The Rules of Scientology: What Members Can and Can’t Do

In the Bonds of Belief: What Are Scientologists Not Allowed to Do? A Christian’s Guide to Understanding

In a world filled with confusing voices and spiritual paths that promise freedom, it is a shepherd’s greatest concern to protect the flock from harm. This guide is written with a pastoral heart for Christian parents, and leaders who are seeking to understand the complex and troubling world of Scientology. We are often asked, “What are Scientologists not allowed to do?” This is a vital question, not out of mere curiosity, but because the rules of a group reveal its true heart and its deepest beliefs.

Through this exploration, we will hold up the teachings of Scientology to the light of Christian truth. We will look at the restrictions placed upon its members not as a simple list of rules, but as windows into a belief system that stands in stark opposition to the grace and freedom found in Jesus Christ. Our prayer is that this guide will provide the clarity, wisdom, and spiritual discernment needed to protect your loved ones and to offer a compassionate, truthful answer to those who have been led astray.

Can a Christian Also Be a Scientologist?

Many sincere Christians, drawn by promises of self-improvement and spiritual awareness, have wondered if they can explore Scientology while holding onto their faith in Jesus. The answer to this question is found by looking past the welcoming invitation to see the hidden spiritual cost.

The Public Invitation vs. The Hidden Cost

The Church of Scientology presents a public image of openness and compatibility with other faiths. Its official creed states that “all men have inalienable rights to their own religious practices and their performance”.¹ Newcomers are often told that Scientology is non-denominational and will not conflict with their existing Christian beliefs.³ To make this point, they may even quote their founder, L. Ron Hubbard, who claimed to honor great religious leaders and said that Scientology shares “the goals set for Man by Christ”.⁵ This creates an appealing and non-threatening doorway for the curious.

But this initial message of compatibility is deeply misleading. Scholars and a great many former members reveal that this open-armed welcome is temporary. As a person becomes more involved, the claim of compatibility is “soon modified,” and it becomes clear that “Scientologists are expected to and do become fully devoted to Scientology to the exclusion of other faiths”.⁴ Members are eventually required to look

only to Scientology’s scriptures for answers to life’s most powerful questions and to seek spiritual enlightenment only from its teachings.⁴ This creates an unavoidable conflict, leading Christian analysts to conclude that the two belief systems are “diametrically opposed” and that “you cannot be both a Christian and a Scientologist”.⁶ The Holy Bible, in fact, stands in direct opposition to “each and every belief they hold to”.⁸

The journey from a message of “all are welcome” to a demand for exclusive devotion is not an accident; it is a deliberate strategy. This spiritual “bait and switch” is designed to disarm a person’s initial concerns. A Christian may feel safe exploring a system that claims to respect their faith in Jesus.² But former members and researchers have exposed this as a calculated tactic. They explain that Scientologists are often “less than truthful at the outset” with the understanding that by the time a person is “fully indoctrinated, these misgivings will no longer matter”.³ As a person invests more time and immense sums of money to move up the “Bridge to Total Freedom,” the personal cost of turning back becomes a powerful chain, binding them to the group. The demand for exclusive loyalty is introduced slowly, only after the individual is already deeply entangled in the organization’s web of practices and financial commitments. This process is a grave spiritual danger, using the language of openness to lure a person into a closed system that ultimately requires them to abandon their faith in Christ.

What Are Scientologists Forbidden from Believing or Questioning?

At the heart of Scientology is a system of control that dictates not only what a member must do, but what they are allowed to think. This control is absolute, creating a spiritual environment where independent thought is forbidden and the founder’s words are law.

The Infallibility of “Source”

In Scientology, all authority flows from one man: L. Ron Hubbard (LRH). His vast collection of writings and lectures are considered the “Scriptures of the religion,” and he is regarded as the “sole source” of all its teachings.⁹ His work is deemed “perfect,” and members are forbidden from making any “elaboration or alteration” to it.¹¹ Scientologists are explicitly taught to “consult only official sources, and never convey their own interpretation of concepts in their own words”.⁹

This creates a system where questioning the doctrine is not seen as a path to deeper understanding, but as a personal flaw. If a member feels confused or disagrees with any of Hubbard’s teachings, it is automatically considered their own fault—a “misunderstood word” that must be corrected through a process called “word clearing”.¹⁰ This practice effectively shuts down critical thinking and reinforces the idea that the source material is infallible.

