Tracing a Lineage: Bon, Dzog-Chen,
Buddhism, Unity, Religious Science,
Scientology, Gods Church

Gods Church is working to advance and spread the knowledge of focussed and coached meditation or contemplation for the purposes of spiritual advancement and N-Lightenment.  As such, it is part of a very long tradition with many forms.

In some ways, the genesis of Gods Church is a recent reaction to the abuses, horrors and criminality of Scientology, which incorporated and falsely claimed to have discovered many elements of much earlier traditions. 

Because of this recent derivation, much of the technical materials of Gods Church had been originally described in Scientology jargon.  This is a historical accident, and is not really essential to either its intention or its practices. 

This language has been convenient because there are so many betrayed and disillusioned EX-Scientologists . . . still looking for answers to the basic questions . . . who share a common vocabulary.  Some of the terminology used in Scientology is very efficient and accurate in describing states of existence, and is retained.  Much of it is insular and condescending jargon, best purged and forgotten.  The key technical document, N-LIGHTENMENT NOW! aka Techtalk #00, has been purged of some  $pyontologese. 

Gods Church is NOT affiliated or associated IN ANY WAY with the "Church" of Scientology, which we find a hideous and embarrassing corruption, perversion and destruction of a very ancient and PROFOUNDLY USEFUL lineage.  On the contrary, $cientologi$t$ are probably bound by their "infallible and unalterable scriptures" and their insanely ruthless and proudly unreasonable hysteria to attack and utterly destroy Gods Church . . . for the "High Crime" of being FREE.  Scientology's policy and net effects have been totally contrary the the millenia of tradition which it purports to advance, and horribly destructive to the cause of spiritual freedom.

While a former Scientologist might immediately recognize some "Scientology" overtones or themes in Gods Church, they would also see that they are directly opposed in almost every organizational and philosophical principal.  There is NO necessity or requirement to have participated in or even heard of Scientology to fully utilize the knowledge of Gods Church.  Any advantage of familiarity with some useful basic concepts through Scientology is likely more than offset by physical, mental, emotional and spiritual damage consequential to Criminal Cult Contact.

In addition to technical developments by individual Scientologists, which were fraudulently appropriated and claimed by Hubbard, many ideas and methods purportedly proprietary to Scientology were actually stolen from Buddhism and many other churches and philosopies, including Ernest Holmes' Science of Mind.

As a historical note, I wonder if Jesus was probably familiar with Buddhism, [are there "missing years"?] or even influenced by it?  He was NOT a "leave it to god" preacher.  HE DID NOT preach salvation by faith or abdication of responsibility.  HE NEVER told anyone to "leave it all up to me."  He never told anyone to buy and read the bible.  He never said law was essential to salvation.  He preached AGAINST LAW and FOR FREEDOM.  Very much in the Buddhist tradation, he was a very aggressive proponent of dedicated self-improvement.  Fasting and Extensive Meditation were apparently HIS primary practices.  Individual liberation was his primary focus, not organizational conformity and obedience.

I personally think that Gods Church shares quite a bit of philosophy and attitude with Early Christian practices.   Examine some of the Gods Church materials relating to the Gospels of Jesus for related themes..

However, the Jesus Tradition has apparently been so completely and thoroughly reversed and destroyed by the "Christian" churches that they have become essentially identical to the Pharisee Temples that Jesus so thoroughly hated and despised . . . and worked to destroy.   I think Jesus l would correctly percieve the frothing Bible-thumper TV fanatics extorting money in his name as Eternally Evil Pharisees.  For these reasons, it would probably be confusing and unproductive to do more than mention these likely similarities between his tradition and Gods Church.

Although I was not aware of them at the time I developed UCP, it is perfectly aligned and compatible with the recent American churches in the tradition of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Unity and Religious Science, [known as New Thought Churches], which have a philosophical foundation that is *PERFECTLY* compatible with UCP, but which is shy on the actual methodology of HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND!  UCP is THE simple practical tool or method which fullfills the promise of that philosophy.

Going further back, much of what is supposed by many to be Buddhist tradition actually derives from the very ancient Dzog-Chen Tradition, which was preserved within the Tibetan Buddhist community, but actually long predates the Buddha. The Dali Lama, for instance, is a strong proponent of Dzog-Chen practice and understanding.   Namchai Norbu is a contemporary Tibetan writer of several extraordinary books on Dzog-Chen highly recommended by the Dali Lama.

UCP is described by Scorpio as fusing the two major practices of Tibetan Buddhism.

The earliest known practice in this lineage is the asian Bon tradition, which apparently predates even Dzog-Chen, and survives only in fragmentary form.