[ranxer]

my understanding is that the L.Ron Hubbard techniques are valid ways to get rid of the parts of our character that slow us down.. techniques that liberate a 'true power' by reducing the conflicting pulls of emotional reasoning or bad habits.. to let a person be truly all they can be.. the idea of an 'engram' is central.. engrams are like minds of thier own effecting the concious mind.. kind of like a nicotine addicts pull to have another cigarette not coming from the mind but a chemical addiction of the body.. there's many others like traumatic experiences creating phobias and unusual fears that control the rational mind.
scientology has taken it away from Hubbards belief in helping people for the sake of helping people to a capitalist members only club that has these 'perfected' beings working together to gain power for the club.. which has aspirations to be more than a club.. i don't have the foggiest what thier true goal is, but its at least power and success financially.. those that have gotten out and spoken of the forbidden inner circle get slapped with lawsuits and all manner of slander so they are a bit touchy about criticism :/