Is scientology really a religion?

Diplomsko delo se osredotoča na scientologijo, ki jo je kot duhovni odgovor na znanstvene teze dianetike, razvil ameriški pisec Ron L. Hubbard. Scientologijo je Hubbard razvil konec petdesetih let prejšnjega stoletja, zato jo uvrščamo v nova religijska gibanja. Scientologija se je v letih od njenega nastanka spreminjala, vendar je njeno bistvo ostalo isto. Osredotoča se predvsem na človekovo doseganje duhovnosti in večnosti, pri tem pa uporablja specifične religijske prakse, predvsem revizijo (ang. auditing) in urjenje novih privržencev. Z revizijo želijo scientologi izbrisati travmatične spomine, ki pestijo vsakega človeka in mu tako izboljšati kakovost življenja. Pri reviziji uporabljajo tudi posebno napravo e-meter, s katero merijo čustvene odzive. Prav zaradi njenih verskih praks in nekonvencionalne organizacije pa je scientologija tarča številnih kritik. Diplomsko delo se osredotoča predvsem na splošno opredelitev novih religijskih gibanj in scientologije, njene doktrine in ugotavlja, ali je scientologija religija ali ne.This diploma work deals with Scientology, which was developed as a spiritual answer to scientific notions of Dianetics by an American writer Ron L. Hubbard. Hubbard developed Scientology in the 1950\u27s, which is why it is placed among New Religious Movements. Scientology has undergone many changes since its inception, but its basic teachings remained unchanged. Scientology focuses mostly on attaining spirituality and eternity by using special religious practices, such as auditing and training. Auditing is especially designed to erase traumatic memories, which haunt each individual, and improve the quality of life. A special device for measuring emotional responses called the E-meter is used during auditing. Scientology faces a lot of criticism due to its religious practices and unconventional organization. This diploma work focuses mainly on the general definition of New Religious Movements, Scientology, its doctrine, and tries to discover whether Scientology is a religion or not