Space Opera in Scientology Scripture - Analysis

Analysis

Rothstein argues that in the construction of the space opera narratives, Hubbard drew from tropes that were common to his audience. The concept of a Galactic Confederation, Rothstein observes, was present in other UFO religions of the 1950s. He also notes that overpopulation and atomic bombs were often discussed then. Urban asserts that at the time the doctrines were constructed, many Americans were interested in extraterrestrial phenomena; he cites UFO encounters and alien invasions as popular themes during the Cold War. Rothstein draws parallels between Hubbard's teachings and the beliefs of UFO religious, citing similarities between thetans trapped in human bodies and the walk-in hypothesis of the Ashtar Command. Andreas Grünschloß notes that Scientology's space opera teachings place them in the tradition of the ancient astronaut hypothesis; he states that the group's teachings about thetans bears similarities to star seeds found in UFO religions. He speculates that UFO contactee narratives may have played a role in the group's development of space opera, specifically citing the resemblance of Hubbard's description of life in Xenu's time to statements by George Adamski, a UFO contactee of the 1950s. Rothstein notes that the group's teachings about extraterrestrials varies greatly from most of the UFO movement, particularly in Hubbard's descriptions of demonic characters.

Hubbard was a science fiction writer before starting Scientology, and some aspects of the church's space opera bear similarities to his previous writings. Noting the similarities between Hubbard's fiction writing and creation of religious myths, Rothstein argues that "perhaps no division between such categories should be made". Kent posits that some of his cosmology, such as the priests and psychiatrists loyal to Xenu, were modeled after events in Hubbard's life, such as his distaste for Christianity and clashes with the psychiatric establishment. Hubbard theorized that science fiction writers sometimes recalled portions of events from past lives and incorporated it into their works, and Urban writes that Hubbard's science fiction writings "contain more than a few seeds of Hubbard's religious movement, the Church of Scientology".

At their most fundamental level, Rothstein sees Scientology's space opera teachings as an attempt to describe the nature and origin of humans. He argues that they construct a dualistic worldview that casts Xenu as the root of evil and Hubbard as the key hero. Rothstein notes that the church's mythology emphasizes that Hubbard is an all-important messenger of truth who uncovered the mysteries of the universe. Because no one else was capable of discovering the truth about Xenu, Hubbard demonstrated that he was the source of truth. By learning these teachings, Scientologists are able to follow Hubbard's path; Rothstein states that the group's teachings about "salvation" may simply be a means to encourage reverence of Hubbard. In addition, Rothstein notes that the space opera teachings also provide fundamental justifications for some practical aspects of Scientology, including the rejection of psychiatry and the formation of the Sea Org. He sees space opera as similar to most types of mythology, involving superhuman beings in the far distant past. Willms states that the mythology of Scientology differs from many other religions because it focuses on material beings. However, he argues that the Xenu myth is a religious narrative, although the Church of Scientology has never used this claim in their efforts to be recognized as a religion.