Body thetan
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Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious movement. The most recent published census data indi ...
, the concept of the
thetan In Scientology, the concept of the thetan () is similar to the concept of self, or the spirit or soul as found in several belief systems. The term is derived from the Greek letter Θ, theta, which in Scientology beliefs represents "the source of l ...
is similar to the concept of self, or the spirit or soul. A body thetan or a BT is a disincarnate thetan who is "stuck" in, on or near a human body, and all human bodies are said to be infested by these disembodied thetans, or clusters of them. Scientologists believe body thetans came about approximately 75 million years ago through a catastrophe brought on by a galactic dictator named
Xenu Xenu (), also called Xemu, is a figure in the Church of Scientology's secret "Advanced Technology", a sacred and esoteric teaching. According to the "Technology", Xenu was the extraterrestrial ruler of a "Galactic Confederacy" who brought bil ...
, as described by
L. Ron Hubbard Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986) was an American author, primarily of science fiction and fantasy stories, who is best known for having founded the Church of Scientology. In 1950, Hubbard authored '' Dianeti ...
in a confidential
auditing An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon.” Auditing ...
(counseling level in Scientology) called OT III. High-level Scientologists are told that body thetans are responsible for physical and mental ailments, and are told to telepathically exorcize them using Scientology auditing processes.


Free Will

According to Hubbard, body thetans cling to a body because they have lost their
free will Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to actio ...
as a result of events in their past. There are several Scientology auditing 'processes' which are believed to help a body thetan restore free will. Upon reaching OT III, the individual finds body thetans by locating any sensation of pressure or mass in his or her body. This is addressed telepathically as a "cluster," and taken through the cluster-making incident of 75 million years ago.


Secrecy

Often members of the
Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a scientology as a business, bu ...
will publicly deny the existence of
space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...
doctrines, or attempt to minimize their importance. Because the secret information imparted to members is to be kept secret from others who have not attained that level, the member must publicly deny its existence when asked. OT III recipients must sign a waiver promising never to reveal its secrets before they are given the
manila envelope A manila folder (sometimes manila) is a file folder designed to contain documents, often within a filing cabinet. It is generally formed by folding a large sheet of stiff card in half. Though traditionally buff, sometimes other colors are used to ...
containing the Body Thetan knowledge. It is supposedly knowledge so dangerous, as noted on the "Ron's Journal 67" cassette, that anyone learning this material before he is ready could die though many have learned the story and remain alive. Despite the Church's efforts to keep the story secret, details have been leaked over the years. OT III was first revealed in Robert Kaufman's 1972 book '' Inside Scientology: Or How I Found Scientology and Became Super Human'', in which Kaufman detailed his own experiences of OT III. It was later described in a 1981 Clearwater ''Sun'' article by Richard Leiby, and came to greater public fame in a 1985 court case brought against the Church by Lawrence A. Wollersheim. The Church attempted to keep the case file checked out by a reader at all times, but the story was synopsised in the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', November 5, 1985 and detailed in
William Poundstone William Poundstone is an American author, columnist, and skeptic. He has written a number of books including the ''Big Secrets'' series and a biography of Carl Sagan. Early life and education Poundstone attended MIT and studied physics. Personal ...
's ''Bigger Secrets'' (1986) from information presented in the Wollersheim case. Church lawyer Warren McShane later claimed the story had ''never'' been secret, although maintaining there were nevertheless
trade secret Trade secrets are a type of intellectual property that includes formulas, practices, processes, designs, instruments, patterns, or compilations of information that have inherent economic value because they are not generally known or readily asc ...
s contained in OT III. Notably, McShane discussed the details of the Xenu/Body Thetans story at some length and specifically attributed the authorship of the story to Hubbard. Audio recordings exist of Hubbard lectures that discuss Body Thetans and other space opera subjects.Scientology cult Hubbard Class VIII Assists Xenu lecture recording 1968
/ref> There is little real problem verifying information concerning Scientology practices at Clear and above despite all the materials being strictly confidential. While it's therefore sometimes necessary to resort to secondary sources such as court documents, leaked copies of the material and/or second-hand accounts from former members. While almost all of the leaked material seems to be credible and has been verified by ex-members, the possibility exists that while procedures and policies may have changed, the underlying theology from Hubbard will remain the same. There is therefore credible evidence that such materials should not be disclosed by parishioners, but there is currently no documentary evidence of policy requiring anyone to lie about the contents of the materials. Whilst there is ample video evidence of apparently devout members lying about the contents of the OT courses, there is uncertainty as to why they feel it is both necessary and ethical to do so.


See also

*
Scientology beliefs and practices The Church of Scientology maintains a wide variety of beliefs and practices. The core belief holds that a human is an immortal, spiritual being (thetan) that is resident in a physical body. The thetan has had innumerable past lives, some of which ...


References


External links

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OT III Course, summary and comments
{{DEFAULTSORT:Body Thetan Scientology beliefs and practices