Control of Information: The Digital and Media Curtain

To maintain this perfect bubble of belief, the organization strictly controls its members’ access to the outside world. Scientologists are forbidden from “mixing practices,” which means they are not allowed to study any other system of thought or therapy Although Involved in Scientology.¹⁰ This prohibition extends powerfully to the internet and media.

Former members confirm that they are not allowed to view “anything anti- online”.¹³ The organization has a long and well-documented history of waging a “war” against the internet, using aggressive legal threats and lawsuits to try and remove critical information and its own secret, copyrighted texts from public view.¹⁴ Although the church uses celebrity endorsements to project a carefully crafted positive image, it treats all critical media not as a conversation partner, but as an enemy to be silenced or attacked.¹⁵

This rigid control over belief and information is a powerful mechanism for creating dependency. It is not simply about keeping the doctrine “pure”; it is about building a psychological prison. By placing L. Ron Hubbard as the single, infallible “Source,” the system strips individuals of their own God-given conscience and reason as sources of authority. The practice of “word clearing” reinforces this by teaching members to blame themselves for any doubt, which prevents them from ever questioning the teachings themselves.

This creates an information vacuum where the only reality a member is exposed to is the one presented by the organization, which portrays the outside world as a hostile and unenlightened place. Within this bubble, members are only permitted to hear “success stories,” while any failure of the “tech” is blamed on the individual’s own hidden sins or “evil intentions”.¹⁷ This traps a person in a system where the organization can never be wrong. Their entire sense of reality and self-worth becomes tied to the group, making the thought of leaving terrifying. It is the very definition of the “milieu control” used by high-control groups to keep their members in a state of dependence and fear.¹⁰

Why Are Scientologists Not Allowed to See Psychiatrists or Psychologists?

One of the most well-known and rigid prohibitions in Scientology is its absolute ban on psychiatry and psychology. Members are forbidden from seeking help from these professions, a rule that has had tragic consequences. This stance is presented as a moral crusade, but its roots lie in a combination of professional rivalry and the founder’s own troubled history.

The Official Stance: A War on “Psychiatric Abuse”

Publicly, Scientology frames its opposition as a noble fight against a corrupt and abusive field. They founded an organization called the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) with the stated goal of exposing and eradicating “human rights abuses by psychiatry”.²⁷ Through CCHR, they promote the idea that psychiatry is “torture” and that psychiatrists are “antisocial” enemies who wrongly medicalize problems that are truly spiritual in nature.²⁷

This battle is also doctrinal. Scientology’s core service, “auditing,” is presented as the one true method for healing the mind and spirit. Therefore, all other “similar mental therapies or procedures, religious or otherwise,” are strictly forbidden.⁴ L. Ron Hubbard’s original book,

Dianetics, was intended to completely replace the psychiatric profession.³⁰ Scientology claims exclusive ownership over the healing of the mind, teaching that this work “should not be alienated from religion or condoned in nonreligious fields”.¹

The Founder’s Personal History: A Story of Fear and Revenge

The intensity of this opposition, But cannot be understood without looking at the personal history of L. Ron Hubbard. While he spoke positively of psychiatrists in his youth, and even wrote to the Veterans Administration in 1947 requesting psychiatric treatment for his own “suicidal inclinations,” his attitude changed dramatically.³¹

The turning point came in 1951. During a tumultuous period in his life, Hubbard’s wife, Sara, consulted a psychiatrist who concluded that Hubbard was suffering from “paranoid schizophrenia” and recommended he be institutionalized.³¹ This diagnosis became public, with newspapers running headlines like “Ron Hubbard Insane, Says His Wife”.³¹ Following this deep personal and public humiliation, Hubbard’s view of psychiatry turned from engagement to bitter warfare. He began to label psychiatrists as “Subversive” and eventually declared an “all-out war” on the profession, redefining the word “psychiatrist” within his movement to mean “an antisocial enemy of the people”.³¹

