Scientology beliefs and practices

Scientology's core belief is that a person is a thetan, an immortal spiritual being that resides in a physical body. A thetan has had innumerable past lives, some of which were lived in extraterrestrial cultures. Scientology doctrine states that a person undergoing the practice of auditing will eventually come across and recount a common series of past-life incidents.

Scientology describes itself as the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others, and all of life. Scientologists also believe that a thetan has innate, yet suppressed, powers and abilities which can be restored through auditing by the removal of the "reactive mind" which is said to be responsible for unconscious behavioral patterns and discomforts. Believers reach their full potential "when they understand themselves in their true relationship to the physical universe and the Supreme Being." The Church of Scientology believes that "Man is basically good, that he is seeking to survive, (and) that his survival depends on himself and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe", as stated in the Creed of the Church of Scientology.