrities as followers. As a group, the Hollywood elites are a bunch of lost souls who are unhappy and looking for some meaning in their lives but they’re looking in the wrong places. Here is a list of notable celebrities who follow or have followed Scientology:
John Travolta, Kelly Preston. Tom Cruise, Kristie Alley, Ann Archer, Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, Christopher Reeve, Sonny Bone, Karen Black, Catherine Bell, Leah Remini, Isaac Hayes, Edgar Winter, Elizabeth Moss, Juliette Lewis and Greta Van Sustern.