While Scientology frames its ban on psychiatry as a moral crusade, it functions as a critical business imperative. The prohibition is, a non-compete clause that protects the organization’s core product. Scientology sells auditing as the exclusive solution to mental and spiritual distress, a service for which it charges enormous fees.⁸ Psychiatry and psychology represent direct and powerful competition, offering alternative, and often scientifically validated, solutions for the very same problems.³⁰

Hubbard’s stated goal “To take over absolutely the field of mental healing on this planet” reveals the mindset of market domination, not just religious conviction.³¹ By forbidding members from seeking help from these rival professions, the organization creates a closed market where its own “tech” is the only permissible option. This was tragically illustrated in the case of Lisa McPherson, a Scientologist who suffered a mental breakdown and was prevented from receiving psychiatric care by the leading to her death.²⁷ The “war on psychiatry” is therefore not just an ideological battle; it is an aggressive business strategy designed to discredit the competition and ensure that members have nowhere else to turn—and no one else to pay—for help.

What is the “Disconnection” Policy and How Does It Tear Families Apart?

Of all the rules that govern a Scientologist’s life, none is more heartbreaking or destructive than the policy of “disconnection.” This practice demands that members sever all ties with anyone—including parents, children, and spouses—who is deemed an enemy of the organization. It is a tool of control that has left a wake of shattered families.

The Doctrine of Control: Suppressive Persons and Potential Trouble Sources

The policy is built on a simple but terrifying premise. Anyone who is critical of or “antagonistic” towards Scientology can be officially labeled a “Suppressive Person,” or SP.³² When a Scientologist remains in contact with an SP, they are labeled a “Potential Trouble Source,” or PTS. The church teaches them that this connection to a critical loved one is toxic and will stop their own spiritual progress, claiming they are being “continually invalidated” by that person.³²

The member is then given a cruel ultimatum: “handle or disconnect”.³² They must either “handle” the person—which means silencing their criticism or converting them to Scientology—or they must “disconnect.” Disconnection is the complete and total severance of the relationship. All communication must cease.³²

The pressure to comply is immense. A refusal to disconnect from a loved one is considered a “suppressive act” in itself. This means the member who chooses their family over the church will also be declared an SP, and in turn, be shunned by every other Scientologist they know.³² This policy has been applied with shocking cruelty; in one case, a six-year-old girl was reportedly declared an SP because she would not disconnect from her own mother.³²

The Heartbreak in Practice: Testimonies of Shattered Families

Though the Church of Scientology has at times denied the policy or tried to frame it as a “human right,” the evidence of its devastating impact is overwhelming.³² For decades, it has been the direct cause of ended marriages, and children being torn from their parents.³²

The pain is captured in the letters and stories of those affected. One of the most famous examples is a letter from a daughter to her mother, which reads: “Dear Mother, I am hereby disconnecting from you because you are suppressive to me… And you are destroying me”.³² High-profile former members like actress Leah Remini and former executive Mike Rinder have dedicated their post-Scientology lives to exposing the heartbreak of this policy.³⁶ Countless others have shared their stories, like the man who was relentlessly pressured to disconnect from his own elderly mother, or the families who were forced to choose between their faith and their children.³⁸

Disconnection is the organization’s ultimate loyalty test. It is a tool of coercive control that forces a member to place their allegiance to Scientology above their most sacred and natural human bonds: the love for their family. By forcing a member to make this terrible choice, the church isolates them from their primary support system. It cuts them off from the very people who are most likely to offer a different perspective or express loving concern. Once a person has severed these ties, they become completely dependent on the group for their entire social, emotional, and spiritual world. The threat of being shunned by this new, artificial “family” becomes an even more powerful weapon of control, because now they have no one else to turn to. This is why disconnection is not a “last resort” to protect a member; it is a calculated strategy to break them down, enforce absolute loyalty, and cement the organization’s total control over their life.

Are Scientologists Allowed to Marry Christians or Have Non-Scientologist Friends?

