Articles

During the period of American slavery, how did slaveholders manage
to balance
their religious beliefs with the cruel facts of the “peculiar institution“?
As shown by the following passages — adapted from Noel Rae’s new
book The Great Stain, which uses firsthand accounts to tell the story
of slavery in America — for some of them that rationalization was
rght there in the Bible.
Out of the more than three quarters of a million words in the Bible,
Christian slaveholders—and, if asked, most slaveholders would have
defined themselves as Christian—had two favorites texts, one from
the beginning of the Old Testament and the other from the end of
the New Testament. In the words of the King James Bible, which
was the version then current, these were, first, Genesis IX, 18–27:
And the sons of Noah that went forth from the ark were Shem,
Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These
are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole world
overspread. And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he
planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken;
and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of
Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two
brethren without.
And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both
their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness
of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not
their father’s nakedness.
And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son
had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of
servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the
Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge
Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall
be his servant. And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and
fifty yearss.”
Despite some problems with this story—What was so terrible
about seeing Noah drunk? Why curse Canaan rather than Ham?
How long was the servitude to last? Surely Ham would have
been the same color as his brothers?—it eventually became
the foundational text for those who wanted to justify slavery
on Biblical grounds. In its boiled-down, popular version,
known as “The Curse of Ham,” Canaan was dropped from
the story, Ham was made black, and his descendants
were made Africans.
The other favorite came from the Apostle Paul’s Epistle
to the Ephesians, VI, 5-7: “Servants, be obedient to them
that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear
and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto
Christ; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but
as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from
the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord,
and not to men: knowing that whatsoever good thing
any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord,
whether he be bond or free.” (Paul repeated himself,
almost word for word, in the third chapter of his
Epistle to the Colossians.)
The rest of the Old Testament was often mined by pro-slavery
polemicists for examples proving that slavery was common
among the Israelites. The New Testament was largely ignored,
except in the negative sense of pointing out that nowhere
did Jesus condemn slavery, although the story of Philemon,
the runaway who St. Paul returned to his master, was often
quoted. It was also generally accepted that the Latin word
servus, usually translated as servant, really meant slave.

Even apparent abuses, when looked at in the right light,
worked out for the best, in the words of Bishop William
Meade of Virginia. Suppose, for example, that you have
been punished for something you did not do, “is it not
possible you may have done some other bad thing
which was never discovered and that Almighty God,
who saw you doing it, would not let you escape without
punishment one time or another? And ought you not in
such a case to give glory to Him, and be thankful that
He would rather punish you in this life for your
wickedness than destroy your souls for it in the next life?
But suppose that even this was not the case—a case hardly
to be imagined—and that you have by no means, known
or unknown, deserved the correction you suffered;
there is this great comfort in it, that if you bear it patiently,
and leave your cause in the hands of God, He will reward
you for it in heaven, and the punishment you suffer unjustly
here shall turn to your exceeding great glory hereafter.”

Bishop Stephen Elliott, of Georgia, also knew how to look
on the bright side. Critics of slavery should “consider whether,
by their interference with this institution, they may not be
checking and impeding a work which is manifestly Providential.
For nearly a hundred years the English and American Churches
have been striving to civilize and Christianize Western Africa,
and with what result? Around Sierra Leone, and in the
neighborhood of Cape Palmas, a few natives have
been made Christians, and some nations have been
partially civilized; but what a small number in comparison
with the thousands, nay,
I may say millions, who have
learned the way to Heaven and who have been made
to know their Savior through the means of African slavery!
At this very moment there are from three to four millions
of Africans, educating for earth and for Heaven in the so
vilified Southern States—learning the very best lessons
for a semi-barbarous people—lessons of self-control,
of obedience, of perseverance, of adaptation of means
to ends; learning, above all, where their weakness lies,
and how they may acquire strength for the battle of life.
These considerations satisfy me with their condition,
and assure me that it is the best relation they can,
for the present, be made to occupy.”

Reviewing the work of the white churches, Frederick
Douglass had this to say: “Between the Christianity
of this land and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize
the widest possible difference—so wide that to receive
the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject
the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. To be the friend
of the one is of necessity to be the enemy of the other.
I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity
of Christ; I therefore hate the corrupt, slave-holding,
women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and
hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed,
I can see no rason but the most deceitful one
for calling the religion of this land Christianity…”
Adapted from The Great Stain: Witnessing American Slavery by Noel Rae.
Copyright © 2018 by Noel Rae. Reprinted by arrangement with
The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc.
http://www.overlookpress.com. All rights reserved.
BY NOEL RAE : FEBRUARY 23, 2018 3:30 PM EST

L. Ron Hubbard and “Dianetics”

Born in 1911 in Tilden, Nebraska, Lafayette Ron Hubbard left George Washington University, where he was studying civil engineering, after two years. He later launched a successful career writing stories for “pulp” magazines in the 1930s, ultimately focusing on science fiction.

