Robyn Lebron (Matter, Energy, Space, and Time) on the thetan are believed to become stronger Scientology’s emphasis on the importance of present (or future) consequence of past actions also resembles the concept of karma Rebirths continue until one consciously confronts all pre-birth, current-life, and previous-life traumas and realizes one’s true nature as a thetan, immortal spirit—transcending matter, energy, space, and time His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized—and those capabilities can be realized The images of experiences collected over many lifetimes are referred to as “engrams” in Scientologist terminology Engrams are believed to be painful and debilitating; as they accumulate, people move further away from their true identity as thetans To be saved from this fate and restore the thetan is the Scientologist’s basic goal The thetan could be compared with the # (the true self of an individual) of Hindu mythology Dianetic training is the tool through which the Scientologist progresses towards the “Clear” state, winning gradual freedom from the reactive mind, and acquiring certainty of his or her reality as a spiritual being, or thetan Achieving this state enables the spirit to escape the cycle of birth and death—to operate independently of the physical universe and become one with God (or Supreme Being).28 Judgment and Salvation In common with most religions, Scientology is basically concerned with the origin and nature of the universe In Scientology, the cosmic source or life force is represented by the Greek letter (Ĭ) Theta is meant to represent life or the life source; it is not part of the physical universe, but it can control the universe The individual expression of theta is called the thetan This is held to be the true identity of every human being—intrinsically good, all-knowing, nonmaterial, and capable of unlimited creativity As thetans, people are pure spirit, immortal and godlike, outside of space and time Thus, the thetan concept is similar to the western concept of the soul, with the distinction that the latter does not usually go so far as to assert a godlike true nature for human beings ~ 416 ~