Given the destructive nature of the disconnection policy, a critical question arises: can a Scientologist maintain relationships with non-believers at all? The church’s official answer is yes, but the reality is far more complicated and conditional.

The Official “Open” Policy

On the surface, Scientology appears to permit interfaith relationships. Their wedding ceremonies do not require both partners to be members, and they sometimes even incorporate elements from other faiths, like Christianity, to accommodate family members.⁴⁰ The church’s official websites claim that they “encourage and help members to have excellent family relationships, whether or not their relatives are Scientologists”.⁴²

The Unspoken Condition: The Ban on Criticism

This apparent tolerance, But comes with a critical condition: the non-Scientologist friend or family member must remain silent and supportive. The relationship is only considered healthy as long as the non-member is not “antagonistic”.³⁸ The moment a Christian spouse, parent, or friend expresses genuine concern, asks difficult questions, or reads critical information online, they risk being labeled a “Suppressive Person”.³⁸

At that point, the “handle or disconnect” policy is triggered, and the relationship is put to the test. A heartbreaking example of this was shared online by a non-Scientologist man who had been in a loving, three-year relationship with a Scientologist. When they began to discuss a long-term future, she told him it could not work unless he was willing to adopt her beliefs, making their love conditional upon his conversion.⁴⁴

The Practical Reality: A World Apart

Even without an official declaration, the very nature of Scientology creates a deep chasm between members and outsiders. The organization is an insular world with its own complex language (“Scientologese”), its own justice system, and a worldview that looks down on non-members, who are referred to with the derogatory term “wogs”.¹¹ One former member stated plainly that a healthy relationship with a non-member is “not possible because Scientologists look down on those who aren’t part of their cult.” They warn that any initial friendliness from a Scientologist toward an outsider is often just a recruitment tactic.⁴⁵

The church’s seemingly open stance on interfaith relationships is a pragmatic one. Since most new members come from non-Scientologist families, an outright ban on such ties would be impractical. Instead, these relationships are viewed through a strategic lens. A non-believing spouse or friend is seen first and foremost as a potential convert. The relationship is tolerated as long as it serves as a possible avenue for recruitment.

The moment that person expresses loving, Christian concern or criticism, their status changes. They are no longer a “potential convert” but a “potential threat.” The relationship is no longer a personal bond to be cherished, but a problem to be “handled.” The unspoken rule is that a member’s loyalty to Scientology must always come before their loyalty to any person who dares to question it. This makes true, unconditional love and friendship with those outside the group a near impossibility.

Are Scientologists Allowed to Celebrate Christian Holidays like Christmas and Easter?

For many Christians, the way a group treats our most sacred holidays—Christmas and Easter—is a clear indicator of its true beliefs. On this front, Scientology engages in a practice that is particularly confusing and deceptive. It publicly embraces the celebrations while privately denying their meaning.

The Public Spectacle: A Tool for Public Relations

Outwardly, the Church of Scientology celebrates Christmas with great enthusiasm. A spokesperson has stated, “Scientologists most definitely celebrate Christmas”.²¹ They are known for sponsoring large, festive public events like “L. Ron Hubbard’s Winter Wonderland” in Hollywood and Clearwater, Florida, complete with massive Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and toy giveaways for children.²¹ They hold similar community events for Easter, such as large-scale egg hunts.⁴⁸

These events are presented as a form of community service and are intentionally inclusive, with the church claiming that “members of all faiths participate”.²¹ But former members and critics point out that these celebrations are primarily a public relations strategy, designed to present a friendly, mainstream face to the public and to build goodwill with local government officials.²¹

The Secret Doctrine: The Denial of Christ

This public embrace of Christian holidays stands in shocking contrast to the secret teachings given to members at the upper levels of Scientology. According to former members, these advanced teachings reveal that “there was no Christ, that the Christ story was a mental implant placed in human minds millions of years ago in order to confuse and trap humans”.²¹

This secret doctrine aligns perfectly with other hostile teachings about Christianity, where Jesus is dismissed as a fiction and the faith is attacked as a harmful “implant”.⁴ From this perspective, the outward celebration of Christmas and Easter is nothing more than a cynical performance for “recruitment and PR” purposes.²¹