During World War II, Hubbard served in the U.S. Naval Reserves, and he later claimed to have healed himself of several serious war-related ailments using the techniques he explained in his 1950 book “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.”

As laid out in “Dianetics,” each human individual has an analytic mind, which (like Freud’s concept of the conscious mind) is normally in charge of making the daily decisions and judgments necessary for survival.

In times of stress, pain or other trauma, however, it is the reactive mind (similar to the Freudian subconscious) that takes over. According to Hubbard’s “mental science,” the lasting scars from those negative experiences on the reactive mind are known as engrams. To get rid of these engrams, Hubbard prescribed a new type of therapeutic process called “auditing.”

In one-on-one meetings with a counselor, or auditor, an individual would answer a series of questions designed to purge these unconscious memories and allow the analytic mind to regain control.

What Is Scientology?: From Dianetics to Religion

Post-World War II audiences proved receptive to Hubbard’s claims of the healing powers of the mind, and the book quickly became a bestseller. Dianetics groups spread across the country and abroad, even as the American Psychological Association and other organizations questioned Hubbard’s claims regarding the scientific nature of his approach.

In 1952, Hubbard introduced a new aspect of the auditing process: a device he called the electropsychometer, or E-meter, which measures the strength of a small electrical current that runs through the body as an individual answers the auditor’s questions.

The introduction of the E-Meter helped mark Hubbard’s transition from Dianetics to Scientology, a term he said derived from the Latin scio (study) and the Greek logos (knowing). This new “science of knowledge” employed the principles of Dianetics in a different framework: Rather than an approach to mental health, Hubbard’s ideas would now become the basis for a new religious movement.

On February 18, 1954, incorporation papers were filed in Los Angeles for the Church of Scientology of California, the first official Scientologist organization.

Scientology Beliefs: Going “Clear” and Beyond

The shift from Dianetics to Scientology included a focus on humans as immortal souls (thetans, in Scientology terminology) that are trapped within multiple bodies through various lifetimes. After purging the reactive mind of past trauma scars through the auditing process, an individual can become “clear”—a concept from Dianetics that represents a major goal in Scientology.

Those who go “clear” are believed to reach a higher level of ethical and moral standards, greater creativity and control over their environment and even less susceptibility to disease.

Individual Scientology churches and missions, known as “orgs,” began using Scientology materials to teach the faith’s basic tenets and conduct auditing procedures in order to help members reach the “clear” state.

Each local org was set up to process clients, including discussing their needs, recommending a product (usually a package of auditing sessions, known as an “intensive”) to fit those needs and accepting payment for that product. After reaching “clear,” members could go on to the more advanced levels of the church, and become “Operating Thetans,” or simply “OTs.”

David Miscavige and Death of L. Ron Hubbard

Since its origins, Scientology has faced opposition and controversy, including long-running complaints from the medical and scientific communities over Hubbard’s claims regarding mental health and the science behind the E-meters, as well as complaints over its status as a religion. As it grew, Scientology became involved in multiple legal battles, including lawsuits filed by former members claiming serious mistreatment by the church.

Though Hubbard himself headed up the Church of Scientology in its early years, in 1966 he resigned all offices and focused on developing post-Clear, Operating Thetan levels. He spent most of his time during this period aboard a fleet of seagoing vessels staffed with young, particularly devout Scientologist volunteers. The Sea Organization, or Sea Org, as they called themselves, became the elite of the Scientology movement, the church’s equivalent of a religious order.

Amid increasing scrutiny of the movement he founded, Hubbard disappeared from public view in 1980. After his death in 1986, at the age of 74, Sea Org member and Hubbard protégé, David Miscavige, took over leadership of the church.

Hollywood and Headquarters in Clearwater, Florida

Scientology opened its first Celebrity Centre in Hollywood in the late 1960s, followed by satellites in New York, Las Vegas and Nashville and international outposts in cities like Paris, London, Vienna, Düsseldorf, Munich and Florence.

Among Scientology’s most visible adherents over the years have been Hollywood stars like Tom Cruise, Kirstie Alley, John Travolta, Isaac Hayes and others.

Despite its strong connection with California, and particularly Hollywood, the church’s spiritual headquarters are located in Clearwater, Florida. Since the mid-1970s, the Flag Service Organization there has been the destination for those seeking instruction in the highest levels of Scientology.

Scientology Today

The United States, home to the majority of Scientologists, has recognized Scientology as a religion, with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reaffirming the church’s tax-exempt status in 1993 after a long-running investigation. In 2013, Britain’s highest court similarly affirmed Scientology’s status as a religion by ruling that the group could conduct weddings at its church in London.

Other countries have refused to legitimize the faith: Germany has barred Scientologists from holding public office, while in 2009 a French court found the church guilty of fraud, but stopped short of banning it altogether.

According to the official Church of Scientology website, there are now more than 11,000 churches, missions and groups in 184 nations, and the movement welcomes more than 4.4 million new people each year. But scholars and outside observers of the movement say the number of practicing Scientologists may be lower than the church claims, possibly numbering in the hundreds of thousands worldwide.

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