Whether Scientologists believe in aliens depends on who you ask. Outsiders find the church's theology mysterious because much of it is secret and available only to members reaching high levels within the religion. Church officials and publicly available documentation deny a belief in alien doctrine, while former members and media outlets say otherwise.
L. Ron Hubbard and Official Scientology Doctrine
Science fiction author, L. Ron Hubbard had a somewhat brief friendship with rocket engineer, JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) Jack Parsons, with both men sharing their connection with the Magick teachings of occultist Aleistar Crowley and the new religion Crowley created called Thelema. It's believed that Hubbard's connection with Parsons and Thelema inspired him to create the Church of Scientology.
As for the controversial accusation that Scientologists believe in aliens, the Scientology website states that Scientologists don't believe they are descended from aliens. The church website states, "Some of the information one finds on the Internet concerning Scientology religious beliefs is a mixture of misstatements, distortions and outright lies designed to twist Scientology theology."
The Scientology doctrine states it's a religion. The purpose is to give members a path to exploring and discovering their spiritual nature. Members are encouraged to reflect on their different relationships. This should include all life forms, especially spiritual lifeforms and what Scientology calls the Supreme Being, which is God to most people.
These beliefs consider humans to be immortal spiritual beings. Reincarnation is part of this doctrine, and with that comes past life trauma that can be carried over into your current life. The trauma can create blockages that prevent you from achieving your purpose in life.
Hubbard created a method to rid the soul (thetan) of these blockages. He dubbed this process the audit. The church member goes through a series of audits in order to advance to the next level in their spiritual development. Each audit costs a specific amount of money that increases as you advance levels. The highest level is supposed to offer members secret knowledge that will empower them.
Do Scientologists Believe in Aliens?
Imagine the anticipation church members feel in their drive to reach that fated OT3 level of membership. However, former church members talk about having finally reached the higher level of indoctrination through numerous audits and expense only to discover that hidden nugget is a belief in body snatching aliens.
According to former church members, Hubbard's teachings and doctrines express his belief that spirits/souls of ancient aliens attach themselves to humans. Hubbard calls these alien spirits Body Thetans (BTs). These BTs are tortured spirits that require human hosts.
An essay submitted on the Carnegie Mellon University website presents a condensed version of Hubbard's BTs and their torturer, Xenu. The aliens came to Earth 75 million years ago when the evil alien overlord, Xenu, needed to depopulate the 76 planets under his rule. Hubbard called this happening, Incident II.
So, Xenu rounded up billions of aliens, placed them in a frozen stasis, flew them in spaceships to Earth (Teegeeack), and dumped their frozen bodies on the planet. Next, he exploded hydrogen bombs in the Canary and Hawaiian Islands. He blew up all the aliens he'd offloaded onto Earth, and of course, all the planet's inhabitants.
But this wasn't the end game. Xenu's evil plan included traps for the souls of his victims. Right before he slaughtered them, he replaced all their memories with false ones that hinged on different religious beliefs tied to Earth. That religion component was designed to prevent the alien souls from leaving Earth.
What were the souls to do? The solution was simple. They began to form clusters, to feel safe. Eventually, they decided to hitchhike a ride with humans. The aliens were able to manipulate and influence their human hosts through the false religious ideologies Xenu gave them. They quickly manipulated the humans into accepting these belief systems.
Enter the real purpose of the audits. When the member reaches the OT3 level, they are told that the audits are used to clear those false alien realities. Of course, the church member didn't know that was the real reason why they were required to go through the audits. OT stands for Operating Thetan.
A thetan is what the alien souls or spirits are called. Hubbard supposedly wrote, "One's body is a mass of individual thetans stuck to oneself or to the body." He also wrote that thetans believe they are one entity or spirit even though they're a cluster of spirits. When a church member becomes an OT3, they are supposed to gain new powers, such as altering events or curing illnesses. This is possible since the alien is separated from the human for the first time. They're no longer possessed by a group of parasitic aliens.
Scientology Core Beliefs About Aliens
Scientology's core beliefs on the surface are about self-growth and spiritual development. However, former members claim the religion is cloaked in secrecy with a hidden truth that is only accessible to those who advance to a OT3 level.