This practice represents a hollow and deceptive use of sacred Christian symbols. The organization co-opts the powerful cultural and emotional resonance of Christmas and Easter to make itself appear normal and harmless to the public. This allows them to attract new people who would be repelled if they knew the church’s true teachings. It creates a two-tiered system of belief: a sanitized, public-friendly version for outsiders and potential recruits, and a deeply anti-Christian doctrine for initiated members. From a Christian perspective, this is a powerful deception. It is not a different interpretation of the holidays; it is the use of our most cherished traditions as a mask to hide a belief system that seeks to destroy the very foundations of our faith.

What Do Former Members Who Are Now Christians Say About the Rules They Lived Under?

The most powerful testimony against the bondage of Scientology comes from those who have escaped its grasp and found true freedom in Jesus Christ. Their stories reveal a common pattern: a sincere search for truth that led them down a deceptive path, the painful reality of life under a system of total control, and a moment of brokenness where the grace of God broke through.

A Search for Truth, A Detour into a Cult

Many people who become involved in Scientology were first earnest spiritual seekers. Often, they came from a Christian background but felt that their spiritual needs were not being met. Karen Pressley, who spent 17 years in Scientology, grew up Catholic but left her childhood church because it felt “routine” and she longed for a “personal” relationship with God.⁶³ She was searching for truth and answers, and Scientology’s promises seemed to offer exactly what she was looking for.

Similarly, Michael Svigel, who is now a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, rejected the nominal Christianity of his youth and wandered through various New Age philosophies before discovering Dianetics. He was a young man wrestling with deep spiritual problems and hoped that Scientology held the key to fixing his life.⁶⁴ Their stories show that the appeal of groups like Scientology is often strongest to those with a genuine, but misguided, thirst for God.

The Reality of Control and Abuse

For those who join, the initial promises of freedom and power quickly fade, replaced by a harsh reality of exploitation and control. Karen Pressley describes the life of a staff member at Scientology’s international headquarters: working grueling 16-hour days for just $45 a week, living with no privacy, and being forbidden from having children. She learned that if she tried to leave, she would be presented with a bill for $225,000 for the “free” services she had received.⁶³ Others tell stories of being trafficked for labor, forced to work in terrible conditions from a young age.⁶⁵

The Moment of “Brokenness” and the Call of Grace

The turning point for many is not an intellectual argument, but a moment of powerful personal crisis. It is a moment of “complete brokenness,” where the promises of Scientology are revealed as empty and the weight of its bondage becomes unbearable. For Karen Pressley, this moment came when she knew she had to escape, even if it meant losing everything. In her desperation, she felt a supernatural peace from God, who she felt was telling her it was “OK to leave” and that He would care for her.⁶³

For Michael Svigel, the crisis was one of faith. After reading a book by former members that exposed the dark side of L. Ron Hubbard, his entire belief system was shattered. Devastated, he remembered the words of a Christian pastor who had warned him years earlier. He made a phone call that led to him hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that finally clicked. At that moment, he put his trust in the Lord.⁶⁴

Finding True Freedom in Christ

The journey out of Scientology is often long and difficult. It can take months or years to deprogram from the intense anti-Christian conditioning. But for those who find their way to the foot of the cross, the contrast between the two lives is a testament to the power of God’s grace.

After her escape, Karen Pressley’s mother, who had become a Christian, had her entire Sunday School class praying for her. After six months of confusion and struggle, Karen attended a church service and heard about God’s unconditional love and forgiveness for the first time. On March 14, 1999, she gave her life to Jesus. She says “I am no longer searching. Jesus Christ is the source of all knowledge”.⁶³

Michael Svigel went on to dedicate his life to serving Christ, becoming a husband, father, and seminary professor. He acknowledges the struggles and doubts along the way, but testifies to God’s faithfulness: “Christ has kept his promise never to forsake me”.⁶⁴ Their stories are a powerful and hopeful reminder that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. They show the path out of the bonds of a false and costly system and into the true and glorious freedom that is found only in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.